I was a little disappointed with this one to be honest. Half of the book was just the main characters not communicating. I can deal with a little of the miscommunication trope but when the whole story is that it is frustrating as a reader. I did not believe the characters love because we barely got to see them interact in a healthy way. I just wish there was a little more of them on page.

Meet Morgan, a self-proclaimed “messy witch” who is pretty sure she was hexed at birth. Always tongue-tied around her crush, the amazing national spellcasting champion Rory Sandler, doesn’t help at all. That is, until one night when Morgan imbibes a bit too much and somehow finds herself talking Rory into using her as a fake date to escape Rory’s family’s incessant demand to find a suitable sorcerer that matches her own power. When Rory hesitantly accepts, Morgan can’t believe her luck. However, when Morgan realises that she might have accidentally given Rory a love potion instead of a relaxation potion, everything comes crumbling down. Can she figure out how to clean up the mess she created before losing the love of her life?

If you’re looking for a fun, light novel with Practical Magic vibes in terms of worldbuilding and setting, This Spells Disaster will definitely appeal to you. Tori Anne Martin creates a lush world that you can’t help but immerse yourself in and thus provides an easily palatable romance that makes for an enjoyable afternoon.

Now, as is fairly known by now, I’m not a fan of the miscommunication trope. It just never works for me and often leaves me more frustrated than enchanted with characters, even after the issues that kept causing the miscommunication are cleared up. My personal enjoyment aside, I think that lovers of the miscommunication trope will really vibe with Morgan and Rory’s romance. The trope fit quite well with their dynamics (Morgan’s impulsive personality and Rory’s more reflective and kind attitude) and made for some at turns angsty and funny situations, especially since you as the reader know that one conversation could clear it all up. There’s also the aspect of fake dating that took a bit of a backseat, but in the end, you still get a good amount out of that trope as well.

The thing I was missing a bit in this novel was growth. Due to the miscommunication, the romance aspect dominated a lot and I wanted more on Rory’s side when it came to her thoughts that mostly circled around her feeling like she has no redeeming qualities. There were some great opportunities to talk about Morgan’s self-esteem and her intense focus on herself but the few bits and pieces we get toward the end felt a bit rushed.

The highlight for me here was the nuanced approach Martin takes to issues like consent and the ability to do so when you are under the influence (of a love potion) and don’t have all the information you should have. I also really liked that the author gave trigger warnings and discussed consent in connection with love spells. While this might not seem like a big deal to everyone, I thought it was refreshing to have the explanation included. All in all, a nicely done debut novel!

Sweet and magical, lovers of the miscommunication trope won’t need a love spell to fall head over heels for This Spells Disaster.

Read if you like:
🏳️‍🌈 Sapphic Romances
🧙‍♀️ Witches
✨ Magic and Potions
💋 Fake Dating
🌎 World Building

This one was so fun! It was a clean romance other than one scene in chapter 29 towards the end of the book so I’d probably rate it about 1 1/2 🌶️ for that one scene.

I really enjoyed the opposites attract vibes with Morgan and Rory as they are fake dating to try to get Rory’s parents off her back but at the beginning of their fake dating Morgan realizes that she messed up a potion she gave to Rory to help her destress and because of her mix up, she believes she gave Rory a love potion that is causing Rory’s affection to bloom for Morgan.

This one sits in the build up for a miscommunication trope because of Morgan’s accident and trying to figure out how to deal with it, especially since she has real feelings for Rory and love potions are illegal in their witchy world… so more consequences could be facing Morgan than just Rory potentially hating her for giving her a love potion.

For those that dislike the miscommunication trope, I personally don’t feel this one will ruffle feathers with the way it was written.

Overall, I highly recommend this to those that love witchy queer reads as this one was so fun jumping into the magical world with Morgan and Rory!

Thank you so much to Berkley Romance for my ARC of this one!

