Gemma does a spell wishing she never met her ex with her sister, quirky aunt and best friend Dax, When she wakes up the next day she is in an alternate universe where she never met her ex but also is no longer besties with Dax. This is a cute and fast paced reader. The middle got a little long for me, but overall I liked it.

3.5 stars rounding up to 4

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House, Dial Press Trade Paperback for the advanced reader copy.

"What if one little wish changed everything?

A young woman tries to heal her heartbreak by casting a spell to erase her ex from her past, but she wakes up in an alternate reality where she's lost more than she wished for in this witty, whimsical friends-to-lovers debut.

When Gemma gets dumped by her long-term boyfriend, she reacts the way any reasonable twenty-eight-year-old would: by getting drunk with her sister, kooky aunt, and best friend, Dax. After one too many margaritas, they decide to perform a love-cleansing spell, which promises to erase Gemma's ex from her memory. They follow all the instructions, including a platonic kiss from Dax to seal the deal.

When Gemma wakes up, she realizes that this silly spell has worked. Not only does it seem that she never dated her ex, but the rest of her life is completely unrecognizable. The worst part: Dax has no idea who she is.

To reverse the spell and get back to her old life, Gemma must convince her once-best-friend-now-near-stranger to kiss her. But as she carries out her plans, she finds herself falling for him - hard. Soon, Gemma begins to wonder whether she even wants to go back to the way things once were. What if Dax was The One all along?"

I like the Sliding Doors Practical Magic of it all.

thank you to netgalley for a free arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!
after a horrible break up with her boyfriend of four years, Gemma Wilde spends the night with her eccentric aunt, tough love sister, and lots of alcohol and finds herself asking what if? what if she never met her ex? what if there's something more between her and her best friend Dax McGuire? The next morning she wakes to an alternate reality that answers those exact questions. Everyone asks themselves what if, but not everyone gets to find out. Gemma has one month to figure out if the life she could've had is the one that she should.

short, sweet, a little cliché, and a lot cute. this book was so fun! I devoured it in a day! I would've liked to have read more about the actual friendship between Dax and Gemma, it was a lot of telling us and not enough showing us. the ending felt a little rushed but I still enjoyed it!

After her recent breakup, Gemma Wilde and her besties (including Dax) cast a drunken spell to erase her ex from her memories. She falls asleep in a margarita haze, and when she wakes up, everything about her life is different. She needs to break the spell before the next full moon by kissing Dax, who is now nearly a stranger to her in this strange new universe.

This is a delightfully fun, very unique story! I love the combination of the other timeline, the exploration of how our decisions shape and define us, and what's really important in life. The chemistry between Gemma and Dax is 🌶️🌶️🌶️ off the charts, and their journey to reconnect is beautiful to watch. Thought-provoking, well written, and memorable characters make this one of my favorite reads of the year so far!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

This was an adorable book. I loved the second chance romance aspect and the alternate reality aspect as well. The romance was swoon worthy and gah I was rooting for these characters so hard. Cannot believe it was a debut as all of the characters and writing was amazing.

This was a super cute rom com following Gemma, whose four-year relationships has just ended. In an effort to try to move on and forget her ex (literally), she performs a love-cleansing spell, sealed with a platonic kiss from her hot best friend, Dax.

When she wakes up the next morning, she finds herself in a world where she never met her ex - or her best friend. She must navigate the differences in this alternate reality and convince her best friend, who no longer remembers her, to kiss her.

I had so much fun reading about these characters. Dax was such a sweet best friend, and great love interest! I loved being able to hear about their friendship while also seeing how they were so good as a couple! I loved the relationship between Gemma and her sister, and seeing how Gemma grew as a person in her new reality.

This could be a great Hallmark movie (but with spice!), as it hit both humor and heartwarming notes so well. Overall, a very impressive debut and a really fun read!

Thank you to @NetGalley and Random House for the arc!

This Spells Love was such an unexpected delight of a read. After a breakup, Gemma wants a change, so after finding a spell book, with her sister, aunt and best friend Dax, she performs a love-cleansing spell that sends her into a parallel universe where her best friend doesn’t know her and her whole life is unrecognizable. To go back, she needs a kiss from Dax, only the more she meets him in this life, the more she falls for him. This has a 13 Going on 30 vibe to it, minus the teenage years. It’s light and the writing is engaging and fun. It’s a unique story and I adored Gemma. She’s at times a little self-centered but she also just feels very relatable and vulnerable. Her growth is really great. Plus I loved her getting to know her best friend all over again and Dax is so charming. There was something about the end that felt kind of rushed but still, it was so endearing and bingeable! I was really impressed by this read!

This story had a unique storyline! Gemma finds herself unhappy and wanting to waste no more time wallowing over her ex, so her, her sister and her Aunt perform the love cleanse. What they think will make her forget her ex takes Gemma to a whole other reality. During the journey to finding her way back, Gemma finds love, true love and learns a lot about herself and her other relationships along the way.

