3.75 ⭐️ rounded up!

This was a fun, magical YA with a lot of depth to it — I loved that the two FMCs had real problems and character development outside of their relationship with each other and thought every supporting character added to the story. It felt very well-planned and intentional, though the constant back and forth between Luna and Aoife did get a teeny bit annoying at points.

Either way, good pacing with a fun plot line! Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for a DRC in exchange for my honest review.

Aislinn Brophy's *Spells to Forget Us* is a captivating young adult urban fantasy that intertwines magic, romance, and the complexities of identity. Set in a vividly imagined magical Boston, the novel follows Luna Gold, a powerful Black lesbian witch destined to inherit her family's seat on the Witch Council, and Aoife Walsh, a biracial bisexual girl entangled in her family's influencer lifestyle. Their relationship is complicated by a memory spell that causes them to forget each other every time they break up, leading to a cycle of rediscovery and heartbreak.

Critics have praised Brophy's nuanced portrayal of teenage love and the challenges of familial expectations. Kirkus Reviews describes the novel as "a compelling urban fantasy about love, familial obligations, and one's power over fate." The alternating first-person perspectives of Luna and Aoife offer rich character development and insight into their personal struggles.

While some readers have noted that the narrative's focus on family dynamics occasionally overshadows the central romance, others appreciate the realistic depiction of complex relationships. As one reviewer from Locus Magazine notes, "Brophy gave them an ending that felt realistic and honest," highlighting the novel's bittersweet yet hopeful conclusion.

Overall, *Spells to Forget Us* is a thought-provoking exploration of love, identity, and the choices that define us. Brophy's storytelling offers a fresh perspective on the romantic fantasy genre, making it a recommended read for fans seeking depth and diversity in their narratives.

This sapphic, witchy, ya contemporary romance was an absolute treat! This story follows Luna, a witch, and Aoife, a mundane, who run into one another at a football game and fall in like. Weeks later, after talking and wanting to date, Luna casts a spell on Aoife to lift The Veil from her so she can see the magical world. When she does, their memories rush back, and they realize that they've dated before. O.o

Not gonna lie, this story blew my mind a little bit. It was fast-paced and fun, and the characters were soooooo sweet. I loved every one of them (except for Aoife's guy friend. I don't even care enough to remember his name bc he SUCKED... also.. her parents sucked.. and Luna's grandma sucked.. but the characters you were supposed to like were GREAT!).

I loved how the world felt lush and complete but wasn't overexplained to me. I loved how the magic was fascinating and a little bit sinister. This story took my heart and gave it a warm hug (and a little bit of angst). Our characters learned so much in this story and found love along the way. I was thoroughly entertained.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for my honest review!

This was so good and unputdownable but I also felt like the paranormal aspects of it could have been blended into the rest of the story a lot better.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

This was a DNF for me. I felt that it was a little too juvenile for me. What I read wasn't bad, but seems to be for younger readers, even though it has some colorful language.

I don’t know how I feel about this one. On the one hand, I love Aoife and Luna's relationship and the way they always found their way back. It was beautiful how they each quieted the other’s insecurities without knowing or even trying. I also love how they both finally came into their own. That said, everyone and everything outside of their moments together was hard to read. I am a fan of strong female characters and it just seemed to take too long for these two to get there for my liking.

That said, I found the story entertaining and would recommend it to very specific friends. I also wouldn't mind exploring more from this author.

This book is being voluntarily reviewed after receiving a free copy courtesy of NetGalley, the Publisher, and Aslinn Brophy.

I REALLY liked this. It made me immediately want to read the other book by this author and I actually followed through which is impressive for me.

This is a magical contemporary and it's so fun. It's flirty and a bit weird and a lot messy but in the best way.

I loved the fat rep and honestly just everything.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for an ARC of this.

I went into this thinking it was going to be a sapphic romance. And it was, but it was so much more than that.

I hated both Aoife and Luna’s families. My heart broke for both girls. However, seeing how their relationship helped them each see the things they needed to fix in themselves and watching them grow as individuals.

There’s a few side characters I wish we could have seen a little more and I wish there were a few more decent people in the both girls’ lives, but overall it’s a wonderfully written story.

This book really is an ode to everybody who has been crushed by the crippling weight of their family’s expectations for their life and/or has a deep burning hatred for family vlog channels.

Spells to Forget Us is an enchanting, emotional, and magical sapphic romance that beautifully blends fantasy with contemporary struggles. Aislinn Brophy delivers a heartfelt story about love, memory, and identity, following Luna, a powerful witch burdened by expectations, and Aoife, a non-magical girl trapped in the influencer life her parents built for her.

