"This Spells Love" is a new take on the "sliding doors" concept as well as the friends-to-lovers trope. Most of us would like to erase at least one ex from our lives...but if you did, what other invisible strings would you pull? This was a cute and heartwarming exploration of just that. There's a real sense of community and family in this book - the story is set in Hamilton, Ontario, and it's nice to read a romcom set so close to home. There are landmarks and specific streets referenced throughout. And while of course the focus is on our two leads, dimension-shifting Gemma and BFF and absolute cinnamon roll Dax; Gemma's Aunt Liv and sister Kiersten have a really strong presence in her life and this book - it's nice to see side characters being so well-developed and whole.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the eGalley of this one in exchange for a review - I enjoyed it so much!

Witch romance novels are my catnip. So when I saw this on Netgalley I was like "yes, please!!"
That is not what this book is. Sure, there's a spell gone bad, but it was amateurs playing, not a coven. So if you absolutely have to have witches in in romances, this in not your book. But really- who cares? This book was such fun. To the most minute- level-- the author's writing is fun. Her choice of words and syntax just makes the book so filled with humor and light, not matter what is happening. It's rare a book can do that. I'm going to back and read her other books
Not that the book is all sunshine and happiness. There's challenges and struggles and a realization that one does not always lead their lives perfectly. I like how the book shows the struggle as well as the magic of love. The characters feel real Really good sex scenes too,

Oh, and there's curling. I'm sure there's some demographic out there which will be all "yes, please" for that. It does make one want to try curling

So in brief- yes good sex and romance. No witches. Yes curling. This that adds up to the solid plus column.

A fun and interesting read. After a recent breakup Gemma is heartbroken. While having a bit of a pity/pick me up party with her sister, best friend Dax and somewhat whackadoodle aunt and a few too many cocktails they come up with a crazy plan. A spell to forget “him”. It works, but leaves other unanticipated consequences in its wake. Not only is the ex gone from her memory, but the rest of her life is unrecognizable. Her journey back to her true reality, love and her best life is surprisingly sweet, fantastical magical mystery with a whole of lot love and sweetness.

I really loved this debut novel. I am so excited to read future books by this author. I felt like this was unlike anything else I have ever read. Thanks for the review copy.

I have been reading romances for as long as I can remember. I have vivid memories of being a teenager and reading P.S. I Love You for the first time and hiding under the covers with a flashlight late into the night because I needed to know what happened to Holly and Gerry.

I am always on the hunt for romances, and while I always love a happy ending, I want something deeper. Both of these books had that.

This Spells Love by @kate_robb_writes follows Gemma and Dax, besties that clearly have a vibe going on. There is a time travel element, which is always a favorite and so much humor in this story. I love Gemma and Dax’s dynamic and I also love Gemma’s sister Kiersten. This book had me laughing and I could not turn the pages fast enough to find out what happened! This book also really made me ponder a lot about what can change in life with one single moment or decision. I love books that make me think like that. What a debut!

I absolutely love when debut novels a magical, swoon-worthy, incredibly hard to put down, and just overall, an experience that leaves you with a book hangover and wondering if you will ever find another book that.is just utterly delightful that you don’t want it to end.

What really drew me into this book was the fact that it was a parallel timeline story and Kate Robb did it so incredibly well!
I adored Gemma and Dax - their relationships in both timelines made me swoon and made me want them both to succeed. I did find myself getting upset with Gemma for considering staying in the second timeline because I KNEW in my deepest heart that if she went back to her original timeline and told Dax how she felt, that he would admit he felt the same.

I loved the character growth and development, i loved the side characters - seriously loved EVERYTHING about this book.

I also listened to the audio and Khama Fraites did a phenomenal job. I really enjoyed the audio narration.

Huge thank you to Penguin Random House and Netgalley for the ARC. Thank you to PRH Audio for the ALC - being gifted these did not impact my honest review.

Aww this was a super cute and fun romcom! I really enjoyed the alternate reality swap and the author did a great job with that transition. I REALLY loves this friends to lovers troupe!! And yesssss Dax was a TOTAL cinnamon roll. This story really left me feel warm and fuzzy inside at the end! Then 2/3rds of the way through URGH my heart was feeling that squeeze when she bumps into that lady…. And Gemma realizes…. Gah!!! No spoilers!!!

Another great part of the story was Gemma’s relationship with her sister and Aunt Livy. Im an only child, so I would’ve loved to have had an amazing sister like Kiersten, who is super supportive and awesome. And who wouldn’t want a book store owning Aunt!?!

