This was VERY VERY fun and reminded me so much of all the cozy small town witchy books (the Sweep series by Cait Tiernan, anyone?????) I used to read in middle school and I liked it SO MUCH. Definitely recommend if you're looking for something to ease you into the spooky season vibes! Super excited for future books in this series.

I think the trick to The Ex-Hex is going in and just enjoying the cozy Halloween vibes. The romance is fine, but without the witch and Halloween plot lines I don’t think the romance could carry the story itself.

Some good parts of the story : The characters are fun and quirky and I love the small town vibe. Sort of a Hocus Pocus meets Stars Hollow feel to the town. I also love the strong family bonds between Vivi, her cousin and her aunt. There is some fun banter between Rhys and his brothers too, I’m wondering if maybe they’ll get their own books? I would definitely read another book if this becomes a series!

It had its high points but was mostly just kinda meh. There was so much potential for more!

I feel like too much of the story was focused on the lackluster (IMO) relationship between Vivi and Rhys, and a swirl of ~fall aesthetics~, semi-spooky and kinda boring hetero sex instead of an actual plot. Okay, that is uncharitable of me. The plot was there, just ignored until the last twenty minutes of the book, when everything was hastily solved with little issue and there were happy days for everyone and everything afterwards.

The banter was good, however. And I did like the aesthetic of the town. But I wanted just a smidge more substance and depth than what I got.

Amazing book! I would highly recommend this book to my customers and patrons. I would recommend other books by the same author as well.

This was a cute and satisfying contemporary romance. It's a perfect read for the fall season. I've seen it compared to a Hallmark movie which I think is accurate. It has a lot of heart, decent world-building, and compelling main characters. I felt that the central issue of the curse and the "bad magic" that results in the town was a bit underdeveloped. Although the stakes are clear, they don't ever really feel threatening. I wouldn't have minded a bit more suspense on that front, although I understand that we're getting our HEA of course. My one main quibble with the relationship is that Rhys doesn't seem to really change or grow much as a character over the course of the book. We see that Vivi goes outside of her comfort zone, finds her power as a witch, and learns to trust. Rhys doesn't seem to change as much and he doesn't really have to sacrifice anything. Even at the end he just easily gets a job working at the college his family owns, but he still gets to keep his travel business and there's no indication that he won't still be jetting off all over the world. So I would have liked a little more development there. The sex scenes were well written and I always like to see healthy boundaries and consent. Overall I would recommend it fans of contemporary romance.

I loved this book so so much. I started and finished it in one day it was that good. I first heard of this book on Netgalley. I received an ARC and I was so excited to say the least. Then I got a physical copy from my Book of the Month subscription and my group on Facebook decided to choose it as one of the buddy/group reads.

Vivienne a young witch gets her heart broken by a young boy who she has spent a summer with in college. While nursing her broken heart she and her cousin decided to pretend to curse the young boy with future bad sex and hair. Nine years later, Rhys Penhallow must return back to town to recharge the ley lines that his ancestors used to create the town and give a small speech at the fall festival. Neither hopes to run into the other. However, when Rhys luck runs out things go terribly wrong and the two must work together to save the town. Will they be able to put their past behind them? or will they find their hearts right back in the past?

I loved the idea of a nine-year-old curse. The poor boy didn't even know what hit him. I found myself falling so hard for Rhys. their relationship is just so full of chemistry. I LOVED the ghost I found it so intriguing. Erin Sterling or should I saw Rachel Hawkins did such an amazing job at mixing my love of rom-coms with a fantasy. It was so fun and light hearted. I gave this book 4-stars. I can't wait to see what else Sterling comes up with next.
* I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley and Avon publishing in return for my honest review.

#netgalley#botm#TheEx-Hex#erin sterling#rachel hawkins

The Ex Hex
By: Erin Sterling
(Rachel Hawkins)

Goodreads Rating:🌝🌝🌝🌛
3.69 Stars

My Rating:🌝🌝🌝🌛
3.5 Stars

I don't rate half stars often but for this book it felt necessary.

Let me start by saying I really enjoyed reading this book. It was lighthearted and definitely gave adult Halloweentown vibes.

I loved the magic aspect of this book. I was intrigued and wanted to know how they were going to solve their magical woes.

Where this book underwhelmed me was the romance. There is spice, however, and no pun intended, the emotion connection felt stiff.

Their connection was all physical and wish we could've gotten more background info on this second chance romance that made me understand some of the dialogue.

Overall this was a fun and easy read and do reccomend giving it a read!

super cute halloween rom com! AND some spice...... so good! I've never read a halloween themed romance before and this totally hit the spot

“You almost ran your ex-boyfriend over with a car, and then left him lying in the literal dirt on the side of the road. It is such a big deal, you absolute queen.”

Summary
Vivi and Rhys are modern day witches. Nine years ago they had a whirlwind summer romance, and it ended badly. Freshly dumped, Vivi and her cousin Gwen put a "fake hex" on Rhys thinking it was just done in jest. Now, Rhys is back in town and having the worst luck ever. Now, they need to find a way to save the entire town before it's too late.

Review
This was honestly the perfect cozy October rom com. I loved the small town witchy vibes for sure. The tone was overall really lighthearted, and I loved all of the magical shenanigans. It was fun to see Rhys and Vivi run around trying to figure out how to dig themselves out of the situation they found themselves in. The romance was really sweet, and I loved seeing these two former flames unite after their big falling out. If you're in the mood for a lighthearted, witchy fall romance, definitely pick this one up!

Super cute—a bit like Bewitched meets Hocus Pocus meets Ghostbusters! The steam is pretty mild and the romance is could have gone a bit further, but overall I am happy and satisfied! It’s quick, lighthearted, and humorous read. It would absolutely make an excellent Halloween themed romantic comedy adaptation!

