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.

If you’re looking for a quick, cosy, and spicy fall book to read look no further! The book gives the perfect fall vibes. I particularly loved the relationship between Nour and Dina. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book.

I enjoyed this book! The beginning was a little slow and the jump into spice felt abrupt, but I can’t explain why. I got a little irritated at the FMC for being so convinced she wasn’t worthy of love, but that may just be due to the fact that I relate 😅

Overall, an entertaining, cozy, witchy read! Perfect for fall.

First off, thank you to NetGalley for a chance to read this book!

TL;DR - A fun, witchy romance that's perfect for the fall season.

World Building/Storytelling: I deeply appreciated the world building throughout the entire story - I felt that the author was really building this world so that we could possibly anticipate some of the non-main characters getting their own book in a series. I loved that the world was built in magical realism, rather than extreme fantasy - I could engage with the characters without feeling like I had to learn an entirely new vocabulary. And, thank you for bisexual representation - this made me so happy!

I loved how a key plot line was explored at the beginning of the book, and then subtlely simmered under the surface throughout the book without being too heavily explored until later in the book. A lot of the story pacing felt appropriate at the beginning of the story.

Spice: Yay, there's spice! I was really pleased that the book has spice, because you never know before you get into a story. That being said, there were times when the spice level felt slightly out of sync with the story, or it felt as if the spice came out of left field in multiple moments. The primary initiation of spice went from 0 to 100 - I audibly said "WOAH" to myself because I really felt like it took me by surprise.

Additionally, I felt that many of the spicy moments followed the same pattern and were lopsided. It was hard to feel immersed in the spicy moments when they all felt so similar to one another. There were times when the building tension either went too fast, or the actual...deed...wasn't explored as much as I expected. I also felt like some of the MMC's spicy banter was too spicy for the character as he'd been written before.

Challenging Moments: Two details took me out of the story - one was how quickly the characters said they loved each other, and the other was about emergency contact information. I find it extremely difficult to believe that someone would change their emergency contact info to someone they're dating after three weeks of knowing each other. I know that love can happen quickly, so I'm less put off by that, but the emergency contact part felt a little unwarranted based on the relationship the two main characters had.

Overall, I would recommend this book, especially for people who like witchy romances (or romance in general) because I think the book is such a cozy escape into another world.

#BestHexEver #NetGalley

The only thing I love more than fall reads? Witchy fall reads! Before I looked at a single page I figured I would like this book.

And it delivered! Best Hex Ever is a fun and quick read following Dina, bakery owner and kitchen witch. I loved Dinas character and all of her interactions with both her customer and friends. The MMC, Scott, is a local museum curator who falls for our female lead. I loved Scott. Is it partly because he reminds me of my husband who is also named Scott? Yes, probably. But I also felt he had a strong character and his feelings for the FMC were very obvious. The spice was good.

I did take 1 point away for a few points. First, I understand she is a 'kitchen witch' but there is just a little bit too much insta-love for my taste. Let us see SOME of these relationships develop. I also would have loved more 'witchy things'.

This super cute romance had all the fall and spooky vibes, and I loved the cozy aspects of Dina as a kitchen witch. I was reading with a big smile on my face for most of the book. I’m not usually a big romance reader so the spice was spicy for me in a great way, if a little repetitive in the verbiage. That said, most of the connection I felt from the characters was purely physical and I feel like I almost would have preferred a clean romance where the connection the characters instantly felt was actually built on some sort of communication. Then again, why can’t we have both?! 😉

Overall this was adorable and happy and launched me right into the fall season. I liked the way all of life’s little magics showed up as real magic. Great representation too!

I’m officially ready to kick off Spooky Szn — wherein I alternate witchy rom coms and horror novels. Started with a witchy rom com ARC from NetGalley… and unfortunately, it was a big miss.

It was too much instalove and not enough witchiness. IDK - she has a hex on her that hurts people she loves, they fall into a relationship quickly and with no development whatsoever, I didn’t care about these people, it was all so rushed-through, it was just a metaphor for, like, sabotaging yourself…. It’s not as poorly-written as the last book I read, at least, thus the 2. I mean, if you’re looking for a Spooky Szn low stakes ‘romance’ I suppose go for it, and know you’ll be done in a day and forget about it 15 minutes after it’s over. There’s just nothing to this; the pacing was so weirdly rushed and entire parts seemed skipped-over.

Best Hex Ever is a captivating and enchanting read. This novel weaves a spellbinding tale, filled with magic and an irresistible hex that will leave readers spellbound.

This was such a cute fall read! Everything about it screamed fall. Dina runs a café and bakes pastries. Scott is a curator at a museum. SO cute! While reading, I could envision the smell of the cinnamon rolls baking and all things fall.

Dina and Scott are likable and sweet characters. I loved seeing how the little things they’d do for each other spoke volumes and showed how much they cared about one another. They had a strong connection and chemistry.

I also loved how supportive and kind Dina’s friend group was.
Best Hex Ever would be a great read on a cozy fall day.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group and Netgalley for the Arc!

"A kitchen witch with a penchant for baking and a (literally) cursed love life meets someone who's worth breaking a hex for in this enchanting romance debut written with a heap of spice and an equal measure of heart.

