5 stars
A magical realism romance book to brighten up your day!

Fenny met Sam on Catalina Island. They have a whirlwind romance, but it seems like Sam is too good to be true. When she goes back from her vacation, she finds her job has been taken by Jude, an S-list director, and she, deservingly so, is pissed. But how can she hate Jude when he resembles Sam so much?

I love their banter and how Jude immediately feels that connection while Fenny is just there thinking of reasons to hate him. I go back and forth on who to root for. Sam or Jude. I was 99% sure Jude and Sam are the same person, but Lauren sometimes leaves hints that they are two different people. Let's just say I was shocked till my bones tingled (a little reference). Don't let me spoil you. You should definitely read it.

Even though the twist made the story sweeter, it opened up some holes near the end. The final reflection of their relationship got overshadowed by the twist. An extra chapter about how Fenny made her choice and how it reflects her own mind journey would make it extra memorable.

Overall, 5 stars all around!!!!! I do recommend reading Ashley Poston's Seven Year Slip first before diving into this. Trust me, it's going to make the story even more shocking.

Many thanks to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam and Netgalley for the ARC. All opinions are of my own.

Wow, the roller coaster of emotions I went through with this book. Holy cow I think I’ll be thinking about it for a long time. I love Lauren Kate’s writing.

It’s not a secret that I love magical realism in books, and this one really did it for me. I had read the premise so I had an idea of what this story was about, but the author did such a good job when it comes to keeping it mysterious and intriguing. The main characters were extremely likable and relatable in different ways, I was rooting for them throughout the entire book. The ending was just so beautifully written, I feel like I’m going to miss them!

Also I really reaaally loved the Brazilian references!!! 😭

It reminded me of The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston and that book is one of my all time favorites, so if you also loved it, I definitely recommend reading this one!

Thank you so much NetGalley & Putnam for the advanced digital copy! Opinions are my own!

This book was okay- the writing was clunky at times. I did like the plot and characters. If you like a true cartoon cover romance, this is a good choice for you!

So this book was a bit of a doozy. Let me explain. The summary of this book doesn’t make sense at all until you start reading it. From there, it gets more and more messy and doozy. Basically, there are a bit of magical elements involved that weren’t stated before. The two men that Fenny is involved with are the same person but in different timelines, if that makes any sense at all. Trust me, I was confused as well. It didn’t make me read any better, just more confused and frustrated.

I DNF this book. I don't like reading about magical realism plus I couldn't get into any of the characters The story was all over the place but by that point I was finished. This book just didn't do it for me.

The Spirit of Love by Lauren Kate, wow! I binged this in a day. Romance, magic realism. I only wish the book was longer!


Thanks to NetGalley for the arc and chance to read early. Out July 1!

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I haven't heard of a premise like this before and was immediately intrigued. I think time is a tricky concept for books that often gets messed up, as are alternate timelines or universes, but I found myself enjoying this book!

Magical realism is one of my all time favorite genres, but unfortunately, I didn't connect at all with Fenny. While I was curious to see how the magic would come in to play, I was annoyed by her almost immediately, and found it difficult to be invested in her journey. Also, I feel like the blurb really ruins the journey? You know before you even begin what's going on. I also would've enjoyed more of a resolution with Sam – it felt very abrupt. I didn't hate this though, so going with 3 stars.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was such a fun read, I couldn't put it down and literally read it in two days. I am so excited for this to come out so I can have a physical copy for my shelf!

This book was really…odd? It was magical but hard to explain. I honestly couldn’t decide what to rate it but since I read it quickly and was intrigued I gave it 4/5 stars. Yet, I’m still confused? There’s a magical quality that isn’t really explained… and then it just ends. Characters were cute though!

The synopsis and the start of the story do not do this beautiful book justice. It is not all about the physical aspect like it seems to hint at. Hang on until chapter two and you’ll never put it down. And I thought I was swooning after Fenny’s camping trip at the start of the book but that was nothing compared to how I felt later on

“It’s like a well I want to drink from forever and never run out.”

Ugh. My heart. I’m swooning!! What in the world did I just read? A love letter for my soul? The most beautiful story. I am sad to leave, but my heart is spilling over with goodness right now!

I can’t say more or I’ll ruin it for you. Thank you Lauren Kate for this wonderful book.

**I received this ARC from NetGalley, all opinions are my own**

This really worked well in a time-slip element, it was everything that I wanted and was hooked from the first page. It uses the concept perfectly and had that romance element that I was looking for in the description. Lauren Kate has a strong writing style and was glad I was able to read this.

Fenny has finally made it - she has risen through the Hollywood ranks, set to direct her tv show, and just completed a vacation with mind-blowing chemistry - and Monday morning waits for her to begin the next chapter of her life. Unfortunately, in walks Jude de Silva, a genius director who snakes her job and disrupts her life in so many ways. Fenny has to decide what to do about this life bomb and what to do about the man she left on vacation.

I have no idea what this book is but I love it so much. The banter is aces, the writing is genuine and well-done, and the ensemble cast is super fun. I definitely felt like I was dropped right down into L.A. and that entire world and it was done with aplomb and humor. AND CAN WE TALK ABOUT THE WEIRD TIME SLIP? Let’s not - just experience it - figure it out and let it wash over you like the waves on Fenny’s secret beach. This book is lovely and I definitely recommend it for fans of Ashley Poston and Katherine Center. I pulled for every character on the page and want more!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

To prepare for her directorial debut on the TV show she writes for, Fenny spends a weekend camping on Catalina Island only to have a fling with the gorgeous Sam, a search and rescuer eight years younger. Returning to work the following Monday, she's angry to learn she's been dropped for hot shot director Jude, who bears an uncanny resemblance to Sam.

