I really wanted to love this book. I am a huge fan of magical realism but I felt like this book fell short. It started great Gemma has just broken up with her boyfriend, she goes to her aunts house for a good cry with her best friend Dax, her sister Kiersten and aunt Livi. One to many margaritas later and she’s completed a spell to change her life. I felt like from the beginning of the book I knew what was going to happen. With romances that is typical, but it was so obvious throughout, I was forcing myself to finish to say I did. One of the biggest issues I had with the book was not explaining whether Aunt Livi knew about what Gemma was going through or not?? Her friend stopped Gemma at a party and it seemed like maybe her group of friends are involved with this but we never find out. It was a huge missing part in the story for me and it left me dissapointed when we get the end and aunt Livi doesn’t have a chance to explain why she acted like she did. Overall 3/5 because I was able to finish it and I loved the idea.

Feeling like she's heartbroken, Gemma does a spell from a book her Aunt Livi has "found" which returns her to a time before she met Stuart - the guy who had been her boyfriend for the last four years. Gemma met Stuart at a party the same night she met Dax who became her best friend. Going back in time, Gemma no longer has Stuart in her life but she doesn't have Dax either since they met at the same party. She does have her sister Kiersten and her family and her Aunt Livi. I must say that Aunt Livi and her bookclub friends seem to be more mystical than the initial Aunt Livi appeared to be. Gemma spends a month in this altered reality before she can redo the spell. Good story about the finding your people and what you will do for them if you have the chance.

This was such a great book. I’m not usually into magical realism books, but the great writing and characters sucked me in. At the start of the story Gemma is heartbroken over her breakup and after far too much alcohol agrees to do a weird spell her eccentric aunt found to try to erase ever meeting her ex. It ends up working, but erasing her ex also changes several things in Gemma’s life including her and her best friend Dax never having met. Since Gemma needs Dax to help her break the spell this is quite a problem, and a quest to get Dax back in her life follows. This was a book that really makes you think about what would happen if we made different choices in life. Dax and Gemma were amazing together, I fell in love with them instantly, and the side characters were great. A feel good, thought provoking story with some spice. I received an ARC, and this is my honest review.

What a great debut! This story was so easy to fall into, and I didn’t want to put it down.

I loved the way the characters were written. They felt real, flawed, and I could relate to them. The relationship between Gemma and Kiersten was fun (especially their sibling banter), and I loved seeing their bond throughout the book and how it evolved. Even though we didn’t get as much of Aunt Livi as I wanted, I also loved her relationship with the girls and her quirky attitude towards everything.

And the romance🥹❤️ Gemma and Dax had such great chemistry! It was swoony, funny, heartfelt, playful, and felt so natural. I loved how supportive they were of one another, and how they knew what the other person needed. The buildup felt like it took just the right amount of time, and having the comparison between the two timelines helped make it feel more special in the end.

There’s a bit of magical realism throughout the book, but I’d say it’s relatively light on the magic (which wasn’t an issue for it, I just went in expecting it to be magic-y). I loved that the storyline with Gemma and her career got ample plot time, and how that situation ended up. The ending wraps up really nicely, and I was left feeling happy and content- what more can you ask for?

I truly think this is one of my favorite books of this year!

Seriously had so much fun reading this. Very few books hold my attention to where after I fishing a chapter, I absolutely need to keep going! I finished this one in under 24 hours. The pace was so perfect!

Im so excited that this is Kate Robb’s debut book! She really killed it!

Great character development for the main characters and all the side characters, the aunt and the sister are HILARIOUS! I was chuckling and smiling so often. Glad I got to read this in the comfort of my own home because I probably looked ridiculous!

A little magical realism, romantic, heartfelt, a bit of spice, cozy rom com, friends to lovers, and some little witchy vibes!

Side note: that repeat convo between Dax and Gemma is literally the cutest!
I’m so happy to have read this book. 4.75 ⭐️

Thank you Random House - Dial Press Trade and NetGalley for this ARC!

Get ready to fall in love… this book will leave you thinking… what if I did this… instead of that?

After heartbreak Gemma casts a spell… hoping to erase her ex from her past… she wakes up in an alternate reality where she must decide if changing her past is worth what the new outcome maybe.

The way I flew through the first 25%… I could not put this book down. For fans of the friends to lovers trope… alternate universes… sisters… skincare… donuts… and holy smokes some steam 🔥 this one is for you!

Truly unique and I’m excited to what else Kate Robb has up her sleeve!

This was super cute and cozy read.

