Well hello, and thank you Kate Robb for the perfect, steamy rom com that was a combination of Sliding Doors and Hocus Pocus. This book was really fun in both time lines/realities, and I think I read the whole thing cover to cover in four hours because I had to know how it ended. Film adaptation asap please! Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC.

"This Spells Love" by Kate Robb is a lighthearted rom-com with a whimsical premise that adds a touch of magic to the familiar landscape of romantic misadventures. Gemma's post-breakup escapade, complete with a love-cleansing spell gone awry, sets the stage for a story that promises both humor and heartfelt moments.

The novel explores the consequences of an unconventional spell that erases not only Gemma's ex from her memory but also reshapes her entire life. The plot takes an intriguing turn when Gemma realizes that her once-familiar world has transformed, and her best friend, Dax, is now a stranger. The concept of the love-cleansing spell is a creative twist that adds an element of fantasy to the romance genre.

Gemma's journey to reverse the spell and navigate her changed relationships, particularly with Dax, forms the heart of the story. The progression of emotions and the awkwardness that arises between the characters are relatable, offering moments of humor and tenderness.

However, where the story falls short is in its predictability. The trajectory of Gemma and Dax's relationship follows a conventional romantic arc, and the resolution feels somewhat expected. While the premise of the spell provides a unique foundation, the overall plot structure leans toward familiar romantic comedy tropes.

Additionally, the supporting characters, including Gemma's sister and aunt, add moments of levity but lack depth. The potential for further exploration of their roles in Gemma's life and the broader impact of the spell on her relationships is left untapped.

In conclusion, "This Spells Love" is a charming and breezy read that offers a delightful blend of romance and magic. Kate Robb infuses the story with humor and warmth, making it an enjoyable escape for fans of contemporary romance.

This debut romance from Kate Robb was absolutely adorable and compulsively readable. I picked it up and couldn’t put it down until I got to the last page. The set up is adorable and the friends to lovers trope well executed.

Reeling from a breakup, Gemma Wilde and her wacky aunt share one too many margaritas and cast a spell to cleanse Gemma of the ex boyfriend. The next morning she wakes up in a stranger’s bed living a completely different life - one in which she never dated the ex but also her best friend, Dax has no clue who she is. This Spells Love shows us what life would be like if we made a few key different decisions along the way.

I enjoyed Robb’s writing and look forward to more from her. The character development worked for me and the steam level was great. I thought the end wrapped up a little too quickly for my preference but in all, this was a solid 4/4.5 star romance!

Content flags: on page use of alcohol to point of drunkenness; structural fire

I voluntarily read a gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Review posted to StoryGraph and Goodreads on 11/24/2023. Review will be posted to Amazon on release day.

After the end of a four year relationship, Gemma Wilde finds a spell in a book at her aunt’s job to make her forget her ex. Little does she know that this spell will change everything. When she wakes up the next day, her home is not her home, her best friend, Dax doesn’t know who she is, and she’s a shop owner. Gemma has to make the choice to stay in the parallel universe or return to her own time.

This was such a fun debut novel! Very Sliding Doors in nature. I enjoyed Gemma and Dax and was rooting for them in every universe and timeline. The secondary characters in this book were a lot of fun and rich.

This was a fun version of the love spell/friends to lovers. Gemma has a bad breakup, and she decides to do a spell one night. She wakes up in an alternate life, where everything is just a bit different. As a month passes (because the spell has to be undone during the same type of moon), Gemma glimpses how things could have been. Some of it is amazing, but other things aren't great.
Most of the book is spent in the month in the "alternate universe," and I really enjoyed how it gave Gemma time to think about her actions and their consequences, and the interconnectedness of things. She also evaluated her willingness to take risks and her dependence on her older sister.
The book wrapped the story up nicely, and I enjoyed the ending, although I would have liked an extended view at the time after the month is up.

"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.