I could not finish enough of this book to be able to leave a comprehensive review, but I hope it finds its audience and I am grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

DNF at 10%. I couldn't get past the writing of this book and it's dialogue. I think the book had great potential based on the synopsis, but the main character was way too annoying for me.

I did not connect with any of the characters or dialogue. I didn't like the humor and thought the interactions between characters felt contrived.

The premise of Seven Exes felt straight out of a 2001 rom-com, so I couldn't wait to start reading it. However, I really struggled to enjoy it. Esther and her friends came off more immature than quirky or funny. I might have been able to keep reading, except the jumping timelines were distracting. Typically in books with multiple perspectives or timelines like this, I find one narrative to pull focus. In this case, none of the narratives felt particularly compelling. It ended up in my DNF pile and after reading other reviews, I don't think finishing it would have changed my opinion.

My goodness! What a sweet hug of a book. It truly reminded me of a more progressive remake of What's Your Number with a heavier focus on self discovery and friendship. The story instantly feels like a early 2000/10s romcom. The characters are messy but unique and well developed. It's so easy to get sucked in and cheer for everyone. The plot isn't obvious and as our female MC goes through her exes and sees the lessons she subconsciously learned or is learning, we're reminded about different kinds of love and growing pains in relationships. I love the representation of these women and their dynamics. It felt real. It felt fun. There was self awareness and discovery I found really resonating. Our exes each contributed to our personal histories and maybe they're worth a revisit even if it remember why relationships didn't work out. Great cozy binge read.

Seven Exes has such a fun premise- Esther reads an article in a women’s magazine stating that every woman has the same seven exes (The First love, The Bastard, The Friend with Benefits, etc), and they are meant to be with one of those men. Esther is drunk while reading it and treats it like complete fact, deciding she must look up her seven exes and figure out which one of them she is meant to be with. Sounds like a cute rom com, right?

Unfortunately, the book left me pretty cold. Esther as a main character was probably written to be a relatable, quirky hot mess, but she just comes off immature and completely unlikable. I honestly couldn’t stand the character and the way she would go from being so in love with someone to saying horrible things about them when they didn’t feel the same, or when she self sabotaged every relationship she had. Her friends were afraid to even be honest with her because she got so obsessed with this journey she was on, ignoring everything else in her life.

The men were mostly awful, almost caricatures of real men. The chef in particular was terrible, and the scenes describing his behavior were disgusting.

The pacing was also off for me, with random leaps in time where I didn’t even feel like the previous scene was over. I liked how the timeline would go back to show what happened with each ex, but just didn’t feel like the whole thing was executed well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is an interesting concept for a plot. Reviewing 7 past relationships to see where things went wrong with the idea being that we only have 7 chances at love so one of those people must be The One. (This idea is, of course, is nonsense and the fact that a 29 year old thinks this is true after reading it in a magazine is astounding but it made for a good plot).

There was representation of both LBTQ+ relationships and female friendships. The importance of friendships was actually a big part of this plot which I liked.
There is also an eventual emphasis on being comfortable with yourself instead of relying on a partner to complete you. A romantic relationship should add to who you are as an individual, not be a requirement of who you are.
We see a ton of growth and maturity of the main character. I think the bar was set way too low in the first place but that’s a discussion for my next paragraph.

Unfortunately, there were more things I didn’t like than did like in this book.
I really did not connect with the main character, Esther. I actually had a pretty visceral reaction to her and it wasn’t until the very end that she became tolerable. I found her to be immature and selfish. I think the author was trying to make these traits somewhat charming and aww shucks but I found her self-sabotaging behavior exhausting and found myself actively rooting against her due to how she was treating the friends and love interests in her life.

The problem with the “mystery” of who the main character would end up with romantically is that, in order to make the ending somewhat surprising for the reader, she never really had any real chemistry with her eventual love interest. The reader doesn’t end up rooting for him or even feeling very satisfied with the outcome because it isn’t until the end that we even discover who it will be. There is a reason that most romances are somewhat predictable. They follow a formula that leaves the reader feeling satisfied that this book was missing.