NetGalley/ARC Copy

This book is basically Hocus Pocus/Halloweentown but with adult sexy times. Which is quite the combination. Despite being ridiculous I did enjoy the dialogue and the characters/town were cute.

I enjoyed Vivienne and Rhys's second chance at love so much. Rhys was a charmer, unrepentant jokster who didn't take much seriously until he met his first love again. Vivienne was a lovable young witch who had cursed Rhys when he broke her heart. I was preparing for drama when Rhys would find out but that never happened and I'm glad for it.

This was a cute, lighthearted, witchy story with lots of humor, perfect for the season. If you want a little magic in your life, a story with delightful characters, then don't hesitate.

i finished this a couple days ago and i thought it was the perfect light hearted read for fall. nine years ago, vivienne cursed a boy who broke her heart before he went back to wales. now rhys has come back to the small georgia town where she lives to make an appearance at the town’s fall festival - his ancestors founded the town. upon his return vivienne finds out that her hex actually did some damage, and now that rhys is back it’s actively affecting the town.

i felt like i could live in the town in this book - it was so atmospheric and fun. i did want a bit more from the ex hex in terms of depth, but it really was a perfect seasonal read and made me laugh out loud several times.

thank you to @williammorrowbooks and @netgalley for the ARC!!

1/3 magic, 1/3 romance, 1/3 family is the recipe for The Ex Hex, a story about Vivi Jones, a witch who tries to downplay this aspect of her life, using magic minimally. A spell she set 9 years ago with her cousin Gwyn, following a broken heart, resurfaces when Rhys Penhallow returns for the town’s Fall festival. Magic goes wrong, setting off a series of events, forcing Vivi to face her past with Rhys as the pair works together with Gwyn and Aunt Elaine to try to right all of these new mishaps.

This book has been everywhere lately, with good reason — It’s a solid pick for October reading. The story was very predictable, and light, though still cute.

This was the perfect spooky read for all my romance readers. I loved that this setting was a small town that had this secret magic that just made it special. I would love to come back to Graved Glen every October for a little bit of magic and witchy love.

This book was cozy, a little bit funny, and full of love with the perfect dose of spice. I loved the relationship between Viví, her aunt and cousin and would love to see if we get some more romance in this quaint little town.

I made it 193 pages before I gave in & just had to put it down for good. There were too many moments where it felt more like a YA book as well as a bad Halloween Hallmark movie. It seemed like there was no chemistry between Rhys & Vivi and I was honestly just bored, it was hard to keep my attention even with the short chapters. I had high hopes for this book and I wanted to love it but it just fell short for it. I just didn’t see what the hype was all about.

This book is THE book of spooky szn this year! & it’s the cutest, fluffiest, funnest little Halloween rom-com you could want.

Think of all your feel good halloween stories wrapped into one with a big dash of cussing & raunchy adult humor.

I think it’ll be a Halloween classic for years to come! It made me laugh & smile through the whole thing - a very cute & light read!

The Ex Hex is a fast-paced and funny paranormal romance. While mourning her breakup and drowning her sorrows with vodka, Vivi, from a long line of witches, curses her teenaged boyfriend, Rhys. Now he’s back in town and his magic isn’t working quite right.

Rachel Hawkins writes as Erin Sterling in this magic infused romance. The result is a playful, second chance story about family and love. The perfect Halloween treat!

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to review this title before its release.

This light-hearted, humorous romantic comedy centers around the spurned young love between Vivi Jones and Rhys Penhallow. In anger (and after lots of vodka) Vivi lays a curse on Rhys, and nine years later Vivi’s anger hasn’t lessened, and neither has Rhys attraction. Together, they must battle evil, save the town, and figure out what is really between them.

This book came right in time for Halloween, and I loved the witchy spirit it provided. The characters were likable and quirky, the plot fun and quick, and lots of romantic vibes pushed me to finish this read in one sitting. What I most enjoyed, besides Vivi and Rhys relationship, were the witchy references and magic. It was fun that a town full of real witches were pretending to be witches during Halloween. Hiding from mortals the truth of magic, it was entertaining to watch the characters try to hide the magic spiraling out of control and make up reasons for the strange disturbances. While I was smiling during several parts of this book, there was a bit too much cheese and I wished it had gotten deeper into the world building. If you want a cute, witchy rom-com that you can zoom through, grab this magical read!

The Ex Hex is a perfectly light-hearted spooky season read. Vivi curses her ex of three months, Rhys, in a drunken ritual with her cousin. All three are witches in a town founded by witches, although the witchiness is hidden from regular people and Vivi is not entirely sold on being a witch, which is why she's so surprised when her joke of a curse seems to really react. But she immediately puts it out of her mind and nine years pass. 28-year-old Vivi is a lecturer at the local university and Founder's Day is quickly approaching. Rhys, being a Penhallow and descendant of the founder, is sent to give a speech and charge the ley lines, much to Vivi's chagrin. Then things start to really explode. Magic around Rhys goes nuts, then it starts to go nuts everywhere. Turns out that curse really worked a little too well and Vivi and Rhys must team up to break it, while trying not to fall into bed.

This is a cute read. It's a short, quick read. It's light, it's fluffy, it skips along almost like a cozy with cursing and sex. The only thing I felt pulled it down was the connection between Vivi and Rhys. I wish I'd felt more clued in to what made them work outside of sex. They keep throwing back to their three-month college fling, but every moment they throw back to is sex. There's no deeper connection mentioned, which never quite proves to me these two are all that interested in each other outside of the bedroom. So, cute concept, fast read, nice for spooky season for those who want fun without horror, but don't expect much depth to the romance.