“This Spells Disaster” is a really cute sapphic witchy romance! I do wish that this book would’ve had dual POVs. It would’ve been nice to have a break from Morgan’s internal dialogue and see what was going on in Rory’s thoughts. Without seeing what Rory was thinking it very much gave off the vibe of instant love. I love alternating POV in a romance novel as it allows the reader to gain insight on both characters, which allows for better chemistry as it makes it more obvious as to why the two characters’ care for one another. I think that having a dual POV would have taken this book to another level. Watching the relationship between Morgan and Rory develop was charming, both of them so fiercely invested in the other’s happiness. The magical parts were fun and well-developed, especially the idea of competitive spellcasting. I really relate to Morgan Greenwood in one way, I too, have a crush on Rory Sandler. This is definitely one of those books where essentially everything could've been solved if the characters had just communicated with one another, but the slight frustration that caused me also made the payoff of them finally getting their act together in the end that much better. The love story was enjoyable, and it was heartwarming how it all worked out. This book reminded me of Lana Harper’s “Witches of Thistle Grove” series, so if you like those, you will probably like this. Thank you to Tori Ann Martin, NetGalley and Berkley Romance for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. I look forward to reading Tori’s next book!

Thank you so much to Berkley Romance, Netgalley, and PRH Audio for providing advanced copies of this! All thoughts and opinions are still my own.

I've absolutely loved the witchy romance trend and I was so excited to see a new sapphic rom-com to add to my list. This had some of my favorite tropes (always here for a fake dating romance) and had the coolest, witchy festival setting.

I also really loved the audio narration, the unique take on magic, and the explorations of family. This dealt with family expectations, emotional abuse/manipulation (from an ex in the past), and anxiety which I really enjoyed.

But while there was a lot to love about this story, I didn't particularly enjoy the main plot - the accidental love potion.

In theory, I loved this. It reminded me of That Time I Yeeted a Love Potion and a Werewolf and was hoping for similar vibes.

Instead, the heroine *decides* that potion she gave the Rory was a love potion and all logic and rational thinking flies out the window. Despite people pointing out that it's unlikely she *accidentally* made a complex & illegal potion, she can't be convinced otherwise.

And instead of just telling Rory, or you know - asking - she concocts a ridiculous plan to drive Rory awake wait it out.

And even though love potions wear off quickly, her accidental one MUST BE the strongest one ever. Because there's no way she didn't make a love potion.

Since that made up the majority of the conflict, I was left feeling underwhelmed and mildly peeved by Morgan. He lack of rational thinking was just frustrating.

My last issue, while mild, was that the majority of this book takes place over a long weekend at the witch festival (which was definitely my favorite aspect), and somehow the heroines both said "I love you" by the end of it. But didn't have any sort of intimate encounters until the very end (in very little detail, btw)

Making it this strange amalgamation of insta-love and slow burn....

Overall I thought this had potential and a fun setup. But missed the mark on the romantic execution. I am definitely curse to read more from this author in the future since I did enjoy her writing. This particular story just wasn't my favorite.

Thank you to netgalley and Berkley romance for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

When I first started this book I was unsure on how I felt about it. Some of the writing seemed awkward, making it hard for the sentences to flow freely and I hated that Morgan’s crush on Rory seemed obsessive, almost childish.

However; as the story went on and Rory and Morgan’s feelings seemed to land on more equal ground I found myself loving this book a lot more. It’s a fun sapphic read perfect for fall. The magic is cute, creative and left me smiling with its intensions and added such a nice level of detail. The little oddities and magical foods available at the festival were such a nice touch.

I loved that the majority of this took place during a witchy festival, raising the stakes. The fake dating was perfect and while I’m not normally a fan of the miscommunication trope I thought it was done well in this.

Morgan believes she isn’t good enough and constantly doubts herself. Her fear of people leaving her or not living up to expectations set for her is relatable and her constant anxiety mixed with her honest and good intentions for Rory make the miscommunication trope believable rather than just a problem that could’ve been solved with one conversation.

