Five absolutely shining stars for This Spells Love by Kate Robb!

This book was such a fun time, and I highly recommend it if you love the vibes of Thirteen Going on 30 or 50 First Dates. It had me giggling, kicking my feet, crying! I can’t believe this is a debut novel - it is so well written, I was so impressed!

Gemma was such a relatable character for me - I mean who hasn’t broken up with someone and wished you never met them? Well lucky for Gemma, her witchy Aunt Livi knows just the spell to rid her of this loser ex. Gemma falls into a time slip/parallel universe where everything is eerily similar but very different.

The friends to lovers trope will always be superior in my eyes, so I was super excited for this one. Dax in either timeline was such a sweetie, I swear to god every time he was in the scene I was giddy and blushing

“Goodnight, Daxon McGuire”
“Goodnight, Gemma McGuire”
“It’s Gemma Wilde, you drunk.”
He shrugs, smiling. “Slip of the tongue.”

I CAN’T EVEN!

I feel like this is such a chaotic review, but I’m still not over this book. Everyone please do yourself a favour and boost your serotonin by grabbing a margarita, a box of donuts, and reading this book when it comes out! You better believe I will be refreshing the authors page for new book release updates.

Thank you so much to Random House Publishing and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

When Gemma Wilde wishes away her relationship with her recent ex-boyfriend, she accidentally wakes up in an alternate reality where she ends up in a romance with her best friend.

I think this falls into the "it's not you, but me" category. The synopsis, premise, and word of mouth all pulled me into requesting this ARC despite it being a story about parallel universes. Alternate timelines and parallel universes rarely appeal to me as the mental gymnastics it takes for me to process the various timelines exhausts me with "what ifs". If original Gemma is in another space/time, does that mean second Gemma is inhabiting her body? If no other timeline exists, does it mean we spent an entire book in Gemma's dream or hallucination? What sort of agency does it give to other characters - hell, do we even really get to know the other characters in such a situation? Like I said, alternative realities mess with my mind and I end up completely overanalyzing what should most likely be a cute romcom.

This Spells Love immediately pulled me into the story with a fun premise and lovable characters. While Gemma's tendency to be on the selfish side could be grating, this part of her character is addressed in the overarching story. It's hard to truly gage Dax as a male lead considering most of his screen time is in her alternate reality. I felt like I really didn't know him all that well considering the two different versions of him. The relationship between Gemma and her sister was by far the most complex and emotional, which makes sense considering how much time is devoted to their interactions in both realities. While this book may not have been my cup of tea, I intend to try another book by this author in the future.

This was such a fun read! It was a fresh concept of alternative universe but also friends to lovers. It was clever and fun and I really enjoyed it. Also, that cover?! gorgeous!

Thank you Random House Publishing House for the ARC! I adored this book! It was like a mixture of Practical Magic and 13 Going on 30, which couldn't have appealed to me more.

I loved the main characters Gemma and Dax, and I loved how they interacted in different timelines. Robb really had me rooting for both of them even as they faced different challenges. The secondary characters had me laughing too - Dougie was a personal favorite of mine.

This book is perfect for romance readers who like a medium amount of spice, a lot of laughter, and a sweet beach read. I look forward to reading more from Kate Robb in the future!

Life is all about taking chances! This Spells Love is about moving forward, even if you don't know for sure where you'll end up. There are magical elements, but that's not the focus of the story. Have fun going on this journey!

This was a fun and spicy read. I liked the premise and the characters. However, the middle was a little slow for me..

*I received this book as an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) through NetGalley. I received this copy free in exchange for my honest review.*

K I loved this book to the extreme.

It was heartwarming and sexy and I loved every character. Truly a perfect rom com and I want more!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks to publisher & netgalley for the arc! I really enjoyed this book. The relationship had heart and a lot of chemistry! I enjoyed all of the time we got of Dax & Gemma in the other timeline but wish we got more than only a couple pages of them back in og timeline!! I wanted to see og them together for as long so that's only reason I gave 4 stars not 5 was because I needed more of the og Dax & Gem finally together on our pages!

What if you can re-live the moment and change something. Would you? An alcohol filled night leads to a magic book with a love cleanse that ultimately sends Gemma into another timeline. Where she isn’t heartbroken, but a successful business owner. Only kicker her best friend Dax is no longer her best friend.

A month to fix her drunken action leads to a rediscovery of friendship, love, and choices of what if. This Spells Love reminds me of 13 going on to 30. Not the age change but how certain action can alter your future.

Gemma learns that hard and challenging ways can be the most fulfilling if you are willing to take the risk. With a little help with magic, This Spells Love is a dazzling whimsical tale of a woman’s chance to HEA.

Definitely a must read!

Friends to Lover
Alternate Universe
1990s vibe romance comedy

Thanks very much to Dial Press and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Hi, I am so sorry that I have not been able to send you review of this book. I am having a huge reading slump and have dnf’ed 8 books. This is the worst I have ever have had. I am really sorry that I can’t give you the feedback right now. I will publish the review as soon as I get over his slump. I am sorry again. I really liked the description so I asked for it. Normally, first two on chapter are boring for me but I really liked the first 5 chapters but have not been able to read more than 5th chapter. I promise to send a feedback as soon as I can.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This Spells Love is a fun and creative story showing what might happen if we could simply *erase* being with our ex. This is a lighthearted RomCom that is endearing, kept me laughing and has a small bit of spice as well! Readers who enjoy contemporary romance will have a good time reading this one!

