What if one little wish changed everything?

This Spells Love is the perfect example of how everything happens for a reason. And goodness, do things align perfectly—Or imperfectly at times.

Introducing our cheery and very caffeine-addicted main character, Gemma, who leads the story by attempting to get over her dull and all too-safe ex. Evidently, this has Gemma and her immediate family come to the conclusion that the only way to fix a broken heart is through magic.
And let me just say--We all need a friend/lover like Dax, a sibling like Kristen, and Aunt Livi in our lives.

Anyway, with any type of magic, it backfires, resulting in an unforgettable adventure into a world that Gemma is not at all familiar with. Having pushed for a life where she never met her ex, also means she lost the timeline of meeting Dax.
Her best friend.
Her ride or die.

While this world is drastically different than the one she previously knew, she can't help but feel things are nearly perfect. And I say nearly, due to the fact that not meeting Dax before has resulted in a few life-altering complications. Starting with the fact that he hasn’t a clue who she is. When everything becomes topsy-turvey, Gemma comes to the realization that the one for her has been standing right in front of her, waiting, this entire time. A troupe that is as gut-wrenching as it is infuriating at times, but it carries through until the end.

After tragedy strikes on Dax's behalf again and again, Gemma makes the heart-wrenching decision that nearly costs her everything. But even if it means losing the love Dex and her share in this world, she would rather him happy, than allow him to lose the fire in his eyes.

I highly recommend this book! It was such a fun and light read, had the right amount of spice & magic—And at times, it would make me shake my Kindle in anger. And while I love Gemma, she is a lot stronger at the end of the book than when we first meet her, and for that I (almost) forgive her for nearly missing out on Dex. It’s a beautiful tale of reconnecting, and the amount of playful tension between them since the beginning makes me wonder how things would have been if Gemma didn’t meet her ex at all and instead only focused on Dex.

KateRobb created a magical tale of self-discovery, overcoming obstacles, and evaluating one’s life may not be what one expected, resulting in a painful conclusion that not everyone might be ready for. This journey truly incases the idea of the domino effect, and how one moment can be the pinnacle of helping or hindering another person's life.

good romance in which she does a cleansing spell and realizes that she loves her best friend. In this other universe things work out for her and finds way to family and love. she even tries new things.

I am utterly smitten with this book.

Kate Robb has an extraordinary talent for the two things that are most important to a novel- characters you love and a plot that forces you to keep turning the page. And what a fun and unique premise!

This book has everything-- Romance galore, family that you wish was yours, developed secondary characters that you can't help but love, donuts, AND IT'S SO PERFECTLY SPICY!!!

I will quite literally read anything Kate ever writes, I adore her!

This was such a wholesome story and had the perfect amount of spice for a romantic comedy .
All of the characters and their relationships were pure gold.

If you could go back and change a major choice in your life, would you?

This is the question that faces protagonist Gemma Wilde, recently dumped, stuck in a job she hates, and feeling like her life is going nowhere. In come big sister Kiersten and kooky Aunt Livi, the latter of whom offers her a spell, to see what her life would be like if she had never been with her ex.

She does, and what ensues is a story about trusting yourself and taking risks to go after your dreams disguised as a romcom. Maybe disguise isn’t the right word, but this is a romantic comedy with some heart, and with something to say. There’s also some smut, if that sweetens the pot for you.

All in all a fun breezy read that made me think. 4,5 stars

After her long-term boyfriend Stuart breaks up with her, Gemma Wilde drowns her sorrows in the company of her sister Kiersten, her best (guy) friend Dax, and her free-spirited Aunt Livi. While drunk, she expresses her wish that she could go back to the night she met Stuart and tell him off, never letting him into her life. Her Aunt Livi offers to cast a "love cleanse" spell that she found in a book, and Gemma agrees. When she wakes up the next morning, though, Gemma finds herself in an alternate universe where she lives in a dumpy apartment but doesn't have her history with Stuart hanging over her. Unfortunately, she also doesn't have her deep friendship with Dax any more -- he doesn't even recognize her.

This fun friends-to-lovers/alternate universe romance asks the question: if you could redo something in your past, are you really prepared for all the consequences? Gemma quickly learns that some of those consequences are immediately obvious, but as her life changes with a different relationship to a different Dax, she discovers some of the deeper changes in their lives and must reckon with the possibility of staying in this new universe or returning to her original life and the potential losses there. Her situation is entirely relatable -- who wouldn't want to remove some painful memories if they could? -- and readers will find themselves cheering her on. Dax is honestly an amazing guy, and it's no wonder his loss hits Gemma hard when she settles into her new world.

Enjoyable and thought-provoking. 3.5 stars rounded up.