I could relate to Morgan in the aspect that I have questioned everyone’s love for me. Am I truly lovable? Will I ever be good enough? These are all questions Morgan asks herself and instead believes Rory couldn’t love her and that it HAS to be the doing of a love potion.

The characters felt real and relatable, each with their own flaws, goals and attributes. I could see so much of my own personality in Morgan.

Overall I thought this was such a cute, fun, witchy read definitely worth picking up this autumn.

I loved this!! Sapphic spookiness for the win. Morgan doesn’t believe Rory would really date her so she offers to fake date her… naturally. Rory is even more charming when she spends more time with her. Except Morgan might have made an epic potion error! Is it a little bit silly? Yes. But it was just the rom com magic I wanted. Perfect for Lana Harper fans!

First and foremost, I really appreciated the attention and care put into the issue of consent and love spells/potions/etc. by the author. Contemporary fantasy/magic is such a fun subgenre for Romance, and I love that this was brought into this world. The chemistry between these characters and organic queer inclusion throughout had me loving this small town and wishing it were real!

I love a witchy romance so I was excited for This Spells Disaster. This sapphic romance follows potion maker Morgan as she drunkenly offers to fake date her crush Rory Sandler, spell-casting champion, when she finds outs Rory needs a distraction from her overbearing parents. But as things feel real, Morgan realizes she may have mixed up her relaxation potion for Rory and may have given her a love potion instead. I loved the festival this story took place at—the magic is whimsical and creative and I just loved how developed and full their community felt. What I had a hard time with was Morgan. I feel so conflicted cause on one hand, she was so negative and hard on herself, but on the other, my heart just broke for her. She is so lost and her last toxic relationship left her with so much self doubt, I wanted to give her the biggest hug. What was hard is so much of this conflict relied on the miscommunication trope that it just got super frustrating to root for Morgan and Rory because Morgan couldn’t be honest with Rory—and Rory was great. She grows; she’s able to get is vulnerable with Morgan and she’s funny. The writing is very witty though, I loved the banter of Rory and Morgan in their good moments, the community, and the creative store names (including Morgan’s family shop Bed, Bath and Brooms). I just wish there had been more growth for Morgan and more communication for these two that are really perfect for each other. Still, it’s a very fun fall read.

This Spells Disaster by Tori Anne Martin is a magical romance. Pun fully intended.

Sparks *literally* fly between hot mess Morgan and everyone's favorite witch Rory. Between the charming fake dating and the blossoming sapphic relationship is a very serious thread about consent and self-actualization. And the fact that it's mostly set at a witch's festival/summer camp makes it all that more magnificent.

If you like Practical Magic and The Love Hypothesis, you're gonna love This Spells Disaster.

I had high hopes going into This Spells Disaster and felt it may be a fantastic book to get me into "witchy reads" season. While I enjoyed some parts of this book, the pacing was a little slow for my taste.

Morgan is Rory's crush and the woman she would love to be with forever. So, when Rory asks for Morgan to fake date her during the Witches' festival, she feels like it's too good to be true. Things are going well (on the fake dating front) until Morgan realizes she did the unthinkable: used a true love potion on Rory. In order to break the spell, she must show her that they cannot ever be together. Morgan + Riley = a recipe for disaster.

Fake dating seems to be THE trope of 2023. While this book did well setting up the premise, I needed Morgan to communicate more! Readers are tied in to Morgan's thoughts and ideas thorughout the book, instead of her often speaking to Riley and asking her for her feelings. I did enjoy the author's cute names for things and overall atmosphere she crated. I am interested to see what comes next from Tori Anne Martin!

I’m not completely finished with this book yet, only because the mood reading drew me to more creepy and gothic books lately. But I immediately I knew it was going to be a five star book, so I wanted to send you my feedback.

I love the atmosphere, the magic, the main characters, and the romance between them. I also LOVE the potion making! There’s not enough potion making in the witchy books I read!

In my opinion, this is the perfect witchy chic lit book. It’s exactly the type of witchy book I gravitate towards. And the fake dating trope is done perfectly.

