I have no words. Just LOVE for this book. Kate Robb's debut is sure to be the first of many amazing romances. What could be better than a curse, curling, and falling for the person you least expected. A million stars to Kate Robb!

I was very excited going into this book. I love time travel-type stories. However, at the beginning when I realized that it wasn't a time loop type story and Gemma had to spend a month in this alternate reality, I was a bit unsure. But I went with it and continued on.

I can honestly say that I am glad the author went that route, by allowing Gemma to exist in this new reality for a longer period of time she was able to really learn about herself and her relationships. While it did lack the comedic aspect that can come with a time loop, repeating the same day over and over antics, I thought this way was much better.

I loved the story, the characters, and the journey that Gemma and Dax went on in both realities. This was a fun read, and I really enjoyed it.

4 stars
2 spice

Thank you to Netgalley, Random House Publishing, and the author for an advance copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I loved this book so much I don’t even know where to start my review 😭💕 I have to say this is one of my MOST favorite books I’ve ever read. I really hope the author comes out with a sequel!!

This book not only made my heart drop into my stomach on several occasions, but it also filled my heart with so much love and romance and cuteness🥰 The characters are wonderful and very likable. You can’t help but find yourself rooting for each one’s success / happily ever after.

This was my first time reading Kate Robb and I adore her writing. She pours such a perfect amount of dark/naughty humor into her writing. This book has so much to offer such a wide array of readers. Do you like to read about friends to Lovers? Check. What about sweet, crushingly cute romance? Check. Steamy intimate scenes? Definitely check. Alternate realities? Check. Magic spells? Check and check!

I’m not usually one to re-read books but this is definitely one I’ll be pulling off my bookshelf to read again in the future!

Thank you to Netgalley and to Random House Publishing Group for the advanced readers copy of this beautiful book!

This was fine but it also felt a bit immature at times. If you’re looking for a romance with magical realism, this is very light on the “magic” and it’s never fully explained.

3.5 stars for me!

This was such a light, fun, and cozy read that I managed to finish it in one sitting. It's got a little touch of magic, a bit of spice and a ton of charm! If you are a fan of adorable romcoms, friends-to-lovers and a few laugh out loud scenes, you'll probably enjoy this one. Great debut from Kate Robb!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely adored this book. It was a nice change of pace from some other books that I am reading and it helped me out of a month long reading slump. It’s fast paced and a cozy romance. I was expecting it to be a little more witchy themed based on the title so I was a little disappointed in that regard but other than that I have no complaints. I don’t typically like friends to lovers books but this one kept me intrigued throughout the whole book. I can’t wait for this book to be released and to get a hard copy!

Thank you Random House and Netgalley for an ARC of " This Spells Love". In the last few years, I feel like rom coms have actually become a harder genre for me to enjoy. Maybe it's because I am happily married with children, but romances usually feel about 100 pages too long. This one, however, grabbed my attention immediately. The story starts with Gemma who is fresh off a break up, and her hot best friend Dax is trying to help her get over Stuart. It's apparent within the first few pages that he is obviously in love with her and she is too heartbroken to see it. In order to get over the break up, she has a night full of margartitas and magic and does a spell to forget her ex. However, since she met Dax that same night, she wakes up in an alternative universe where Dax has no idea who she is. She simultaneously is trying to get him to want to be best friends with her while also falling for him, and I loved every page of this ride.

Over all I enjoyed the book. It was a steady 3 stars on the board for me. I have posted my full review of This Spells Love at https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8AhsQtj/

“Deep down a part of me hopes that my connection with Dax is special. That it somehow transcends time and space. That there’s some weird little unbreakable thread that connects our two souls.”

Thank you to netgalley and random house for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a a fun, lighthearted romance and I had the time of my life reading it. What initially caught my eye was the plot line, following with how real and lifelike the characters were. While it is a romance, it dabbles in fantasy, with the main character, Gemma, waking up in a world where she never met her ex.

With novels such as this and movies such as eternal sunshine of the spotless mind, I think we all wonder if we could erase one person or small event from our lives, what would the consequences be? They wouldn’t always be what you expect and in the process of erasing what you may deem as bad, you may lose some of the good as well. I’m a huge fan of anything involving time travel and parallel universes- basically anything that warps space and time as we know it so this book drew me in immediately.

