Gemma just broke up with her long term boyfriend and just wants to forget. When her aunt suggests a love cleanse spell, it all sounds a little ridiculous, but she goes along with it, even to the extreme of a kiss from her best friend Dax. When she wakes up in the morning, everything has changed. She has the business of her dreams and everything in her life is better... only her best friend no longer recognizes her. She'll do anything to get her life back to normal but as she tries to convince this complete stranger to kiss her, she starts falling for him. Dax is the only thing she never wants to lose and now she's not sure which reality will allow her to stay with him.
Everything had to change for Gemma for her to realize she just had to believe in herself and her dreams to get everything she wanted. The friendship between Gemma and Dax was so great in her original reality that even I as the reader felt its loss after her life changed. But the new perspective allowed her to see what could have been all along and the new relationship between them was so much sweeter. This was a good friends to lovers "sliding doors" type of romance.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

WOW ok KATE’S DEBUT NOVEL? Is a masterpiece???? Its plot was whimsical and dreamy, Gemma was so quirky and had a huge heart, Dax was like the ultimate golden retriever boyfriend/friend, Kiersten was the best supportive sister, and I LOVED all of the side characters. Best part? No third act breakup thank youuuuuu. The twists were unique, and I found myself not predicting how certain things would happen (which is refreshing, because I do that a lot). I’d highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good friends to lovers, second chance romance with GOOOOOD spice 🤌🏼 thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group! 4.5/5 ⭐️

"It's a risk. And I've never been good at taking them."

Synopsis: What happens when, after four years of what seemed like stability, predictability, and security, your boyfriend abruptly leaves you? One night, fueled by too many margaritas, Gemma decides she wants no connection with Stuart and wishes she had never met him. With the assistance of her eccentric Aunt Livi, her passionate sister Kiersten, and her reliable best friend Dax, they cast a spell to erase Stuart and any memories of him from Gemma’s life. The next morning, Gemma realizes the spell worked too well. Dax doesn’t know who she is. She realizes she has one month until the next full moon to undo the spell and bring Dax back into her life – even if it means convincing a now-stranger to kiss her.

Reflections: Though not a typical rom-com reader, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book! The exciting, engaging writing style, the unique storyline, and the relatable characters stood out. Each character resembled someone in my life, making it easy and enjoyable to imagine them in each role. It was a breezy, entertaining read and a fantastic debut novel. I’m eagerly anticipating more from Kate Robb!

Thank you to @NetGalley, @kate_robb_writes, and @thedialpress for gifting me this advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review!

#NetGalley #ThisSpellsLove

I'm officially a Kate Robb fangirl! This was whimsical, romantic, and so fun to read! The romance had me absolutely swooning. I can't wait for this author's next book.

I have such a book hangover from reading this book! I didn't want it to end! SO much spice, lovable characters, plenty of laughs, wonderful plot, and just the right amount of drama to keep you reading! I read this in one sitting because I couldn't put it down! I have a feeling this will be a book that I read over and over again! I've already bought a physical copy because it's one I NEED on my bookshelf! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Random House/Dell and Netgalley for the ARC!

I went into this one hopeful since a few buddies who also got ARCs enjoyed this story. From the first chapter, I just didn’t connect with the main character or the side characters. I wanted to like this one so badly, but it ended up not clicking for me. I hope others fall in love with it though!

Kate Robb's debut is a funny, sexy, spell-binding (pun intended) romp that I couldn't put down. I loved the romantic development, the unique set of circumstances, and, of course, the Canadian setting. I can't wait to see what Kate does next!

🥰Enjoyment: This was a really cute friends to strangers to lovers romance with a bit of spice. I have a few critiques but nothing that would stop me from recommending you check it out.

📖 🎧 Writing &/or Audio Style: The writing style was great, easy to follow. The Narrator did a great job on paper, but sometimes she had came off a bit young and immature.

👥 Characters & Relationships: This was a single POV novel from the FMC POV and I think it resulted a bit in the MMC feeling a bit flat.

⁉️Plot, Intrigue & Logic: The plot was interesting to me. I thought it was going to be a bit more “witchy”, but aside from doing the spell that caused the problem in the first place it wasn’t really a witchy type story.