Lauren Kate writes a fabulously fun magical realism tale that had my reading it in one hit. I felt it was a huge improvement on her last book, 'What's in a Kiss' which I think was 'marred by uneven characterisation and incomplete world building with many loose plot threads thrown in without real explanation or resolution'. Instead, this book much more stronger (though I did find the island chapters dragged a bit ). It was lovely to see characters from that book return (though I could do without Liv's overbearing mother) and I loved the chemistry Fenny had with both Sam and Jude. I devoured this book in one setting, eagerly trying to work out how it would all end. If I have any quibbles it would be that I'd love to have seen Fenny learning to assert herself and tell Jude her issue with him much earlier (I don't understand why she didn't tell him), and that the ending felt a bit too abrupt with no closure for one character.

One for those who love Ashley Poston's time slip tales.

Thanks to GP Putman/Penguin and NetGalley for the ARC.

Okay wow. This was not what I was expecting, by any means. But I loved it.
This was very different from any romance I’ve read. The mysterious aspect to it was fascinating and intriguing and I had absolutely no idea where Lauren was going with this, but such a deep ending full of… a lot of deep stuff that I don’t have the words to eloquently describe to the extent that it deserves.

This was a single POV romance where a television writer - soon to be director - goes to Catalina Island seeking adventure over a weekend away from work. She meets a young man and they have a weekend of bliss before she returns to the mainland to get back to her job.

She ends up getting screwed over at work upon her return, but meets another man in the process - her new colleague - and we watch them get to know each other and start to fall, all while Fenny still feels like she has loose ends with the man she met on Catalina, who bears a mysteriously striking resemblance to her new colleague, Jude. I feel like I can’t say much more without spoilers so I’ll leave it at that.

Jude’s character is THE SWEETEST. Honestly wtf. I fell in love with the man and I don’t even really know what he looks like. Plus, Fenny is hilarious, her banter is top notch.

The story was so unique and different from what we normally see in this genre, it’s definitely worth the read.

What to expect:
🎬 single POV
🛶 workplace romance
🎬 closed door
🛶 magical time slip
🎬 entertaining banter

Thank you to NetGalley, Lauren Kate, and Penguin Group for this arc in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The story is a sweet and swoony romance and it is an easy read but I wasn't super invested into any of the characters. They weren't badly written, they just didn't "speak" to me. I guess the writing style just isn't for me.

This was so cute and so romantic! Fenny was so cute, and I absolutely love her name and her personality. Then we have Sam and Jude who are also the cutest! The magical realism in this book was perfect and I really enjoyed this authors writing style. The pacing was perfect and I was immersed the whole time.

A very romantic, descriptive romance for fans of Nicholas Sparks. Fenny is a screenwriter on a fun CWesque show, she has been a screenwriter for 10 years and well respected at work. The book starts out when she meets a new director named Jude, who looks exactly like Sam, a guy she slept with as a vacation fling last weekend- but he seems to be 10 years older.

The narrative then skips to the previous weekend when Fenny met Sam. It has a coworkers enemies to lovers vibe, love triangle, although she is trying to determine who Sam is and how he is connected to Jude. I like Lauren Kate's writing style better here as a time slip romance rather than her previous work in the romantasy realm. We don't realize the answers here until the last few pages. It takes awhile to get there, but I enjoyed the characters and their motivations. I also liked the backdrop of this being in the entertainment industry.

Thanks to @netgalley and Penguin Putnam for the ARC. Book to be published July 1, 2025.

Another fantastic magical realism book from Lauren Kate. I couldn’t put this one down!

In this novel we follow Fenny, Sam, and Jude. Fenny is a writer on a tv show but was just given the opportunity to direct a few episodes. To relax and get in the right mindset, she heads to Catalina Island. There she is rescued during a terrible storm by Search and Rescue officer Sam. They have quite the sordid affair for a few days before Fenny has to go back to work. However, once there, a man named Jude has been named the new director…and he looks just like Sam (but with facial hair and ten years older). Fenny tried her hardest to dislike Jude for taking her job, but Jude feels an instant connection to Fenny. Will Fenny figure out her connection to these two men?

I absolutely loved how the first chapter we are present day and meet Jude but then we flashback to Fenny’s time with Sam. We needed that long flashback and it made me feel their connection.

The pacing of this novel was perfect. I never felt bored with what was going on. The characters added to the storyline and kept the plot progressing.

I loved how everything came together at the end. The only thing I would change in this whole book is the closure with Sam. It felt too abrupt for me. I wanted that last scene with him. Otherwise, everything came together and made sense. There was nothing wild or out of the blue. I easily remembered all the clues throughout the novel that brought us to that ending.

*An ARC was received in exchange for an honest review. And honestly, add this one to your 2025 TBR pile right now!

I DNF'd this book at over 50%. I'm sure by not reading all the way to the end there is some aspect of the story I missed. The main character Fenny has a weekend fling with a great guy Sam and then leaves and meets his doppelganger named Jude at work. She proceeds to develop a relationship with him. I wasn't invested in any of these characters and I didn't get what both guys had to do with each other. This book was just not for me.
Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for a copy of this book for review.