I went back and forth with this story. Really loved the magical elements. The FMC Dina is a witch and she owns a cafe where she puts nice spells into the baked goods for her costumers. Like for them to have a nice day or make them feel warm a cozy. It was also nice how she showcased her Moroccan culture through her food.

Then a day before she has to go away for the weekend for her best friends wedding she meets Scott, who works as a curator at he museum near the cafe and instantly they are attracted to each other. Unbeknownst to them he was also going to the wedding as the groom is also his best friend. How they haven’t met or heard of each other before I don’t know. From there everything goes way to fast, insta lust for them. All they were thinking abut the whole time was getting it on and by the fourth day I think it was Scott was already thinking about love.

Dina was also hesitant about telling Scott about her magic and being a witch. And when she did (again like three days in) she just gathered some moonlight in a teacup and left it at that, he didn’t even question it. They later “talked” about it but not really she just told him “I’m a witch” and he said “I know”, that just confused me.

Also a major key point to the story was that she didn’t want to get in a serious relationship because she had a hex put on her that made anyone she fell in love with get hurt. Despite this she didn’t ask her mom (also a witch) for help because she was scared of telling her she is Bi, which I understand but the way she went about it was not great. Sadly all of that just took me out of the story and just didn’t feel it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing - Ballantine for the opportunity to read this ARC and share my honest review.

This was a DNF for me. I really tried, but it was boring. This was very instalove and nothing came off it and that’s just not my favorite.

3.5 ⭐
This book was adorable! Cute and cozy with a dash of spice.
Can't wait to check out the next book in the series.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Best Hex Ever is a steamy witchy romance, full of lovable characters, including our bi-icon FMC, Dina. Dina comes from a long line of female witches and owns a cafe, where her magic bakes good luck into a croissant or the feeling of nostalgia into a tea. Then, we have Scott, who is from the start, giving nerdy golden retriever energy. He's clearly into Dina from the get-go and wants to be with her, and is willing to fight to prove it.

This book is clearly going to be cozy from the cover (and it certainly delivered.) Dina's two best friends and their obsession with horror made them full of fun and mischief as side characters. What I wasn't expecting was the amount of steam in this book?? Our group of characters are very sex-positive, and I always love a book with diverse characters that don't have those conservative ideals baked in! The one thing I will say is that one of the main plot points is how much Dina is afraid to tell her mom that she is bisexual - her grappling with this occupies a large part of the heavier side of the plot -- but the resolution felt a bit rushed. Dina's mom responded in the way all queer children, especially queer children of immigrants, can only ever hope for their moms to respond -- but it also felt like it all happened so quickly that it felt a tad unrealistic and flat to me. This is not to say that I wanted the book to take a sadder, more angsty edge - I think we get enough of that in diverse books that wish to take that direction; I just wish there was another beat or two taken with Dina and her mother, because otherwise, to be totally honest, I didn't understand her qualms about it? Perhaps that is bad of me to say, but as someone who comes from a much more conservative background and could not possibly imagine having the relationship Dina and her mom have, I just couldn't wrap my mind around why this one thing was what Dina felt she had to hide - it would almost make sense if there were other little things that were tension points between them. Scott, I will admit, felt a little one-dimensional to me as a character, but it depends on how much you care as a reader ( I don't really, as I'm happy with a golden retriever and that being that.) He was just clearly from the get-go going to be a perfect male romantic interest, and that was that. Also, my deep, deep love this house and its magic -- I kind of wish we had more??? Something about this house keeping the kettle warm for tea and packing her bags just had my heart full.

Overall, this was a great read for any of you who like your cozy with a side of spice, like I do. Add in the witchy and the house, and consider me happy to have found my genre. While at times, I felt like the book could've had better pacing, this would be the perfect fall read to cozy up in a corner with. Low stakes, high steam. I'd give this a solid 3.5 stars.

Reviewed on Goodreads. Posted on May 28, 2024.

Loved this cozy, witchy, heartfelt romance! Dina and Scott are such a sweet couple. It was a great quick read.

I enjoyed this book so much! The cozy autumn vibes were there from the start. I really appreciated the representation in this book as well. And the romance!!! Sweet AND spicy! I can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy. This is one I’ll reread every year in the fall for the coziest fall and Halloween and witchy vibes (and a sprinkle of Christmas!). Curl up with a tea and enjoy yourself!