🏞️Atmosphere & Setting: 👍

🚨 For Reader Awareness: brief mentions of the pandemic and its impact

📣Recommended for fans of: Magical realism with a touch of spice

★ ★ ★ ★ | 🌶🌶

18+ check TWs

Note: I try my hardest to not include spoilers in my reviews. However, spoilers and how you define a spoiler is subjective. Proceed with caution.

*A special thank you to Netgalley and Random House for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.*

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Now, there is something about a time-jumping/time traveling romance. This is like the third book like this I’ve read in the last couple of months. And, it does hold its own against the others.

For a debut novel, this book was really good. I enjoyed the premise and the characters. Dax and Gemma were very cute together and I loved the chemistry they had in both “dimensions”. Though, I just wanted more. I’m not sure more of what, only that something was missing for me.

As for the plot, it was a little bit predictable— which isn’t necessarily bad. It just takes away the tension. Also, there’s quite a few background plot points that aren’t explained or talked about more than once. Like their parents and her aunt’s intuition. They could have be touch on more or left out completely.

Overall, this was a great read. I have a hard time not comparing books like this to The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston because that book actually changed me. And while I think I like that one better, this is good book to read if you’re looking for something similar.

Be careful what you wish for! Gemma spent four years with her "safe" boyfriend, Stuart, and then was dumped. So she, along with her sister, her aunt and Dex, her best friend, cast a love-cleansing spell so she doesn't end up with Stuart. And she ends up in a parallel universe where that plus much more is true. Now she has to decide what she REALLY wants.

I loved this friends to lovers romance. I loved the characters and the smoking sex scenes. The story takes place in Hamilton, outside of Toronto, Canada, and that was a nice change. Most stories I read take place in the U.S. or England.

So I highly recommend this fun romance with a paranormal twist. I received this book from Random House through Net Galley. My opinions are my own.

What if we could undo our relationship with our ex? Oh, this was such a cute and fun read. This book had a little bit of spice to it and lots of laugh-out-loud moments. Such a perfect lighthearted romantic comedy. I enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House for the E-ARC

All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.

4/5 ⭐️ This story is so charming and adorable. One of the most creative friends to lovers I've read in a long time.

What to Expect
✨ Best friend to lovers
✨ Magical spell
✨ Alternate universe travel
✨ He falls first
✨ Single POV

Synopsis
Four years ago, Gemma hit it off with two guys at the same party. Stuart became her boyfriend. Dax became her best friend. After Stuart breaks her heart, Gemma wishes more than anything that they never met. When she wakes up, Gemma finds herself in an alternate world where her wish came true. Good news is that she never wasted her time on Stuart, bad news is that she never met Dax. In her determination to get Dax back into her life, she starts to realize that Dax in this world seems different... or was he always this sexy?

What I Liked
Dax was friend-zoned, hard. I love that this story brought you into a whole new world where they weren't friends for four years and could basically start from scratch. It forces Gemma to see him in a new light and I enjoyed seeing Gemma's world completely rocked. I really liked the romance in this book. Gemma and Dax's friendship is so pure and once it turns to romance, it's 🔥🔥🔥. I will be thinking about Dax for a little while. The subtle hints at his attraction and the times that he "accidentally" uses his last name instead of hers... I was giddy.

"Goodnight, Daxon McGuire."
"Goodnight, Gemma McGuire."
"It's Gemma Wilde, you drunk."
He shrugs, smiling. "Slip of the tongue."

What I Didn't Like
In the alternate world where Dax doesn't know her, we get to see him meeting her for the first time, being attracted, asking her out, and falling in love in about a month. The only explanation he really gives for falling so quickly is that he feels like they "click," and it's a bit of a cop-out. He doesn't describe much of what drew him to Gemma. I have an easier time rationalizing Gemma's feelings, as well as Dax in her original universe, since he's had four years of time to harbor feelings for his best friend.

Overall, this is a super fun, quick read and I would recommend it to anyone who loves a good friends-to-lovers.

This review has been posted to Goodreads, Instagram (@_bookish.brittany), Barnes & Noble, and Amazon.

I’m not a huge fan of parallel universe stories. I actually can’t remember why I picked This Spells Love, but I am so glad I did. Kate Robb makes this trope fresh and fun to read.

