This Spells Love? More Like This Spells Slump 😬

This Spells Love by Kate Robb had been on my radar for so long, I’m talking 8 or 9 months just sitting there on my physical TBR. 😅 I finally picked it up because I was kind of over summer and wanted something that gave off those early autumn, magical vibes. A romance with a twist of magical realism? Yes please , it sounded like the perfect cozy read.

Buuut unfortunately, it didn’t quite live up to my expectations. 😔

Summary of This spells love by Kate Robb

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?

Review of This spells love by Kate Robb

Soooo… This Spells Love put me in the weirdest reading slump. 😩 And for some reason, I just couldn’t bring myself to DNF it. I kept pushing through because it was so hyped up and I really wanted to see why everyone was raving about it. Honestly? I kinda regret not DNF’ing when I had the chance. 🙃

But anyway, let’s dive into my review! 💬✨

Plot Analysis of This spells love by Kate Robb

After a tough breakup with her boyfriend of four years, Gemma is deep in her sad girl era. So what’s a girl to do? Obviously, tequila, venting, and a little impromptu witchcraft with her aunt, sister, and best friend Dax. 🪄💔🥂

What starts as a harmless “love cleanse” spell quickly turns into a full-on magical mishap. Gemma wakes up the next morning… in a stranger’s bed. In a completely different life. One where she never met her ex. One where she owns a boutique, lives a whole new version of her life, oh, and Dax? Her ride-or-die best friend? He has no idea who she is. 🫠

Now Gemma has to navigate this alternate reality where her heart might be free of her ex, but she’s also lost pieces of herself, including her bond with Dax. With only her aunt and sister remembering who she used to be, she’s stuck figuring out if this magical fresh start is really what she needed… or if some things are worth fighting for, heartbreak and all.

Characters of This spells love by Kate Robb

Gemma Wilde : Gemma’s character… oh my gooooood. She was so unlikeable. Like, painfully. I couldn’t stand her from the start, and somehow, somehow, it just got worse with every page. I’m honestly shocked at how a character can spiral like that. She was immature, childish, and wildly selfish. It’s like the world only existed to revolve around her. Everyone around her was struggling in their own way, but NOPE, she was stuck in the “I’m sad, I’m overwhelmed, poor me” loop. It gave major pick-me energy. 🙃

And don’t even get me started on the last 30 pages, they did absolutely nothing to redeem her in my eyes. Like girl, you don’t need an epilogue… you need 10,000 pages of therapy, growth, and a reality check before I could maybe tolerate you. 😭

Daxon McGuire : Dax’s personality was honestly the flattest I’ve ever seen in a book. 😩 He felt so one-dimensional it hurt. Like, outside of his friendship with Gemma or the attraction, there was nothing else to him. No depth, no layers, no real personality. I couldn’t connect with him at all, he just existed. And honestly? I couldn’t care less. He was just… there. A background character in his own romance. 🫠

Gemma & Dax : Honestly, the romance between them just gave me the ick. Like… major ick. She was already lowkey lusting after him when he was just her friend, red flag number one 🚩. Then their whole “relationship” basically revolved around them having sex and Gemma obsessing over the version of Dax from the other dimension. Girl, be serious.

She didn’t even take the time to get to know this Dax. All the signs were there that his life, personality, and experiences weren’t the same, but of course, because she’s so self-absorbed, she ignored every single one. And surprise surprise… it turned into a complete mess. 🙄

I couldn’t buy the romance for even a second. There was zero real emotional connection in this timeline. And if we’re being honest? If I were the real Dax, I’d be running for the hills. She is way too self-centered to be in a healthy relationship. Period.

Pacing & writing style

I really didn’t enjoy the writing in This Spells Love by Kate Robb. It honestly gave me the ick so many times. The writing style just didn’t click with me at all, and I really wanted to like this book, I mean, the premise sounded cute and fun. But nope. There were scenes I just couldn’t move past.

