5 I'd Fall In Love With You In Any Universe ✨'s

After spending a wild night drinking way too many margaritas with her aunt, sister, and best friend Dax, in an attempt to forget about her recent breakup, Gemma performs a love cleansing spell on a whim and wakes up the next morning in an alternate reality where she never met her ex. The only problem is she also met Dax the same night and Gemma can't comprehend living in a world without her best friend. With the only option to stick it out a month before she can try and go back to her old life, Gemma decides to make friends with Dax again. However, as Gemma finds her footing in her new reality, and she and Dax get to know each other without a label as friends, Gemma has to choose whether she wants to stay in her new world and explore her newfound connection to Dax or return to her old one where they are just friends.

I don't think I will ever be able to forget about this book, I love it so much! Everything about the story was so fun and charming, I loved the alternate reality/timeline aspect and getting to meet Gemma and Dax in both worlds. Their connection transcended universes and I could absolutely feel their love for each other. Gemma was so sweet and relatable, I loved her character growth and getting to watch her come out of her shell and be more brave as the story went along. There were some bittersweet moments toward the end that pulled at my heartstrings and I appreciated there was a range of emotions the story encompassed. I am honest to god shocked that this is a debut book, Kate Robb did an amazing job of crafting Gemma and Dax's love and keeping the story engaging and whimsical. I cannot wait to read more from her, sign me up for all of her future books!

~Many thanks to NetGalley and Dial Press for an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️

This is the story of Gemma’s love journey. She is heartbroken after a break up and gets drunk and does a silly harmless spell to remove her ex from her memory. Well that spell does so much more than that. Her whole life is different and best friend Dax doesn’t know she exists in this new reality. She learns she has one month before she can try and break the spell, or stay in this new life. Her and Dax falling for each other is perfect. This is a fantastic book that keeps you interested and entertained throughout. It’s filled with of laughs, swoons and spice that makes is so enjoyable.


I was blessed enough to receive this arc from NetGalley but the thoughts and opinions of this review are my own.

Happy release day to the first book that gave 2000s romcom vibes and had made me giggling and kicking my feet in a LONG TIME. CALLING ALL 13 GOING ON 30 LOVERS (and 16 wishes)!!! This one is for us.

Y’all ever wish you could cast a spell to remove an ex from your brain (god knows I do)…but what if it means having your life completely change and your best friend not recognize you?

This is the one time I will accept the girl best friend trope. When I tell you guys I couldn’t sleep because I NEEDED to know what was next. Gemma met her best friend Dax through her ex, and after doing a spell with her lowkey weird aunt to forget her ex, she wakes up in an alternate universe where they’ve never met. And the only way to get back to her OG life is with a kiss, ofc.

All I can say about Dax is - IF HE WANTED TO HE WOULD. My acts of service heart was screeaaaaaamming. Refusing to let her walk home alone even tho they’re practically strangers. Text me when you’re inside. Cute picnic dates. Showing up when it’s important. The obligatory “must be your other boyfriend” inclusion. I don’t want to spoil too much, but he does sooo many cute things to show he’s serious about his feelings that I was highlighting my kindle left and right.

Aside from the amazingness that is Dax, the plot was also solid and I loved Gemma’s growth and self realization moments. Overall, a really fun read.

Thank you to @netgalley and @kate_robb_writes for this arc in exchange for an honest review. This Spells Love is out now ✨

What would you do if you had the chance to completely erase the ex that broke your heart from your memory? And what might the unintended consequences be? Read This Spells Love to find out what happens to Gemma when she has a few too many margaritas, and decides to go through with a spell to erase her ex from her memory.

