3.5 stars, rounding up!

I thoroughly enjoyed the bulk of this forced proximity rom com. The quick, witty banter between the MCs was perfectly executed and I found myself picking up my phone and opening my kindle app to continue reading any chance I got. The ending, however, fell flat for me -hence the rating. I will absolutely be looking for more books by Laura Wood!

*Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC*

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

I laugh, the sound bright and scattered in the darkness. "I love you," I blurt, because at this point not saying it is a lot harder than saying it. I feel like I swallowed the sun and I'm trying to hide it from everyone, including myself.
Not anymore.
Theo exhales softly, a sound of relief. He pulls me across his lap, wraps his arms around me, presses a kiss next to my ear. "Clemmie, I am so in love with you," he whispers.

This was an enjoyable read if not a little long. Both characters are likeable and have their quirks, and there were several times I laughed out loud or grinned like an idiot while reading.

But nothing here really blew me away. The storyline was entertaining, though it's different than what I was thinking coming into it. I thought it would maybe have a little more angst and little more going on since she's working with a rockstar. But most of the book is actually very mellow and seemed slow at times.

I could see the third act breakup coming a mile away, but it was still frustrating. This would have been a really good scenario to see the two of them band together, figure out what they should do together, and my favorite thing, COMMUNICATE.

But I would recommend for anyone looking for a contemporary romance.

A sweet romance with a splash of spice. The characters had great chemistry and I like that they could sit and have a relationship that wasn’t all sex.
I love that this book shows a lot of female support for the MFC instead of competitive.
The use of therapy to help the MFC overcome her traumatic past was refreshing. Clemmie’s past wasn’t brushed over and it wasn’t just written as a something the character does without diving into it. These are themes we don’t always get in novels because there has to be drama then things get swept under the rug.

This was such a good fun rom-com! I loved it!
I really liked all the characters and the whole sisters vibe. It’s fast moving with some hot and heavy scenes. It’s a perfect beach read!

I am wondering where Laura Wood has been all my life? This book was so unbelievably cute! I was under its spell within the first 50-60 pages.

I loved the sisterhood theme throughout. I got witchy, practical magic vibes and I just adored that. They were always there supporting each other despite the unconventional upbringing. What a lesson for us all to just show up in whatever way we can for the people that we love.

I fell in love with Theo and clementine. My favorite book couple I’ve read in a while! I love that it was always here for Theo but we didn’t get the revelation til the end. That he was so patient until she could come to him on her own. Laura wrote about their trauma’s so tactfully. I was just widely impressed.

Overall this was such a good romance! I was kicking and squealing at the banter and the chemistry. I appreciate that there was spice and really good chemistry without it taking over the whole book. I did feel like occasionally there was cheesy dialogue that felt out of character but that didn’t change my feeling over all for the book. I can’t wait to read more from Laura and thank you Atria Books for the advanced EARC! This was a honest review given for the advanced copy of Under your Spell via Netgalley.

I will come back to add reviews once posted on pub date in the US!

What a delight! This book was such a pleasant surprise and the reason that I continue to take chances on authors who are unknown to me. I love reading romances like this that are funny and charming in the first half while you are getting to know the characters before things get real and more emotional in the second, effectively drawing you in and pulling on your heartstrings. Clemmie is such a terrific, relatable central character who experiences a rewarding growth and development arc throughout the events of this tale. I like how Wood explores the different aspects of a career within the music industry through several of the characters, with Clemmie having a legitimately good reason for not wanting to get involved with a musician despite her undeniable attraction to Theo. The novel is smartly broken up into four parts with each covering a specific stage of Clemmie and Theo's relationship, which has so many lovely moments as well as winning banter and British humor. However, the bond that Clemmie has with her half-sisters and all of their mothers is equally important to the story and so wonderful to explore, with the magical element adding a bit of whimsy. I hope that this is merely the beginning of Wood writing for an adult audience.

This was such a sweet romance.

I really loved seeing how Clementine and Theo developed their relationship. They have a one-night stand that then progresses to more. They open up to each other, with Clementine sharing about her past and how it’s had an impact on her now.

I think though my favorite parts were between Clementine and her sisters. They were funny and cute and so supportive.

Idk if I have much more to say about this one. I just really enjoyed it.

Thank Simon Audio for the early listening copy.

I loved this so much. I love romcoms that include some element of the arts/celebrity. I love British humor and banter. I love when characters have CHEMISTRY. All of those things together? It was phenomenal. Laura did a fantastic job building the relationship at a wonderful pace and with writing such lovable characters that I felt so drawn to. A huge win from Laura. On my way to her backlog now!

Thank you to NetGalley and Laura Wood for my ARC of this book!


