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This Spells Love by Kate Robb
3.0
emotional funny lighthearted slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I really wasn't vibing with this book until a little after the halfway point, then I started to feel more invested. Gemma and her sister kind of annoyed me in the first half of the story. Gemma's personality traits are basically whiny and quirky, and her sister is just a string of sex jokes. The sister gets some depth much later into the story, and Gemma has some character growth where she begins to consider not being so selfish all the time. (It's not really framed that way, though, the book doesn't necessarily consider her selfish.) I do feel like there's a lot of telling rather than showing throughout the story. Things that I didn't love but may not bother others: there are a couple scenes of somewhat toxic diet culture talk, and there is a lot of alcohol and drunkenness. 

I love friends-to-lovers romances, so that aspect worked for me, although I would have appreciated a little more actual friendship being shown. Dax is a good love interest, but his characterization felt a bit flat. I think this book would make for a good Netflix rom-com movie. If you're in the mood for reading something like that, you will probably have a decent time reading this. I listened on audiobook and the narrator was great.

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