Member Reviews

Roses: This book was really enjoyable. I instantly thought of Harry Styles reading this for our main character of Theo Elliot. He was a really great boyfriend. He had all of the personality traits that you would want to read, I loved that he was very open about his emotions and how he felt about Clementine. Clementine was a really fun and relatable character. You felt how she felt and I found it was really well done. She didn’t come across as someone who was allowing her choices to be driven strictly by her experiences and because of this, you could really see her growth throughout the story. It was really great seeing her and her sisters become the cornerstone of the story. It was just a really awesome bonus relationship that we got as readers to enjoy. The overall premise of the story with not knowing who he was, and having the one night stand, and then being forced to be together for a set amount of time was just a really perfect segue into developing these feelings for each other. I really like that mental health was talked about in the story and was dealt with pretty openly and written really well. I think that it helps to understand her hesitancy with jumping into romantic feelings for Theo right away. It’s really a unique perspective of how she came to have, her troubles and it really does make you understand how that can happen really easily put into the public eye at a really young age.

Thorns: I enjoyed the spice in the story however, I was kind of hoping there was going to be more to the spicy scenes. I mean it gave enough to put this in the adult section of a bookstore and category, but I just wanted more. Because they’re chemistry was so good when you read their conversations and their banter that when it got to these scenes you wanted it to just be as good and I feel like we were met 3/4 of the way and not completely. I also wish there was a better resolution with her mom. It felt like the explanation we got was sort of thrown in there to wrap up a loose end. Towards the end of the story, the parts were Theo took on the woe is me persona because he’s famous and it ruins everything was annoying. Ultimately I feel like it was unnecessary because in the real world if this was a real relationship like it would’ve been talked about already, and I think this ties into what I feel I was really missing throughout the last part of the story. Like they really didn’t have that whole conversation of what their relationship is and what comes with it. I mean there was even a part where she was like you made this choice for me and didn’t talk with me but then kind of just laughed it off. I think trying to make them both seem really cool and more go with the flow type of people, It took away a really important sense of agency when creating their relationship. Especially that it was used as a point of conflict for them as a couple.

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3.5 💫

Super cute, laugh-out-loud rom-com. A little on the cheesy side, but it was easy to read and made me smile. Although I adored Theo, my favorite part of the book was the sisterhood and friendship between Clemmie, Serena, and Lil 🫶🏼🥹 I loved the family dynamic between them and all of their moms.

If you need a feel-good read this summer, definitely pick this one up! It comes out next month. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC!

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PERFECTION!!! Thank you NetGalley, Laura Wood and Atria Books for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

MAGICAL!!! What a beautifully written, deeply emotional, extremely hilarious and utterly heartwarming rom-com that kept me grinning, cackling, swooning and shedding a few tears along the way. Under Your Spell is a charming tale featuring the daughter of an aging rock star who lands a job working for the hottest musician on the planet. Despite her firm resolution to NEVER EVER date a celebrity, she finds herself unexpectedly drawn to him, and soon sparks begin to fly. Overflowing with banter, tension, humor, chemistry, it also adds a subtle fade to black scenes. This story is about so much more than a romantic love story! Its about family, career, sisterly love, friendships, forgiveness, hope, personal growth, self-discovery, and finding joy while living in the moment without having to have your life completely figured out. This is my first read by Laura Wood and I can safely say I am under her spell! I absolutely LOVED this book so much and is easily one of my favorite romance books for 2024!! 💜💜💜💜💜

Tropes/Themes:
🎸Celebrity/Rockstar Romance
🎸Friends to Lovers
🎸Slow Burn Romance
🎸Forced Proximity
🎸He Falls First
🎸Cinnamon Roll MMC
🎸Sisterly Bond
🎸Romantic Gesture
🎸HEA

Synopsis:
Clementine "Clemmie" wants three things and Theo isn't one of them. After being dumped by her cheating ex, fired from her dream job, and on the verge of losing everything, Clementine Monroe is not having a good day. When her sisters get her drunk and suggest reviving a childhood ritual called the Breakup Spell, she figures there's no harm in trying. But soon, Clemmie accidentally ruins a funeral, has her first one-night stand, and ends up with a job she defintely doesn't want-spending six weeks alone withthe gorgeous and very off-limits rock star, Theo Eliott, the most famous man on the planet. Her life's a disaster. As their summer together turns into its own kind of magic, will Clemmie be cursed to repeat the mistakes of her past, or will her future see all her wishes come true?

Overall, it is a delightful rom-com with the perfect amount of emotional depth, humor, and romance. If you enjoy reading books by Emily Henry, Christina Lauren or Abby Jimenez then this is a book for you! I wholeheartedly recommend and it deserves all the stars!!! 🌟 🌟🌟🌟🌟

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After losing her dream job, her boring boyfriend, Clemmie is definitely at a low point in her life. Fortunately, she can trust her sisters to have her back. This time it is in the form of a drunken revival of their childhood Breakup Spell. Her sisters start showing signs the manifesting “spell” is working, but the only magic that manifests for Clemmie is an uncomfortable 6-week living situation with a spoiled rock-star. At least the rent is free, and the pay is good.