SUPER cute little spooky vibe book. LOVED the characters so much, the banter was hilarious and I really enjoyed how real the relationship felt.

Thank you to NetGalley, Nadia El-Fassi, and the publishers for allowing me access to the e-Arc.

I really enjoyed this book. I think this is going to be the perfect book to read in the fall season. The weather and scenery that was described as well as the spiced drinks that they enjoyed. I adored the fact that it’s about a witch and a curator falling in love. It was very sweet. The bisexual representation in this book was also great. I’m looking forward to reading the next book!

I highly recommend it!

Thank you Net Galley for this ARC,

This is MY practical magic of today.
Best Hex Ever was like a warm magical hug, it was cozy, cute, spicy and had me giggling. Literally felt like a movie was unfolding in my mind while reading this! We follow Dina a kitchen witch and Scott a museum curator and they keep running into each-other. And it turns out they’re both going to the same wedding Dina is the maid of honor and Scott is the best man! They’re both insanely attracted to each-other but Dina is scared because she is hexed. Anyone who she romantically gets involved with ends up hurt….

This book is filled with black cats, cottages, a wedding during Halloween season, henna magic, and old magical houses. I love that everyone from Dina’s mom, her friends who are both horror authors, and her cat kept pushing Dina towards Scott. This book is so magical and I felt like I could actually smell the apple crisp and cinnamon buns Dina makes while reading this. This is the perfect book for the fall and Halloween season.

Tropes:
Forced proximity
Baking magic
Spicy
Kitchen witch
Museum curator

Cozy, spicy, witchy romance alert!- Best Hex Ever

So personally, I’ve been in a reading slump lately, and I think because of that I haven’t been posting as much. That being said, this book QUICKLY ripped from that.

🐈‍⬛ Witchy romance
🐈‍⬛ Strong female friendships
🐈‍⬛ Dad bod hero (which was honestly refreshing)
🐈‍⬛Romance that doesn’t end with children

BLURB: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. However, only a few select friends know about her magical abilities or the hex that has plagued her love life. It’s hard to fall in love when your partner is guaranteed to have a string of bad luck the moment they develop feelings for you.

Scott Mason has returned from global travels thrilled to embark on his new role as a curator at the British Museum. After leaving London two years ago to recover from a devastating breakup, Scott realizes how much he has missed out on. With his best friend’s wedding approaching, Scott is determined to be the best best man ever. Little does he expect to be enchanted by the maid of honor, who is not only the owner of his new favorite café but also a witch!

During a weekend in the countryside filled with peculiar hedge mazes, palm readings by candlelight, and a midnight Halloween ritual, there’s no denying the chemistry between them. But there’s just one problem: The hex still holds, and Dina knows that Scott is in danger. In the past, she’s always chosen to cut her losses, but this time feels different. Scott could be the one. Will Dina be able to undo the hex before it’s too late?

🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛

This romance was literally everything I was looking for. It was cute and whimsical without being boring, and I love that this couple quickly came together, and we got to see them actually being a couple. In addition, it was refreshing to see a romance couple be madly in love, without wanting to have children. This book was wonderfully written, with gorgeous family history, diverse topics, and truly, I can’t recommend this enough.

Heat Level: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Release: Oct 1, 2024

This gave me all the “Simply Irresistible” and “Practical Magic” vibes; Simply Irresistible for the food magic and Practical Magic for that love hex!

Best Hex Ever is a fun, flirty, and spicy read! I loved the moments with her best friends, as well as the moments Dina had with her parents. It has the perfect balance of everything, even with the dash of angst near the end.

If a fast-paced romance is your thing, this is the book for you!

Honestly, this one just didn't stick out to me. I really don't have any memory of it while coming back to write this review.

I'll give this one 3.5 stars. This book was cute and cozy, and I loved the characters. I found the plot to be an adorable premise and I loved the little side romances. There was just something off with the spice as you get into the story. Maybe it read a little forced?

This book had great potential, but I feel like it fell a little short. I didn't enjoy the writing style very much, and the plot was extremely predictable. I read a lot of romance, and I'm used to a usual formula being used. Unfortunately, this one didn't add anything unique or exciting to the formula. The relationship between the characters was insta-lust/insta-love, and very unrealistic. Love at first sight, but not in a way I could really beleive.

