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*

This Spells Love is one of the cutest books I've read this year. I loved this twist on parallel universes.

Gemma and her fiance, Stuart, just broke up and she is not taking it well. After casting a spell with her sister, aunt, and best friend (Dax) that she never expects to work she drunkenly tells Dax that she loves him, gives him a kiss, and passes out. Upon waking she's in a world that seems like it's just like hers, but with two big differences: she followed her dreams and started her own business, and she and Dax are NOT friends.

Watching Gemma adjust to this new world, and grow as a person was a lot of fun. There were times where she got on my nerves, because it was painfully obvious that she was in love with Dax and that her world's Dax loved her too. She was so scared of losing their friendship that she never wanted to pursue more, but in the alternate world she takes a chance and things go well. I was a little murky on the details of how things had changed in the month she'd been gone, but otherwise I really enjoyed the story. I was glad that by the end Gemma was willing to take risks and was less self-absorbed, and paid better attention to the feelings and needs of those around her.

I will definitely be keeping my eye out for more books by Kate Robb.

I have been getting the best ARCs through Netgalley lately!! THANK YOU!!

This Spells Love was a delightful read- one of those parallel universe "what if" stories....What IF I never met my ex? What if Dax and I were more than just friends? What if I followed my dreams instead of settling for what I thought I could do? These are all questions Gemma ponders as she shifts from her "real" life to her "what if" life after a spell her kooky aunt helps her with goes haywire.

I loved this book!! It was so cute and fun and had a nice build up to a friends to lovers romance. The only thing that bothered me was Gemma's mental rules about "but this is Dax and we are only friends" because it was obvious from the first page that was not true. I loved it. I loved the butterfly effect being explored in a different way and that she was able to use her glimpse into another life to better enrich her "real" one. Highly recommend!! 4 full stars and thank you again, Netgalley!

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I am such a sucker for parallel storylines and this one didn't disappoint!

Gemma just has a break up with her boyfriend of four years and decides to do a "love cleanse" spell so that she doesn't ever think of him again. She wakes up the next morning in a different time line and as she navigates that time line and her relationship with her best friend- does she continue in the new time line or try and go back to the one she knew before?

Super cute read with a satisfying ending. I loved how Gemma developed as a character and I loved her Aunt and Sister in this book as well.

4.5 stars! This was a cute friends to lovers romance with a magical twist! I'm very into the idea of parallel universes, and other "timelines" that different versions of us might be living. It was so effective to use this idea of alt. realities for our FMC Gemma to consider the possibility of what it would be like to be "more than friends" with her BFF, Dax. Absolutely swooning!

Let's just take a moment for Dax — this is the type of MMC/book boyfriend that they warn you about! My expectations for men in real life is permanently altered.

This was reflective, with great character development and a lovable cast. Highly recommend if you're wanting a cozy romance with an eccentric aunt, lots of flirting, and "what if" vibes.

Gemma has been dumped by her vanilla boyfriend, wasting 4 of her prettiest years (her words, not mine) on him with nothing to show for it.

In an effort to distract her from her heartbreak, Gemma, her sister, and one of her closest friends gather for a night of tequila and ex-roasting at her aunt’s apartment.

Enter: The Love Cleanse. If there was a spell to change the night you met your ex, would you do it? What if it changes everything?

I feel like I should have made more comments along the way, but I was really just vibing and flew through this one. Good sign I guess! 

If any of this sounds fun to you — magical realism, friends to lovers, open door romance, small businesses, witchy (but not too witchy), solid character development, one decision changes everything, quirky and lovable aunt who owns a bookstore — try this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the e-arc!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️

This book was absolutely EVERYTHING I want in a good romance book. I absolutely devoured this book and could not stop reading…even at 4AM when I knew I should. 🤣 I truly loved everything about this book. Starting with the plot which was such a good idea and was executed flawlessly. I am absolutely blown away that this is Kate Robb’s debut novel and will absolutely be reading anything and everything she puts out. The characters both main and secondary were wonderful - there wasn’t anyone I really didn’t like. The attraction and banter between Gemma and Daxon though was what made this a 5 ⭐️ book for me, it was just SO GOOD. I was melting or giddy at least once every chapter. I absolutely ADORE Dax, he is the perfect book boyfriend and I am absolutely obsessed. ❤️ My only complaint is this book should come with free donuts because I am craving them now. 🤣 🍩


Thank you @NetGalley, @RandomHouse and @Kate_Robb_writes for providing me with an e-copy of this book! I absolutely LOVED this one and can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy. ❤️


“Goodnight, Dax McGuire,” I call to him.
“Goodnight, Gemma McGuire,” he calls back.
“Slip of the tongue?”
He shrugs and smiles. “Something like that.”



This review is available on my Instagram and Goodreads account as of 11/05/23.

I picked this book because I always find books with parallel universes really interesting! I fell in love with the concept reading Claudia Grey's Firebird series and have loved it ever since.

I was a little worried this one might not work for me because friends to lovers doesn't always but in this case I adored it! I loved Gemma and Dax and watching Gemma realize her feelings were more than platonic. The alternate reality is a really fun new take on the trope!

I also really liked the alternate reality! I liked that there were positives and negatives of both realities. I loved seeing how Gemma learned positive things from her relationship and it helped everyone around her.

