Best Hex Ever has a lot of qualities that are going for it--and many parts that I thoroughly enjoyed! But for me, there were also some significant stumbles in this debut romance.

I did enjoy the characters quite a lot. Dina is a great main character. Very relatable and feels like your best friend. Her friends and family were equally likeable. Scott, Dina's love interest, is less-dimensional and, while he remains perfectly fine, never reaches book boyfriend status for me, since his chapters came off a bit flatter than Dina's. I also liked the atmosphere; the autumnal descriptions felt like a cozy sweater, and I loved El-Fassi's descriptions of Dina's baked goods :)

However, I took issue with the pacing--it's a bit of a slow burn between Dina and Scott, which is fine if it also wasn't an insta-love scenario. The end also felt super dragged-out. The spicy scenes, while well-written, felt misplaced in terms of the timeline. I also wasn't the biggest fan of the writing; the early chapters, especially, read very childishly, which, had this been a closed-door rom com, would have been fine, but the very explicit sexual scenes later jar HEAVILY against El-Fassi's voice as a writer. This is, for me, an editorial issue that should have been picked up in earlier drafts.

I'll gladly read more of El-Fassi's writing, and I look forward the next book in the series, but I hope that she and her editor are able to learn from the mistakes of the debut, because there is so much to love that I feel bad I can't give it more stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell for the ebook ARC. All opinions are mine alone.

This cozy, fall romance pulled me in from the first sentence and kept me content throughout; I wanted to curl up in a big sweater with a warm drink, a delicious pastry, and a soft blanket. It had such a feel of warmth, love, and friendship, and had me wishing fall would get here sooner.
I found Dina immediately relatable and absolutely loved her two best friends, Immy and Rosemary. Dina’s magical bakery sounds like the perfect place to spend a dreary, cold day, or really any day.
Scott, an intelligent and athletic guy, would be perfect to fall asleep with while telling you about his latest exhibit at the museum or his world travels. I loved the chemistry between Scott and Dina, the friendships of the women, as well as between Scott and his best friend, Eric. Dina’s relationship with her mother, Nour was very sweet and reminded me a lot of a woman who is a bit like a second mum to me, I couldn’t help but read Nour in her voice. The spicy scenes with Dina and Scott were 🥵🤌🏻 and were a bit slow burn to get there, but worth the wait.
This book didn’t get resolved the way that I thought it would and I’m glad it went in the direction that it did. While this book is set in the UK and doesn’t have the same Halloween excitement as the US, it’s still a great fall read with a different twist on the season. I look forward to the author’s next book!

I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this arc of Best Hex Ever by Nadia El-Fassi.

I’ll start with the things I enjoyed about this book:
1. It was very cozy and the perfect book to read around Halloween and Christmas. It felt like a warm hug.
2. I enjoyed the pieces of Moroccan culture and history that were placed throughout the book.
3. The message of loving yourself and letting down your walls really spoke to me.
4. The Samhain ritual part of the book was really cute and made me smile.

Now, I’ll move on to my critiques:
1. My biggest issue was pacing. At some points I felt it moved too quickly and other points it felt really slow.
2. I felt that there were places that smut was inappropriate, like in the middle of a wedding reception. And often, the smut was cringey when it was misplaced.
3. Finally, I felt the “plot twist” at the end was extremely predictable.

Overall, this was an enjoyable book and I would love to read the next installment to see the other friends fall in love with their partners. Again, thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the opportunity to read the arc of this book.

This was such a cute and fun read. I was looking for a palette cleanser after reading some more heaving titles, and this hit the spot. Dina is such a sweet character and I couldn't help but think of The Spellshop in that it was cozy and the MC just wanted to use her magic to make other people's lives better. The spice level was higher than I was expecting. That's not a complaint, just an observation and something readers should be aware of in case that's not their thing. The author's writing style was engaging and I thought the characters were well-developed. I would recommend this to anyone looking for something cozy that also has some heat.

