This Spells Disaster by Tori Anne Martin is a delightful queer romantic comedy that spins a tale of love, mischief, and a dash of magic. The story follows Morgan, a self-proclaimed "messy witch," who accidentally becomes involved in a fake dating scheme with her crush, Rory, a spellcasting champion. The novel creatively explores themes of consent and self-esteem while navigating the complications of love potions and misunderstandings, providing a blend of humor and heartfelt moments. Readers looking for a light-hearted escape will enjoy Martin's enchanting world and the playful dynamics between the characters.

I felt absolutely nothing for these two. I really wish I could say otherwise, but I ended up skimming to the end.

This book was requested by a previous Lesbrary reviewer who did not finish or review it. In order to keep my Netgalley feedback up to date, I am submitting this review marking it as a DNF, though it was another reviewer who requested this.

Oh man. This was about as miscommunicationish as the miscommunication trope can be. I knew what the big twist was going to be the whole time, so it was kind of painful to watch the main character jump hurdles and devise plans that failed every time. I loved the witch vibe, and the different specialties and the festival that happened in this fictional world.

❤️ Tropes ❤️
💋 Fake Dating
💋 LGBTQ+ reps
💋 miscommunication
💋 one bed

Morgan has a crush. Wait. Not just a crush but a CRUSH on Rory. She may be behind the bar now, but she was the last world champion of magical competition. She may be drunk, so when Rory is complaining about her family bringing a guy with them to the festival for Rory, Morgan volunteers to be her fake girlfriend to help prove to them how happy she is in their little town and not competing anymore. She will take Rory any way she can get her. Besides, spending all that time together could definitely lead to more.

I really wanted to love This Spells Disaster, but unfortunately, it just didn’t work for me. The setup was promising—a witchy rom-com with fake dating and magical chaos sounds like such a fun ride! But what ultimately let me down was the breakdown in communication between the characters, which completely derailed the story for me.

The idea of a love potion mix-up should have led to all sorts of entertaining drama, but instead, it became frustrating because the lack of honest conversations just dragged on. Morgan and Rory’s relationship had potential, but the way they handled (or didn’t handle) things made it hard for me to stay invested in them as a couple. I kept waiting for that big moment of truth that would clear things up, but when it finally came, it felt too little, too late.

That said, I did enjoy the witchy world and the festival setting—it’s charming and quirky in a way that fans of magical rom-coms will probably appreciate. But for me, the communication issues and the way they were drawn out really soured the experience.

If you’re into light, magical romances and can look past the miscommunication trope, this might still be worth checking out. But if, like me, that’s a pet peeve, this one might leave you feeling more frustrated than enchanted.

I was really excited for this book, but I was just let down. This book could not hold my interest at all and I found myself dreading to pick it back up.

I love the fact that this is a queer sci-fi romance and had everything I wanted in it. I will definitely be reading more by Tori Anne Martin in the future!

i think this is just one of those books that feels very much just "meh"
like there wasn't anything i absolutely loved about this, but it wasnt the worst book i'd ever read. its a sapphic witchy romance. there is a really big part of this book that i just didnt love, but the miscommunication trope will always have me as a hater.

I really appreciated the author's note in this one; I liked that Tori Anne Martin put so much care into this novel, especially when it comes to harmful tropes. Unfortunately, I just wasn't vibing with the writing style of this one, so I was not invested in the story.

This one was a bit rough for me. The relationship didn’t work for me. The story itself didn’t live up to what I imagined. i just don’t think the story was for me.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

I’m not sure how I feel about this one still. I liked it while I was reading it but I found it very forgettable. I did really like the characters and the story line.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

This was a cool read but I found myself struggling through it at times. It’s a short book though! I definitely will be hand selling this to customers who enjoy lgbtqia+ books and witchy reads.

Thank you, Netgalley, the author, and Berkley Publishing for the gifted e-book! ❤️ #gifted. My review is comprised of my honest thoughts.

Read this book if you like: Witchy reads, LGBTQ representation, faking dating

Ugh. Why. There were quite a few tropes and parts I didn't love. I can't stand when the MC spends the majority of the book trying to push away the person they like. The book itself was too long and dragged.

I enjoyed this book, there were just things that I thought that could have been done better.

I would have really enjoyed a dual perspective since there is a consent plotline.

Other than that, the book was a cut paranormal romance that was light for the season.

If there is a sapphic witchy romance out there.. I’m going to read it! This book had some cute moments but unfortunately it’s not going to be a new favorite.

I really didn’t like the characters (ESPECIALLY Morgan) and their relationship with one another. I don’t usually mind a little miscommunication but the WHOLE book was miscommunication and it was extremely frustrating. I did like the witchy community and side characters we met!

Overall this sapphic, fake dating story fell flat for me but it definitely has elements in it other people might enjoy.

I love a good witchy-book and this one was very well done.



Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

This was a lot of fun! The characters of Morgan and Rory were both great, as was their chemistry together. I also really liked the magic system and how it fit into the mundane world.

A fun fake dating romance full of magic, humor, and heart.

Unfortunately, I couldn't finish this book. It was much too long and drawn out. Not really what I'm looking for in my romances.