It is pretty obvious in the first universe that Dax has a thing for Gemma. Sometimes though when you are in it, you can’t see it. I love Dax in either universe. Dax is the character that sells me on This Spells Love. He is kind, supportive, smart, funny, and has character.

I would have given this book five stars if a part wasn’t missing from a chapter in the copy I received. Hopefully, the publisher corrects this in the published version.

I highly recommend this parallel universe story. It is a quick read that has heat, romance, and a best friend you will covet.

Gemma just got dumped by her long-term boyfriend, and during a night of drinking with her sister, aunt and her best friend Dax, a love cleansing spell is performed to avoid ever meeting her ex and hopefully from ever getting her heart broken in the first place. To complete the spell Gemma and Dax kiss in a very platonic friend's kiss, nothing more. When Gemma wakes up the next day everything in her life is different, she’s a casually dater and has never been in a long-term relationship, her once pride and joy apartment is now a basement that she shares with a spider, she owns a business which was always a once thought of dream and yet there it is and not only is it everything she ever dreamed of but it’s also very successful, but the most disastrous thing of all her best friend Dax doesn’t seem to know who she is. Now the only way she can think of to get back to her life is to recreate the spell and get Dax to kiss her, using all the knowledge she knows of Dax she sets off to make sure they become best friends again so he can help her with her plan. As she begins to execute her plan, she begins to see him in a whole new light and is starting to develop feelings for him, the more than friends’ kind of feelings and she begins to question should she even go back to her life when everything she wants is in this new life.



One thing I love about his book is the secondary characters, with any book that’s a standalone and fewer than 400 pages it's so hard to build secondary characters that are more than one dimensional and even then to get the reader to care for them more then just getting them to move the plot along, but the relationship with Gemma and her sister you can really see the way that they’ve always been there for each other and while there are moments where Gemma gets caught up in her own life to notice her sisters struggles you can see how much Gemma goes through to make sure she’s a strong reassurance presence in her sisters life just like her sisters been in hers. Even the not so kooky aunt that knows more than she lets people believe was such a fun character to read about, you can see the strong bonds these three people have and its comforting to know that even in a different timeline one thing is consistent in Gemma’s life and that’s to have these two women always in her corner.



In the biggest he was there the whole-time girl! How could you not see him? I mean this man is supporting, understanding and always there when you need him how could you not realize he was the better option, now mind you this is the Dax version that knows nothing about Gemma and only knows her as a completely random person that broke into his shop and started saying the most crazy random things to him, can you imagine how much more perfect the other version of him is? The version that knows her well and is always closing his shop because Gemma asks him to hang out on any random day.



I really liked this book. It was such a fun read, the characters were easy to connect with and the overall message of everything happens for a reason was a great overall message and it was a fun journey for the FMC to find out.

If you love friends to lovers, strong female family presence, different timeline trope, I recommend this book.



Solid four stars

Thank you Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review

This was a charming romance, I found myself laughing out loud at some parts. I do feel that it was a little more predictable than I like, and the pacing was off. The middle was slow to develop. Other than that, it is an enjoyable read!

This Spells Love amazed me in more ways than one! I didn't expect it to be so binge-worthy when I started reading it, so I was pleasantly surprised. :') Magic and chaos are two aspects that go hand-in-hand in my little brain, and therefore, I knew, this book will entertain the hell out of me. AND IT DID. If you're a fan of Gilmore Girls and love eccentric characters, you'll love reading This Spells Love just like I did.

✨ Gemma and Dax were just so wonderful together. The "what if" aspect of their friendship was the factor that made reading This Spells Love really addictive for me. Yes, while reading Friends-to-lovers romances, there's always the surety that the male and female lead are going to end up together, but I was really excited to see how the author executed that factor with the spell/magical system involved. And it was nicely done! Dax and Gemma had*sparkling* hemistry both when they friends and when they were smth more ~ and gosh, I loved seeing that. Two people who are so in tune with each other. :') Everything was really sweet and adorable, and the intrigue of "will they/won't they"the really won my heart. ❤️