This will be the perfect fall read for anyone looking for an adorable, witchy book. The story focuses on Dina, a witch who was hexed by ex so that anyone who loves her will be hurt, and Scott, who she keeps having “meet-cute” moments with. They also happen to be the Maid of Honor and Best Main at their mutual friends’ wedding.

I absolutely loved all of Dina’s friends and family, and how supportive they were of her throughout the book. I was also immediately sucked into the writing style, especially how detailed the author made Dina’s magic and baking! (This book made me seriously hungry for some pastries 🤩)

This is definitely a great book to check out if you are looking for a steamy, but sweet read perfect for cozying up this fall!

Thank you to Netgalley and the published for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Quick, fun, sweet magical read. Absolutely loved the girlfriends — everyone needs their own group of fabulous weirdos! It went for sugar sweet to hot and spicy and it was definitely fun to see another side of these characters. Dina’s witchy ways were the best part and Scott’s sweary professor type was pretty well done too. Would love to see another story with these two set in Morocco!

Oh my goodness I enjoyed this so much! It’s very practical magic meets simply irresistible and an absolute new fall favorite!

Cute, cozy witchy romance, perfect for fall reading. The chemistry between Scott and Dina wasn't really there, so I felt pretty un-invested in their relationship. I did enjoy all the baking, though.

I love kitchen witches and modern witchy romance. I love books about bakers and baristas. I love history and culture from around the world, so I was fully prepared to love a romance between Dina, a kitchen witch who owns a coffee shop/bakery, and Scott, a well traveled museum curator. This book has lots of sweet moments between the main characters and some better developed side characters, but for me the sexual content was just too much. A scene or two I can deal with, but these two couldn’t keep their hands off each other even when they’d barely even met. Still not sure yet exactly what I think of the ending- it was somehow sweet and disappointing at the same time. I liked this book, but I would have loved it with a little less grab ass.

Where to even start? What a fun, exciting, and spicy read! Dina is the most lovable witch I have ever read about. She runs her cafe preparing drinks to help warm her customers' souls and give them a little luck. The friendship dynamic between Dina, Immy, and Rosemary is what every friend group strives to be. And the romance, can you say hot, hot, hot....like inferno level! Scott is sexy, intelligent, and not easily scared by a bit of witchcraft. If anything, it makes him love Dina even more. This book was incredible, and I couldn't put it down. I loved all the characters. I envied the easy mother-daughter relationship of Dina and her mom, and I want a house like the one they live in, please, and thank you. 5/5 you will not be disappointed if you pick this book up!

Disclaimer: While I received a free advanced reader copy of this book, my thoughts and opinions are mine.

Cute and cozy witchy vibes! Such a perfect read for spooky season! Absolutely loved Dina and Scott so much!

This cute, cozy, and witchy rom com will be so perfect for the fall (aka spooky season!) I absolutely fell in love with the ever hexed Dina and just had to root for her and Scott!

Thank you Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and netgalley for this arc!

A witchy romance and a HEX

Coffee shops and black cats have my heart and a HEX. Perfect read for summerween.

I am obsessed with this book. I devoured is so fast. Will recommend to everyone who loves witches, fall and coffee.

Best Hex Ever is the story of Dina, a kitchen witch, and the hex that controls her dating life. She meets Scott, a museum curator, and knows the hex is going to be a problem.

This was a fun read, I love books about witches. It did get quite spicy! I wasn't expecting that but it was a pleasant surprise.

Such a cute story! I am obsessed with anything witchy so getting this ARC was so fun!

Dina is a kitchen witch who owns a little cafe in London serving magic infused goodies. Very few people know she’s a witch but her two funky best friends do. I want a story for Rosemary next 🖤 I love their relationship! The sticky part of the story…Dina had a hex cast on her years ago. Anyone who falls in love with her gets hurt. Physically hurt that is. Enters Scott, the guy that may just be worth breaking said hex. He’s a museum curator back in London after traveling around the world to heal his broken heart. These two have chemistry and can’t seem to stay away from one another.

I finished this books so quickly! It’s definitely a little on the spicy side but I love that too! Excited to read the next book.

I really wanted to love this book, and there is plenty to love. However, there were also some issues that kept it from being a great read, at least for me.