The pop cultures references in these were perfect, fittingly ranging from doctor who and back to the future to so many more.

I’m definitely bumping friends to lovers up my list of favorite tropes after this one. Dax, the love interest, was swoon worthy, sweet and funny and this friendship was one that could span whole worlds. (Literally)

At times, I did wish the book leaned into some of the heavier topics just a bit more. I believe this could’ve added a little more depth to Gemma’s character growth as well as the story itself. We hear a little about their absent parents and Kirsten’s her sister’s, fear of losing her identity in motherhood but I wanted just a bit more.

While I overall did like Gemma, I did find her shallow and selfish at times. She was always worrying about her own problems, and ignoring the very important lives and problems of those close to her. In the end, this was something she vowed to work on but I do believe while this character flaw made her very lifelike and real, not just some shining version of a fictional character, that I found it aggravating when she didn’t blatantly see the people in her life reaching for help, when it was so very obvious.

She also had an obsession with a perfectly curated life and a shallow relationship with money. She based her life choices (and men) on this criteria and while she always worried about her own finances, she seemed to be judging Dax who didn’t have money but was also unaware of how much he was truly struggling when it mattered. These character traits were obviously linked to her childhood trauma and abandonment from her parents, but once again, if the author had dived deeper into this trauma it would’ve been more fitting and understandable.

The ending also felt rushed to me, and I wanted it to be a little more drawn out but all in all I highly enjoyed this book, despite Gemma’s very obvious character flaws. I didn’t want to put it down and I felt an ache when it was over. I’m in awe that this is a debut novel and I can’t wait to read more books by this author. If you are a fan of Emily Henry or Ashley Poston this is the perfect book for you.

1 was in a reading slump for a few days, I love reading and not doing it made me feel weird. So I decided to read an ARC I got a few days ago and OMG! This book is beautiful I smiled so much. This quote is the perfect take from the book.

“Sometimes the best risks are the ones you make with your heart.”

I truly enjoyed this book, I loved that is set in Canada, the message is perfect! I definitely will be reading more of Kate Robb!

I loved this one! Anything time travel or alternate universe is my jam and it was handled real well for this story. The setting, the side characters (I loved the sister element so much) and plot were all good and cute. Most importantly, I think Dax is a new fav book boyfriend. So sweet, charming and hot and their relationship had my absolutely giddy!

I'm thrilled to say that this debut novel was a fantastic read! Gemma's story had me hooked from the beginning.

Gemma finds herself heartbroken and decides to try a somewhat witchy ritual to erase the day she met her ex. The twist? She also erases the memory of meeting her best friend, Dax, on that very day. When she wakes up in an alternate universe where her ex is nowhere to be found, Gemma's life takes a turn for the better in many ways. She's got a more fulfilling job, even though she's living in a basement. Her social circle has expanded, thanks to not spending the last four years with her ex, and she's managed to make her dream of opening her store come true.

But there's a catch—Dax doesn't remember her in this new reality, and it's heart-wrenching. To reconnect with him, she decides to perform the ritual again, but this time, she has to wait for a specific moon phase.

During her month-long wait, an unexpected romance blossoms between Gemma and Dax, revealing that he's had feelings for her all along. This revelation has her considering the possibility of staying in this new universe permanently.

As they say, the grass isn't always greener on the other side. Gemma soon discovers that the four years she spent with her ex weren't a total waste, and her actions in this new world come with unforeseen consequences, especially for Dax.

I must mention that Dax's hilarious suspicion of Gemma being a stalker adds a delightful touch to the story. I adored Gemma and Dax's relationship. Their connection is palpable, and it's clear that they're a perfect match. Dax, in particular, is an incredibly well-crafted character. This is coming from someone who usually isn't a fan of the friends-to-lovers trope, so you can imagine just how much I enjoyed this story!

A lovely friends to lovers romance. I adored the premise and I read it in practically one sitting. Kate Robb is a must-watch author!