All the characters in This Spells Love were well written! I loved Gemma's sister and particularly her Aunt! I want to go to that bookstore and get some monster smut recommendations!

I highly recommend This Spells Love! It's an amazing debut and I can't wait to see what Kate Robb writes next!

It was so good when the suprise that it brings is just wow I really like this it was amazing. I just don’t know how to explain this book it’s just so good when she casts that spell like omg

This spells love is one of the best titles I’ve heard in a while because it gets the job done and truly represents the book. I love magical realism so when I saw this title I RAN to read the description. Gemma is our fmc who has recently gotten her heart broken by her ex-boyfriend of four years. Out of sadness, she gathers with her sister, aunt, and best friend, Dax. After one too many margaritas, Gemma’s aunt suggests they do a love-cleansing spell that will make her memory of her ex disappear. To wrap up the spell she had a platonic kiss with Dex and somehow the next morning she woke in a parallel universe where her ex was not her ex and Dex did not know who she was. Now she needs to find a way to reverse this spell and get to know Dex once again.

Every single dynamic in this book was soo good! I just loved all the characters and what they brought to the story but of course, my favorite was Dex and Gemma. I love a good story that involves unrequited love. Their friendship is such an integral part of them becoming a couple, it was just great to see how well they got along. I feel like it reminds the reader that it’s possible to find someone who understands you and all your quirks.

It was also great to see Gemma realize that she wasn't living to her full potential and could live the life she wanted. Gemma is also the type of person who gets so lost in her things that she forgets about others, so to read about her realizing and resolving that was inspiring. Overall I had a great time reading this book and was surprised to see it was a debut book! I will be looking forward to more of Kate Robb’s work!

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group, and Dial Press Trade for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

*4.25 Stars*

Magical Realism, Alternate Universe, What If you made different choices, Happily Ever After, Great, Quirky Side Characters, Friends to Lovers & a dash of Spice! - what more can you ask of a romance?! Bonus: it's set in the GTA area.

This was such a cute and cozy rom-com read I thoroughly enjoyed and blew through. It was like a hallmark movie that makes you genuninely happy inside after consumption; I was smiling as I was reading.

I loved the main characters Dax & Gemma, they were so easily relatable and made realistic choices making it that much more enjoyable! Dialogue and chemistry were on point and I genuninely wish there was more to read. Crossing my fingers for a Book #2 & buying a copy once it releases!

Thank you so much to NetGalley & Random House Publishing for this ARC.

PERFECTION!!! Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Random House for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

AHHHH!!!!! I AM LITERALLY CRYING BECAUSE I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH😭😭!!!!! WHAT A MAGICAL, DELIGHTFUL, WHIMSICAL, CHARMING, ADORABLE, HEARTWARMING, EMOTIONAL, ROMANTIC, MEANINGFUL, INCREDIBLE, SENSATIONAL, HUMOROUS, PHENOMENAL, CLEVER AND BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN ROM-COM THAT WILL TUG AT YOUR HEART STRINGS!!! HOW IS THIS A DEBUT NOVEL😮??!! I AM COMPLETELY BLOWN AWAY THE KATE ROBB HAS CREATED SUCH A TOUCHING FRIENDS TO LOVERS ROMANCE WITH SO MUCH DEPTH AND RICH CHARACTERS DEVELOPMENT AND NO THIRD ACT BREAK-UP👏!!! I FOUND MYSELF SMILING, CRYING, LAUGHING AND SWOONING CONSTANTLY!!! HANDS DOWN ONE OF MY FAVORITE BOOKS FOR 2023!!!!!💜💜💜💜💜

After Gemma's boyfriend dumped her, she began to wish that she had never met him. Her mystical aunt helps Gemma cast a 'love cleanse' spell in order to forget her boring ex boyfriend. When she wakes up the next morning, Gemma finds herself in a parallel world and everything has changed! Her best friend, Dax, doesn't even know her in this timeline. What is that saying, be careful what you wish for!! Will she be able to reverse the spell and get Dax to be her friend again? In this alternate reality, Gemma starts to realize that she is falling in love with Dax!

I absolutely loved Gemma and Dax so much🥰🥰!! The personal growth Gemma experienced and her relationship with her sister was awesome. Dax is such a cinnamon roll, book boyfriend.and had me swooning🫠! The secondary characters were just as amazingly incredible and I hope this becomes a series so we can learn more about each of them. This Spells Love is full of angst, tension, love, humor, banter, chemistry, spice and has a HEA!!

Overall, I was completely captivated from start to finish! Now I need to go eat some doughnuts🍩!! I cannot recommend this book enough and it deserves infinite stars!!!♾️♾️♾️♾️♾️💫💫💫💫💫

Gemma tries to get over her recent breakup by casting a silly spell with her quirky aunt and best friend that allows her to forget her ex ever existed. The spell works, and Gemma suddenly awakens in a parallel universe where not only did her newly ended relationship never occur, but she's also never met her hot best friend. She can remember everything, but he has no idea who she is. To get back to her old life, Gemma must reverse the spell before the next full moon. That means she has one month to convince a now near-stranger, Dax, to become friends with her in order to get his kiss. To me this was a very cringe storyline but the characters ultimately won me over. There's some great side characters, and I appreciated that there was character growth on Gemma's part in addition to the romantic storyline. Although this wasn't a personal favorite, it's well written and many readers will be charmed.
Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.