Thank you, The Dial Press and NetGalley, for providing an eARC of this book. Opinions expressed here are solely my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I haven't read a romance book that I enjoyed this much since I discovered Ali Hazelwood… and I think I enjoyed Kate Robb's work even more. Gasp, I couldn't believe it.

Dax is the one for me-- read the book, you'll know why. As I say every time, I am very predictable.

My book boyfriend tendencies aside… <b> read the book! </b> It was so cleverly written and original feeling (which is almost impossible to find in this genre) and Gemma was the embodiment of so many of us women who put our dreams aside to make stable, responsible lives for ourselves. (NOT EVERYONE so don't come at me for generalizing).

I give 5 stars for this clever story, relatable AND likeable MC, and… for Dax

A cute, fun read on an ~alternate reality~ romance!

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for this ARC!

This was a very endearing and unique take on a friends to lovers story and I enjoyed it so much. I found gemma to be so relatable. she's lonely, a bit in her own head and messy and needed to understand the real beauty in the things in front of her. I also loved dax so much. this story was very funny and overall just so heartwarming. I do think the ending needed a bit more weight to it but overall I loved it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group.

I do love a good friends to lovers trope! Also I enjoyed the time warp/alternate reality type aspect of the book. This was very witty and fun and I definitely enjoyed it!

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. I loved this book, it delivered the kind of warm romantic feeling you get from Practical Magic, and I enjoyed every last second of it. A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads.

Thank you to Random House Publishing for this ARC copy of This Spells Love by Kate Robb in exchange for my honest opinion.

After Gemma's boyfriend breaks up with her, she calls in her best friend Dax, sister Kierstin and Aunt Livi to help her through her heartbreak. But when Aunt Livi breaks out a spellbook to cast a spell to help Gemma forget that she ever met Stuart, things go awry. Gemma wakes up the night after the spell, and her kiss with Dax, to find herself not only in a stranger's bed but in an alternate universe where life for Gemma is very different. She has the storefront she's dreamed of, even if she lives in a dingy basement apartment and not her lakefront condo. She also is not friends with Dax at all and that's the part that really gets to her. But the spell worked, and because she did not go to that party where she met both Dax and Stuart, life is also very, very different for Dax as well, and not necessarily for the best. But once Gemma wins Dax over and she starts to enjoy her new life, taking risks and listening to her gut, can she ever return to her old one, where she works 9-5 for a drugstore, has a broken heart, and never takes risks?

This is a wonderfully written "sliding doors" novel that is fun and exciting to read. Daxon and Gemma have great chemistry and it radiates off the pages. The dynamic between Gemma and her sister Kierstin and Aunt Livi rounds out Gemma's character to make her such a relatable and likable character to read about. Daxon is fabulously unpretentious and, as the book states, a true gentleman. I had so much fun reading this novel, I cannot wait to see what Kate Robb writes next! She is for sure going on my list of authors to keep track of.

Gemma Wilde is arguably at the lowest point in her life. Her long term boyfriend just broke up with her, she is unhappy with her job, and her best friend has started acting weird. Gemma has plans with her best friend Dax McGuire to wallow in self pity for awhile when her cooky Aunt Livi calls. The plans get shifted around and somehow Gemma is stuck doing a 'love cleanse' with Livi, her sister Kiersten, and Dax after way too many margaritas. This love cleanse has to be sealed with a kiss, like all other love-related spells. When Dax puts Gemma to bed, she asks him to seal the spell just in case. I mean, what's the worst that can happen from a silly little spell? Well, Gemma gets thrusted into an alternate reality, one where she never met her ex. There's just one catch. Gemma met Dax on the same night she met Stuart. And now, Dax has absolutely no idea who Gemma is. She can't get back to her reality without doing an 'undo' spell, and she has exactly one month to convince alternate-reality Dax to kiss her and send her back.

I enjoyed this book a lot. I think it's written well, and a really light read. However, it's really plot heavy. I'm glad that the plot is pretty easy to follow because otherwise I would've been a bit bored. A lot of the book is focused on Gemma trying to win over alternate-reality Dax. This is fine, but I wish there was more character development. I loved Dax, but I had trouble believing the real Dax is the same as the alternate universe Dax. Also, Gemma was really selfish for most of the book. She is not understanding of anyone's issues but her own, and she is totally focused on herself. Yes, she's from a different universe, but that doesn't mean you forget other people still exist! She was really frustrating, and I was hoping to see a lot more growth of her character.

My favorite parts of the book are when Dax calls her 'Gemma McGuire' and then says it's a slip of the tongue. I find it so endearing and cute. My least favorite parts of the book are that we don't get enough of Dax (not alternate reality Dax). I think I would've been more eager to see Gemma get back to her reality if I knew what she was missing. I mean take Marvel for instance. Sometimes, the same character has a completely different personality in the alternate reality. Additionally, I wish there was more of the real universe at the end of the book. I wanted Dax to have more kickback when Gemma talked to him after coming back. That being said, I wasn't super satisfied with the ending, but I did enjoy it enough. Thank you to NetGalley, Kate Robb, and Random House Publishing for this ARC.

