Member Reviews
Sadly, I DNFed at 28%...Unfortunately, I was not loving it and it didn't keep my attention. I really loved the cover though!
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.
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!
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!
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.
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.
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!
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
Perfect summer beach reading magic! And was completely enchanted by the twinkling stars at each chapter heading, nice touch! I am, primarily, a thriller reader but secretly WANT to love all romcoms. Sadly, I am more often than not left feeling disappointed for a variety of reasons; the cheese factor, too heavy on the heavy, too obvious of a plot line, etc. But this one BLEW ME AWAY! The writing is top notch as the writer starts off with funny and interesting characters that are instantly likeable, loveable or hard to love but we love them anyway. The story line is simple but highly effective. Has it been done before? Probably! But when a story is written well it does not matter as long as it holds my attention from beginning to end. I was charmed, entertained and properly whisked away to another world, able to escape real world problems. I loved this book, it was really special, and look forward to the next book this author writes! Thank you Netgalley, Atria Books and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on June 25, 2024
"I've never made plans with anyone before," Theo says softly, "but you make me want to buy a five-year-diary just so I can write your name on every page."
Okay, this was a fun premise! Daughter of a rock star ends up at a secluded cabin with a current rock star to "babysit" him in order to get him to finish his latest album. But she's sworn off dating rock stars since her dad has always been a d-bag and she was burned by one at age 17. So, this gig shouldn't be a problem, right? I really liked Clementine as a character, and especially enjoyed her 2 sisters as side characters. This was light and fun and would make a great addition to your summer tbr!
Thank you to Atria Books for the free ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review! This is out 6/25.
Clemmie Monroe’s life is falling apart. Her boyfriend left her for another woman, she’s losing her job as a professor at the end of the semester, she can’t afford to make her rent payment by herself, and her non-relationship with her rock star father is always on her mind. Determined to help her turn her life around, Clemmie’s two sisters cast a hex on her exs and ask for three wishes: hot sex, soul mate love, and a job she loves. But it seems the spell is worker more for her sisters than herself. Desperate, she agrees to take a job babysitting a famous rock star, Theo Elliot, for 6 weeks to make sure he finally delivers a new album. Leary of anything rock star related due to her father, she is adamant that nothing can happen with Theo. But the more time they spend together, the more Clemmie becomes intwined with his life she can’t help but feel maybe this is the magic she was looking for.
This was a cute, fun read with some classic tropes: forced proximity, forbidden love, very black cat and golden retriever boy friend vibes. It always drives me a *little* nuts when the female lead is like “he couldn’t possibly like me” when the guy is basically drooling anytime he see her, but otherwise I liked both characters. It had a hint of spice, but it’s mostly a closed door romance.
Under Your Spell is a delightful romantic comedy that follows Clemmie, the daughter of a famous rockstar, who decides to distance herself from the music world. However, her resolve is tested when she becomes the caretaker of rockstar Theo Elliot.
I found this book incredibly addictive and finished it in just a few days. While rom coms can sometimes feel predictable, this one had some refreshing twists. The characters, especially Clemmie, were well-developed, and I could empathize with her struggles. I also appreciated the inclusion of body positivity themes. Theo, the love interest, was charming and had excellent communication skills, which was a plus. But the highlight for me was the relationship between Clemmie and her sisters, Lil and Serena. Their bond felt genuine and added a lot of humor to the story.
Laura Wood's writing is skillful, and she created characters that I became deeply invested in. If you're in the mood for a heartwarming read with a touch of magic, then this book is perfect for you! I'm crossing my fingers for follow-up stories featuring Lil and Serena.
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books!
I really enjoyed this book. Clementine was such a fun main character, and there's such a sweet dynamic between the sisters. I thought it was so clever to have a degree of separation between the sisters (same father, three different mothers). While I enjoyed the writing style, I feel like it read a little more YA than adult romance.
Under Your Spell is a cute and fun story centering around Clemmie and her sisters who “cast a spell” to bring love into their lives after a stream of unfortunate relationships and a very rocky one with their rock star father.
I really enjoyed and related to Clemmie’s anxiousness around her dad and the way it has colored her outlook on relationships. Theo is a perfect example of a leading man and the “men written by a woman” we are all seeking. Their relationship was real and sweet, but the star of this book is the beautiful relationship between the sisters ❤️
Reading this also came at the perfect time to coincide with the release of The Tortured Poets Department and I couldn’t help but see the similarities in the storyline. Clemmie and Theo deal with the paps/media and it is really devastating to their daily lives. I can’t imagine what someone like Taylor Swift has had to deal with and this book highlights a lot of those struggles of being in the public eye. 🫶🏻
Overall, a great rom-com that I will be recommending!
I absolutely loved this book. The relationships were well developed, the conflicts made sense and unfolded naturally, and the writing made me feel like I was fully immersed in the world of these characters. Yes it was a romance, but it was more than that. I loved Theo and Clementine and I feel like they are going to live in my mind for awhile.