I thought the premise of this—a bakery owner witch (Dina) and a museum curator love interest (Scott)—was a recipe for a perfectly cozy fall romcom, but it was a major miss.

The book started off strong: our main characters meet when Scott tries Dina’s magical bakery for the first time, then they run into each other again on the train to their respective their best friends’ weddings…only to find out that they’re the maid of honor and best man for the same wedding.

Everything goes downhill from there… It ended up being insta-lusty, and smutty with no connection beyond wanting to sleep with each other. The majority of the book takes place over one weekend, which, coupled with the fact that there was no reason for the main characters to like each other, made the romance hard to believe. It also felt like the witchy side of the story was put on the back burner for the majority of the book.

I need tension and emotions in a romance, and Best Hex Ever had none of that.

This was such a cute read. It was super cozy to read this Fall! Gave me all the right fall vibes! I would definitely recommend this book as it was a short & easy read!

This book is just the cutest ever. The cover itself is already cozy and fall-like, and the story does not disappoint.

Our story starts with Dina, working in her bakery in the U.K. The setting is immediately idyllic, with a cozy cafe with warm drinks on cold, fall days, and scrumptious pastries that will improve any mood. We then meet Scott, when he comes in for a drink, but he also happens to break an evil eye totem. Dina suspects this is a bad omen, and she no more than takes Scott's order and things go haywire.

This story isn't breaking the mold in terms of the overall plot, but I do want to touch on things I really appreciated about this story.

The first is that the cast of characters is so diverse. And not just one character either. We have Robin, who is Dina's employee, and is non-binary and utilizes they/them pronouns. Dina has dated both men and women. There are several different cultures represented. The other reason I enjoyed this was that the author didn't make someone's traits or preferences their entire personality. It's just one aspect of their life, and it's mentioned, but it never becomes the agenda of the story.

The U.K. location setting was another choice I enjoyed. Again, I think we see many fall romances set in quaint, small towns in America. Perhaps I am uncultured in fall romances (which is entirely probable), but seeing a story set in the U.K. was a great way to add freshness to this specific trope. It kept me engaged because I saw fall through the eyes of London, which wasn't my usual experience.

As we see Dina use her magical talents, one thing that stood out was how much she would infuse emotions into her drinks and treats to help others, and give them the boost they might need. There's a scene where she's making a few items for an upcoming wedding and she infuses the pastries with the feelings and memories of love shared between the future bride and groom. It was again another unique take on the "witch" side of the story.

Overall, I enjoyed this story a lot. The characters are easy to root for and the setting brings a new zest to a fall romance. If sweet romance, autumn, pastries, and museums catch your eye, you'll definitely enjoy this one!

Thank you to NetGalley, PRH Audio and Ballantine Bantam Dell Romance, for providing me with an advanced copy of this book and audiobook for free in exchange for my review! @prhaudio #PRHAudio #PRHAudioInfluencer
All opinions are my own.

This is the ultimate fall read. It was like being wrapped up in a gigantic hug. If Gilmore Girls is the ultimate fall tv show, this book is the ultimate fall romance. I really enjoyed the chemistry between Dina and Scott.

This book was much more steamy than I thought it would be, but that didn't stop me from reading it. I just thought it should be mentioned in the event that you are not a fan of spice

And Hebe the Cat was giving me major Salem from Sabrina, the Teenage Witch and Binx from Hocus Pocus. Any book with cute animals gets 5 stars in my book lol.

I highly recommend you pick up this book and read with a cup of hot cider and a nice warm blanket.
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Many Thanks again to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest review.

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OMG I loved every second of this book! I read it in less than 24 hrs because I couldn't put it down. I was giggling and kicking my feet the whole time! The spice was perfect but so was the storyline and plot. I'm incredibly looking forward to her next book!

I found myself in love with the concept of this book, more than the book itself. The plot, the setting, the witches and magic in the fall. Literally the PERFECT fall read. However the execution was not great.

The writing I didn’t personally connect with. I loved the descriptiveness of it but found myself not connecting with the characters. I’m not a huge fan of instant love and Dina and Scott fell for each other too quickly without any reason besides their chance encounters.

I also found that I didn’t love the sex scenes. They felt quick and forced. Like quickies in the closet right after their best friends say I do? I think the fact that they hardly had any history before jumping into bed together. It felt more lustful than love, even though the author said otherwise. I wanted more tension and banter, less sexual innuendos. That would’ve sold the instant love story more.

The ending also fell a bit short. The conflict with her mom and the reveal with her being bisexual was resolved so quickly. It felt as if it wasn’t the biggest issue throughout the whole book.

All this being said, I enjoy myself. I liked, but didn’t love! I read in two days. The fall witchy vibes were perfect. I think other readers who enjoy more the quick falling in love trope will enjoy this story more. I definitely think some of my following will gobble this up. Thank you for the advanced copy! I will be posting my review on Instagram 9/29-10/1. I will come back to add the link to the review once posted.

An cozy, wholesome debut novel that has a magical side! I love that Dina’s magic was incorporated through her bakeshop/coffeeshop. The MC was a museum curator and fed into my Mummy crush I had as a teen on Brandon Frasers character. This book felt like a warm hug and I love how much the book showed her importance of her friendships and connections with her family as well :) A great novel to kick off the cozy autumnal season


Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

what a glorious debut novel! Witches and MMC that falls absolutely head over heels first? Yes, please! The perfect cozy fall read full of humor and spice. I can't wait to read more from Nadia El-Fassi!