This is also my favorite witchy book cover that I’ve ever seen !! I can’t wait to get a physical copy.

I included this in my witchy TBR video for fall and will post a full, detailed review of it once I’m done! Thank you so much for sending me an ARC of this! It’s so adorable and perfect!

Definitely comparable to my favorite reads like Paybacks a Witch and A Witches Guide to Fake Dating a Demon!

5⭐️

This Spells Disaster is a charming new addition to the growing witch romance subgenre, and it's going to be a big favorite with those of you who love the miscommunication trope. I admit to mixed feelings, both for the book and the trope: parts of This Spells Disaster were adorable. I really liked (for the most part) the chemistry between our two leads, and the worldbuilding Martin did around her witchy world. However, the miscommunication trope is a fickle beast, and there comes a time where you have to give a good reason why your two leads can't just talk it out. Begging them to "OPEN YOUR MOUTHS AND EXPLAIN THE PROBLEM" is fun at first... until it's not. Until the third time that they had the perfect opportunity to communicate and they still didn't and the reasons for why are thin at best.

But I fully acknowledge that this opinion is subjective! Some readers really enjoy having that (oh so painful) miscommunication tension drawn out as long as possible, and if that's you? Wow, is this going to be the book for you! Over all: sweet, cute, clever, but sagged a bit in the middle and really needed an secondary or tertiary conflict to shore it up. That one mistake couldn't quite carry the weight.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the eARC of This Spells Disaster in exchange for my honest review!

I really enjoyed the vibes of this story, but I didn’t love the writing and the actual plot. I think this could have been really fun, but it was brought down by the miscommunication trope. I feel like it would have benefitted from being multi-POV (but I feel this way about most romances). Slow paced and mostly told instead of shown.

Love the F/F representation, but wish the book would have been more solid.

Hmm. This should've been a highlight of my reading month but sadly it was just sort of meh for me. Miscommunication isn't my favorite at the best of times but I think literally everyone but Morgan knew she didn't do what she thought she did except for Morgan. Including the reader. I think maybe this would have benefitted from being multiple POVs? I was just really annoyoed with Morgan by the end.

I really did love the world and the vibe of it. I'd love to get a drink at the Empty Chalice or go to Bed, Bath, and Broom. And Lillith was my favorite character 😂

Gosh I absolutely adored this one! Sexy, sweet, angsty, hilarious, swoony, allllll the adjectives. I loved the conversations about traumas and consent, and living under expectations. Fans of Lana Harper will love this queer witchy romcom!

I didn't love this. It was not remarkably bad, but rather unremarkable among contemporary witchy romances, sapphic romances, and fake dating trope stories. After drunkenly making the suggestion, potion brewer Morgan fake-dates Rory to get Rory's parents off her back; they're a pretentious, prestigious political family, her mother being on the Witch Council.

Both a slow start and writing that was difficult to immerse myself in did this story a disservice. And also the miscommunication trope; felt like someone poured a bit too much of that into the brew here. And Morgan is simultaneously full of self-doubt and anxiety, yet thinks she managed to make a historical whopper of a love potion. It was unfortunate she was our narrator the entire time.

I enjoyed the worldbuilding though, very Practical Magic urban fantasy vibes. Morgan's a potion-maker and often messing with herbs and things to help the family business - called Bed, Bath, and Broom, haha.

I had some extraneous good notes, too - a very cute cover, and the author's abundant explanation & TW about consent in line with the potential of love spells was a very comforting inclusion.

Very excited to see F/F, but ultimately the slow pace and telly writing made this a bit difficult to get through.

I really liked this book. I loved the romance between the main characters and I spent the whole book rooting for them. I also adored this world. I have always wanted to live in a magical world and this one felt so real.

What a fun enjoyable read. I loved rooting for Morgan and Rory, and wished I lived in the world they live in. Heartfelt and earnest, that budding love between them was so believable and it kept me turning pages. Highly recommend if you want a feel good romantic love story!