This book had all the potential. I love a good witch story around spooky season, but this one fell flat for me. The most chemistry the two main characters had were in the spicy scenes. Not believable outside of that.

“Best Hex Ever” by debut author Nadia El-Fassi is the perfect cozy fall read! This book will make you feel as good as a warm cup of hot chocolate on a cool autumn evening!

I couldn’t help but feel immediately immersed into the world El-Fassi created, and I felt so much for Dina after finding out her backstory and struggle with coming out.

This book is filled with flirty banter, excellent forced proximity moments and a good slow burn with a spicy payoff. So far this is my favorite witchy romance I’ve ever read! Just the perfect combination of playfulness and a great cast of characters.

Highly recommend this one! I’m considering buying a copy for my shelf when it comes out— it was that good! 🧡

Thankyou to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a perfect fun, witchy read for the season!

I absolutely loved the main characters and their friends (can’t wait for Rosemary’s book!), and I enjoyed the storyline. I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a non-creepy, funny but with feelings, rom com for fall!

Spice is obviously relative to the reader, but this book does have a little bit of a kick if you are either looking for that or trying to avoid it.

Best Hex Ever was excellent. Dina and Scott had excellent chemistry and their story was great to read and also pretty spicy. Great book, definitely would recommend to romance readers, perfect for the season!

Thank you to NetGalley and Nadia El-Fassi for the opportunity to read this book. This book will give you all the fall feels with a kitchen witch who owns a bakery. Unfortunately the chemistry between the two main characters was lacking and I felt that the story was a bit slow. Read if you want a light read with fall feels.

The synopsis for this book sounded terrific: a hexed witch falls in love but the hex means that the one she loves is doomed. It is a cute story but, to me, had more spicy scenes than needed. If you crave and are a devotee of spiciness, you will be delighted with this book. I just felt it detoured too much from the story.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

If your looking for a cozy, witchy, fun, and spicy read this will be the perfect read!

I thought this book was so fun and it warmed my heart. All of the characters were super likeable and just made me smile. This is a quick and easy read that will have you daydreaming of everything autumn and cozy. I do wish this had been more of a slow burn with some banter but ut was still super enjoyable. I feel like that’s just totally a personal preference. I did love how empowering this story is and I would definitely recommend it.

4.25
Having read several witchy rom-coms this year (and other years), I can confidently say that this is one of the best and the best I've read this year! I like that Nadia El-Fassi isn't afraid to tackle some more serious topics and break out of the witchy rom-com mold. Characters are really fleshed out and I loved their friends and parents as well as the main couple.

Dina owns a magical café in London (that I so badly want to visit) where she meets Scott, a forward-thinking museum curator. There is immediate interest, however Dina has been hexed so that anyone she loves is in danger, so she knows she can't fall for him. However, they keep bumping into one another...do they give into fate?

This book is full of fun, including a bisexual heroine, a grumpy black cat, a Halloween wedding (friend), and a steamy library scene. Hoping that the hints I was picking up on for a rom-com featuring one of Dina's friends lead to another novel in this world!

"Loving yourself will feel easy some days, and other days it will be a mountain you cannot climb."

BIGGG thank you to NetGalley and Dell Romance for this arc in exchange for an honest review!!

This was a very cute and cozy read, and a great witchy read for spooky season! While I unfortunately wasn't completely captivated by Dina and Scott's relationship due to the heavy instalove, the ending was handled really well, and I enjoyed the conclusion Dina came to!

THE PLOT

Dina Whitlock has been hexed. Every time she falls in love, her partner is guaranteed to have a string of bad luck the second they start to have feelings for her. So, she's sworn off love. With her best friend, Immy, having her wedding in a few days, the last thing Dina expects is to run into Immy's fiancé's best man, Scott. Repeatedly. Over and over and over. Dina can't keep denying the chemistry between them, but the hex is as strong as ever, and she has no idea how to break it for good.

I think you'll like this book if you're into "mostly smut, no plot", since that's what this really was. I was a bit disappointed at how quickly Dina and Scott caught feelings for each other, going as far as admitting to falling in love with each other within a week. Their relationship felt very lust-heavy to me, but I did enjoy the few scenes where they talked about each other's professions and actually had conversations. I also really liked the way magic was incorporated into Dina's baking, and kudos to Scott for not freaking out the tiniest when he found out she was a witch!

THE WRITING

Nadia El-Fassi has a very cute and easy writing style, and I was able to fly through this in two days! Dina and Scott had very modern voices, and I enjoyed the descriptions of Dina's thoughts and feelings as she baked.

THE CHARACTERS

DINA

Dina was a very fun main character, and I absolutely LOVE seeing queer POC characters!! Dina's internal struggles with her insecurities were very easy to relate to, and I sympathized with her heavily after her story with her ex. As I've gushed about already, I ate up every scene that involved Dina cooking and baking!

The scene of Dina and Scott cooking baghrir and cinnamon rolls in the hunting lodge??? I died from cuteness. And hunger.

SCOTT

THE SWEETEST CUTIE-PATOOTIE EVERRRRRRR

I love Scott. If Scott has no fans, I'm dead. I absolutely LOVED that the author showed that men, in fact, do have emotions! They cry! And it's totally okay!

Scott is the definition of "if he wanted to, he would," BECAUSE HE ALSO WOULD!! Whatever Dina wanted, he provided. Bro was obsessed by page 1, as he should be, and he was so open-minded and caring. I also loved seeing his friendship with Eric!

IMMY

I adored Immy. She was so cute the entire book, and I loved all of the little scenes of her and Eric just being in love. I'd also pay a hell of a lot to read one of her books.

I mean, sci-fi horror with tentacled aliens?? Sold. I'm picking up what you're putting down, Immy.

ROSEMARY

I refuse to overlook the fact that apparently Rosemary can see ghosts every now and then??? I'm hoping that means we'll get a spin-off about her! Rosemary was super fun, and she was always Dina's #1 supporter right next to Immy, and I loved seeing the girls' friendship throughout the story.

NOUR

I love Nour. I want her to be my mom. She was so cute and funny the whole book, and the scenes of her and Dina and the end were so beautiful. The story about how her and Dina's dad got together were also so cute!!

CONCLUSION

All in all, I thought this was a fun debut. Definitely heavy on the insta-lust, and about 40% through, there kinda stopped being a plot. Definitely good for folk who like vibes more than plot, and enjoy the MCs catching feelings pretty quickly!

This was a wonderfully cozy debut romance with a dash of magic that is perfect for fall. I really enjoyed this book, the cozy fall vibes were in full effect and it made me want to curl up on the couch with a warm cup of tea and a blanket and just read all day. The romance was very cute, a little bit insta-lovey for my liking, but still cute. The main characters were both very likeable, the friend group was so supportive and the bits of baking magic we got were the coziest. An overall great debut book that is a quick read!

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Ballantine for granting me access in exchange for an honest review.

Best Hex Ever is a magical read with diverse characters, a whimsical storyline, and lots of heart.

Dina and Scott have great chemistry together. Their witty banter had me snickering, and their passion for their work–and each other–is both refreshing and titillating!

The secondary characters are loveable, fun, and vital to the storyline. There are a couple scenes that are so beautiful and magical, I couldn’t hold back the tears. You know it’s a good book when you can laugh AND cry.

Best Hex Ever is full of wonder and whimsy, love and laughter, and hope and healing. I thoroughly enjoyed it. A delightful reading experience.

Thank you to Dell and Nadia El-Fassi for this ARC.

Who needs a spicy, witchy romance book in their life? I know I do, so I was excited to dive into my ARC of “Best Hex Ever.”

This debut romance book perfectly combines magic, wedding hijinks, annoying hexes, and spicy romance. I loved that our witchy FMC was a “kitchen witch” and used her magic to run her coffee shop/bakery.

This book also got me in the mood for Halloween. The smells, the baked goods, the magic…it was all there. I also loved the backdrop of the wedding planning and ceremony. It allowed the reader to get to know the side characters perfectly and set us up perfectly for the next novel in this delightful series.

The meet-cute in this one is adorable and from the first meeting, we get sizzling hot, instant attraction, but I can’t really blame our FMC as the MMC is HOT.

Plus, I am a sucker for any MMC who calls the FMC a “good girl.” I mean…I just melted reading those scenes. They were hot, they were dirty, and I ate them up.

Am I a fan of the insta-love? No. Did I really mind it in this adorable yet steamy romance book? No.

This is the perfect book for you if you want some spice in your chai latte this fall. Under 300 pages, “Best Hex Ever” immerses you in a fast-paced world of witchy magic, fun friend groups, and spicy scenes.

3.5/5

4.5 stars!
This book was all of the cozy witch vibes I was expecting and more! The spice was enough to make me blush! Nadia’s writing is so descriptive. It really helped to paint the scene in my head while reading. It was a beautiful story of friendship and overcoming obstacles for love. I loved that the story wasn’t solely focused on her love story but also on friendship and the relationship she had with her mother and family. This should definitely be added to your spooky TBR! I’m really looking forward to Rosemary’s story!