As a skilled kitchen witch, Dina Whitlock knows her way around a pastry recipe. In fact, she runs her very own London café, serving magic-infused treats to her loyal customers. She is not as much of an expert on romance, thanks to the hex hanging over her head. It's hard to fall in love when your partner is cursed with a string of bad luck. But who needs love when your best friend is getting married, right?

Scott Mason has returned from global travels thrilled to embark on his new role as a curator at the British Museum. Having left London two years ago to recover from a devastating breakup, Scott has missed out on a lot. With his best friend's wedding approaching, and Scott as best man, this is his chance to make up for lost time. Little does he expect to be enchanted by the magical maid of honor.

During a romantic weekend filled with a peculiar hedge maze, palm readings by candlelight, and a midnight Halloween ritual, there's no denying the chemistry between them. But the hex still holds, and Dina knows that Scott is in danger of more than just bad luck - because she's falling, hard. Will Dina be able to undo the hex before it's too late?"

I mean, who hasn't imagined falling for a member of the wedding party? This just has an extra dose of magic.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of Best Hex Ever by Nadia El-Fassi in exchange for an honest review.

Kitchen witch Dina Whitlock is enjoying life. She has a successful business, excellent best friends, loving parents, and an adorable familiar. There is just one dark spot. A youthful infatuation led to an unfortunate (and highly regrettable) mistake with an ex, marking Dina with a particularly nasty curse: anyone who loves Dina is doomed to get hurt. Not emotionally, but physically. Tragic accidental kinds of hurt. And yes, she's tried everything to break the curse. Everything but turn to her mother, also a skilled witch. Because to do so, Dina would have to disclose the fact that she's bi, and the ex who hexed her was a woman. So Dina immerses herself in her otherwise great life and tries to avoid love. It's best for everyone.

UNTIL .... She meets Scott Mason, museum curator and super-hot nerd. The day Scott strolls into her cafe, a protection amulet falls and breaks. Dina assumes this is a bad omen, but man, this guy is cuuuuuute. They are both smitten immediately but he ends up leaving before he manages to ask her out. Seems like a missed opportunity.

EXCEPT... As luck (or fate) would have it, they are attending the same wedding. He's the best man. She's a bridesmaid. Interfering soon-to=be-weds set them up to share a cabin for the weekend. So even though Dina knows, SHE KNOWS, that she should stay away from Scott and his super-hotness, she definitely doesn't.

While the romance moves a little fast, given that it's less than a week before they're madly in love, it's a great story. The banter is excellent. The shenanigans are the right mix of funny but not overly absurd. The food descriptions will leave you drooling. Dina can be frustrating at times but Scott is the ultimate book-boyfriend (Is dominant cinnamon-roll a thing? It is now.)

All in all, this book feels like a big, romantic, sexy, magical hug. It leaves the reader wishing they'd been invited to the magical wedding weekend. Highly recommended for readers who like their tea with a heavy dollop of magic and readers who enjoy stories that feel like wearing favorite sweater and eating croissants.

Ya know, it’s hard to be in a cozy, fall-like mood when you live in a state with heat like the surface of the sun. But reading Best Hex Ever by debut author Nadia El-Fassi definitely made me feel like I was in a London café and craving some cinnamon-flavored treats.

Dina Whitlock is a witch cursed by a hex. Any person she has romantic interest in gets hurt (non-fatally!) so she’s put off being in a relationship. But when museum curator Scott Mason walks into her café, it’s insta lust for both of them. Some forced proximity at a wedding, plus some intervening by Dina’s cat, their mutual friends, family and her family’s magical house (it packs sexy pajamas that were NOT in there before!) keep bringing them together. Dina doesn’t want Scott to get hurt, and the weight of the hex, plus hiding her bisexuality from her parents, makes her feel guilty for pursuing love. Then the hex injures Scott and Dina has to decide if this whirlwind romance is worth breaking a curse for.

This was so cute! It’s very steamy, and all of the recipes Dina describes while baking at her café made me want to bake too. Scott is a cinnamon roll who has a filthy mouth, and he’s perfect for Dina.

I also appreciated reading about characters who don’t want children, and it doesn’t end with them changing their minds. More of this please! I’m excited about Rosemary’s book being next. She sees ghosts and is a horror writer plus she loathes the actor who got cast as the lead in her book adaptation. I can’t wait!



Thank you to @dellromance and @netgalley for the e-ARC in exchange for a review.

3.75 🌟

Listen, I'm from the midwest.... I like my 🌶 mild. 😬😅

Ok, a witchy baker who is able to enchant the things she makes with a little magic to make people's day a little better - what's not to love?! I did enjoy this book but it does start off a little slow. And also, the spice was a little much for me. However, if you are someone who enjoys spice and is looking for a witchy romcom - def pick this book up!

Thanks, Netgalley for the ARC of this book!

I uploaded my review to Goodreads. I will upload my review to Amazon on publication day.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Nadia El-Fassi for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Best Hex Ever coming out October 1, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I normally don’t go for contemporary romance. It’s not my favorite genre. A publisher sent me this book, so I gave it a shot because I do love autumn and witch books. This was a little too insta for me and I thought there were be a little more depth in the beginning between Dina and Scott. The “good girls” were not my favorite. Some of the dialogue seemed overdone. I think I wanted a little more. I liked the London setting and diversity in the book. I would check out other books by this author.