This is the perfect summer romance for anyone who is a fan of Ashley Poston and Emily Henry. The Spirit of Love is a Romcom with a little splash of fantasy and is just my style. The book opens with Fenny, the writer-almost-director of a CW style show, meeting the man who stole her job. It’s a fun enemies to friends to lovers take on a workplace romance. I would say don’t read the synopsis as it ruins the mystery, but I loved the romance, banter, and characters for this book. I can’t wait to read whatever is next for Lauren Kate, and I’ll be recommending this to all my friends in July.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Putnam for the arc in exchange for an honest review. I loved it!

Such a cute quick read- first book of hers I’ve read. It’s different and slightly mysterious. Definitely a must read- not your average rom com!

This was magical realism at its finest. Fenny has a romantic weekend fling with Sam just before embarking on the biggest moment of her career. After the whirlwind trip to Catalina, she arrives at her big day only to discover she’s been demoted and replaced by a new director—Jude. Except Jude is an older, more jaded version of Sam.
Living in a state of confusion, Fenny must continue with her job and her budding relationship, all while trying to untangle the mystery of Sam/Jude.
I had zero expectations going in, and I really liked it. I loved that the magic was just that—magic. There was no big quest to understand it or explain it away. I also appreciated that her friends didn’t treat her like a complete nutcase. They were supportive and helpful, and didn’t just assume she was crazy.
The banter between Jude and Fenny was fantastic, especially with all the old Hollywood references. I’ve never read anything by this author before, but I’ll definitely be checking out their other titles.
Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for the advanced copy

Thank you to Putnam Books and NetGalley for this e-arc in exchange for my honest opinion!

Lauren Kate's writing is just magical, it's beautiful and I just love her magical realism - I squealed over the cameo for past characters of hers to make an appearance (from What's in a Kiss!) and just loved the story dearly. Sam is dreamy, he's worth way more than what he gets with the quick leaving of Fenny - but she has to get back to her dreams. Only it's a disaster and she messes up and is immediately replaced as the director of her show, and the guy is weird and looks a bit like Sam - so Fenny just goes off the rails a bit. The set is pure turmoil, she's a mess, and just it became a mess with a quick turnaround as she realized she deserves the job AND the guy and went running after her happily ever after. It was just so much fun and is the perfect read as we head into the summer months!

I might have to read this one again once it's published and I can lay on a beach!

The premise is intriguing and the opening chapters are strong—Fenny is confident, sharp, and the romantic tension is immediate. But the pacing quickly stalls. Much of the book is spent circling the same questions, even after the answers feel obvious, which makes the plot feel repetitive.

The chemistry between characters is there, and the Catalina Island scenes are rich and cinematic, but those strengths get buried beneath too much internal monologue and not enough forward motion. The middle of the book drags, and by the time the story picks up again, it feels too little too late.

There are glimmers of charm and emotion throughout, but overall, the story didn’t fully land for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the advanced copy of this unique and creative romance. The book is a fun form of magical realism.
It's hard to fully describe the book without giving away spoilers. I would recommend going into the book without knowing too much.
The main character, Fenny, is funny, smart, and determined. There is great romantic chemistry between Fenny, Sam, and Jude. The island of Catalina, where some of the book tales place has vivid and lovely descriptions. Those parts make you want to go camping or explore a new scenic area. The book has adventurous moments. It's a book that will make you feel inspired to go after your dreams, live in the moment, and stop playing it safe.
I think the plot was clever, and I enjoyed the romance. I only wish there was a little more to the ending. It felt a bit rushed for me. Otherwise, it was a relaxing and enjoyable book, and I can't wait to read more by the author.

This is half of a cute romance, but overall didn't really work for me. The twist - the magic - felt unnecessary and nonsensical, and I wasn't enamoured by the romance at all. One part felt rushed, the other felt lackluster. Overall not the book for me!

Thank you to the publisher for providing a copy for review

This was an interesting book. I enjoyed her last book and like that this one had that magical aspect to it as well. Fenny has a whirlwind weekend with a guy, and then she meets someone that looks a lot like him at work but is different. It was fun trying to figure out what was going on, and the romance was good.

Thanks as always to NetGalley for the ARC.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This book was a sweet romance. It’s hard to say too much without spoilers. I loved seeing Fenny’s confidence grow. This was very reminiscent of Seven Year Slip, so if you’ve read that then you will catch on pretty quickly to what is going on.

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for access to this ARC.

Even since reading a Novel Live Story by Ashley Poston, I've been interested in reading romance stories with Magical Realism.

This story definitely followed a similar themes of Ashley Poston books where the magic is just that..magical. it's not explained. The book was s owell written I didnt really deeply question why the magic occured.

I mostly focused in on the romamce and for that I got a double treat. Really it was two romance stories that merged together. One was a insta lust vacation romance with a man a decade younger then the fmc. One was a slow burn rivals to friends to more with an man the same age as her.

The fmc is hilarious with her ambition for her job blinding her to see what is right In Front if her, tossing a opportunity to get to know a wonderful man for a career ambition grudge.

Thankfully she eventually starts seeing what is in front of her and piecing together the mystery of her teo lives that are so similar yet so different.

I would definitely recommend 📚 this book.