The magic was fun, and I think the descriptions of the setting and magic use was my favorite part. I didn't fall in love with the characters or feel any connection or chemistry between them, but the idea of a kitchen witch baking food that can guarantee you a job if eaten before an interview was super fun!

I think this story had a lot going for it, but just didn't execute it as well as I would have liked.

First off, the title of this book alone had me NEEDING to read it! I loved the cozy kitchen witch vibes which made it a perfect read for spooky season. However I did feel like there was no real relationship building - it was just lust and physical connection which made it entirely unbelievable as good relationships require that "getting to know you" stuff.

There were things about this book I liked, and things I had trouble with. I really like the cozy setting Nadia El-Fassi created within this book. The cafe seems like a dream to be able to visit, and the way she wrote Dina's magic to fit into a modern world was fantastic. The secondary characters, from Dina's family to her best friends, really helped build that cozy feeling. The relationship Dina had with her parents was really heartwarming.

However, the pacing of this book felt a little fast. Dina and Scott fell into bed almost immediately with each other. I felt like there was very little time for their relationship to develop. There was a lot of telling the reader they were in love, but not a lot of showing. This made it difficult to connect to them as a couple and really be sold on them. Even the plot of the book seemed to focus on the two of them having sex, rather than solving Dina being hexed. I expected more tension between them and the issue of Dina's hex but all of it got solve pretty quickly and almost out of nowhere.

While maybe this book was not 100% for me, I do think Best Hex Ever shows promise and I look forward to what Nadia El-Fassi writes next!

When I read this description of this book, I was like this is everything I'm looking for. It's a cozy hug from a Moroccan kitchen witch, which would fit great for spooky season. However, some of the execution makes it a little rough to fully enjoy.

Dina is a (Moroccan!!!) witch, who owns a bakery, where she infuses her pastries/drinks with spells to help those who come in. There is a meet cute with her and Scott, a museum curator, where he knocks down an evil eve.

What I will say is that this book is extreme insta-love, and I would suggest that you're in the mood for that. There's a loose plot in terms of finding love and breaking a hex, as well as dealing with love after loss and accepting who you are. This book is really over a short period of time. It ends with a HEA, and no extended epilogue.

What I love:
- Cozy/Kitchen witch
- Moroccan witch!! this was so cool to read about
- Witch x curator
- Bi rep
- Found and foster family
- Heeble, her cat!

What I am currently struggling with:

- extreme insta-lust
- showing vs telling
- relationship develops over a couple days, which doesn't feel authentic


TW: mentions of cheated on (off-screen), mentions of child abandonment/foster families (off-screen)

Overall, I would rate this a 3.5/5, but look forward to see if there are changes prior to final release as this is really something that could be a great book.

Thanks to Ballantine/Del Rey for an ARC.

FIVE STARS OMG!
I am crazy in love with this book and Dina! This was such a cozy read and ever so steamy! I cannot wait for this to come out because it was so perfect and there's a scene with Dina and her mother Nour at the end of the book that made me cry. I'm so happy to exist in a world where Best Hex Ever exists. Such a sweet fantastic read.

Fun, magical, steamy, great fall read. Scott and Dina meet at her coffee shop. He’s a handsome customer, she a cute owner, who is also a witch. Specifically she is a bisexual kitchen witch. Her heart was broken by her first love. And also that ex, cursed Dina. Anyone she loves will be hurt. So obviously Dina takes a pass on the handsome stranger. But when it ends out they are in the same wedding and their friends are pushing them together. Well, it is a romance novel. The writing is great. And navigates having a curator for the British Museum, who acknowledges its problematic history. Honestly, it is the perfect book, for a cup of hot chocolate on a rainy day.

Hexed kitchen witch Dina falls for museum curator Scott during a weekend getaway in the English country side for their friends’ wedding.

This was cute and I loved the witchy baking and Dina’s Moroccan heritage. I really liked Dina’s friendship with Immy and Rosemary. The spice was good too but I didn’t like the insta lust. For me it was way too strong and too fast. There wasn’t enough getting to know each other first. For a big chunk of the book it’s only physical attraction and lust.

I do plan to check out Nadia El-Fassi’s next book in this interconnected series though.
Thank you Netgalley and Dell for this eARC