Gemma has just ended a 4-year relationship that she is struggling to get over. When her eccentric aunt suggests a spell to get over her ex, she figures, “what’s the worst that could happen?” She joins forces with her handsome best-friend Dax, her eccentric aunt, and loving sister. Together they execute a drunken haze of a spell that sends Gemma into a different time. She’s forced to face the old adage of “is the grass greener on the other side” head on.

This book is reminiscent of “In Five Years” without all the heavy sadness. It’s a happy read with a friends to lovers trope. This book had me grinning ear to ear while I fell in love rooting for Dax and Gemma. Perfect debut read by Kate Robb. It takes a special skill to pull off time travel without unraveling and leaving loose ends and questions. She executed it flawlessly. I also loved the author’s notes when she gives the origin of Dax’s unit description 😜, Katie Robb is my kind of woman.

If you love stories like Sliding Doors, you’re going to love this book. In one timeline, Gemma and Dax are best friends and have been for 4 years. In another timeline, Gemma and Dax haven’t even met yet. When a Love Spell goes wrong and Gemma finds herself in the other timeline where she and Dax don’t even know each other, she has 4 weeks to find Dax and get him to kiss her. But things in her new timeline don’t go quite as planned. A fun, sexy friends to lovers with a little bit of multiverse! Enjoy!

Oh boy did I love this book! Legit read it in one sitting. Has everything you could want in a rom com. The main characters were all so perfect and fun and the plot of the book was amazing. 10/10 would recommend this to anyone looking for a quick fun read

If your entire history with your best friend gets magically erased for everyone but you, and you "meet them" for "the first time" today, would you still end up as best friends? Now what if your best friend is really hot and you're newly single? That's basically the premise of this book and I *LOVED IT*. This book has so much going for it:
- A plot that addresses the "what if I made different life choices years ago" question that everyone has at times, but in a surprisingly thoughtful way
- Strong secondary characters (lately this seems so rare in contemporary romances unless the author is purposely setting up the other characters to star in their own books as part of a series)
- Steamy romance (need I say more?)
- Donuts (seriously, this book really made me want to go eat some donuts)

I received this book as an ARC from netgalley, but this didn't impact my review (no seriously, this is the first ARC I have given 4 stars too and it definitely deserves it)

One minor thing that bothered me:
If a guy has an old beater car and old stuff in his apartment, how are you not picking up that maybe he's not as financially well off as you first assumed? Come on now, this isn't rocket science.

This was such a fun, unique romcom! Friends to lovers is a trope that I don't necessarily hate, but I find it's hard to get right for me, but the timeline element added a perfect spin on the trope. I find often the issue with friends to lovers is that building up chemistry and tension from said chemistry doesn't translate well, and the transition from friends to lovers feels clunky and sudden. But having the characters redo their first meeting, albeit in a different timeline with slight variations, was the perfect way to build that chemistry and tension. When they finally got together I felt like fist-pumping, and their romantic moments thereafter had the perfect balance of chemistry and sweetness.

This book was also just incredibly funny. Gemma as a character had some great analogies for things, with callbacks to little things like her shower spider across the whole book. Her interactions with Kiersten were a close second to her banter with Dax. Their sisterly dynamic was perfect, and Kiersten's one-liners had me absolutely cackling. I think my only small critique is that I would have liked a bit more depth from the characters, especially Dax and Gemma. There was a little bit, but I think it would have been cool if they had more deep conversations. Honestly, though, I get why there aren't as many, this book's overall vibe is light-hearted and fun, so that's just me nitpicking.

Something else I really appreciated was this book being based in Canada, with little Canadian staples sprinkled throughout in a way that wasn't overbearing or necessary to the plot. They were like little surprises for Canadian readers. I never thought I'd read a romcom with curling being a pinnacle part to certain events, but I absolutely loved it. I would definitely love to read more Canada-based romcoms, it added another layer of immersion for me.

Review also on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5549136920

Well, darn! What am I going to do now? “This Spells Love” was captivating from beginning to end! I enjoyed the humor, the family bonds, and the adorable love between Gemma and Daxon. Every time I thought “I’ve seen this before” the story turned a refreshing corner. If you’re looking to read about a modern, entertaining, and whimsical journey to happily ever after—this is a good one! I’d love a book two! More Gems and Dax, please!

Charming, quirky, romance catnip!! I loved this friends to "everyone but you guys knew you should be more than friends" storyline. The characters were fun to hang with and I loved the easy friendship between Gemma and Dax and Gemma and her sister and aunt. This here is exactly why I adore a great contemporary romance, even when you throw in a parallel universe!