There are always unintended consequences fromm such an epic spell, but will they be good or bad? Or maybe a bit of both. In removing her ex from her life she looses someone important to her, but she also finds herself. I loved this novel and highly recommend it!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

this spells love is a frothy, slow burn friends-to-lovers contemporary romance that mostly reminded me of 13 going on 30.

gemma gets dumped by her longterm boyfriend and starts wondering about the trajectory of her life and what her future looks like. naturally, she gathers her sister and her aunt and tries to puzzle out her problems with tequila. much in the tradition of practical magic, midnight margaritas lead the women to a mysterious spell book and dabbling with witchcraft. gemma's solution to all her problems? do a spell to erase her ex from her past. sealing it with a kiss with her best friend dex, when she wakes up in the morning, she realizes that her spell has actually worked.

gemma's got a new life - one that doesn't involve her ex. she's actualized a secret dream of owning a store of beauty products. her once sprawling apartment is suddenly a dingy basement that smells of chicken noodle soup. and dex? well, he doesn't recognize her at all, but she sets out to recreate the spell so she can hop back to her own timeline and realizes along the way that she and dex may be a bit more than friends.

this was cute. it was slooooowburn and gently spiced. i feel like this is going to be a favorite for a lot of people because of its similarities to 13 going on 30. personally, i found gemma a bit grating and i felt like it lacked some of the heart and humor from the film, but i'm also dried up on the contemporary romance genre at the moment, i think.

conceptually, i was hoping for more, i think - though there's ramifications to gemma's choice to change up her timeline and we see those play out, i was hoping for something fleshier. i also feel like we didn't see much of the other characters, particularly dex, and why gemma felt about each character the way that she did. similarly, gemma made a lot of selfish choices and i don't feel like there was any real pushback on those things. so yeah - it's not a bad concept, i was just hoping for more meat with this one, but i understand that i'm not the target audience.

Synopsis:
After a recent break up, Gemma drowns her sorrows in margaritas and when she has one too many, she performs a love cleanse. When she wakes up, her best friend Dax has no idea who she is.
✨ Friends to lovers but in an alternate “what if” reality.

Review:
Such a cute rom-com read with more spice than I was expecting! The chemistry between Gemma and Dax was soooo good and you could really feel the sparks between them! One of my favorite reads of the year 💕 Kate Robb will be an auto-buy/read author for me now!

** thanks to NetGalley and Random Press for the ARC and chance to read and review ** Synopsis:
After a recent break up, Gemma drowns her sorrows in margaritas and when she has one too many, she performs a love cleanse. When she wakes up, her best friend Dax has no idea who she is.
✨ Friends to lovers but in an alternate “what if” reality.

Review:
Such a cute rom-com read with more spice than I was expecting! The chemistry between Gemma and Dax was soooo good and you could really feel the sparks between them! One of my favorite reads of the year 💕 Kate Robb will be an auto-buy/read author for me now!

** thanks to NetGalley and Random Press for the ARC and chance to read and review **

What an adorable and enjoyable rom-com this was! Full of tension, humor, banter, spice, and love, this story pulled me in from the start and I was hooked until the very end. The plot was unique, the characters were lovable and executed perfectly, and the writing was so addictive. I found myself giggling throughout, admiring the relationships between the characters, and swooning over Dax 🥵. A humorous friends to lovers rom-com with a touch of magic - what more could you ask for? Bravo on your DEBUT NOVEL, Kate Robb 👏🏻. Anxiously awaiting the next one 👀.

4.25/5 stars
2/5 spice

This really brings to light that even the smallest of our choices in life can have the biggest impact.

Tropes:
Friends to lovers
Alternate universe
Magical vibes
Soulmates
Single POV

I really enjoyed how the author slowly unraveled the so-called "perfect" world she thought she was living in just because Gemma got what she thought she wanted. I will admit that at times, I wanted to shake her awake because it was so obvious that her rash decision was the cause of all the chaos. I really wanted to know more about Aunt Livi... she was definitely hiding something, but we never really got closure on that. Oh well...

I really enjoyed Dax and Gemma's friendship, and I'm glad the author took the time to show the relationship growing in a different light so Gemma could finally see what she was blind to all those years. I also liked how Gemma grew to be more confident and aware of the other people in her life. The HEA was very satisfying.

Overall, it was a fun quick read that had me in an emotional roller coaster. Highly recommend for fans of friends to lovers and second chance romance.

Thank you to Dial Press Trade Paperback and Netgalley for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Practical Magic meets Sliding Doors.