I did finish this and I was interested to see who Esther would end up with in the end. I think the ending was fine. I’m sure there are readers who will connect more strongly with Esther and may appreciate the author’s humor more than I did.

Esther’s life is pretty great. She has a fantastic job, and shares a flat with her two best friends Bibi and Louise. However, she’s nearing thirty and refuses to remain single. After stumbling across an old magazine article that states there are seven archetypes a woman must date before meeting the one, Esther realizes she’s dated them all and embarks on a mission to revisit each of her exes in the hopes one of them is her perfect match.

Esther is a hot mess express, her friends are hilarious and obviously, revisiting her exes is a debacle.

I think many of us can relate to feeling behind in life and perhaps undervaluing the good things we already have.

this was a fun, quick rom com with second chance romance vibes and Bridget Jones-style comedy.

Very different than others I’ve read recently. It was refreshing and had a fun heartfelt voice. I loved the main character, flaws and all, and could read about her constantly.

I absolutely LOVED this book!! I laughed so much and truly enjoyed this one!! I read it all up until the very last page and the author delivered in an unexpected way!!! 😂😂 I love this authors sense of humor so this won’t be the last time I read a book from her!
This book was different from anything I’ve ever read and that might be what I loved most. Each segment is based on past and present of each ex and I loved every “twist” in knowing why they were all exes and didn’t work out. I expected that last final twist but still enjoyed it!! Lucy Vine delivered!!

Thank you netgalley for this arc.

This one was kind of just ok for me. I loved the concept, and the cast of characters was amazing. What made me feel less enthused was Esther's behavior. She came off very desperate for a serious relationship at 29, which is fine, but she acted like she was 70 and had never found The One. Next, I felt like she treated all of her friends like shit. She came around at the end to apologize and be there for Alex, Bibi, and Lou, but still threw fits out of frustration during and after.

The romance was predictable as soon as the character was introduced into the story. I didn't mind that so much but I wanted to yell at all the characters that (redacted) was her person and I couldn't believe no one had mentioned it before the end of the story.

All in all, it was a good book, but read as more of YA or NA than an adult contemporary romance.

Do you have an ex that you would go back to? How about one that you would like to never speak to again? When Esther finds a magazine article that states that we must go through Seven Exes in our lifetime before finding the one, she dedicates herself to a mission of reconnecting with past loves and quarrels to find her "one". Esther soon realizes that exes are an ex for a reason, but she does discover that...

This is a book about self discovery, friendship, and life perspectives. A situation that you resent may be a situation that someone else is grateful for.

This book was alright and an easy read, but it was definitely cheesy. I get Lessons in Chemistry vibes. I would not recommend this unless you accept that what you're reading is going to sound farfetched.

[arc review]
Thank you to Harper Perennial for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Seven Exes releases June 20, 2023

This was like one of those rom-com movies you put on for background noise but don’t pay a whole lot of attention to.
The characters were so unlikable, and I suffered from so much second hand embarrassment and cringe dialogue.
This should have been a women's fic instead of romance because there really wasn’t a solid active relationship until the epilogue (barely), and was mostly reflection of past dynamics. Really unfulfilling.

<u>The Concept</u>
Esther is 29, almost 30, with no real love life to speak of. On a drunken night at her go-to dingy pub with her two roommates, she finds an old magazine with an article titled “The Seven Relationships Every Woman Has in Her Quest To Find the One” (first love, work mistake, overlap, friend with benefits, missed chance, bastard, the serious one).
After reading this article, she realizes that she’s had all seven of these relationship types and surely that must mean that her soulmate is someone she has dated before, therefore being the reason why all of her current dates suck.
Thus begins our story, the reacquaintance of all seven exes.

<u>The Writing</u>
The writing was tolerable, but it also wasn’t the best. I couldn’t stand the casualness and over emphasis of words, and multiple full on pages of everything being in capitals to really make sure we knew the characters were yelling for that entire section.
A verbatim example: “But wheeeeeeeeeeeen are they going to seeeeeeeeee me? It huuuuuuuuurts, Essssssstheeeeerrrrr!”

There were a lot of pop culture things thrown in that I could have done without — Greta Thunberg and Beyonce in the same sentence about veganism and carbon footprints, Kanye West/Ye, quoting “stop trying to make fetch happen”, using “AF” and “STFU” outside of dialogue.

<u>The Characters</u>
Every single main character was unlikable. It became clear early on that most of Esther’s relationships ended because of her. She had such a sabotaging and doubtful mentality from the get go for each situation, which really made it difficult to want to pity her or cheer for any second chance romances.

Bibi, her roommate of many years, is someone Esther has shared many private/intimate bonding details with, yet will not share her government name with her?! I’m sorry what? You live with someone for YEARS, call them your best friend, but you only ever know them by a nickname and every single day you throw out random names as guesses in your conversations? That’s fucking irritating and suspicious. How and why would you ever want to trust someone that acts that way?

These women (namely Esther) were way too immature for their ages.
Especially when one of her exes so very politely and maturely declined to meet up with her and she threw a fit and mocked his fiancé by imitating absurd and fake reactions such as: “ooh, yeah, baby, tewwwwwtally go meet up with your ex-girlfriend”; calling them monkey turds and scumbags — mind you, their relationship ended in the first place because Esther cheated on him, yet she can’t handle him rejecting her and setting healthy boundaries now that he’s engaged.
It says a lot about the characteristics of those that get mad over other’s happiness (aka Esther), and it’s not great to be honest.
Esther is very “me me me” and it’s just not cute.

I also hated the fact that Esther and Bibi were constantly listening in on their roommate Louise having sex with her boyfriend (to the point of not just sex noises but their entire intimate conversations) and shaming her for having what they call “rubbish sex”, which was just vanilla missionary sex. Who cares if that’s what they do or do not like? If Louise is in a healthy relationship and that works for them, be respectful and let them have that privacy to themselves instead of being disgusting and crossing boundaries.

<u>The Weird Stuff</u>
> <I>“Because sometimes it’d be nice to find a pube that isn’t mine.”</I>
nope, nope, nope
> <I>“I want a partner who’ll moan about getting my hair in their bum crack and wrapped around the end of their penis.”</I>
what the actual fuck
> <I>“He could’ve told me to put hemorrhoid cream on his penis, while offering me anal, and I would’ve said yes because oh god, he’s so hot!”</I>
I hate it here
> <I>“He smushes his lips against mine, lapping at my tongue with an intensity previously known only by dogs on arseholes.”</I>
> There was a scene where ducks (literal ducks in a pond) were being <i>raped</i> and it was such an unnecessary addition to the plot.
> A largely collective amount of gross content: multiple times of multiple women having to suck a smelly foul tasting dick, when she kissed a guy and his food from earlier in the day transferred into her mouth, the broken and overflowing toilet for the <i>entire</i> goddamn book (to the very last line) it was so repetitive and tiresome and the obsessive nature of portraying bodily fluids in an uncleanly way was weird.

cw: cheating, SA, mentions of depression/mental health

Esther is nearing 30 and is sick of being single. She reads an article in an old magazine about the seven archetypal relationships every woman has (like The First Love, The Friend With Benefits, The Work Mistake, etc.) and decides to revisit each of her past relationships to see if perhaps one of them is The One.

I thought the premise of this book was fun - who doesn't wonder WHAT IF? sometimes? But Esther was just so... annoying. She felt too self-centered, rude, and oblivious to be nearly thirty (but I'm nearly fifty, so maybe I'm misremembering what that time was like?), so I had a hard time rooting for her to find her person. This one didn't quite work for me, but I thought there was a lot of potential and there were some funny moments that kept me reading.

(2.5 rounded down)

A wild take on a classic rom-com trope of a woman in her early thirties trying to find her soulmate by reconnecting with her exes. The female friendships in this book took center stage which I liked, but their personalities were a little grating over time. The MC’s narrative voice sounded especially juvenile at times but still pretty authentic and real. It was fine as a quick read on a long airplane ride but I don’t think this one will stick with me.

A woman having a relationship crisis decides to revisit her 7 ex-boyfriends in search of the elusive one who got away. A well-used trope that can potentially be fun, but this particular version features an annoying and unlikeable protagonist. Not worth it.

Have you ever thought about "The Ex Files" and if you missed out on a chance at "the one?" The premise of this story was very compelling. Esther is nearing 30 and thinks her chance at getting a husband and kids is getting slimer with each year, so she embarks on a journey through her ex-files, as I like to think of them.

Esther has a great job and great friends/roommates, but she doesn't feel complete. She thinks her life is missing something. She sees her roommate, Louise with her boyfriend, Sven and her roommate, Bibi, is single but content with it. She wishes she could have that special someone to feel content or complete. Esther and her roommates end up at their favorite local pub and come across an old magazine article about there being seven types of men women will date before finding Mr. Right. Esther reads the article aloud and realizes she has dated all these types; The First Love, The Work Mistake, The Overlap, The Friend with Benefits, The Missed Chance, The Bastard, and The Serious One.

She decides to embark on a journey to go through her discards and see if one of her exes could be THE ONE. She does the typical, get on social media and try to contact her exes. She is so convinced that one of these exes is the one.

I just can't believe one of her friends didn't give her the line that "Exes are exes for a reason!" and help her see reason. Just imagine going through your discarded pile of exes?? But, as she revisits each one, she slowly remembers why she isn't with each one. All the while, she suspects her roommate of something nefarious because she is being so secretive.

This had such an interesting premise and had funny parts, but also some serious parts as well. I wasn't really of a fan of Esther's choices, but then again, I can related to dumb decisions. But I did really like how her friendships seemed real and heartfelt with Bibi and Louise. I was invested in seeing where Esther was going to end up. And watching her come into herself was empowering. This one reminded me of that Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Garner movie, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past. If you liked that kind of humor, this is for you.

Couldn’t get into this book. Didn’t like character names they annoyed me for some reason and the plot of this I thought would be fun for me but I ended up not liking it.

3.5 Stars.

This was a very fun romantic comedy with a really interesting premise. The cast of characters were delightful, and I felt the pacing and dialogue were both handled extremely well. I do think it was a bit long for what it was — there are definitely a few chapters that I would have personally cut, and some plot points that could have been pared down or dropped (all the build up with Louise, just to find out she was just having more exciting sex with the same boyfriend, for example). While I picked up on the chemistry between Esther and Nick early on, I also felt like more could have been done to hint at their past together before the last few chapters. That part came out of seemingly no where, because the previous build up seemed more or less focused on chemistry that never led to anything. Even with those critiques, though, this was a very good time, and I absolutely recommend it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the ARC!

When I read the synopsis of this book, I knew immediately that I had to read it. It sounded like such a fun premise and I was so ready to be completely captivated by this mission with Esther. However, while I loved the idea, I did not enjoy the execution as much.

I must say for starters, Esther (FMC) drove me completely bananas. Which may be the main reason I didn't LOVE this book. She was spacey, erratic, and so self-absorbed for a good 90% of this book. I found myself rolling my eyes more often that not.

Additionally, it was also really hard for me to like any of the characters in this book aside from Lou, Idris, Nick and obviously the best character...Jackie Weaver.

I felt as though Alistair was all over the place. Paul was a tool. Rich was predictably not what you'd expect. Alex was just meh, I didn't have a strong opinion of Alex. Bibi was great until she wasn't and then she was... again?? Sofia was a 77 year old lady but sometimes acted like a 20 year old...kinda confusing? Ivan was cantankerous but also not cantankerous? Matt was forgettable. Carl was disgusting. Franko... also disgusting. Esther was just back and forth all the time for me.

I loved the premise, truly I did. However, I just felt like the story was overall was highly predictable. There was only one part that I did not see coming (Shelley, IYKYK).

The ending made me smile. It was adorable. I was really really happy for a win for everyone. I defintiely think the wrap up was executed very nicely. I loved seeing the characters succeed. Except for the vase... that poor vase. Haha.

Overall the story was a solid 3 for me. While it was not a book I may reach for, I would definitely recommend it to others. I simply think Esther was just not the right fit for me.

Thank you so much NetGalley, Harper Perennial and Lucy Vine for providing me with the ARC of Seven Exes in exchange for my honest review.