This book was a 3/5⭐️ and 1/5🌶️ read for me. I felt that some of the writing could have been expanded upon so that the reader is shown and not told. (Ex. Many times the ethnicity of a character is plainly stated, I would be prefer to be shown how that person’s features look). It is a cute story, while a bit cliche at times and the main character felt a bit immature to me. I look forward to seeing what else this author might publish in the future!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. I loved this book. It was a perfect light read and I finished it in one day. It kept me engaged and entertained.

This book was so cute, I loved it! I absolutely love the friends-to-lovers trope when one of them has secretly been in love the whole time. The different timelines/alternate dimensions was so fun! It was such an easy read and I couldn't wait to finish it!

This romcom is the perfect sweet read for anyone who likes a bit of magic, donuts and Canadian locales!

Gemma Wilde has just had her heart broken by her long time boyfriend, Stuart. I’m a bid to cheer her up she is talked into having a night of drinking with her sister, her Aunt Livi and Daxon McGuire, her best friend. After several shots of tequila, it’s decided she will cast a love cleanse listed in one of Aunt Livi’s books as a way to banish any remaining feelings for Stuart. And when she wakes up the next day, she finds the spell worked! Except, it worked too well! Not only is her life completely different, but Dax doesn’t seem to know who she is!

The author does such a great job of telling this story. It’s sweet, moves at a decent pace and features a cute meet cute. The writing style feels very fresh and almost like it has low stakes, even though they’re pretty big for Gemma. This honestly would make the most perfect hallmark movie! Plus it’s set in Hamilton, Ontario! I used to live there and it was fun to read mentions of landmarks and locations that I used to visit.

Gemma starts off as a bit of a boring character, which is completely by design. She is very set in her ways and doesn’t like risks or change. I loved reading about her coming out of her shell and making decisions and changes. She has an excellent growth arc throughout the book and the ending was extremely satisfying. Dax just seems like such a good guy. Like, top tier book boyfriend material. His devotion to Gemma definitely seems to transcend whatever parallel universe they’re in. The pair of them together was pure perfection and I loved every minute of it!

There is some spicy time action in this book! So maybe hallmark would have to cut that out 😉

I definitely recommend this book for those who wants a cute magical romcom with a great premise and a satisfying outcome!

Thanks very much to Dial Press and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

If you’re looking for a rom-com with a 13 Going on 30 vibe that involves magic, this one is for you!

When Gemma Wilde gets dumped by her long-term boyfriend, she, her sister, aunt, and best friend Dax decide to perform a love cleansing spell, which promises to erase Gemma’s ex from her memory. When Gemma wakes up, she realises that this spell has not only erased her ex from her past but has changed her life completely, including her friendship with Dax.

This was such a fun, heartfelt read that I could not put down until I knew how it ended. The plot was so clever and really made me think about how the decisions we make, no matter how simple, could change the trajectory of our lives and those around us. I always find books that revolve around alternate realities to be interesting, and this one was no exception. The friends-to-lovers part was also a bonus!

Thank you to NetGalley & Random House Publishing for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely loved this book! It was such a good read! I can’t wait for the world to be able to read it

Very fun, sexy rom-com! Loved the character development, all of the characters were very likable. It was. fast-paced read for me and at times it could be a bit steamy! It offered the best of both worlds of a good storyline and an enjoyable romance. Would recommend.

4.5/5 stars

Such a delightful read! Perfect for fall with a mug of something warm under a blanket. I loved the character development, the sibling relationship, and the love story. Gemma & Dax forever!!

I really liked this! And there was a lot working against it for me. Let's start with the good stuff:

Gosh, this was cute. Wonderfully illustrative — I've never been to the Toronto area but felt like I knew it by the end. The relationships and friendships in this book are GOOD. But what I liked best was how well the author handled the parallel universe. That is a framework that is hard to get right. This threaded the needle so well. Everything is just kind of vague enough that it makes sense. Sometimes authors try too hard to explain the science or magic behind something like this, and the logic falls apart. I really liked that the author didn't do that here — it actually works so well. I also LOVED the ending. That was an absolutely fantastic ending to this book. It was going to be a 3-star read for me, but the last chapter, and especially the last couple lines, really wrapped this up so well.

Here's what I didn't like, and I will say, SO much of this is just personal taste: I do not usually enjoy books with dislikable female leads. They can be flawed, but I found Gemma to be downright dislikable. She is self-absorbed; she drinks way too much; she's needy and demanding of others; and she takes way too long to start realizing any of this about herself. I also found the spice, and particularly the way Gemma talks about sex, to be gratuitous — but again, that's a personal taste thing. Finally, and this is nitpicky but I feel strongly about it haha, it was weird how often the author talks about these women touching each others boobs. I mean, the word "boobs" is in this book eight times and six of them are in reference to her touching her sister or aunt's boobs. That was honestly my biggest complaint. But it's a pretty silly one! So still a 4-star read for me. Very cute.

This book was amazing like unbelievably amazing. If the feeling of getting butterflies was put into words and made into a book this would be it. It had me crying laughing within just the first two chapters. I already know this is going to be so many people favorite book of the year cause I know it’s is for me so far. This is a second chance friends to lovers story with a magical twist. It’s freaking hilarious but also gut wrenching. I was on an emotional roller coaster the entire time. Dying laughing one second to screaming, screeching over cuteness and crying the next second. It’s a beautiful and moving story. Her aunt and her sister btw are everything 😂 they are my new role models and they are the comedic relief that we needed. Her relationship with her sister especially moved me and made me wish I had a sister so bad 😭.

I have reviewed it on Goodreads and my book review instagram. Both reviews are live as of today Wednesday May 31, 2023.