“Sometimes the best risks are the ones you make with your heart,” (Robb 300).
Gemma is distraught after boyfriend of four years breaks up with her and believes that the only way to cope with it is by getting drunk with her sister, eccentric aunt, and best friend Dax. After a few margaritas, Gemma realizes that an even better way to cope is to perform a love-cleansing spell so that Gemma will have never met her ex. Gemma follows the instructions, sealing her fate with a platonic kiss from Dax, and wakes up in an alternate reality where she never dated her ex, but Dax also has no idea who she is. To return to her universe, Gemma needs to convince Dax to kiss her. But as she gets to know Dax from the start again feelings are there, feelings that maybe were there the whole time, even in her reality. Could Dax be the one she’s meant to be with in every universe?
I am not a romance reader. The stakes are always very low and spoiler, the love interests always end up together. But I read this because my friend adored it and recommended, and it’s also set in my city. And you know what? Those things made This Spells Love a surprise win!
Gemma was a great protagonist to follow. I thought she was funny and charming and I loved seeing her confidence grow throughout the book. I also thought Dax was a great love interest, unrealistic like most men in fiction but I feel like that’s why most people read romance. Kiersten and Aunt Livi were also fun side characters to follow but I wish they were a bit more present throughout. Sometimes it felt like they were summoned just to help Gemma reach a realization and then forgotten again until they were relevant. There was also a weird addition of an ominous book club lady who appears once and says one cryptic thing but otherwise serves no real purpose to the book as a whole.
But the setting! I haven’t read many books set where I live and it was such a joy to do so. I loved how Robb changed the names of certain businesses as a joke but how the James St. N. vibe was still very clearly felt, as well as the descriptions of Bayfront. It’s clear Robb loves her home. I never would have thought about setting a romance in Hamilton but I’m glad Robb did, maybe there will be more of them now!
I don’t know that I’m a romance reading convert yet, but This Spells Love convinced me that I need to be kinder to the genre. This was a such a fun, light read and I’m excited to explore more from this genre!
Publication: December 5 2023
Publisher: Dial Press Trade Paperback
Pages: 352 pages (Paperback)
Source: Library
Genre: Fiction, Romance, Contemporary
My Rating: ⛤⛤⛤⛤
Summary:
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?
Sarah O'Connor 