I love a good sister story and a sister wanna-be-witch story is even better. This was a little slow to start, but so much fun once Clemmie and Theo moved in together. I loved the sister(s) and mother(s) characters. Theo was a hot sweetheart. Pop this one in your bag as you head to the pool or beach this summer. 4⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this complimentary ARC. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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I wasn't sure starting this book about the blend of magic and sisters and romance. Usually these things would be an instant win for me, but something didn't land in the first chapters. UNTIL IT DID. After a one night stand, Clemmie and Theo are forced into a working retreat in a remote family home alone. Misunderstanding, proximity and lots of conversations help them to realize their true feelings and when they do it is so good.

I only texted my friend about the third act break up once but once it got sorted and we realized what their intentions actually were, it was lovely. Its a great romance for those who love celebrities, close knit family and smooshy heroes.

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“I’ve never made plans with anyone before, but you make me want to buy a five-year-diary just so I can write your name on every page.”

Synopsis:
Things aren’t going well for Clementine. After a breakup with the most boring man on this planet, Clementine and her two sisters get together and recreate a spell they made as children to curse him/wish for three things. She’s desperate for a job and ends up taking a six-week babysitting gig for a rockstar … who happens to be a man she had a one-night-stand with.

My thoughts:
This book felt like it was 4628 pages long, when in actuality it was 350 pages. It took forever for me to get into and was quite repetitive at times.

BUT

About halfway through it picked up once the romance plotline started. Theo was the sweetest little rockstar. (Imagine a sexy pirate). And Clementine was full of emotional word vomit. But they worked together. And the ending was so, so cute.

What You’ll Find:
🧙‍♀️ Cursing your Ex
🌟 Celeb romance
🏖️ Beach house
👏Forced Proximity
🐢 Slow burn

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4.5 stars.

If you love a good romcom, make sure you put this one on your TBR list. I adored this book! The relationship among the sisters was so fun, the banter between all the characters was top notch, and if you're in need of a new book boyfriend; Theo might just fit the bill.

While at times the romance aspect may have felt slow, the book never did, the pacing felt perfect. The relationships among other characters made this one just as fun as the relationship between Theo & Clemmie, and made reading this book a breeze. I never got stuck or felt like it was slow, which at times I do with a lot of this genre, it felt fresh and unique.

Many thank to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

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Sadly, I DNFed at 28%...Unfortunately, I was not loving it and it didn't keep my attention. I really loved the cover though!

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This was a new-to-me author, and I'm already a fan! Clemmie is newly single and unemployed, so she takes a temporary job for her sister: babysitting a famous rock star for six weeks at a remote beach house while he writes his next album. He falls for her, but Clemmie's no stranger to the music business and absolutely refuses to date a celebrity.

This is a sweet story with a well developed plot and good character growth layered on top of the romance. This is a heartwarming tale with just a teeny bit of magic.

Thank you to Atria books for providing me with an advanced copy of this novel via NetGalley.

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If this book has a million fans, I’m one of them. If it has no fans, I’m dead. Ahhhh this book was so good. Literally once I picked this up, I couldn't stop reading at all.

Clementine, aka Clemmie, is our FMC. She the daughter of an aging rockstar, and has a ton of baggage from said rockstar father and shitty exes. After her current term as an academic runs out and she's desperately looking for another job, her sister Sabrina ropes her into a summer job with Theo. What happens when she ends up living with that which she hates the most, a rockstar?

So many things to love about this book:

1. Her relationship with her sisters and mother(s). (See shitty rockstar father, but her formed family is amazing)
2. She wasn’t a character swept away by a MMC, who never worked or had an identity outside of him after that
3. The MMC fell first and fell hard.
4. How the MMC supported her as she was trying to figure out what she wanted to be was really sweet.

Tropes:
- Forced Proximity
- Rockstars/Celebrity
- One Night Stand
- Golden Retretiver MMC
- tinyyyy third act breakup


Thank you to Net Galley and Atria Books for the ARC!

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Under Your Spell was so extremely well-written I missed these characters when I finished! It's been about a week since I completed this book and I still think about it. This is a perfect read for a book club or a group of friends looking to buddy read something quick, funny, enthralling, and easy to get through. Laura Wood is an author I'll be keeping up with for you!

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for providing an ARC!

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This is a must read. I couldn't put it down. The 3 sisters and their moms are a hoot and you fall in love with them. You will have a very distinct image of them in your mind and their voices as you read this sotry. The Middle sister Clemmie is the main charcter and is very realatable, She takes you thorugh the ups and downs of dating, divorced parents, career choices, and just life in general. You will enjoy the ride with Clemmie and Theo is a great book boyfriend. Sometimes we have to get out of our own heads and listen to our hearts to find true happiness and sometimes love. Lot of character growth and depth. It was an enjoable read, I look forward to more books from this author.