I really liked the coziness and the premise. At first blush I liked the mythos of this magical world, the fact that magic wasn't top secret and the idea that Dina used magic to innocuously help her cafe patrons. Adding in a museum nerd as a romantic interest was a refreshing change of pace from the alpha-himbos that feature heavily in the currently popular sports romances. (I love those too! It is just nice to mix it up). The meet-cute/star-crossed aspect actually kind of worked and not too much of the plot progression had to be shoehorned in. The HEA/resolution of the conflict is a neat, low-stakes, twist on the classic and in that respect, I adored this book.

All that said, I didn't really feel connected to any of the characters, nor did the chemistry really pop. The spice was well written and the dynamic had the potential to be hot, but the characters just didn't seem to develop any real personality as the romance progressed. I am 100% here for a shameless, plotless shag-fest. This book however tried to wedge that aspect into an otherwise incongruous story. It just didn't mesh for me.

Overall though, I would still recommend this as a fun fall read. It just didn't hit all the stars for me.

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for giving me the opportunity to read an arc of The Best Hex.

A super cozy witchy book with spice. Definitely the perfect little witchy rom com to read in the fall. I loved the magic!! I think the writing about Dina and the magic around her was perfect. I want her house! The characters were easy to fall in love and root for along the way, especially her parents and friends.

With that - The whole thing felt rushed. It took me sometime to get into the story line, worried I would DNF but glad I hung on because it took a twist and I could not put the book down. Once the characters hit their spice, everything felt so rushed! I feel as if there were parts missing, I just wanted more context and less… I hate to say it, cringy spice.

I am excited to see the next book when it comes out and the growth of the author too. I have a feeling R’s story is going to be epic!

The following review was posted on Goodreads today (07/14/24)

A kitchen witch who was hexed by someone years ago to doomed relationships meets someone that is worth taking a chance on, which she does during her friend's wedding weekend. The word building, starting when we meet the main character in her cafe in London, and continuing into the descriptions of her parents home and weekend cottage were extremely cozy and well written and felt like a warm hug.

A lot of this book was not my cup of tea (pun intended) b/c it was so *very* spicy. I wish there would have been more cozy and less explicit language. It was interesting enough that I just skimmed through the parts that made me uncomfortable b/c I really did want to see what would happen at the end.

If you like both cozy books *and* spicy books then this would be a good choice. If you are not into spicy it is worth skimming over those bits b/c the rest of it is really fun.

This book was kindly provided to me through the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Best Hex Ever features Dina Whitlock, a magical bakery owner, and Scott Mason, a curator at the British museum. Dina has a hex on her that complicates getting involved, but of course these 2 have a meet cute and then a forced proximity plot line.

I read a lot of romance books and a lot of magical realism. I love books about witches and feminist novels. I really enjoyed Best Hex Ever. I liked the main characters and loved the supporting cast. I thought the plot was was paced and the spice level was spot on. The magic here was folksy and I LOVED the Scott's area of focus at the British museum.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the advanced reader copy. The opinions here are my own.

I recently read "Best Hex Ever," a delightful supernatural rom-com that's perfect for the spooky season. The story follows Dina, a kitchen witch who has been unlucky in love due to a hex placed on her by an ex. When she meets museum curator Scott, she begins to wonder if their attraction could overpower the hex.

What I liked:
- I appreciated the infusion of the supernatural into a modern, non-fantasy setting.
- Dina and her kitchen witch skills were brought to life with such love and care in the writing.
- The tension and romantic elements fantastic

What I didn't like:
- THIS IS A SPOILER IF YOU DON'T WANT A SPOILER SKIP PAST THIS SECTION TO THE BOTTOM.
I found Dina's reluctance to come out to her mother in order to break the hex a bit frustrating. While I understand the challenges of coming out to traditional parents, her family's love and support were evident from the beginning.

Overall, "Best Hex Ever" was a highly enjoyable read, and I would rate it 4/5 stars, with a solid 3/5 for spice

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and Nadia El-Fassi for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.