The Ex wins the title of Trickiest Book to Review. It’s near impossible to describe the plot without giving away the gasp-out-loud reveal.

Georgia has always struggled to find a sense of belonging. She loves her job as a nurse but is keen to settle down with the man of her dreams. Finding herself alone at a bar after a failed Tinder date, Georgia meets Luke. He’s charming, witty and clever, and their relationship blooms quickly. There’s just one obstacle on their road to happily ever after – Luke’s “problem ex”, Cadence. Luke tells Georgia they’re still living together and Cadence is not quite ready to let him go. Georgia begins to receive nasty notes on her car and disturbing emails telling her to stay away from Luke. After her home is broken into and ransacked, Georgia wonders how far Cadence is prepared to go to destroy her relationship with Luke. Could she be dangerous?

That’s about all I can say about Nicola Moriarty’s The Ex before we venture into major spoiler territory. I needed Panadol for the eye strain I suffered after binge reading the end of the book in one night. I had to know how Georgia was going to get herself out of the predicament she unwittingly found herself in.

This a fastidiously plotted novel. Nicola Moriarty is clever not to give too much away, providing just enough detail for an astute reader to correctly guess what’s going on whilst simultaneously making us doubt ourselves. Georgia’s developing romance with Luke is interspersed with short scenes of a confrontation between Cadence and Georgia in an elevator. Is this their first meeting, and if so, what has brought Georgia to the point that she’s stuck in an elevator with the unpredictable and possibly unhinged Cadence? The interactions between Georgia and Cadence are the best moments in the story.

The dialogue is tight and often witty, and while the first third of the book serves more to raise the reader’s curiosity, once we get past the big reveal in the middle, the tension amps up quickly and dramatically. It’s not all doom and drama – there are several light-hearted moments between Georgia and her regular patient, Jerry, as well as some nice scenes with Georgia’s family, and moments of humour involving her mother. Despite the sometimes grim subject matter, this is a fun and entertaining read.

If you enjoyed Friend Request by Laura Marshall, or Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris then you must read The Ex – a top notch domestic noir thriller about past relationships coming back to wreak havoc on your life.

The Ex is the fifth novel by Australian author, Nicola Moriarty. Georgia Fitzpatrick can't believe her luck when being stood up by her Tinder date lands her in the company of the delectable Luke Kauffman. He seems like the perfect guy: a real gentleman and so sweet. Hot too!

But there's a catch: his ex, who still shares his flat, and can't seem to accept that it's over. A dilemma that might have given others pause (to run a mile from this too complicated situation, or to take a chance that this guy is worth the hassle?) gets Georgia’s consideration for mere moments.

Less than two months later, he’s moving in with her on the premise that this should alleviate the situation with Cadence, the ex (the repeated texts and nasty notes are definitely heading into stalking territory). Except it doesn’t. Things just seem to be getting worse. And then other things start to go amiss in Georgia’s life.

It is soon apparent that not all characters cannot be taken at face value: some have a history that leads to poor life choices. Moriarty deftly demonstrates how easy it is to be deceived, especially where wishful thinking and unquestioning, perhaps misguided, trust are involved. It is good to see the female characters showing their strong spines when it most matters.

Moriarty manages to insert a few red herrings that will keep the reader guessing and, while the who becomes obvious quite quickly, the whatever next and the why are what makes this a gripping page-turner right up to the nail-biting climax. A riveting read.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Harper Collins Australia

The Ex
By Nicola Moriarty
3 stars

Advertised as a mystery, but fits better into the drama genre

It starts well, but fails to build tension so that the middle of the book is slow and dry. Getting through the middle in hard work, and you have to question if the effort is worth it.

A love story with a twist. His former partner wants him back, and will do anything to make it happen.

#TheEx #NetGalley

The Ex by Nicola Moriarty

I thought I knew what to expect when I started reading The Ex, however the story soon diverts into a clever twist. The storyline was well constructed and I felt myself getting totally immersed in this read. I enjoyed the different characters in the story and how intense some of their scheming made you feel about them.