At its core, this novel explores the cyclical nature of love through a fascinating magical premise—each time Aoife and Luna break up, a spell erases their memories of the relationship, only for them to find each other again. This creates a compelling mix of angst, longing, and second (or third) chances as they attempt to break free from their predetermined fate.

One of the strongest aspects of the book is its thoughtful commentary on social media and consent, particularly through Aoife’s experience growing up in the public eye. The exploration of how much control we have over our own stories—both magical and real—feels timely and deeply personal. Luna’s struggles with expectations and identity also add depth to the narrative, making both characters feel authentic and relatable.

The romance itself is sweet, emotional, and at times frustrating (in the best way). The repeated memory loss creates a unique twist on the miscommunication trope, but rather than feeling repetitive, it adds layers of longing and bittersweetness to their relationship. Watching them navigate their feelings, even as the universe seemingly conspires against them, makes for a compelling read.

While the pacing occasionally slows in the middle, the novel remains engaging with lyrical prose and a cozy, magical atmosphere. The blend of coming-of-age themes with fantasy elements works seamlessly, making it an excellent pick for fans of The Midnight Girls or She Gets the Girl.

Overall, Spells to Forget Us is a touching, romantic, and thought-provoking YA fantasy that will resonate with readers who love magical love stories and emotional depth. A must-read for fans of sapphic romance and witchy, atmospheric tales!

*spells to forget us* follows aoife and luna through alternating points of view, and an interesting timeline. luna is a powerful witch, set to become the head of boston’s witch council, whereas aoife is a mundane whose parents force her to work for their parenting blog (ew). when the two start dating and luna lifts the veil that keeps mundanes from seeing the magical world around them, she also performs a spell that will make aoife forget everything should they break up. but when that happens, luna loses her memories of aoife too. until the two encounter each other again, and again, and again.

after loving aislinn brophy’s debut, how to succeed in witchcraft, i had such high hopes for this one, and i’m happy to report they were mostly met!
i love double pov romances, i love love love getting to see it from both sides and i feel like i’m more invested that way, too. the book was a good mix of plot & characters, i felt like both of their backstories and insecurities etc. were developed well. i’d never read anything from the pov of a character who was forced to be a part of those annoying family blogs or social media or whatever, and i liked seeing aoife navigate that. luna also had her own magical stuff going on but the author managed to give page-time to both of their separate struggles outside of the romance between them, which was also inextricably linked to both, anyway.

had some really cute scenes, and it was fun overall! the timeline was a bit hard to follow at times but that may be because i also read this over the course of like two months. some things were a bit repetitive, but it wasn't too big of an issue for me.

i think i liked the author’s debut better, but i’m really excited to see what else we get from them in the future !! i’m expecting more witchy sapphic books but i’ll settle for non-witchy sapphics as well.

thank you to the publisher penguin young readers group and netgalley for a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was a bittersweet novel that I really enjoyed. It was set in Boston, my chosen home, so I loved seeing all my favorite landmarks through a magical lense.

Schande über mich, wieso habe ich so lang gebraucht, um dieses Buch zu lesen? Seit MONATEN habe ich es auf meinem Reader, doch erst vor drei Tagen endlich mal damit angefangen - um es dann innerhalb von zwei Tagen zu verschlingen. Dieses Buch ist ALLES und noch so viel mehr! Und definitiv die Geschichte, die ich gerade gebraucht hatte.

"Spells to forget us" dreht sich um zwei Mädchen: Luna, eine mächtige Hexe, die von ihrer Großmutter dazu gedrängt wird, ihren rechtmäßigen Platz als Ratsoberhaupt einzunehmen. Und Aoife (gesprochen: eeh-fuh), einige nicht-magische Teenagerin, die durch ihre Influencer-Eltern, die ihr ganzes Leben im Internet teilen, genug eigene Probleme hat.

Als die beiden sich kennenlernen, ist es vielleicht keine Liebe auf den ersten Blick, aber sicherlich Sympathie, die zu Verknalltheit und schließlich zu einer Beziehung wird. Nur sind Beziehungen zwischen magischen und nicht-magischen Wesen etwas komplizierter. Luna will Aoife die magische Welt nicht vorenthalten und lüftet den Schleier, die ihr den Blick auf die Magie verwehrt. Gemeinsam mit einem Erinnerungszauber, der Aoife alles vergessen lässt, sollten sie sich trennen (so will es das Gesetz), steht ihren Gefühlen nichts mehr im Weg.

Außer ... sie selbst.

Ihre eigenen Probleme sorgen recht schnell dafür, dass sie sich trennen und zack, weg sind Aoifes Erinnerungen - und Lunas gleich mit. Ein Glück begegnen sie sich kurz darauf erneut zum ersten Mal und das Spiel wiederholt sich ...