Ehh, but okay for me. Found myself speed reading even though it was a super fast read to begin with. Left me wanting more, which is a bummer because I loved Lauren Kate's YA back in the day and was looking forward to reading more of her now.

2.5

I think this could’ve been a 5 star read for me if the actual story was more like the final third act the entire time (with Fenny’s friends helping her + the One Soul understanding) because based on reading the premise, it made the story feel so sluggish and redundant to read her go through the motions of putting it all together despite redly having all the answers from the start. Idk something about it happening so late in the book made chapters 25 & 26 feel like such a drag, despite having a more fun and fast-paced vibe.

I did enjoy both Sam & Jude, I felt like their characterization being tied to the story worked well especially given Jude’s development but it felt a little conflict for conflict’s sake to have Jude’s lack of explanation be constantly interrupted + I dont think the book did a good job of explaining why exactly Fenny wouldn’t have immediately returned to find Sam (especially when she was basically instructed to do as much, and she does end up doing so…idk it just felt like why did we have to do all this extra stuff that did not really feel like much besides Jude having his meet-cute and friends/rivals to lovers cake and eating it too…) because her growth in regards to her job did not really feel earned either ?

That being said, it has a nice little surface level LA resident who went to Catalina on vacay and fell in love feel that was easy to read and I was very interested in seeing how everything wrapped up which kept me from DNFing

Thank you so much to Netgalley & Penguin Group Putnam for this ARC to review!

speculative romance is quickly becoming one of my favorite subgenres of romance, and this book is no exception. the speculative elements here weren’t as strong as i’d like them to be, but ultimately this was a great swoony romance with two likable leads.

📖 Book Review 📖 On her last weekend before her well-earned and deserved directorial debut, Feeney has an almost magical escape to Catalina island for some quiet R & R. And while she is at first annoyed by the disruption during a storm, a rescue attempt by the handsome Sam and a steamy little weekend romance was just the rejuvenation she needed to add a little extra pep to her step. The universe works in ways that we will probably never truly understand. In a twist of strange unexplained reality twists, she arrives back to reality to find out that she has been replaced by a director named Jude - who just happens to be handsome, rugged, hero Sam’s doppelgänger. In the most harmonious blend of humor and philosophy, Lauren Kate explores destiny, love, and our connections in her latest novel. Even if philosophy is not your thing, The Spirit of Love explores fate in the most beautiful way that will have you turning the pages faster than you realize!

This book was unexpected in the best way. It's a romcom with magical realism elements, so it's best to go in blind for the best reading experience. Really enjoyed this witty, fun, and romantic story.

Loved reading the mesmerizing and engaging romance story. After an unbelievable passionate man, Sam, who saves her, Fenny comes home to start being the director, but plans have changed and the well known director, Jude, has her job, and he looks a lot like an older Sam. Read the highly recommended, wonderfully written, and a must read riveting love story.

I enjoyed this read! I kind of fell right into this story, and was hooked waiting to find out what happened. The turn of events had me on the edge of my seat trying to figure out exactly how the story would end, which was so entertaining! The only thing I didn’t love was that it felt like everything happened so quickly, without a lot of buildup or development.

Overall, I liked the story and would recommend this book!

Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons, Lauren Kate, and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lauren Kate has embraced the light side of mysticism in this story about a couple of film creators finding themselves in love with each other in different timelines. Is this a spoiler, hmmm...maybe...but it's pretty obvious from the beginning, so I don't feel like I am giving anything away. The journey of the book for the reader is how the characters are going to figure this out and bring it all together.
This book was enjoyable and had a mix of tenderness and humor that is a crowd pleaser. I think most patrons would enjoy this book. Catalina Island gets a bit of a 'love letter' to it, as well as Venice, LA, and Joshua Tree, so this would be a great summer/vacation read.
Thanks so much for the ARC!

This was not what I was expecting it to be, but I loved it! I'm obsessed that Lauren Kate is writing Rom Coms now, and I can't wait to read more! There's a small part of me that feels like the ending was a little rushed, but otherwise, it was great! Moving, emotional, funny, romantic, and just sweet! Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for my digital ARC!!

My biggest recommendation is to go into this book blind. Do NOT read the synopsis. There’s a spoiler in it that literally takes until the 90ish percent mark to snap into place and it was so distracting for me the whole book wondering when it would happen. What you need to know is that Lauren’s writing is insanely good, this is magical realism, and you’ll get some good cameo time with characters from What’s in a Kiss? I absolutely think this could have been a five star read for me had I not read the summary.
Fenny has the best romantic swept-off-her-feet weekend with Sam on Catalina before heading home to the job of her dreams. She can’t stop thinking about him even though their goodbye was less than ideal. Showing up to work for her first day as director of Zombie Hospital goes completely sideways when they demote and replace her with some guy named Jude who just happens to looks like an older and less buff version of Sam. Confused by her irrational feelings for Jude and irritation with the turmoil on set, Fenny tries her best to prove herself.
Besides the whole spoilery summary shenanigan, I couldn’t help but love Fenny and her merry chase for her job and happily ever after. It’s a fun novel that I will absolutely recommend to readers who adore the genre tied in with a celebrity romance in a Southern California setting. I’m definitely looking forward to another Lauren book at some point!
Thank you Putnam and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.