Thank you, NetGalley, for this advanced copy of This Spells Love by Kate Robb. This book was absolutely adorable, and I binged it in a day. It’s the perfect friends to lovers romance! I’ll definitely be recommending it to everyone I know.

Gemma Wilde’s boyfriend of four years has just broken her heart. Her eccentric aunt’s solution? A love cleanse to rid Gemma of the memories of her ex. The spell is sealed with a kiss from her best friend, Dax.

What Gemma doesn’t know is that the spell will transport her into a different timeline where she’s followed her dreams of opening a business, but her best friend doesn’t even know her. When they met now, their connection is definitely not platonic — and Gemma has to decide what that means for them moving forward.

This book is so sweet and has just the right amount of magic. I really enjoyed it, and that’s saying something because I’m not usually a big friends-to-lovers fan.

The characters are well-developed and lovable. Their chemistry is palpable and the banter is so much fun to read.

I related to Gemma on so many levels — her self-doubt and tendency to immediately turn to her tribe first when making big decisions. Dax is kind, supportive, charming and interesting — everything you could want in a best friend and romantic partner.

Though the premise is similar to those of classic movies like 13 Going on 30, it still feels fresh. I love the questions it poses about whether you’d change your life or pivotal decisions you made.

My only reasons for not rating this one a full five stars: I took issue with how quickly Dax got over Gemma being absolutely bizarre when she arrived in the new timeline. It’s clear throughout the story that the two have a connection that transcends time, but it felt a bit unbelievable that he’d let their first meeting go without much thought.

I also felt like the ending was a bit rushed. There’s a lot of build-up and Gemma agonizing over decisions only for everything to be quickly wrapped up in a bow.

Regardless, I still loved this and will definitely recommend it to romance fans — especially friends-to-lovers readers. It will definitely have a place on my favorites shelf!

I love movies like Family Man and Sliding Doors. Stories that show alternate timelines of what could have been if you made a different choice. This story is like that with an alternate reality but on one side her best friend Dax has unrequited feelings for her and the other reality he doesn't even know her. So, she has to start over with their friendship and keeps remembering that if she had talked to him instead of the guy who she ended up dating for 4 years life would’ve been different. He had made a lot of choices for her or convinced her through his preferences, and she put her dreams and interests back seat to his.

Gemma and Dax’s relationship was meant to be on both timelines it's just they both had to sacrifice something and one of them it wasn’t the right timing. It was so fun getting to see a glimpse of how her life would've been since that is something we are always curious about. Sometimes just not going to a party or not taking that train can be the difference between one path and another. Loved the way she described Dax he was really steadfast and was just waiting for his chance but also a major hottie.

Def check out if you like:
Friends to Lovers
Alternate Timelines
Banter

Thank you random house for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

Thank you so much to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC!

I read this book in one day, I absolutely had to know what happened. This book had me giggling and smiling and dying to know what was going to happen.

I immediately loved the banter and chemistry between Dax and Gemma, so when they weren’t friends in the new timeline I was heartbroken for Gemma and hoped it would be solved quickly. Even as she grew and experienced life in the new timeline, it wasn’t boring because the anticipation of whether or not she would go back to her reality was always looming.

My only criticism is that it wrapped up so quickly, I truly could have read more of this story!

I’ve read a lot of time loop, sliding mirrors, Groundhog Day types of books over the last few years and I have to say this one roped me in the most! The characters were all developed well and a certain degree of lovable overall that kept me invested, where others have been hit or miss.

This was a great read and I was sad when it was over!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

It was a fun, magical journey! I loved the main characters and their complicated inner thoughts. The romance was a perfect friends-to-lovers arc!

I wish there was a little more magic throughout the book, as it seems a little one-note. Also, I'd like more development on like, are they witches? How did all this happen?

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and will be recommending it to others!

I read this book in a day and I never looked back! The twist and the plot were pretty easy to identify but the different POV's kept me intrigued to see how everything was going to unfold. A couple of the characters were so unlikable that it made it hard to feel bad or connect with them in any way. I do wish that the ending would've given a little more, I wanted to know how the characters dealt with the aftermath.


*I received a copy of this eARC via NetGalley*