This story was so incredibly heartwarming, with likeable characters, and witty banter like dialogue. For anyone who enjoys friends to lovers tropes or just a wholesome good read I strongly recommend this book!

Thank you Netgalley and Random House for this ARC.

A sweet rom-com with a “Sliding Doors” vibe.

Gemma gets roped into performing a spell after a break-up, and wakes up in a different timeline. She’s got a month before she can perform the spell to get her back to her real life, but her new reality seems pretty great. A friends-to-lovers story with a splash of magical realism, this was a sweet but a little spicy, light read, and I loved the Canadian setting.

Thanks to Dial Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

4.5 stars, rounded to 5

What if one choice could have sent your life down an entirely different path? Would it be worth it?

Gemma has always played it safe - she orders the same donut and coffee order, she works a boring job for the good pay and benefits, and she stayed in a dead-end relationship because it was easy and predictable. But then her boyfriend suddenly ends their four-year relationship, and in a weird turn of events she ends up in a parallel universe where she never met him in the first place. In this "new" life she realizes that *this* Gemma is the one she always aspired to be, with her dream job and a chance at new romance. But things aren't as good as they seem. Will Gemma stay in this life? Or go back to her other one, even it it means risking her own happiness?

As someone who usually plays it safe in life, I found Gemma to be an incredibly relatable character. I read this book in one sitting because there was just something so charming about her and the supporting characters. I loved the idea of this book, and it makes you question choices you've made that have gotten you to where you are today. If you're a fan of movies like, Freaky Friday, Seventeen Again. 13 Going on 30, Back To The Future, etc. This book is for you!

I only rated it for stars because it was ever so-slightly predictable. Gemma's life was going so smoothly in the alternate life, but I could see some of the pieces falling around her. Overall, it was an amazing romcom! I will be adding it to my comfort reads.

I can't wait to see what Katie Robb writes next.

What if one Night everything changes and you find yourself in a parallel universe, where your best friend of four years has no idea who you are? And what if, instead of the normal friendly feelings, everything is all of a sudden tipsy turvy and you find yourself attracted to him - and he likes you back?

In Katie Robb’s debut novel This Spells Love, Gemma is heartbroken, after her longtime boyfriend breaks up with her. After performing a love cleanse with her sister and aunt, she wakes up the next morning and nothing is the way it was. It seems all of her dreams have come true - except that Dax, her best friend, does not know who she is.

If you enjoy movies like 13 Going On 30 or Back To The Future, and enjoy reading rom-coms that leave you kicking your feet and blushing all the way to the end, This Spells Love is for you.

I enjoyed it thoroughly and will definitely read again. The novel takes part in Hamilton, Ontario, which is just an added bonus for me as it is geographically close to where I am located ☺️

A delightful book and impressive for a debut. I love stories with a dash of magical realism in them and this romance novel did deliver that aspect of it well. A little bit of "what if I never got with this guy?" time travel and away we go. I love how the romance between the main couple stems first from a deep-rooted friendship, and I also loved how well done all of the side characters were, all the way down to the spider in Gemma's shower. Feel good and fun, I recommend this one to romance novel fans.

Gemma's 4 year relationship with Stuart has ended. He was a bit of a dud, but she's feeling sad and unable to move forward. All the while supportive, gorgeous best friend Dax is by her side as always. Everyone can see Dax is pining for her, but Gemma doesn't. Enter Gemma's kooky aunt who helps her cast a spell to forget her ex - but instead Gemma finds herself in an alternate timeline where she and Stuart never dated... and Dax doesn't even know her. Gemma works to befriend Dax again in this alternate timeline, because she needs her best friend, but what if this time around... they dated instead of becoming just friends? I am not a friends to lovers trope lady, those are never my thing. But I absolutely loved this one. Maybe because of the alternate timeline. Maybe because Dax is so so great and ugh when he flirts and everything I melted and combusted simultaneously. Or maybe because this is the first romance where the MCs do curling. Yes, that sport with the rock thing and the sweeping. I had the best time.

This Spells Love is out December 5, 2023.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House, and Dial Press Trade Paperback for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

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This was such a fun story to read, I really enjoyed following along with Gemma's story as she travels to an alternate universe and realizes what her life could be like if she took a few chances. Watching Gemma rewin her best friend over was adorable. I definitely found myself frustrated with Gemma in moments though when I felt she might make selfish decisions. Aunt Livi is by far my favorite character, her little words of wisdom and quirks definitely helped give this book the extra witchy vibe.

Perfect to read in the middle of October let me tell ya!! This was such a cute fun read! It started off interesting enough and the only reason I'm giving it 3 stars is because SLOW BURNS are not my cup of tea! Gemma dn Dax were such cuties!!

