Kate Robb - This Spells Love

Kate Robb - This Spells Love 

4 ⭐

Genre: Romance, Fantasy, Contemporary, Fiction 

Pages: 352

Format: Paperback Proof 

Publisher:  Penguin 

Date Published: 5th December 2023 

Huge thank you to Penguin for sending me a copy.

 

Book Blurb: 

A young woman tries to heal her heartbreak by casting a spell to erase her ex from her past, but she wakes up in an alternate reality where she’s lost more than she wished for in this witty, whimsical friends-to-lovers debut.

What if one little wish changed everything?

When Gemma gets dumped by her long-term boyfriend, she reacts the way any reasonable twenty-eight-year-old would: by getting drunk with her sister, kooky aunt, and best friend, Dax. After one too many margaritas, they decide to perform a love- cleansing spell, which promises to erase Gemma’s ex from her memory. They follow all the instructions, including a platonic kiss from Dax to seal the deal.

When Gemma wakes up, she realizes that this silly spell has worked. Not only does it seem that she never dated her ex, but the rest of her life is completely unrecognizable. The worst part: Dax has no idea who she is.

To reverse the spell and get back to her old life, Gemma must convince her once-best-friend-now-near-stranger to kiss her. But as she carries out her plans, she finds herself falling for him—hard. Soon, Gemma begins to wonder whether she even wants to go back to the way things once were. What if Dax was The One all along?

My Review: 

This Spells Love was such a cute romance with fantasy and magical realism elements. I consumed this book in less than a day because it was so addictive. A comfortable read and perfect for any season, however, I do recommend reading it during Autumn as it has that Autumn magic vibes. Also, it is best friends to lovers and although it might not be my favourite trope, in this book it just worked so perfectly!

The story follows Gemma, who healing from a very recent breakup from a long-term relationship. She starts questioning whether she wasted years on a relationship when she was actually in love with her best friend Dax…Gemma wishes that she could go back in time and start all over again, but this time to also make things right. Her wish might be granted by an old spell book, a drunk girl's night in and a kiss…

I loved how witty and cute this book was. I also adored the main characters, even though at points Gemma’s chaotic energy was a bit too much. The chemistry between Gemma and Dax was also undeniable, yet all the funny and awkward situations they got into were just as captivating and entertaining. The book has two timelines that were fleshed out quite well in comparison to the Rom Coms that I have read before.

My only negative about this book was that I wanted to get to know Dax in the present timeline, as most of where we see him was in the other timeline, in which he was supposed to be ‘different’. Plus there were times when Gemma was chaotic, annoying and selfish, which led her to some very cringe-worthy situations.

Overall: Very unique, cute and captivating romantic comedy with fantasy and magical realism elements as well as that ‘What If?’ element. If you want something cosy and easy to read, yet at the same time entertaining, well-written and funny, then this book is that. 

About the Author: 

Kate Robb is the author of This Spells Love. She dated a lot of duds in her twenties (amongst a few gems) all providing excellent fodder to write weird and wild romantic comedies. She lives just outside of Toronto, Canada, where she spends her free time pretending she’s not a hockey mom while whispering “hustle” under her breath from the bleachers, a Pinot Grigio concealed in her YETI mug. She hates owls, the word “whilst”, and wearing shorts and aspires to one day be able to wear four-inch heels again.

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2280786/kate-robb/