Magical realism in romance can be hard to write effectively sometimes, especially when the "magical" twist is a well-worn trope like getting a glimpse at the path not taken. Done badly, it comes across either simplistic or overly complicated; the characters either unbelievably oblivious or too genre-savvy. "This Spells Love" by Kate Robb handles this balance excellently and builds an inviting world that I loved immersing myself in.

Robb's characters come across fully formed from the moment you're introduced to them, each with their own clear voice, traits, flaws, and endearing quirks. Gemma catches on to what's going on at the exact right moment -- far enough in to notice the differences, but believably credulous of what's happening. Gemma's dilemma feels real, acute, and genuinely emotional. I wanted to spend so much more time in this world and with these characters -- the highest compliment I can give to a book.

"This Spells Love" is definitely on my top 10 list for the year and Kate Robb has entered my list of authors I'll keep and eye on and immediately add to my TBR in the future.

I don’t usually read books with magical realisms so I didn’t know if I was going to like this one

But.. I was captivated from the first line! It was just so relatable. So funny. I was laughing the whole time. It was such an easy read, it felt as easy as watching a movie. I love easy reads like that; passes time without even realizing. I literally finished this book in approximately one sitting!

The chemistry was on fire. The sparks flying everywhere were everything I needed in this book. The way they were longing for each other drove me insane. I loved every word on those pages. It felt so easy to root for them from the very start when it wasn’t even “solid” at first

The whole vibe was so friendly and sarcastic and loving and caring which made it more and more relatable for me. All the characters were different and they each had something different to like about. Aunt Lily is my personal favorite!

The plot wasn’t like anything I’ve read before. As I said earlier it was captivating from the very start. I couldn’t put it down. The ending was like the last piece of the puzzle. Everything fell into place perfectly. I obviously cried at the end 😊

The author has her own way of writing. So unique and whimsical. Such an attention grabber. This is a very highly recommended book! I hope I get to read more of Kate Robb's books!

Thank you Netgalley for approving this Arc, this review is my honest thoughts.

A stunning debut about the what if scenario, and waking up in a time where you had everything you wanted, learning to be selfless,and finding the courage to leap even if you fall.

Gemma starts off as a very endearing but at the same frustrating character. She constantly needs help with her own problems and runs to everyone. She doesn’t always think of other peoples needs, but by the end of the story she finally has that cold truth dumped on her, and decides to be better.

I loved seeing her journey in this story, and her connection to Dax.

Friends to lovers isn’t always my personal cup of tea, but the way these characters were written was done so well. I believed it from the moment.

The tension between these on the pages was magnetic, it was electrifying!

I absolutely loved this book, it had me smiling and crying in the best ways.

I really liked Gemma's growth through her experience, and the idea behind the plot is really fun. The open door scenes were a bit too...open, which kind of cheapened the moment for me. I also wish there had been a bit more explanation surrounding what was happening in the world where Gemma 1.0 existed during those first four weeks. Had the Gemmas switched places? I would have at least liked Gemma to question and ponder this. I did love the friendship between Gemma and Dax, so that was really fun and helped during those parts I didn't enjoy. 😂

GENERAL INFO

This Spells Love

Year Pub/Re Pub: 12/5/23

Format: Kindle

Source: Thanks to NetGalley and The Dial Press for this ARC 💚! I voluntarily give my honest review and all opinions expressed are my own.

Page Count: 343

Setting: Canada

Genre: Magical Realism, Romantic Comedy

Tropes: time travel, bffs to lovers, spellcasting,

Standalone/Cliffhanger/Part of a Series: standalone

HEA/HFN ending: HEA

Epilogue Included: no but last chapter is 6 mos. later

Character(s)POV Spoken: h Gemma

BOOK DESCRIPTION

Synopsis/Plot Summary: Gemma is struggling to get over her ex-Stuart. They were together for 4 years and he ended things. Her BFF Dax is her handsome ride or die and she's never thought of him romantically. To help her get over Stuart her aunt Livi casts a "cleansing" spell to erase him from her memories. Gemma wakes up the next day in an alternate universe without Stuart, but Dax doesn't know her.