Like… tell me why in the beginning of the book, Gemma gets drunk, takes off her pants, and then OPENS THE DOOR FOR THE PIZZA GUY PANTLESS. I’m sorry, what?? And it gets worse. Dax takes her home, and she casually walks outside still pantless , through the car, the parking lot, the elevator, her apartment… GIRL. Be serious. You are not five.

And while we’re at it, the amount of times Dax’s ahem private parts and ass were mentioned?? From the first chapter all the way to the last. I’m not exaggerating when I say it was constant. Like okay, we get it. He’s hot. But must we be reminded of “his big beautiful penis” every other page?? 🙄 And don’t even get me started on that line, “his big beautiful penis could be in her magical vagina”. I ROLLED MY EYES so hard I thought they’d get stuck. I had to show it to my husband because I couldn’t believe what I just read. Who writes like that???

Also, this book was marketed with magical realism, but the only actual magic thing that happened was her waking up in a different dimension. That’s it.

Sorry, this just wasn’t for me.

The pacing in This Spells Love by Kate Robb was mostly fine… BUT the beginning and the ending definitely felt rushed to me. In the beginning, we didn’t really get to spend enough time with Gemma and Dax as friends to truly buy the whole “we’re best friends” vibe. It felt like the book just jumped straight into things without giving us that emotional foundation.

And the ending? Girl… it flew by in like 30 pages. One second she’s back in her apartment, confused and overwhelmed, and the next she’s suddenly declaring her love to Daxon and kissing him?? Umm what? I needed more than that. It felt way too fast, especially after everything we’d just been through in the alternate dimension. Give me some tension, some angst, some anything! 😩

Tropes of This spells love by Kate Robb

• Friends to lovers
• Magical realism
• He falls first

Final Thought

Okay, so here’s the thing… I hate trash-talking a book. I really do. 😞 I know how much work, love, and time goes into writing, and I always feel so bad when I come on here and drag a story like this. Especially when I personally couldn’t write a book to save my life 😅, who am I to critique someone else’s work this hard?

But at the end of the day, not every book is for everyone, and sadly, This Spells Love just wasn’t for me. I went in hoping for cozy magical vibes and a sweet friends-to-lovers arc with a little twist, and what I got… was not that 😬.

The writing style didn’t click, the characters (especially Gemma 😬) frustrated me to no end, and the romance gave me more ick than butterflies. Add in some really weird writing choices and a plot that felt like it skimmed the surface without digging into any real emotional depth… and yeah, it just fell flat.

What makes it harder is that I really wanted to like this. It had all the ingredients I usually enjoy, a little spell gone wrong, alternate reality chaos, a best-friend-turned-lover vibe… but unfortunately the execution didn’t land. And honestly? I kind of regret not DNF’ing earlier. But I kept pushing through hoping it would redeem itself at the end… and it didn’t. 🙃

All that said, I never want to discourage someone from reading a book just because it wasn’t for me. Reading is super personal, and just because I didn’t vibe with it doesn’t mean you won’t! If you love quirky heroines, spicy scenes, and you don’t mind some out there writing choices, maybe this one will work for you. 💫

But as for me? I’m gently placing it back on the shelf and moving on. Hopefully my next read will break this weird slump and finally give me the magical romance I’ve been craving. 💛📚

About the author

Practical Information for Readers

This spells love by Kate Robb Book Formats

This spells love by Kate Robb is available in various formats to suit every reader’s preference:

• Paperback: Ideal for readers who enjoy the tactile experience of holding a physical book.
• eBook: Convenient for on-the-go reading, available on all major e-reader platforms.
• Audiobook: Narrated with emotional depth, available on platforms like Audible.
• PDF This spells love : While some may search for a PDF version, it’s recommended to opt for legal eBook options to support the author.

Where to find This spells love by Kate Robb PDF

1. Amazon Kindle: Offers a user-friendly interface with customizable reading settings.
2. Barnes & Noble Nook: Another popular platform with a wide selection of e-books.
3. Apple Books: Provides seamless integration with Apple devices and a smooth reading experience.

This spells love by Kate Robb Age Rating

I’d recommend This spells love by Kate Robb for readers aged 17+ due to explicit sexual content.