Kate has written a wonderful whimsical, witty, heartwarming, emotional book! What a great debut novel! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I was so hesitant to read this because the cover/synopsis gave off witchy vibes and that is usually not my thing, but I gave it a go and I am SO glad that I did. This is coming out on top as a favorite read of 2023. I love absolutely everything about this book, from the dedication page to the acknowledgements. I want to be real life friends with Gemma, Kiersten, Aunt Livi, and Dax. What an incredible debut novel! I am going to be riding the high from this book for awhile. I cannot wait to read what she comes out with next!

Read if you like:
- Friends to lovers
- Lovable characters
- Magic spells
- Doughnuts and margaritas

4.5 stars!!

Oh my GOODNESS this was so cute this was so delightful this was so heartwarming this was just sheer loveliness!

After just getting out of a 4 year relationship with a man with the personality of white bread with the crusts cut off, Gemma, her kooky maybe witchy Aunt Livi, reliable older sister Kiersten , and hot best friend Daxon who she decidedly does not have a crush on decide to do a little ~love cleanse~ that results in a parallel universe where Gemma and Dax never became bffs which is going to make it hard for her to unbreak the curse!

Gemma swears her and Dax are just friends (because of course, sure they are), and parallel universe Dax is certain that Gemma’s former bff was definitely in love with her (because he for sure was). Gemma uses her alternative life to understand both her impact on the people around her, but also their impacts on her and on the world she’s come to love. But what is better- a world where she gets her dreams or a world where everyone she loves keeps theirs?

This book was so delightfully adorable and an alternate/parallel trope will get me every single time!!! I don’t always love friends to lovers but is it really that trope if one doesn’t remember being friends?? Maybe it’s just a slip of a tongue, but I love Gemma McGuire…I mean Wilde :)


Thanks to NetGalley RandomHouse Publishing and Kate Robb for the chance to read an ARC of this book before it comes out on December 5 in exchange for an honest review!

This book was so darn cute🥰🥰 Friends to lovers, he falls first, a little 90s era reminiscent magic, and a sweet HEA… how can you go wrong?! I also liked the writing style and felt like it was a quick easy read that kept me hooked from start to finish! And honestly this would make the cutest romcom… I would watch it the second it came out!

I would have liked a little more to the ending, it felt a little abrupt, so its not quite a 5 star read for me, but pretty darn close!

What a fun read! I've really gotten into magical realism lately and this book was delightful. I loved Gemma and Dax and the romance aspect of the book, and I also loved Gemma's relationship with her sister and her aunt. I loved the book's exploration of the concept of "what if?" and how the people we meet and choices we make an drastically alter our lives. Definitely recommend!

This Spells Love by Kate Robb is about twenty-eight-year-old Gemma who is deeply mourning the end of her four-year relationship with predictable, safe Stuart. In the company of her sister Kiersten, Aunt Livi, and best friend Dax, drunk Gemma decides to try a love cleansing spell to erase Stuart from her memory. Well, low and behold the spell works. Now she's in an alternate realty where she's never met Stuart. Yay! Unfortunately, she finds out while erasing Stuart from her life she's also erased her best friend Dax, whom she met the same night she met Stuart. To reverse the spell and get back to her own reality she needs to get her best friend back in her life and convince him to kiss her again, but she finds this alternate reality isn't so bad for her. Her life is pretty great. Does she even want to go back to her own reality?

This was an entertaining debut book by Kate Robb. Kiersten is the best sister anybody could hope for. Aunt Livi is the cool, eccentric, and clairvoyant aunt. I really enjoyed the scenes where they were present. Dax is a delicious cinnamon roll. I loved his "slip of the tongue" moments. The majority of the story took place in the alternate reality. Kiersten and Aunt Livi are the same in both realities, but we get alternate reality Dax for 95% of the book which made me feel like I didn’t get to truly know him. Due to that I felt a disconnect in how quickly he becomes close with Gemma seeing as how he doesn’t know her at all. I kind of didn’t want any spiciness to take place in this alternate reality because I wanted the real Dax to experience these things first instead of his other self. I mean this dude’s been quietly in love with Gemma for four years while being the most amazing best friend. He deserves all the firsts!

I enjoyed reading about Gemma and Dax’s friendship through Gemma’s recollection. It's a treasure to feel a connection with someone where you can communicate without words; having a ride or die. I would’ve loved to have some detailed flashbacks scenes where we could see how Gemma and Dax grew so close, and/or moments in their friendship where Dax’s true feelings were on display, but Gemma was oblivious.

Gemma is smart, kind, and a great person, but she is also a little self-absorbed. Although it’s wonderful she has people she can lean on, she leans on them a lot. For literally everything. And she expects Dax and Kiersten, especially Kiersten, to drop whatever they are doing and be there for her instantly. She is dependent upon others when it comes to making decisions, and she doesn’t pick up on social cues well. She was a little frustrating to me, but she does experience growth so that was satisfying.