I LOVED THIS BOOK! Could Theo and Clemmie be any sweeter?! This book was more than just a love story, though. It
was the story of a woman finding herself in her 30s and the love between sisters. And it was so damn beautiful.

Theo and Clemmie are the main focus of this book, with her sisters (Lil and Serena) a close second in the plot line. The book opens with Clemmie being recently dumped, losing her job, and having to attend the funeral of her uncle. To help with her healing, Clemmie’s sisters perform a spell and ask for three wishes for Clemmie - a tradition they had as girls and teens to help with breakups and life’s struggles. As the book unfolds, we watch these three women’s wishes come true in a variety of ways. I adored Clementine’s journey and as a 30 something woman, I felt like I saw myself in several of her experiences.

I absolutely loved watching Clemmie and Theo get together throughout this story. It was so heartfelt and I felt like the drama/plot worked well - especially with her dad being a rock star, too. The end of the book was kind of a whirlwind as so much closure happened across the board - which was hilarious in a weird way. But, I still really liked how it all came together! Really fun book overall, especially if you love music and the beach!

This was a really great story showing the different and complicated ways relationships can exist in the entertainment industry. I thought the plot was very well-developed with elements of humour and raw sadness sprinkled throughout the romance. The sisterhood was so beautiful between the three women and I loved how close they were despite having different moms, as well as how they maintained their youth even as 30-somethings. It’s a perfect second chance, forced proximity rockstar romance.

I marathoned this book! It was so delightful - I’m a big fan of character growth so seeing Clemmie grow more comfortable with herself and her wants was great to read. I enjoyed her relationship with Theo and ESPECIALLY her relationship with her sisters, unorthodox as it may be.

Great vibes all around - a great summer read. Would love a six-week stay at Granny Mac’s beach house in Northumberland.

Thank you to NetGalley, Laura Wood, and Atria Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

Huge thanks to the publisher for the free copy I received through NetGalley for an honest review.

I was admittedly skeptical about this book when I found out he’s a musician. Celebrity focused main characters are either done really well or really poorly, and this was the former.

If you only went by his assistant you’d think Theo is a melodramatic, spoiled, stuck-up star. But in reality, the mans addicted to pop-tarts and trashy vampire tv shows. He’s got major writing block for his next - and final - album with his current label and it’s already 2 years behind schedule.

Enter Clementine, daughter of one of the biggest rockstars on earth who avoids music and the spotlight like the plague. She’s just been broken up with by the man she was with for a few years who decided to marry his pregnant mistress of 18 months instead, and has also lost her teaching job. She’s not expecting anything more than a one-night-stand, but fate has a different plan.

Thrust together in a beautiful house on the sea both are committed to buckling down and working on their respective projects (an album and job applications) but can they resist the temptation the other provides?

I adored this book. Whenever I had to put it down I couldn’t stop thinking about how things were going to end up and how they were going to work through being able to be together with him being in the last place she’s ever wanted to be. This book was Clementine healing a lot of hurts and fears from situations in her past that have made it hard to trust any man in the spotlight, while discovering more of what she wants in her life outside of romance.

I feel like there aren’t a ton of romance novels featuring 30-something year olds who kinda have their shit together but are also realizing they’re not certain the life they had is the one they want. The characters weren’t immature about it, I think they both reacted in adult ways with the information and experience we know them to have.

Wonderfully written I think this is one of the best romance novels I’ve read in a long time.

I absolutely ADORED this rockstar romance about sisterhood, finding true love and messy family relationships!! When Clemmy gets dumped by her boyfriend who steals her cat to boot, her sisters band together to curse him and cast a love spell for her.

What follows is a hot one night stand with a stranger who later turns out to be her new assignment. Her sister Serena begs her for a favor to help 'watch' a famous singer/songwriter struggling to write his latest album only to find out its the man from her one night stand.

Full of delicious forced proximity goodness, a swoony caretaking scene, lots of drama and intimate moments. I loved how Theo is the one man in Clemmy's life who finally doesn't disappoint or use her and the way he shows his love for her had my heart melting!!

Great on audio narrated by Heather Long, this is a new favorite rockstar romance story for me and I can't recommend it enough! Perfect for fans of books like Scandalized by Ivy Owens or The happy ever after playlist by Abby Jimenez. Many thanks to NetGalley and @Simon.Audio for an early digital and ALC copy in exchange for my honest review!

