"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

This was a pretty unique contemporary fantasy! I really liked the main characters, and their relationship was cute. There was great diversity, queer rep, fat rep, and mixed race rep, as well as some conversations about topics I haven’t seen before. The ending felt a bit underdeveloped, but I still enjoyed reading it. And the narration was great!

🌈Queer rep: FF main couple, bi female main character. Secondary nonbinary (she/they) character.

NEED MORE!!!! This book reminded me of the movie 50 first dates, yet both characters don't remember each other! I can't believe I waited this long to read Aislinn work!! They have a new reader out of me! Excellent work!!

Luna, a powerful witch destined for a role she resents, and Aoife, a non-magical girl craving privacy, are brought together by fate but torn apart by a memory-erasing spell that activates whenever they break up. In a romantic cycle of love and forgetting, they repeatedly fall for each other, only to lose their shared past—until they decide to challenge the magic that keeps them apart and fight to stay together.

I loved this. Approximately 2 chapters into this, I messaged some of my book friends to say that this was going to be a winner. Luna and Aoife are both fantastic characters who grow so much throughout the book. I’m obsessed with this plot, and the author executes it better than I could have hoped for. The writing is great. The book has kind of a somber tone, with a lot of snark and sweetness to it. Everything about this was wonderful. I truly had no idea where this was going and it surprised me all the time. Highly, highly recommmend.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Books for a copy of this book. This review is honest and my own.

This was a very cute sapphic romance. I wished that Luna wasn’t so dry and showed a little more of her opening up through her character arc. Felt as though she was very reluctant to until someone pulled it from her. I also wish Aoife stood up more firmly to her parents and their invasive lifestyle.

I saw this cover and heard the premise, and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Spells to Forget Us. I also loved Aislinn’s debut and was looking forward to their future book’s. This is a really great book dealing with toxic family situations and having to do a lot of personal growth. This isn’t a capital-R Romance, but I still am really happy with the ending. The execution of cyclic relationship and the ways Aoife and Luna keep finding their way back to each other was so sweet. There were a lot of elements I really enjoyed, and I kind of hope we’ll see more in the world, maybe Mara finding their own relationship. Also, I’m intrigued by James and the ways he’s so good at persona and situations.

What a cute witchy romance. This is an opposites attract love story told from dual points of view. The characters, who struggle with self discovery and identity, are very well developed. They push each other to be the best versions of themselves. The people pleaser must learns to stand up for herself and the outcast must learn self love. I love the multiple meet cutes between Luna and Aoife. I would recommend this inspiring story about the bonds of loves.

For the first 100 pages of 'Spells to Forget Us' I was certain this would be a 5 star read. I loved the characters, loved the romance and loved the plot. But, throughout the cyclical nature of starting over and over again and meeting each other and learning about magic so many times I actually struggled with staying routed in one perspective.

When both perspectives were mixed chapter by chapter but were so significantly different, one a magical world the other one of complete normalcy spearheaded by the child of a family blogger - I found it ridiculously hard to remain in one world long enough to fully grasp the characters unique environment, plot and then quickly moving on from it to getting back to the romance.

And this story does have so so many elements I loved, I loved the romance, I loved Aoife's perspective in particular, I loved the Groundhog Day format - I just truly think the book would have benefitted more from either being solo POV or by having larger chunks of one character at a time, especially as we flicked through time periods AND places AND characters.

This story has a lot of potential, a great writing style and great characters so I am very excited to look for more stories from this author, this one just didn't work for me like I hoped.

I don’t know why it took me so long to finish this book but I’m glad I did because this was such a cozy fantasy story with a queer romance and angst and belonging! Will be a hit with readers!

I love me a witchy sapphic romance. I loved this book! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

It is wholesome goodness with angst and witchyness. Cool characters.
It did get confusing with the timeline, but it gets better by the end.
I wish there was more about the other supernaturals as well. Would be cool to learn.
I recommend! It was a fun time. Might have to reread one day.

-queer (bisexual and lesbian fmcs)
-witches
-supernatural
-strict families
-not just a pretty face

3.5 stars rounded up. This book was a solid read for the first half or so, but it lost me as it went on. I found the characters interesting from the start and the romance was really cute. The story just became too repetitive and frustrating for me as it went on. The ending was realistic, I guess, but wasn't what I was expecting. I did think this was worth reading though. It just could've been a bit happier and shorter.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

I love a good time loop story, and while this wasn't exactly that, the magical memory spells in this one still gave that vibe.

Luna is a teenage witch being groomed to take over her grandmother's leadership role in witch society. Aiofe is a regular girl who's the daughter of internet-famous parent bloggers. They meet by chance and start to fall in love, until their different worlds become too much and they break up. The problem? Luna has cast the witch-required spell that means Aiofe will forget about the existence of magic---and her---if they break up. But something goes wrong, and Luna forgets Aiofe too. The bigger problem? They're drawn together like magnets, leading to a cycle of repeated meeting, falling in love, breaking up, and forgetting.

I enjoyed both of these characters separately and together, and I really appreciated how the ending was done (no spoilers). There were some infuriating side characters in this, too, that made me grind my teeth along with the FMCs. I do wish there had been more info on the magical side of the world, because I was fascinated by what we were told. Overall this was a unique and multifaceted read that teens (and adults) will love, that touches on a lot of important topics. Thanks to Penguin Teen for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review!

Did this book make me enjoy the miscommunication trope? I'm just as shocked as you are. I loved this book. I thought the two main characters were incredibly well thought out and while there were times that the story felt a bit repetitive, there was always just enough of an increase in the stakes to keep me interested. I do think there were some pacing issues, mostly towards the end which felt rushed and didn't leave us with enough time for closure or like reflection on the story. But overall, I really enjoyed it.

A queer romantasy--many of my students will be all over SPELLS TO FORGET US by Aislinn Brophy. This book wasn't quite for me; however, that's not a reflection on Brophy's novel. I do intend to recommend it to students as a novel they will enjoy and as an exemplar text for when elements of a story need to be repeated while still developing characters/plot.

Spells to Forget Us is a gorgeous, queer, witchy love story that beautifully blends romance with themes of self-love and trust. Following Luna, a powerful witch, and Aoife, a non-magical people pleaser, the book explores their ups and downs as they keep finding their way back to each other despite the challenges they face. The unique magic system is fascinating yet easy to understand, and the portrayal of family dynamics adds depth to their journey.

This urban fantasy, romcom, and coming-of-age tale is full of humor and heart. Aislinn Brophy's writing shines as she develops vibrant characters who experience significant growth throughout the story. The cycle of forgetting and remembering adds a compelling twist, making it a perfect read as we head into the fall season. I can't wait for everyone to pick this book up!