In my opinion, this book is truly about how it's not too late to change our lives if it's not going as we hoped. It's about finding the positive in our regrets. It's about taking risks because even though all we can focus on are the ninety-nine ways something can go wrong, what if it actually turns out to as amazing as our one little optimistic hope dreamed it would be? I wish I could go back to moments in my life and see what would've happened if I said "yes" instead of "no" or turned left instead of right. Sadly, I can't, but it's fun to wonder about and it was fun to read about in This Spells Love.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for this ARC!

Very cute novel! Really wonderful read and love the cover. Would definitely recommend this sweet friends to lovers rom com

What a delightfully Canadian romance!! I loved everything about this book, from the curling to the alternate timeline, to the exploration of self and what it means to take control of your own life. I loved the banter between Gemma and Dax, I loved exploring their relationship as both friends and as a couple. I was smiling and laughing the entire way through!

Gemma gets a second chance at....everything when she, along with her sister Kiersten and her Aunt Livi place a spell on her. She's had a tough time so it's meant to help her but it turns out, everything, everything has changed, including her relationship with her BFF Dax, who doesn't know her. Fans of this familiar plot know that she's going to rebuild her career and slowly her friendship with Dax will turn to love (and a bit of spice). And she'll get out of the basement. It's a cheery book with good characters. Thanks to nergalley for the ARC. An easy read.

When Gemma is dumped by her long term boyfriend, she gets drunk on margaritas with her male best friend, her older sister, and her kooky aunt and proceeds to perform a love cleansing spell - complete with a platonic kiss from said best friend. When she wakes up, she’s stunned to discover that when she erased her ex with the spell, it totally changed the way the rest of her life looks. The worst part - her best friend also has no idea who she is. To reverse it, she’ll have to befriend him so she can get another kiss. But soon she finds herself falling for him, confronting feelings that have been lingering below the surface for years. Now she must decide if she even wants to go back to her reality, but her life isn’t the only one that looks different here, and not necessarily for the best.

I thought this was one of the better friends to lovers stories I’ve read, especially with the unique twist of alternative realities. It was thought provoking and the supporting characters in the quirky aunt and fun loving sister were my favorite! Definitely recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read an early copy!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me access to the E-Arc.

4.75*

I love the whole concept of this novel. The romance was raw, swoon-worthy, and frustrating. I really enjoyed the side characters as well. It’s all about choices not taken. What would you do if you were given a chance to change things? I liked how we watched the main character grow through the novel. I’m so glad that I was given an opportunity to read this arc. It was such a refreshing romance.

I highly recommend this novel.

This Spells Love was such a fun and cute read! As someone who has read many Groundhogs Day/alternative reality books, I've found that authors can easily mess up the story. I was pleasantly surprised by how well this book was crafted! I thought the main and secondary characters were relatable and well-developed. I adored Gemma and Dax's relationship. I liked how vulnerable and sweet Dax's character was. I also liked that this story was more than just a romance. It was nice to see Gemma's confidence grow throughout her experience. I'm excited to see what Kate Robb comes up with next. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️️⭐️️
🌶️🌶️

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆:
- Parallel Universe
- Best Friends to Lovers
- Sisterhood
- Magic Spells

This book was absolutely perfect to me! This Spells Love is a classic rom-com that is packed with banter, warm/fuzzy moments and will pull at your heart strings.

Gemma and Dax are the best of friends and I am LIVING for their friendship. They are one of my favorite couples that I have read recently. They had me giddy and smiling the entire book. Gemma steals the show with how she develops and grows while in this alternate/parallel universe. You really feel the big emotions that she feels whether it’s good or bad.

Don’t go into this one thinking it is going to be a very witchy read. There is a spell involved but that is the extent of the witchiness.

The heart of this book certainly reminds you that sometimes playing it safe won’t fulfill all your dreams. The risks are worth taking. Which is something that I deeply and frequently need to be reminded of.

This Spells Love is now a go-to rec for me and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did!

A spell to erase meeting ex-boyfriend leads to Gemma Wilde having a life far better than the one she was living. The problem? The consequences of her actions mean that other people in her life are different, including her best friend Dax who now doesn't know her because she met him the same night as her ex. Will Gemma learn the lessons she needs to learn, and will she want to go back to her old timeline?

Kate Robb crafts a compelling 'what if?' butterfly effect time travelling tale with some fabulous banter, blistering chemistry and scene stealing supporting characters, Aunt Lily and sister Kiersten that made this book an easy, enjoyable read. Refreshingly this book is set in Canada, which made me want to add Hamilton to my visit list.

I've been reading a spate of time-travel, magic realism romances lately and I can't get enough of them as they have all approached the idea differently. This Spells Love is another thoroughly enjoyable one to add to your TBR pile.

Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC.