I love this cover. You had me at witchy romance. I love a story about how one thing could change your whole life. Gemma wishes to go back to where she never met the ex who broke her heart. You also feel for Gemma. Most of us know what heartbreak is like and it's not fun. What she doesnt know is that she will lose more than just that relationship. She loses her best friend. Now in this new life she is doing everything she can to get him back without looking like a deranged person. This Dax does not see her as a friend but as something more. The more she spends time with him, she starts to see it too. The romance between these two was just great. I love all the chaos that started the new relationship. It made the story so fun. I did not want to put this one down. I cannot wait to read more by this author. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

“A young woman tries to heal her heartbreak by casting a spell to erase her ex from her past, but she wakes up in an alternate reality where she’s lost more than she wished for in this witty, whimsical friends-to-lovers debut.”

What if one little wish changed everything?

This was an incredibly cute rom com full of both heartache and hope. I’m not usually into books with magical moments, spells, etc, unless I am reading a fantasy book, but I have to say I got sucked into this one. Gemma and Dax are just the cutest and this book felt so cozy and homey…a perfect book for the season of hot chocolates and fires in fireplaces.

This was a wonderful debut novel from Kate Robb and I cannot wait to read more from this author!

Thank you so much NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the Arc of This Spells Love!

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for the ARC of this!

I loved this magical do-over friends to lovers holiday romance! This has so many of my favorite tropes. I loved that Gemma realized how much changing one thing could change everything in her life.

Although aspects of this book were cute, it didn't work for me. Part of my issue may be the amount of time loop or alternate reality books I've read recently that I've liked more than this, but I didn't find any parts of this story particularly memorable. I wasn't entirely satisfied with most of the romance happening in one reality then picking up in the other, though I think the author made this a viable part of the story.

Summary
Gemma's boyfriend of four years broke up with her. In her sadness, her aunt, along with her sister and best friend Dax, do a Love Cleanse spell that will make Gemma have never met Stuart, the ex. It's all margarita fueled fun and games until she wakes up the next morning in at an apartment that's not hers. In this alternate reality, where Gemma never met Stewart, she also never met Dax. And instead of working as a buyer for a big box store, she owns her own small clean skin care shop. To reverse the spell, she needs Dax to kiss her in a month, but he doesn't even know who she is. And as she gets to know him, Gemma realizes maybe their friendship was meant to be more.

Review
This was a fun, magical read. I'm not usually super into stories with magic spells and such (especially if it's not a witchy read) but this one was pure joy. It was a sliding doors vibe... seeing not only how that would change Gemma's life, but also everyone in her orbit. It is a cozy read, and it felt like a warm hug. I couldn't recommend this story enough. It was a heartwarming story about the grass not always being greener and taking chances.

A fun and flirty book that will appeal to all romance readers.

A classic mix-up and discovering who you are in and out of a relationship.

Such a cute romance with a little twist of different dimensions. I really enjoyed the writing, the pacing and the characters. It was a fun, light read with some spice.

This one was rather middle of the lane for me.

I enjoyed the 13 going on 30 vibes and I find the idea of parallel worlds/timelines really interesting, the execution just wasn't my favorite. The story as a whole felt pretty surface level, unfortunately, and although I found the characters lovable and fun, and the emphasis on sister relationships was great, it wasn't a book that will stick with me for a long time.

This Spells Love is a cute time-travel romance with just the right amount of spice. Similar to titles like The Seven Year Slip and The Good Part, This Spells Love tells the story of a woman who isn't satisfied with her life. When her aunt convinces her to cast a spell and undo her boring and pointless four-year relationship, she ends up wondering if dating that asshole was necessary after all. Though this one started out a little rocky for me, the middle and end of the book redeemed the story. I gave this one four stars because I liked it and would recommend it to a friend, but wouldn't read it again.

As soon as I saw the synopsis for this book I knew I’d want to read it asap. This book was sweet, fun and very enjoyable! For anyone that likes friends to lovers romances with a hint of whimsy this would be a great read for you.

This was a very easy read with low(ish) stakes and a fun premise. I liked all of the characters (especially Aunt Livi) and their relationships with each other, however, I did feel that they lacked a little bit of depth. I was a lot more interested in the magic aspect of this story than what the characters were actually going through.

I very much enjoyed the overall plot but unfortunately the ending felt a little thrown together, almost like the author didn’t know what to do with all of the loose ends. I think I would’ve liked the stakes to have had more of an effect on the final few chapters.

Overall, this was a very quick, easy read that would be great for beginner romance readers!
3.5 Stars

This Spells Love by Kate Robb is a rom-com with a magical realism twist. While the story was cute, I'm not sure how much of it I will remember next week.