Luna und auch Aoife sind beide extrem komplexe Figuren, mit unausgesprochenen Ängsten und Sorgen, mit unterdrückter Wut und antrainierten Verhaltensweisen, die die Kommunikation in einer Beziehung zu einem gefährlichen Spiel voller Missverständnisse macht. Doch - und das ist das Schöne an Charakterentwicklung - sie lernen dazu und animieren einander, sich diesen Problemen zu stellen und so über sich hinauszuwachsen, was wunderbar anzusehen ist. Obwohl die Geschichte mit einem Twist endet, den ich so nicht habe kommen sehen, muss ich doch sagen, dass ich am Ende sehr stolz auf diese beiden sehr unterschiedlichen Mädchen bin.

Ebenfalls erwähnenswert ist auf jeden Fall die Art, wie die Autorin in dieser sanften Liebesgeschichte mit Fantasy-Elementen ernste Themen wie Rassismus, Fettfeindlichkeit, Queerfeindlichkeit (durch Lunas Storyline) und Privatsphäre auf Social Media und daraus resultierende Konsequenzen für Kinder aus Familyinfluencer-Familien (durch Aoifes Storyline) aufgegriffen hat.

Im Großen und Ganzen...

"Spells to forget us" ist auf jeden Fall eins meiner Jahreshighlights - und das, obwohl das Jahr noch nicht mal zwei Wochen alt ist. Eine sehr gefühlvolle queere Liebesgeschichte voller Tiefgang, Charme und einem kleinen magischen Twist. Sehr empfehlenswert.

Overall I thought this was a really unique story and enjoyed this book quite a bit! I think the world building was really cool and I loved the magic system. I also really enjoyed that there was so much going on outside of the romance and that there were quite a lot of themes being discussed that I don't frequently see.

I do think there were some pacing issues (specifically on the 3rd or 4th time loop I was over doing the time loops, so I felt that area of the book was overly drawn out). I also don't know if this technically falls under romance because there isn't a HEA (or even a happily for now), but more of a YA contemporary with a focus on romantic exploration.

This book is perfect for fans of witchy, sapphic YA stories. If you loved These Witches Don't Burn, you should definitely check this out!

It's a cute romance with witches and magical creatures but also real-life issues that I think many teens will relate to.

"Spells to Forget Us" by Aislinn Brophy is a captivating YA romance that blends magic with real-life struggles. Set in a world where witches and magical creatures roam Boston, the story focuses on two main characters navigating their own family issues while also forming a connection. I loved how their personal lives were fully developed throughout the book, making the romance feel more grounded. While their lack of confidence and moments of miscommunication were frustrating at times, I appreciated how they supported each other, wanting the best for one another by the end. A well-balanced story of love, self-discovery, and family.

This was an absolutely interesting read. I went in thinking one thing about what to expect then came out with a totally different feeling.

I found the difference between those with magic and those without kind of fun and that the Veil protects those without magic. It was really fun to see what was behind the veil at times. I liked that both of these girls were who they were and kept finding each other.

What was hard to witness time and time again was the lack of confidence in themselves. Despite everything they were going through it was hard to watch them get walked all over by other people time and time again. Yet they could stand up for each other. I did like that in the end they were wanting whatever was best for each other and wanting to do right by one another. I don't know that I'd call it a HEA but its for sure a HE.

If you were a fan of The Darkness Outside Us you're going to find this story really fun. 3.75/5 rounded up to 4/5

I like to call the kind of romances i dislike "Pretty People Romance." As in, "I didnt likr that book--- it was a pretty people romance." Just two pretty people who fall in love and the problems are small and they just... overcome it... fade to black.

The thing is, both of the girls in this book are pretty, but MAN this is not a "Pretty People Romance."

Aoife is, by all accounts gorgeous. As the daughter in an influencer family, she hears about her beauty all the time... and she hates it. She cannot rely on her friends or family, who all seem to be using her because of her internet fame. She has to always be sweet because that is the internet persona her parents have painted of her. Creepy people comment on her being beautiful because she is biracial.

Luna is a hot, curvy goth girl who is the product of a political witch marriage. Her parents hate each other. Her cousin resents her. Her magic is powerful and complicated. The magic council is made up of racist white families who plot her family's demise. Her grandmother wants to use her for political gain.

And the two of them also are dating, over and over again. And its SO good. I seriously need more of Aoife and Luna. Reading this was an absolute joy!

Wasn't a big fan of Luna or Aoife. I feel like Luna tried to meddle into Aoife when she didn't need to to. Like hexing someone just because they said they liked her. It over a good story to keep me engage.

3 stars.

this was such an interesting idea and i loved the execution! i want to read more books with unique premises like this