Best Hex Ever was a NetGalley book I picked on a whim as I don’t usually eyeball read romance, but this looked so cozy and autumnal I had to see if it matched the cover!

I’m so happy to say it absolutely did! From the opening scene I was immediately vibing with the fall aesthetic and cozy setting—a witchy coffee shop in London in October! Enter dreamy curator Scott, who is equal parts nerdy and hunky! Little do they know that something like fate has plans for them—it turns out they’re the maid of honor and best man and their best friends’ wedding!

This book is filled with uncanny coincidences, baked goods, a feline familiar, and spice (to go with that pumpkin!)! It was the perfect balance of cozy, witchy, romance, and recovery from relationship trauma. I give it four stars and highly recommend to all of my spicy romance-loving friends and anyone looking for a spooky season read!

(This review will run on instagram on Friday, September 27th. It has already been posted on Goodreads, BookBub, StoryGraph, Barnes & Noble, Waterstones, and BAM. It will be posted on Amazon on publication day.)

I loved all of the cozy elements of this read! I could get lost in a cafe like Serendipity, and I know I’d be a regular! Dina was such a sweet witch and her love of her friends and family made her a favorite of mine. And a cat named Heebie Jeebie?! C’mon what’s not to love?! When she meets Scott, Dina has a lot of self growth she needs to do! The spice was spicy for sure so be prepared! Overall I loved this witchy, cozy, sweet love story!

Dina is a kitchen witch who has a hex on her that anyone who falls in love with her gets hurt. Scott is a museum curator who is kind of a golden retriever. And they are the best man and maid of honor of the same wedding.

Here's the thing, I loved this book. It had the heart I was wanting and was a good fall read. I will say there were times the spice felt almost like it came out of no where. But eh. There were a few spots that maybe needed a little bit more love.

But Scott might be my favorite new male lead.

4/5 ⭐️s
🌶️🌶️1/2 - medium to heavy spice

LOVES:
- Dina uses her magic for kindness. On the whole, I appreciate how the magic works in this book.
- I love their sentient house. So cool.
- The Halloween bonfire night got me unexpectedly teary 🥹 what a sweet moment
- I didn’t see the twist coming until the last second so that was well done
- I love the mom’s very specific reaction to the whole situation 🖤

“All women were witches on Halloween night.”

CRITIQUES:
- The attraction didn’t always feel as natural in the beginning as I want it to, but eventually the spice spices pretty well
- It’s tough to imagine that Dina truly believes her mother wouldn’t support her no matter what. That’s just not the impression she ever gives off so the fact that a huge plot point depends on that is tricky for me 🥴
- A couple of things could’ve gone a little deeper

This was short and sweet and perfect for this time of year. A cozy, October read. 🍁🍂

Thanks to @netgalley and @randomhouse for the eARC 💝

This book was fantastic. The representation of anxiety and how we can be our own worst enemy was so beautifully done. The spice was SPICY and it was done really well. I loved the way Dina and Scott grew personally and together through the story. At times there were changing POVs mid chapter that had me a bit caught off guard, but overall, this book knocked it out of the park with a spooky season spicy read!

A cute little magical read that was perfect for fall! I especially love a witch who bakes!

It was spicier than I was expecting, and I would have preferred a deeper look at their relationship instead. I adored her mom and their house though!

Vibe: Cozy Romance
Ratings: 5 ⭐️
Spice: 3🌶️
Trope: He Fall first and Hard / Witchy vibes

For arcs :
Thank Netgalley and publisher for Arc
— Why I was Attracted to this book :
The Title and the Characters. I like interracial love
— What did you like about this book:
This book is like a warm hug, or curling up in a fluffy blanket and a mug of hot dark chocolate cocoa
— What you didn’t like:
There wasn’t anything I didn’t like about it I went in with the expectations is would be a cozy romance and that’s exactly what was delivered
— Would you recommend:
YES! 100%.
— Would you read this author again:
Already plan to.
— Would you continue this series:
I am Looking forward to the next book

Random Thought while Reading

•29% I have never longed for a rainy autumn , day filled with a cold breezy a warm cup of and a cozy romance more then when reading this book because hand down it’s this book is chock full of that feeling !!

Dina and Scott insta attraction made me swoon and giggle and I could not wait for these two to just tear into each other because all that magic and heat they were giving. you just knew it had to be good and it didn’t disappoint. The 3rd act conflict was a little off I can admit but it didn’t distract from the over all feeling of the book. 
It’s really just two people finding each other and trusting that they deserve the love that is clearly in front of them.