Gemma is 28, and after a four year relationship ends she is reasonably heart-broken. Her sister gets her drunk an margaritas, her eccentric aunt gets her to perform a love cleanse to get rid of the memory of her ex, and her best friend Dax is around for moral support, and even a platonic kiss to help perform the spell.

Gemma wakes up the next day in a new reality. The spell has worked, and while some things are the same, many things are different, but most importantly Dax has no idea who she is. To reverse the spell she has to perform the spell again, and somehow get this stranger Dax to kiss her, but along the way she finds herself falling in love and realizing she has been in denial for too long about her feelings for Jax. Now she has the hard choice before her, does she stay in the reality where she has everything she wants, or go back?

What a debut. This was such a fun time and unique premise. I really felt for the characters and their romance, chemistry and attraction felt so believable. The characters started as best friends, and their actions at the beginning of the novel really showed it. There were so many little moments throughout the novel that spoke louder than what the character's expressed through words. Gemma got on my nerves a bit, but I think it was true to her character, and her past traumas that made her act the way she did. There was a beautiful balance of light hearted moments, serious moments, and spice. Daxon stole my heart in this novel, he was such a wonderful book boyfriend. The author is also lives quite close to me, and I could really picture all the place she described and it added a whole new layer for me.

A fun, beautiful, humorous, and insightful story that gripped me from the very beginning. I absolutely loved the way that Robb expressed the concept of the butterfly effect and alternate universes. Not only was it well done, but it was also incredibly unique and added a level of complexity to Dax and Gemma’s story. The romance was adorable, it was addictive, the writing was fast paced and engaging. It reminded me heavily of the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life”!

I received this book for free for an honest unbiased review from Netgalley.

I wish more books were this well written. Characters were witty and the setting fantastic.

this was an amazing romcom filled with fluffy & cute moments! the premise of this book was intensely interesting and compelled me immediately! I loved these characters so much! I am so surprised that this is a debut, because I enjoyed it so thoroughly! I highly recommend this book!

When Gemma gets dumped the only logical next step is to get drunk and cast a spell to forget her ex but the spell does so much more than that! Things get extra complicated when she finds out what it takes to reverse the spell. This was a cute one!
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Huge thank you @randomhouse and @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

This spells love is the perfect friends to lovers with the perfect amount of spice and tension without taking away from the plot, and had some magic sprinkled in. Dax is a picture perfect book best friend/boyfriend.

The character growth was perfectly executed and was something that most women can relate to when determining the balance between personal life, love, and career.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author and will not be the last. I’m a sucker for a well written rom com and this fit the bill

This is a debut novel?! I loved this book. Adored. It’s almost along the same lines of The Good Part by Sophie Cousens, which I also DEVOURED. Alternate reality storylines are seeming to grow on me, especially if they’re done as well as this.

I love a friends to lovers trope and this was no exception, I love Gemma and Dax and the way their relationship transforms and blossoms, although it was a bit stressful at times! Dax is the perfect swoon worthy cinnamon roll golden retriever MMC. Gemma is such a gem (lol) and really shines throughout the whole book in her growth and perseverance.

Aunt Livi and Kiersten were the perfect side characters and I loved how Gemma’s relationship with them, especially Kiersten, were just as important throughout the story as hers with Dax. I’ve never wished for a sister, but I might now!

There was entertaining and LOL inducing banter, which is always a plus for me. The spice wasn’t plentiful, but it was good. Overall, this was a very feel good enjoyable read. My only want coming away from it is more of the “after”!

This was a great debut novel and I can’t wait to see what Kate Robb does next!

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group-Random House, and the author for this ARC.
Publication date 12/5/23

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

Best friends to lovers is like catnip to my romantic heart when done right. This book not only did it right, but it was clever, emotional, and oh so magical!

Gemma and Dax in both parallel universes totally captured my heart. In the "real" timeline Gemma and Dax are best friends. Dax has always been there for Gemma (and in love with her,) including her years with another man. After Gemma is dumped her aunt devises a plan of a "love cleanse spell" to erase the meeting of the ex... which also happens to be the night she meets her bestie!

The spell works (kind of) but Gemma is now in a parallel world where Dax doesn't know her! This new Gemma is a different version to the one she was before with her ex in the picture.

There was so much about this book that twisted my heart and also made my heart soar! The way the relationships progressed, not just the romantic one, was so well done. Watching the best friends rediscover each other in the new world and opening up to being in love and not just loving each other as friends was perfection. And the dilemma at the end...Gemma's decision was true love worthy to pick Dax's success and happiness over her own. Btw, Dax is book boyfriend material no matter what world...sweet, swoony sigh.

5 stars

This was a really cute story - Gemma has just gone thru a break up and ends up casting a spell on herself on what would have been if she had never met the ex. Sort of a butterfly effect type story. I'm not a fan of spice in romance books so I could have done without that aspect but I really liked the story and the Characters were likable. 4 stars