One thing I really enjoyed about this book was how easy of a read it was, and the simplicity of it. I think this novel is perfect for a quick cozy read. I'm not usually a huge fan of the friends-to-lovers trope, but I found myself enjoying it in this book. I liked the subtle magic in this book (it's very subtle). The alternate universe was a new aspect for me, and it was a little weird, but I still enjoyed it for the most part.

One little thing I found odd about this book was the MC obsession with the body parts of other characters...(if you know you know). It just felt really odd and I feel like every time we saw Sunny and Dax, something was always brought up about it. It also felt not only weird but borderline creepy in a way.

But overall, I really enjoyed this cozy romance read. I think it is the perfect read for anyone just looking for a simple, short romance. Super cute, and perfect for the holidays.

Overall Rating: 4.2/5

A cute and cozy friends to lovers romance with a touch of magical realism. This Spells Love gets all the stars from me! Stories with magical or time travel elements tend to be a strong hit or miss for me, so I’m delighted to say I loved this one. I adored the characters, the writing, the pacing and devoured it in a day. I can’t wait to buy a physical copy when it comes out in December (which in my world is the highest praise).

Thank you so much to NetGalley & Random House for the ARC! This was so much fun to read!

I've been saving some witchy spell books for october. this was a cute, quick read! thanks netgalley & the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was adorable. I loved the friends to lovers trope as well as the alternate timeline. I thought the little bit of witchy behavior was a nice touch. Gemma's relationship with her sister Kiersten was so great and I thought it actually developed so nicely. The curling team was cute and I enjoyed how much Gemma and Dax paid attention to each other. Aunt Livi was a riot in the best way ad I thought her character made the book so interesting. Overall, this book was super cute and I'm glad it came on my radar! Thank you to Penguin Random House for the e-ARC to read and review.

5⭐️

Omgsh this book, I'm a bit overjoyed and sad this is a debut. I just want to eat up anything Kate Robb had created. This was incredibly and maybe my favorite romance I have read this year. In.Cred.I.Ble!

The characters in this book are sweet and very loveable. For some reason I absolutely loved the name Gemma and I found it endearing whenever Dax called her Gems.

I am learning that I love the When Harry Met Sally/13 Going On 30 trope. It makes the story really fun and sweet when done correctly. I really enjoy the what could have been if different choices were made good and bad. This book did this almost perfectly. I think the only thing I was longing for was I wish the end was a bit longer. I wished it took its time to come to resolution. I would have completely fine with another 50 pages as this book I couldn't ever put down.

I'm really looking forward to see what else Kate Robb creates in the future. This book showed an amazing amount of talent and I see her becoming an automatic pick up author for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House, and Dial Press Trade for this advance reader copy. My review is voluntarily my own.

I will be posting my review to my Instagram page the.floofs.booknook and retail sites close or on publication.

This Spells Love was a somewhat familiar seeming story about a woman trying to erase a painful breakup and ends up accidentally eliminating a good chunk of her life— namely all of her history and experiences with her best friend, Dax. It’s definitely a situation where you know Dax has been pining for her from the start, so it’s a little bit frustrating to watch her deny it over and over again. But it was interesting to watch her re-meet him in a new reality, and to explore what could have been. Overall, it was a fun story, and I loved both the sister and grandmother. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc.

I liked this book! There were some areas that dragged for me or felt a little silly, but on the whole I enjoyed it. I think it probably could’ve been shorter.

This was a sweet ‘n steamy friends-to-lovers romance exploring what could have happened if you were given the chance to make different choices.

Fresh off the end of a four-year relationship and spiraling into a mini crisis, Gemma says "why not?!" to performing a seemingly benign spell wishing she’d never met her turd ex, then kisses her best friend, Dax, to seal the deal and falls asleep. When she wakes up, everything’s different-ish, and she learns that she opened her dream boutique skincare store and never met nor dated her ex... but also never met Dax. Robb does a fantastic job at balancing Gemma’s desire to put her ‘other’ life back in order while relishing in the new-found freedom it allows her. As much as Gemma tries to make Dax her best friend in this timeline, he isn’t… which means she doesn’t lose anything if she maybe wants to make him something more…

My weakness is watching two idiots badly hide their feelings for one another and then feel astonished that the other person likes them, and getting to experience Gemma’s conflicting ‘should I or shouldn't I?’ was so fun and satisfying to read. I also loved how Gemma developed as a character and Robb's portrayal of Gemma's bond with her sister.

I think the only qualm I had was what happened after Gemma chose which timeline she wanted to stay in forever, but otherwise a solid read!

Absolutely head over heels for "This Spells Love" by Kate Robb! Gemma and Dax's story is pure magic, and it's even more fantastic since it's the author's debut.

Seeing these characters tackle their inner battles and grow throughout the story is heartwarming.

A heartwarming reminder that sometimes what you want and what you need aren't as far apart as they seem. Can't wait for more from this talented author!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Spells, Love, Parallel universe and so much more. This was a great debut book and I really look forward to more from this author. This book had a smile on my face the whole time reading it.

This Spells Love was a cute cozy romcom that deals with a women in a parallel universe falling in love with her best friend. It was a very adorable read! This book is good for all year round! Thank you for sending me the ARC copy of this book!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This was actually a really cute book! How to describe: RomCom, 13 Going on 30/Sliding Doors , clever twist on friends-to-lover with some spice! The writing, storytelling, and inner dialogue was so good, an amazing debut!

This single POV story is about Gemma who has just been dumped by her boyfriend of 4 years and she is reeling and coming to terms that she was settling for mediocre at best. Her eccentric aunt has the idea to do a spell to help Gemma with her broken heart and forget her ex boyfriend. The spell has to be sealed with a kiss, and of course that honor falls to her best friend Dax! Even with a simple and chaste kiss, the feelings it invokes makes Gemma questions wonder about their relations. Cut to the hang over she wakes up with and…she finds herself in an alternate timeline when he career, home, and friends are different, especially Dax not knowing her. With help of her aunt and sister who sorta believe her, Gemma has one month until the moon is in the right phase to reverse the spell; but she must recreate everything, including the kiss.

I could not put this book down! I was completely invested in Gemma’s journey to becoming friends with Dax again, realizing they may have always been more than friends, her having to decide to make decisions that are not always easy and may not have a guaranteed reward, and her shedding some unintentional selfishness for those she loves. And the connection that Gemma and Dax have in any timeline, this is what I call a soulmate! It was funny, emotional, and so beautiful!

Random things I loved about the book:
-Gemma’s priorities in a rain storm, “the cheese!”
-Dax’s secret delight of cleaning his ears with Q-tips! (They may be bad for you but I will never give them up!)

Thank you NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group, Dial Press, and Kate Robb for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review.

This is a cute parallel lives / multi-verse friends to lovers story, and a great Halloween season read.

Imagine you're watching Practical Magic but instead of Sandra Bullock & Nicole Kidman its Kate Goldbeck's You, Again & Julie Soto's Forget Me Not making magic. Thats the power This Spells Love has - charmimg, hilarious, relatable, sexy.

Gemma Wilde's eccentric aunt finds the cure for "just got dumped by my boyfriend of 4 years" heartache in a thrift shop book of magic. Persuaded to give the spell a try by her ride or die sister & José Cuervo, it's is meant to cleanse her mind of all things ex-boyfriend. It just needs to be sealed with a kiss like all magic should. Good thing her totally platonic best friend Dax is available to take one for the team.

She thinks all she'll wake up with is a tequila hangover, but her tomorrow is now a life lived without meeting her ex. Some things remain familiar, others more like a dream, but shes devastated when her best friend looks at her and only sees a stranger.

The hook here is the friends to strangers to lovers relationship. And its brilliant. It hits all the right gas & break moments as to avoid the trappings of insta-love. You'd think Gemma would know exactly how to woo her best friend back, but this What If-verse Dax challenges her. Hes not her best friend. Hes had a life 4 years without her of course he'll be different. So they get to work becoming friends again, and able to explore falling in love if they are so inclined.

Brilliant too, is the treatment of Gemma's own outlook on life. Each life had its own unique influences. She was safe but was that stifiling what could be a favorite life to live? She could set priorities but what other potential would she preventing? The reality for so many is the fear of uncertainty that comes with taking risks. If one never tries, they'll never fail. Framing this inside a fantastical romantic story allows one to experience hope instead of fear. I appreciate this minor through line so much.

This Spells Love would make the best Book Club or Buddy Read pick. There are ethical questions I am still pondering regarding What If-verse falling in love. The magic of multiverses is so much fun to explore. I can't wait for y'all to read this so we can discuss in depth.

I can't recommend This Spells Love enough. It makes Kate Robb an instant auto-buy author. I'll be thinking of this book long after I've shelved it. It won't be on the shelf long though, because I mood reread all the time.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing & The Dial Press for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.