Georgia a nurse meets charming and handsome Luke in a bar and they soon start dating. Unfortunately Georgia finds that Luke has some unwanted baggage that becomes a serious problem in her life in the form of ex-girlfriend Candence. Candence is obsessed with her former boyfriend and enters Georgia’s life in a way that has her on edge and in fear.

If I could give you a broader glimpse of this story I would but I also don’t want to ruin the storyline of this psychological thriller which incorporates mental illness, self harm and toxic relationships. It’s an easy, modern day read and totally entertaining .

Thanks to Netgalley + HarperCollins Publishers Australia for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

The Ex by Nicola Moriarty - wow! First of all how is this the first book by the author that I have read? I seriously need to fix that - this book was fantastic!! I had absolutely no idea where this was going and had me reeling in the final chapters. I read this book in an afternoon, very difficult to put down.

I am not going to say too much about the plot for this story - to do so would be to spoil it for anybody wanting to read it. All I will say is this - who can you trust? Georgia meets Luke and thinks that her bad run of men has finally ended. There is a catch though - he still lives with this ex who is struggling to let go. For any more than that you will have to read the book! I can't recommend this book more.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins Australia for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased.

I guessed where this one was heading right from the start and spent a lot of time saying "no, don't do it" to various characters as I was reading. The suspense was still there though and I sped through those pages!

It is hard to review The Ex without giving anything away. Let's just say girl meets boy, they fall in love, bad things happen, there are many twists and turns and it probably does not end the way you expected it would. The author paces her story well, creates good characters and writes a tense, captivating story.

All good and very well worth reading!

‘Please, please, don’t let it be Cadence.’

When Georgia meets Luke, she falls in love. He’s considerate, he’s handsome and he makes her feel safe. Could he be the man of her dreams? Georgia has had a difficult few years, and meeting Luke seems perfect.

But Luke’s ex-girlfriend Cadence is not going to let him go quite that easily. She sends Luke text messages and then starts leaving notes on Georgia’s car. Luke says he’ll sort it out, but things get worse. Georgia ends up in trouble at work and decides to confront Cadence.

And what happens next?

You’ll need to read it for yourself. While some aspects of this story are predictable, others took me by surprise. If you enjoy well-crafted characters dealing with some difficult issues, if you enjoy love stories with a twist, you may also enjoy this. To write more about the story would spoil the read.

I enjoyed it and will be looking to read Ms Moriarty’s other novels.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers Australia for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

I have to be honest, I’ve been agonising over this review for days, worried that no matter how carefully I word it, that I’d inadvertently reveal something that could spoil The Ex for the reader. Something I definitely don’t want to do. I’ve drafted paragraph after paragraph, and deleted them all, so I’m going to make this short and sweet.

Having finally found her feet after a difficult few years, Georgia Fitzpatrick thinks she now may have also met ‘the One’. Luke is handsome, charming, and most importantly, makes her feel safe.

Georgia can understand then why Luke’s ex-girlfriend is reluctant to let go, but as Cadence’s behaviour escalates from nuisance texts to increasingly threatening notes, Georgia is worried about just how far she will go. Despite Luke’s assurances that he will take care of it, when Cadence’s latest stunt affects the job she loves, Georgia is determined to confront the ex, and put an end to the harassment, once and for all.

A compelling story of love, betrayal, and revenge, The Ex, offers enthralling twists and turns, even though I found, in part, I was able to predict the path the story would take. The pace was just about perfect, and I finished it very quickly, even for me. The characters are intriguing, and Moriarty deals sensitively with issues raised concerning Georgia’s mental health. That I’m familiar with the setting (Castle Hill, NSW) was a bonus for me.

The Ex, Nicola Moriarty’s fifth novel, is a gripping domestic thriller I’m happy to recommend.

I did guess what was going on half way through but loved the journey to the end to see how everything panned out. A fantastic, gripping read!

Quick read. I thought it was predictable from the start but I think a younger reader will enjoy the story and get totally caught up in it!

Story was interesting and definitely wanted to keep reading until the end. Finished it pretty quickly. Had already worked out what was going to happen through most of the story but nevertheless it was enjoyable. A good Thriller.