Member Reviews
This book is the perfect cosy English romcom!
The book follows Clemmie, a medieval literature lecturer at Oxford and the daughter of a famous rock star, after her four year relationship ends and she loses her job. Her and her two sisters perform a childhood breakup 'spell' with three wishes: to get jobs they love, hot sex, and soulmates.
The three wishes steadily start to come true for all three of the sisters as Clemmie has a ONS and gets a job babysitting a rock star, Theo, whilst he writes his new album in a remote cottage for six weeks.
I really liked the romance as I felt like Clemmie and Theo both helped each other grow as characters and over come their pasts. There were so many tropes in here that I loved and the romance had me smiling the whole time I was reading - it was such a cosy and sweet romance!
rep: lesbian side character, plus sized MC
Thank you Netgalley & Simon and Schuster for access to this title in exchange for an honest review. 🤍
Unfortunately this fell very flat for me. I enjoyed it in the beginning and had high hopes for the story, however it just started to drag. This may be due to the circumstances in which I read this book in.
On a brighter note, I enjoyed the sister relationships that were depicted and the plot had a lot of potential to be great.
I very much enjoyed this book, a romantic comedy written so beautifully that I simply could not put it down. Perfect for the Beth O'Leary lovers.
Clemmie Munroe is devastated when she is dumped by her boyfriend and her job.
To cheer her up her sisters, Serena and Lil, decide to cast a breakup spell like they did as children.
When Serena offers Clemmie a job looking after a famous rock star while he writes a new album, Clemmie reluctantly agrees.
The last thing Clemmie wants is to spend time with a spoilt entitled star, but she needs a job and it will give her a home for 6 weeks. But Theo Eliott isn’t everything the press make him out to be and the break up spell did ask for a soulmate.
This is funny and original. Showing how the love of your family can get you through the worst times and cheer you on through the best.
Gloriously good fun! From the title and description I was expecting this to be a lightly paranormal witchy romance in the vein of The Ex Hex, but it isn't - it's straightforwardly contemporary. Once I'd adjusted my expectations, though, I had a whale of a time. Clemmie and her sisters are adorable, the kind of characters you instantly fall in love with, and Theo is a wonderful foil to Clemmie's personality. The set up is rom com heaven, and Laura Wood's writing is full of warmth. This is a very different style of book to her dreamy, Romantic YA - it's much more silly and modern - but what she does well is creating people and relationships you want to know inside out. It's an adorable, entertaining read and perfect for those who love rom coms.
This was such a good read!
I love Laura Wood’s YA books, so I was super excited when I heard she had written an adult novel. And it did not disappoint!
Clemmie is such an engaging character. She warm and friendly and love the relationship she has with her half sisters. Her family may be unconventional, but it is warm and loving and accepting.
Her life is a disaster. She has split up with her boyfriend, and her contract is up, leaving her unemployed and a bit lost. With the help of her sisters, Lili and Serena, they cast a ‘spell’ hoping to bring Clemmie true love and hot sex.
After a fabulous one-night stand with gorgeous Teddy, Clemmie is feeling empowers and takes a job looking after world-famous rock star Theo Elliot White he writes his new album.
There is a lot of humour, romance and misunderstanding ahead, but could Theo be the man Clemmie has been woshing for.
This was such an engaging story. I raced though it! The characters are endearing and I was rooting for Clemmie and Theo all the way through.
This is a great read and one of my favourite books of the year.
Thank you to Netgalley for my gifted advanced digital copy of Under Your Spell.
For me this was the perfect romantic fiction book! Stunning chemistry, heaps of emotive and complicated backstories, relatable characters that were endearing and who you wanted to be friends with, and so many laugh out loud moments!
I just simply loved it
This has a bit of everything that I love in a book. I really enjoyed exploring this and giving this new author a go. I would definitely read from Laura again. I can’t wait to see the cover when it releases!
Under Your Spell is such a brilliant book, I loved every page of it. This is a unique and engaging story. I fell in love with the characters and their world. It follows our main character Clemmie as she casts a break up spell with her sisters. The events that follow are both heartwarming and comical. The book is well written and kept me invested in all the characters stories. Definitely one of my favourite contemporary romances of the year. I look forward to reading more by Laura Wood.