✨ The side characters were just DA BOMB. Gemma's sister Kierst, her aunt, Dax's cousin and friends - EVERYONE WAS AMAZING. The diaglogue in this book, man. It was so hilarious and engaging ~ I couldn't stop laughing at some places. Some of Kierst's one-liners delighted me to no end. I loved her so much 😭 She was just the best. It felt really wholesome to see how the side-characters helped Gemma and Dax in countless ways. I'll never get tired of books that are both heavy on the friendship and romance plot. I wanted to see a bit more development from Gemma's side, and that wasn't possible due to the rushed ending. Other than these two aspects, I absolutely loved reading This Spells Love. 4.25/5 ✨

✨ If you're a romance or contemporary reader who is new to fantasies, I'll definitely recommend trying This Spells Love. I think the book also falls under the Magical Realism genre, so I think it would be a perfect intro to Fantasy too!

This was an entertaining "light fantasy" romance novel that plays with the concept of dual timelines. I enjoyed the book overall, and the tone of the author's writing in particular. She did a good job of setting the scene and really placing you in the characters' lives. There are an interesting cast of supporting characters as well. The romance was just okay for me - while it's written as a friend to lovers, it ended up feeling more like an insta-love story to me. There just wasn't enough tension. However, if you really enjoy a feel-good type of romance written in a new sort of way that gives you some food for thought - I think you'll really enjoy this! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to provide my honest review.

This Spells Love by Kate Robb is an adorable rom com that I couldn’t put down!

Gemma is just out of a long relationship. When her sister, aunt and male best friend Dax cast a spell to help Gemma get over hehe ex, she wakes up in an alternate universe. Dax has no idea who Gemma is and she wonders if there are sparks flying.

With a bit of magical realism, Kate Robb’s debut put a spell on me. I couldn’t stop reading and was swept up in the magic of Kate and Dax. I can’t wait to read what Kate Robb writes next!

If you’re looking for a cute rom com with loveable characters, pick up This Spells Love and you’ll be smiling from page one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House, The Dial Press for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

are you a fan of the movie 13 going on 30? if you are, i have the perfect charming romcom book for you with a sprinkle of magical realism! and with its cozy feel-good vibes, it's perfect for this time of the year!

i was so impressed with this debut novel by kate robb. it's such a fun original idea and it was executed flawlesly. also, it's set in canada! i'm not always a big fan of friends to lovers but this was done really well. and this book was so cute!!! it had me swooning, giggling and kicking my feet! i was smiling like a fool for most of the story.

gemma is the kind of person who hates when things go unplanned, she likes to know what to expect. her ex stuart felt safe, so when he breaks up with her, she's mostly upset that the future she had planned is now ruined. then she gets thrown into this alternate universe where, instead of always making the safe choices, she took more risks that led her to a very different life. but mostly, she gets to have a do-over of befriending her best friend dax. as they get to know each other again, she starts seeing him in a new light and slowly falling for him. gemma has always been scared to change her relationship with dax because she doesn't want to lose him, but in this universe, she lets herself take that risk.

dax mcguire is an amazing book boyfriend! he's so sweet and thoughtful, and he would literally drop anything with no hesitation for gemma. his chemistry and connection with her transcend any universe or timeline and i was so invested in their relationship. and the banter between those two!

i absolutely loved gemma's character growth. she starts as someone who is very predictable, but she comes to realize that, sometimes in life, taking risks pays off. gemma's relationship with her older sister kiersten was a big part of this story and their bond was beautiful. and the ending was perfect! i just wish we had more of it.

i would like to thank random house publishing, the dial press and netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Gemma is a successful buyer for a cosmetics company but when her long time boyfriend dumps her, some issues in her life surge to the forefront. First there’s her best friend, Dax, who she can’t help thinking might be more than a friend. Plus her suppressed dreams of launching her own clean cosmetics line.

When she drunkenly casts a spell wishing her ex out of existence, Gemma awakes to an alternate reality where she never had a relationship with him. But it’s not the utopia she envisioned. Most importantly Dax doesn’t know her, because she’d met them both the same night. And in this alternate reality Dax is struggling and lost.

THIS SPELLS LOVE is a unique twist on rom com. Dax’s vulnerability, Gemma’s close relationship with her aunt and sister, and the Hamilton setting all elevate this story. And now I’m researching Toronto as a potential vacation getaway. #ThisSpellsLove #NetGalley