3.75⭐️
The Ex Effect by Dana Hawkins turned out to be an endearing sapphic romance — though it didn’t win me over immediately. I’ll admit, it took me a while to feel truly invested. At first, I struggled with the main characters. The constant bickering and bouts of no-communication were frustrating, and I wasn’t sure I’d connect with them. But somewhere along the way, something shifted. Their flaws and messy interactions started to feel authentic, and that realism ultimately made the story click for me.

By the end, I appreciated how much growth both FMCs experienced. Watching them work through insecurities, confront old wounds, and step into their authentic selves gave the book real heart. It was satisfying to see their relationship evolve from prickly and defensive to something genuine and emotionally grounded.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Katie Beudert, and thought she did a wonderful job. Her narration was warm and engaging, with a natural pacing that worked well both at normal speed and when sped up. The production quality was clean, making for an easy and enjoyable listen.

With its August 19th release, The Ex Effect makes for a solid late-summer read — a romance that starts with sparks and ends with something far deeper. If you’re willing to stick with the characters through their rougher edges, you’ll find a story that pays off in the end.

I am thankful to have gotten a complimentary audio ALC from Dreamscape Select and Storm Publishing through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

My general rating system is below. Since I primarily read ARC books I rate according to how I think like minded readers will receive the book. I will round up or down depending on many factors and try not to let my personal wants affect a books ratings.

⭐️ Hated It but pushed through as I don’t DNF ARCs I have received.
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, content issues, poorly edited.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but it had something that stopped me from rounding up. Usually the book may have much more potential than what was given. I recommend it but with reservations.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I Really enjoyed it or think others will. These are solid reads that I definitely would recommend for a variety of reasons.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! These are books that remain rent free in my head for well after unfinished the book. It can be for a variety of reasons from being very well written or just the vibes that captured my mind. These books are also ones I would probably read again

3.5/5 stars
A delightful sapphic romance reminiscent of Delilah Green Doesn’t Care and Late Bloomer.
The characters feel lovable, well developed, and felt like they had emotional depth. The two main characters’ history made them feel well flushed out and made their immediate chemistry feel natural. I loved the neurodivergent representation in this book! Frankie’s ADHD was a big part of her character and the way she was represented felt very accurate and even educational for those who may not understand the inner workings of ADHD. Morgan’s behavior was frustrating for me in the first half of the book, but her choices felt realistic to her character and it was nice to see her grow throughout the story. While there were queer characters in this book, other than that the ensemble of characters were not very diverse. Additionally, although the romance was lovely, the pacing and plot of this story feel a bit slow and at times anti-climactic. The narration of this audiobook was great. There was only one narrator, but it was easy to tell which MC was speaking and there was a lot of emotion in their performance. Overall The Ex Effect is a sweet sapphic second chance romance!
Thank you to Dreamscape Select for providing me with an ARC of the audiobook through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape for the audio arc


DNFed at 20%

I was really intrigued by the premise of The Ex Effect, and I went into the audiobook hoping for a fresh, emotional second-chance romance. Unfortunately, I struggled to connect with the story and characters. The pacing felt slow, and I found it hard to stay engaged. This one just didn’t work for me personally.

I ended up not finishing the audiobook, but I know other readers may enjoy the themes of rekindled love and emotional growth. Just not the right fit for me at this time.