LOVED IT. I’ve read other books by Laura, but I’m loving her swerve into the contemporary rom com. I will read (and recommend) anything she writes at this point! I’m swooning!
This is a five-star read whose spell I fell under eventually. I didn’t love this at the start, I just couldn’t get stuck in for ages, and that surprised me as I liked the characters (mostly) and the premise, but I just couldn't get a grip, then I kept going, as I wasn’t going to be defeated, and I started to really enjoy it. Clemmie was well written, and overall, someone you wanted to get behind, she did have her moments, but overall lovely. There were several great characters, and they all had a nice part to create the overall story, there didn’t feel like anyone was there just for padding.
"Under Your Spell" by Laura Wood is a captivating romance that transports readers to the world of love and magic. Wood's storytelling weaves a charming tale of unexpected connections and the power of destiny. The characters are endearing, and their journey is filled with enchantment and heartwarming moments. This novel is a delightful and entrancing read for fans of love stories with a touch of magic.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I absolutely devoured this book and loved every second of it. It’s the perfect romcom with a mixture of romantic pursuits and sisterly relationships. It had a good balance of romance and humour which is a big plus for me as it is a sliding scale which can make or break a story like this.
This is my first read from this author and they have now gained another fan and I will be going through her previous works and looking forward to what is coming next.
After a nasty breakup, Clemmie and her sisters do their post breakup ritual of a little spell to clear the air and refocus on their wants and goals.
I absolutely adore Laura Woods books, every time I read one I spread through them! This is no difference, this was incredibly easy to read and the relationship was honestly goals. Like all of Woods works it manages to capture a tenderness when people interact.
Somewhat predictable chic lit love story - but entertaining & enjoyable nonetheless. The characters are attractive and are well written & it was possible to feel some empathy for them. The outcome was inevitable but satisfying. Life isn’t like this but good escapism. Great holiday reading.
I've read Laura Wood's Agency for Scandal and loved it, so when I saw that she was releasing a new adult romance I couldn't pass it up. However, the blurb didn't sound appealing to me too much, because I'm not very much into music. However, I'm so glad I read this anyway! Laura's writing style is why I'm here for it, and why I love her books. This was witty, fast paced, funny and a little bit awkward in all the right places. I loved Clemmie's unconventional and yet fiercely loyal family; I loved how three women teamed up, and three sisters are each other's best friends; I loved Theo, who is just a nice guy (although very grumpy at the start), and the chemistry between the two main characters was great. Overall, I really enjoyed it and will certainly recommend it.
Do yourself a favour and read this! Under Your Spell is a perfectly pitched romcom and I loved every page.
Starting from the worst moment of Clemmie's life, her boyfriend has moved out and left her, her academic contract has been terminated and she has no idea where her life is going. She and her two fabulous sisters Serena and Lili get together and recreate some childhood witchy spells, calling on the universe for the vile ex-boyfriend to end up sad and lonely, for Clemmie to find her soulmate, and to have the hottest sex ever.
They quickly find themselves at a family funeral where one of the pallbearers, Teddy, catches Clemmie's eye and they end up hooking up for the night. He is everything she ever wanted but she's determined to keep it casual and leaves him a note to say goodbye.
Next thing you know, Clemmie has a job housekeeping for mega hot popstar Theo Elliott whilst he finishes his album. And no prizes for guessing who he turns out to be? How is she going to keep her hands off him? Does he even want to be near her?
The tension and emotional angst in this book was perfectly pitched, the longing and denial poured through the page. The relationship between the sisters is a dream to read about, I want to be one of them - no, i want to be all of them! The added element of the pressure of their dad's career was so well placed too, it all came together like a dream.
Fantastic.
This wasn’t what I had expected it to be. I thought there would be more emphasis on the spell but it just seems to be mentioned in passing once it’s done.
Clementine has just lost her job, her boyfriend has left her and she can't afford to stay in her home alone. So when she gets the chance to spend six well paid weeks babysitting a Rockstar who needs to write his latest album, it's a no brainer. Except Theo Eliott is more of a distraction than she'd anticipated...
This is a brilliantly funny and beautifully romantic book that I absolutely could not put down. I adored Clemmie and Theo, but I also loved the sisters and Mums. A really special story!
I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
First book of Laura's I have read. But it certainly won't be the last. This book was captivating. Really well written, great characters and a magical storyline.