A fun Fall read to get into witchy season! I was pleasantly surprised by this one. It took me about 20% to get into but after that I crushed this book! There’s so much light fun with Dina’s friend and in her relationship. Scott is so lovable and unexpectedly spicy. There’s also a lot of depth to Dina’s personal journey that I really appreciate. But this ending!?!? Had me in the feels and I know some will really relate to her!

i finished this book on an overnight red-eye (rip sleep) and this was the perfect book to get me into the fall mood!! nadia el-fassi has a beautiful way of writing the details in her story that I felt all of the flavors and aromas coming to life. I also loved how, despite the cozy, witchy vibe, the book still gave spiceeeee.

tropes:
🍂 cozy fall vibes
🥐 kitchen witch/bakery owner fmc x museum curator mmc
❤️ queer rep
🪵 english countryside village

Thank you to NetGalley and Dell for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/f paranormal romance
-witchy vibes
-cozy vibes
- curvy rep
-queer rep
-a curse
-praise kink


Best Hex Ever is a romance baked full of coziness, witchy vibes, family, and steaming with sexual tension, wrapped into a hug of a book. Truly a must-read and an author to watch

This book was so much fun! It was full of cozy witchy autumn vibes and just enough spice to keep me on my toes. I loved how Dina’s magic manifested with her baking! I really appreciated her relationship with Immy and Rosemary. They were such fun and unique characters, and as for Scott… he was every magic loving bookish girl’s dream. I mean hello, a sexy museum curator who wears tweed jackets with elbow patches? Yes please! This is a must read for every witchy romance lover who is building their fall tbr!

DNF. This is very slow, and I just did not care for the characters. And based on other reviews, I’m not sure it will wow me.

I loved this so much. The perfect blend of spicy and cutesy! Perfect little rom com for the fall season. There were some references that were a bit too topical, which isn’t really my favorite. But the humor and banter made up for it.

SUCH a cute, cozy romcom! I loved it, I can't wait to tell people to read this! Definitely gave practical magic vibes and I was HERE FOR IT. Such a good book to read this fall!!

If you're a fan of witches, a cozy fall vibe, forced proximity, and dual POV's you will enjoy this book. Dina our FMC is a cafe owner and a kitchen witch. She gets thrown into the chaos of her long time hex while trying to maintain boundaries of her new found friendship to medium burn romance to Scott. She turns to her mothers help to break the hex to save her relationship.....

Scott our MMC is a museum curator who runs into Dina in a cafe in town and then again on the subway on his way to his best friends wedding. Unbeknownst to him, his best friend and soon to be wife arrange for him and Dina to share a cottage for the weekend. A friendship and romance develop but not before strange dangerous situations start happening out of nowhere.

This was such a cute fall read that deals with witchy vibes and spells. If you are looking for a cute easy fall read this is the book for you.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a super cute rom-com, and gave me definite Practical Magic vibes. I loved it!

Dina is charming and friendly, and runs a coffee shop where she infuses her products with magic to give them that extra oomph folks sometimes need. Scott, a curator for the British Museum and recently returned home from travels, is a total cinnamon roll (but totally feral for Dina)! He comes into the cafe and causes one of her protection charms to break - not a great start - but sparks immediately fly between the two.

As they keep bumping into each other, their attraction just continues to grow - and so does Dina's fear. Which, I think, led to some great examples of character development and growth.

The family vibes, the character relationships and dynamics - not just between Dina and Scott, but between their friends as well - all really made for an easy-to-read, cozy romance that pulls you into the story from the very start, and keeps you hooked.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of Best Hex Ever by Nadia El-Fassi!

Dina is a witch that owns a bakery and never a wants to fall in love because of a hex one of her exes put on her. The person who falls in love with her will get hurt and not want to be with her.

Scott is a curator at a museum and stops into her bakery one day. They both can’t stop thinking about the other.

They end up out of town together for their friends wedding.

This book has all the fall vibes with witches, spells, hexes and love.

4.5/5 stars
2.5/5 spice

Tropes:
Witches and magic
Fall cozy vibes
Forced proximity
Safe place/ trust
Strong female friendships
Medium burn
Dual POV

Love this book so much! It has all the fall and witchy vibes for the season. I was immediately drawn into the story and characters. The group of friends was a breath of fresh air and heartwarming. Scott was such a likable character with an amazing mind. I loved how nerdy he got talking about his job... it was so cute. Dina was the kind of person you just wanted to have long conversations with over a warm cup of something. I would love to eat one of her baked goods.

These two felt meant to be from the very first meet cute. I was rooting for these two and loved seeing their growing romance grow. The burn and build up was medium paced for me because they both had some dirty thoughts that created the best pining and tension. Loved it!

This is the perfect book for the fall vibes, and I highly recommend this for anyone who likes rom com, witch romances, and found family vibes.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and offered voluntarily.

so wholesome, comforting and a little spicy

I tore through this book so easily, the writing is fast paced and well done with just enough magic to give the perfect witchy vibe you want this time of year.