"slip of the tongue?"
"something like that"

The storytelling was well written and I appreciate how the alternate timeline plot was executed because it was very easy to follow!! Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC <3

What if you’d turn left, instead of right?
What if you'd gone to that party you didn't want to go to?
What if you’d given your best four years to a dickhead, who actually improved your life for the better?

Gemma lives in the what-ifs of the past, present and future because, let's be honest, jumping off a cliff is scary. Maybe that cliff is just a new type of doughnut, but what if I don't like it? What if it's gonna ruin my entire day not having to take my usual one? What if I like it, but I still miss the other one?
“This Spells Love” has little less to do with me and more with us, the ones that always take the same thing at restaurants. The ones who are happy with their choice, but still regret it a little bit.

Parallel universes, alternate realities, doors to other lives… I always loved the idea of me, in another reality, doing something different with people I don't know, but still being me.
So what if I go left and not right tomorrow, after grabbing my coffee? Would I stumble into the love of my life? Would I be killed by a bus?
Yes, I relate to Gemma, especially that fear in your chest about not being able to undo something because it's too late. And what, if not love, is the biggest jump off a cliff?

The story is not as obvious as you can expect, but what sent me off was Gemma’s reluctance to express her feelings with the Dax in her timeline. I understand her hesitation, but she's been best friends with Dax for four years. She’d trade their shared memories, things they've done together, moments they've supported each other, for a new, unfamiliar version of him. And only because she didn't realize she had feelings for him.
Also, if you're looking for your next friends-to-lovers, I might contradict the summary. In Gemma’s first timeline, Dax and her have been best friends for four years; but in her other timeline, Gemma knows Dax - or, at least, she thinks to knows him -, but Dax doesn't know Gemma. They're different people, she's a stranger to him. So, kind of friends-to-lovers.

Nonetheless, I've loved every single detail of this story: the characters, the settings, the page, the descriptions, the narration, the spicy scenes.
The idea of being a totally normal story set after the pandemic.
The concept is that every choice you make matters because you chose your path, and this is always gonna be more important than any what-if.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Random House and NetGalley, who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

I thought this was a super cute and fun read that answers the age old "what if?" question. I know I've asked myself this question, especially on "what if I dated this person" or "what if I didn't?" several times. Even on other aspects of my life. Seeing a book that takes this mundane question and put a magical spin on it was a delight to read!

The pacing was quick and consistent throughout the book, and even the secondary characters were fun to follow along. I LOVED aunt Livi! I thought it was funny that Gemma's sister was calling her and Dax since the very beginning. The spice was great as well, and Dax is definitely a new book boyfriend, even 'best friend' Dax. Although it was quite funny that Dax thought Gemma was a stalker when he meets her for the first time. Kate Robb also makes the food sound SO good in this book, and I definitely had a craving or two while reading!

The things that didn't work for me were not enough time in the 'true' timeline. and Gemma herself. Don't get me wrong, I loved following Gemma along on her journey in self discovery and love, but at sometimes she seemed like a really out of touch and unobservant. The signs that some characters were struggling were blaring neon signs, but homegirl was too focused on herself and not the people that she loves around her. As much as I enjoyed following Gemma along in the alternate universe where she never met Stuart, I really wish there was more time spent when she came back. Especially more on her and Dax's relationship building when she comes back and the time they missed out on all those years they were just friends for.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was a no go for me. I could not sympathize with the characters or get into the story. There was too much adult language for my taste and too much back and forth to keep track of. Maybe it was a question of timing, but I just know that this book was not for me

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an advanced copy of This Spells Love by Kate Robb

Kate Robb's debut has lived in my head rent-free since I read an early version. I fell in love with Gemma from the moment her witchy ritual sent her into an alternate reality where she no longer has to deal with her crappy ex, but her best friend Dax has no clue who she is. I wish I could experience the wild ride of Gemma and Dax getting together for the first time again, including those first mental images of curling and gray sweatpants. This is a can't miss book and can't wait to see what Kate Robb writes next.

Disclosure: I am friends with the author and read an early draft of this book

Gemma casts a spell to erase an ex from her life but ends up in an alternate timeline (or parallel universe…) where many of her biggest dreams have become reality, including a relationship with her best friend Dax. When things start to unravel, Gemma has to decide whether to stay in her new timeline or return home.

I loved this book! I’m a sucker for the friends to lovers trope and I adored watching Gemma realize what was important to her, finally allowing her and Dax to come together. The magical realism was well done and not over the top. This story was filled with charm, heart, and a bit of spice.

Aunt Livi and Kiersten were fun supporting characters and excellent touchstones for Gemma as she worked through all the things. I appreciated that Gemma’s over reliance on Kiersten (my only real quibble with the book) was working towards resolution as the story wrapped up.

This Spells Love is the perfect book to curl up in front of the fireplace with and enjoy an oat milk misto (iykyk).

Thank you NetGalley and Dial Press Trade for the advance copy.