M/F-M/M-M/M/F-etc: M/F

Representation: LGBTQ+

Contains Cheating: no

Contains Children: no

Flashbacks: Gemma talks about meeting both Stuart and Dax the same night.

Jealy/Possy/OTT H/h : yes, Gemma gets jealous of Dax's friend Sunny. Dax held his jealousy while Gemma and Stuart were together.

Amount of Sex In The Book: enough, laughed at the basement sex

Overall Smex Rating: 3

CHARACTER DESCRIPTION

Hero: Daxon/Dax McGuire

Hero Description: owns shoe store- Kicks.

Hero Likability Rating: 5

Heroine: Gemma Wilde

Heroine Description: 28, a buyer of body and hair products from Canadian drugstore.

Heroine Likability Rating: 4

Secondary characters: Kiersten-Gemma's sister, married w/ 3 kids; Aunt Olivia/Livi-Gemma's aunt, a little kooky; Dougie-Dax's cousin; Sunny-Dax's friend, into curling.

H /h RELATIONSHIP INFO

OW/OM/Exes: Stuart-Gemma's ex. No recent gf mentioned for Dax

Cheating Before/During/Outside H/h Relationship: no


CONTENT WARNINGS/TRIGGERS
a fire, Gemma's parents are absent from her life

AUTHOR OVERVIEW
Kate Robb
New or read before & any favorites: a new, debut author

PERSONAL OVERVIEW
Overall Rating: 4-4.5/5

Do You Recommend This Book: yes

Will You Re-read This Book: maybe

Would You Read More Books by this Author: yes

COMMENTS/NOTES
I liked this book, but I've recently read many others with this premise. I like the time travel/alternating timeline trope and this one hit the right note for me. For one thing, their lives were very different in the alternate timeline. Gemma really struggled with deciding if she should stay or go back to her old life. In both universes, her relationship with Kiersten and Livi was very supportive. Kiersten was her confidante and sounding board on the big things in Gemma's life. In the old timeline, Dax and Gemma seem to have a sister/brother closeness. There aren't any clues that Dax was interested in her when they first met. Her sacrifice at the end was sweet because she made sure her biggest supporters (Kiersten and Dax) were happy.

Oh my goodness. The most wonderful “what if”/alternate reality type book I’ve read in a long while. I was hooked from the very start and stayed absolutely hooked to the end. The plot was unique and so beautifully written.

I loved all of the characters in this book. I feel like that’s been a struggle with some books I’ve read lately. But the main characters, Gemma (with a G) and Dax are amazing. The secondary characters are gold! The banter and relationship between all of them is so beautifully written. Honestly, I need Kate Robb to make a series for these characters I loved them so much.

The growth that Gemma experiences while in her parallel universe is so fun to read. The ending is so beautifully written and true to the characters. I really am just blown away at how Kate Robb crafted this book.

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Publishing, and Kate Robb for this digital review copy. I absolutely loved it.

This was so stinking cute!
This cozy, rom-com story was unique, magical and romantic with just the right amount of spice. I loved Dax and Gemma’s friendship, banter and humor throughout. I also enjoyed quirky Aunt Livi and how supportive and encouraging Gemma’s sister, Kiersten was- easily making them one my favorite fictional sister bonds! Kate Robb’s storytelling was perfection. She drew me in and kept me laughing, swooning over Dax (new favorite book boyfriend) and flying through the pages. What an amazing debut novel- I cannot wait to see what she comes out with next!

The concept of this novel was really cute. Having lived in Hamilton, Ontario Canada which is the setting for this novel, it was fun to be able to recognize the downtown center which made up the majority of the background of the book. I enjoyed a lot of the Canadian references that felt nostalgic having grown up here which helped connect me as a reader more so to the story. I really loved Dax's character and Gemma's aunt. I wish I could have connected better with the Gemma and her sister. I do feel as though most of the characters had a slightly one dimensional aspect to them and it kind of felt like the sister and the aunt were only important/brought back into the story for the purpose of what they could do for the main character. They almost felt disposable in a way.