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Under Your Spell by Laura Wood was such a fun, easygoing read. This is a perfect representation of a summer beach read. The writing was funny, entertaining and kept me reading. It was enchanting. I feel like it's going to be well received by romance readers looking for fun.

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I really enjoyed Under Your Spell by Laura Wood. The characters were delightful and well written and the story engaging. A perfect beach read or book club discussion book. Thank you to Laura Wood, NetGalley, and Simon & Schuster for the ARC!

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Celeb romance is my absolute jam so I was very excited for this, but sadly, it did not live up to expectations. It started of so well but then went about meandering to include as many tropes as possible and then it was just not that good a time. Honestly, I read the whole book only cause I liked the side characters.

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If you’re a fan of Christina Lauren you are going to LOVE this story. I had the hardest time putting this down. I enjoyed all the story development and characters. I was hooked from chapter ONE! I may have been laughing loudly at a few points! The writing is DELICIOUS & Delightful!

From a funeral to a one night stand to a a forced proximity situationship. While the main character (Clemmie) spends some time healing, she is forced to also deal with a very unexpected room mate. While her journey isn’t perfect it is hers & she finds that sometimes some things are worth fighting for. Maybe dropping your guard. Maybe also not judging a book by its cover.

I can’t thank Atria Books & Net Galley enough for this ARC! I am a new fully committed supporter of Laura Wood!

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I heard lots of good chatter about this book and now I know why  -  it’s a treat! It’s got a celebrity romance, mistaken identity, lots of humor and a little bit of sisterly magic!

Clementine (Clemmie) returns home after losing her job as a medieval literature professor due to budget cuts. On top of that, she was not only dumped by her boyfriend of four years for another woman, the asshat took Tuna, their cat!  Clemmie and her sisters decide to lift Clemmie’s spirits by casting The Break Up Spell like they did when they were young--it involves granting three wishes and a curse.  They curse her ex and then they make three wishes for Clemmie: one for hot sex, one to find a job that she loves, and one for true love. They don’t truly take it seriously and think nothing will come of it--but what if they're wrong?

Soon after, Clemmie, wearing her sexiest LBD, attends a funeral for an old family friend, where  she ends up having the best ever one night stand with Edward, the most beautiful person she’s ever seen. But the next morning he’s in the shower when she wakes up and she’s late for an appointment and they don’t get to talk – she just leaves him a note.

Clemmie’s father is a famous British rock star who wasn’t around much and she’s got some daddy issues.  She had a bad experience with paparazzi and an ex when she was seventeen and hasn’t wanted to have anything to do with her father or rock and roll music ever since. She dislikes pop culture and ignores all social media. So when her sister Serena, who is a record producer, asks Clemmie to help her out with a temporary job as a housekeeper at a summer home, on the Northumberland coast, while Theo Eliott, a famous British rock star, stays there for six weeks to finish writing songs for his next album, Clemmie, of course, has no idea who he is. Clemmie says yes to the job thinking it will give her time to figure out what to do next. She is of course absolutely stunned to meet Theo who, you guessed it, turns out to be Edward of her very hot one night stand.

Theo and Clemmie spend six weeks together at the beach house and get to know each other. They take long walks on the beach, listen to the seals sing and watch Clemmie’s favorite TV shows. The two are lovely together and these scenes are the best. When Clemmie gets the flu, we see how hard Theo has fallen for her as he takes care of her. (I really like Theo--he's a dream hero.) This is a slow burn romance and tension builds through the summer until they both finally give in and it gets steamy. 

But of course, there are challenges ahead for both of them once they leave the beach house and head back into the real world. Most of those issues worked for me although there is a third act break up I felt slowed down the pace and I found frustrating. I did love how Clemmie and Theo both grew as they helped each other work through a lot of their issues (along with their therapists). I particularly liked Clemmie's sisters and how they looked out for each other, bringing humor, heart and magic to the story. The parties they threw were epic with live music, good food and lots of champagne!

I recommend this sparkling gem to readers ready for a rock star romcom with a little bit of magic.

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An enchanting romance that weaves together music, magic, and unexpected love. The story is a delightful blend of modern romance and timeless magic.
Many thanks to Atria and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

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This was a fun, beachy summertime read. It might not be for everyone, but I can think of several patrons I'm already itching to recommend it to. We will definitely be purchasing for the collection.

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I took a chance on this new-to-me author and I'm so glad I did! I binged this book in less than a day and it's stuck with me ever since. This book is told entirely from Clemmie's POV, and it's obvious from the beginning that Clemmie has a bunch of challenges with her family, her job, and her love life. Enter rock star Theo, with whom she shared a steamy one-night stand before she knew his true identity. The conflict is so deliciously clear from the start: She's vowed to never date another rock star. He doesn't want to wreck anyone else's life with his celebrity status. And yet, with six weeks at a secluded beach house, you can guess what happens. This is Romance with a capital R; the author clearly knew the job and she executed it perfectly. I'm only sad I can't read it again for the first time. Can't wait for the next from this author.

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