Steam level: mostly fade to black, some mild details

Her funeral one night stand turns out to be the famous rockstar she is babysitting while he writes his new album. I loved it.
Had a trio of witch sisters making a spell to hex an ex and making three wishes for themselves.
Clemmie’s eyes are blinded by the fact that Theo is a famous rockstar, who she wants nothing to do with, so she doesn’t notice the little things he does for her. It’s only her pov but as the reader I feel we got to know him through her eyes even though she was a bit blind him. Theo was respectful of her wishes but also took the time to get to know her. He was very into her when they first met definitely wanted more than one night.
A fun read, touched into mental health and found family. I loved it enjoyed the character development from both MCs. There was humor, I will remember Colin the poltergeist forever and emotional depth that made them feel relatable even though he was a rockstar.

This was SO fun. I read somewhere that it was Harry Styles fanfic and loved that description. Sign me up for a one night stand + forced proximity!! 🙃 The beginning was witchy and I didn’t think I’d like where it went but it was incorporated in throughout the novel in such a fun sisterly way. I did feel like a HEA was unnecessary, and unrealistic to expect the FMC to get closure from every ex and every family member she’s had issues with. But I did appreciate the therapy rep and how similar to real life it felt to work through Clemmies past without expectation.

I received an advance review copy for free via Netgalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH.

I just finished, and I already want to read it again. Under Your Spell was sweet, funny, emotional, and passionate...truly a perfect rom-com. I adored the characters and soaked up every word of clever dialogue. I can't remember the last time I truly enjoyed a romance this much. 

It's out next week, and I already preordered a physical copy!

This is now going to be my go to recommendation for anyone in the mood for a romcom. It was surprisingly funny, the romance was swoon worthy, the family dynamics were beautiful, and did I mention the romance was melt-your-heart-adorable?

I came for the romance, but stayed for the sisters. The first part was my favourite. Before we are even introduced to the love interest, the three sisters drew me in. Their quick wit and strong bond was unlike any I’ve read before. They had a unique upbringing which adds to their loveable dynamic. For me, they really carried the story, and that’s saying something as the love interest, Elliot was too precious to not adore.

Elliot was the epitome of a golden retriever. It was oftentimes hard to connect the Elliot we see with this so called rockstar he is. It made Clementine wonder which one was the real him for sure. But it was undeniable how much he cared for her. He was perfectly entranced, just like I was reading their love story unfold.

The beginning was an easy five stars for me. Somewhere along the way, I lost the excitement but it didn’t last too long as the ending was just as fun. My biggest critique for this story was their age. Clementine is 33 and Elliot is almost 40 but to me, they both seemed to be a decade younger. Not in the sense that they were emotionally immature, but in how they acted. The best way I can think to describe it is that they were so care free in their day to day lives that gave off an innocents I don’t typically see in 30 and 40 year olds. I think there is a fine balance when writing a romcom between funny-silly and immature-silly, and it can make the character feel younger than they’re supposed to be.

Other than that, this was a very fun read. It was a lovely story with well developed characters that I bet will make you giggle and kick your feet at least once.


*thank you NetGalley for the ARC*

Under Your Spell by Laura Wood is a sweet new celebrity/(mostly) non-famous person romance following a rock star singer, Theo Elliott, and the daughter of another rock star, Clementine Monroe, who steadfastly does not want to be involved with music at all. After spending a night together, with Clemmie not having any idea who Theo is, they end up stuck together in an isolated house for six weeks so Theo can focus on writing his next album and Clemmie, in desperate need of a job and somewhere to stay, can reluctantly keep an eye on him for her music producer sister.

This book is really charming, especially with the cozy seaside home Clemmie and Theo are staying in for the majority of the book and Clemmie's unique family. The quirky sisters and mothers made for most of the humor, though Theo's silly side and some jokes around the celebrity side of the book also added to the humor. Clemmie has real hang-ups about being with Theo or any musician or celebrity, and the book realistically works through them as she figures out what she wants, what is most important for her, and how to process trauma. As charming and enjoyable to read as he is, I do think Theo is a bit too perfect and underdeveloped compared to Clemmie, and I found myself wishing for more there whenever the author gestured to his own concerns or personality. They did have chemistry together, though, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading their journey.

I adored this book -- definitely a great rock star romance. It was a bit long but I still devoured it easily and enjoyed it immensely. All the swoons, all the feels . . . Theo will be your new book boyfriend, I promise! Give it a read!!

Under Your Spell comes out next week on June 25, 2024, and you can purchase HERE!

Anyway, the public consensus was that our home was a sort of cross between a cult, a commune, and a site for the practice of dark magic. The reality was of course much more mundane, but it became something of an obsession for my sisters and me, this idea that we were witches-like the three sister witches in Macbeth.

Clem mine and Theo. I love this story! And I don’t usually love romance novels! If I could find more like this I would change my attitude towards love stories. Holy cow the passion between these two. And each of their stories are so interesting. I gobbled this one up and put this author on my “Authors to Watch” list!