This definitely gave me Sliding Doors vibes, which is a movie I have always loved. And it is always such an intriguing notion to see what an alternate timeline story has in store for the main characters exploring the what ifs of if you could just go back and change one thing, how it would change the rest of your life.

All in all this is a quirky easy read that is enjoyable for those who like second chance romances with a fantastical alternate timeline twist.

I was really lucky to be able to snag an ARC of THIS SPELLS LOVE by Kate Robb (thanks NetGalley and Dial Press!) and boy am I glad I was so fortunate! (But good news - it's out today!! So go get it!) It's a friends to lovers (well sort of ... I mean for her ... you'll see what I mean).

When Gemma gets dumped by her perfectly safe, boring boyfriend, she drinks too many margaritas with sister, aunt and best friend Dax and decides to do a love cleansing spell so she never dates her old boyfriend. To complete the spell, she has a platonic kiss with Dax

When she wakes up the next morning, she's in a bed she doesn't know. she realized that her old life is completely gone - including her ex. She no longer lives in her nice apartment or owns a car or works at her job. Instead she lives in a a not so great basement apartment and owns her dream clean beauty store. The worst part is Dax doesn't know who she is.

She has a month to convince her once best friend now stranger to kiss her to reverse the spell. But as she gets closer to him in this new reality, she finds herself falling for him and not wanting to go back to her old life.

This was such a good read! I really really loved Gemma and Dax. And I loved how different Gemma's life was with one change (really makes you wonder, doesn't it?) The sisterly relationship was great and the quirky aunt ... I have so many questions about Aunt Livi and I would like an entire book about her lol.

So make sure you pick up a copy since it is out TODAY!!

This Spells love is such a cute and feel-good story! I haven’t read many romance books with the time travel/parallel universe trope, so I enjoyed that aspect. Dax is so swoony! I thought Gemma’s relationship with him was sweet and their banter was fun. I was invested in seeing how Gemma would navigate going from being best friends with Dax in one reality to strangers in another. I love a good side character and Gemma’s sister and aunt were the best! If you’re looking for a for a sweet, fluffy, “what if” type romance I recommend giving This Spells Love a try!

Thank you so much to Random House Publishing Group for providing this eARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book drew me in from the very beginning. The tension between Gemma and Dax was SO obvious it had my heart pounding like crazy. And when she realized that Dax doesn't know who she is? I felt that ache in my SOUL.

I think I connected with Gemma in a way because I'm very indecisive when it comes to my own life, and seeing her question whether something is worth trying and failing or just staying safe resonated with me. Watching her learn to depend on her own strength was almost inspiring.

I also liked how different yet similar Dax was in the other universe. It made sense that he'd be afraid to show how much he was struggling, especially to the woman he was falling for. I definitely understand why he hid it from her and was embarrassed when it came to finances. Poor Dax was STRUGGLING.

This book had me smiling a lot and got a couple good laughs out of me too. Some parts gave me 13 Going on 30 vibes (which was awesome cause I love that movie). It also had some spice sprinkled throughout.

CONSENT IS SEXY!

I'd recommend this book to anyone that loves the friends to lovers trope, a supportive family, and of course plenty of romantic moments!

Wow this book blew me away!! I went in without knowing much and I just loved it so much.

This book is like if Practical Magic & Fringe (one of my fav shows of all time) had a baby 🙃

Dax is just the sweetest totally-in-love-with-his-best-friend guy, waiting on the sidelines for Gemma to leave her incompatible boyfriend. But what if she never met that boyfriend?

Told from Gemma’s POV, we see an alternate timeline and how that impacts everything else in her life.

I think I have a thing for the name Dax because this is the second book I’ve read with this name for the mmc & it makes me swoon harder for some reason 😅
I also loved the relationship Gemma had with her (hilarious) sister Kiersten.

Can’t believe this is a debut novel, definitely staying tuned for anything else Kate has in store in the future!

Tropes & topics:
🌙 Alternate timeline/what if?
🌙 Magic/spells
🌙 Best friends to strangers to friends to lovers
🌙 He falls first
🌙 Canadian author + setting
🌙 Debut novel
🌙 Single POV/first person

Thank you to NetGalley & Random House Publishing for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own!