Rachel Hawkins was a favorite of mine when I was in high school, so I was over the moon to see that she was writing adult romance! This was a cozy, autumnal, filled with magic romcom.
I think if you are someone who likes more plot driven romance, this is right up your alley. Our protagonist, Vivi, is a witch. One night, several years ago, heartbroken and pissed off, she places a drunken curse on her ex, Rhys. She thought it was just a lark, not really intending to cause any harm, and for years it seemed like that was all it was. Until said ex comes back to town and shit starts to fall apart. Now she has to break a curse and try not to get her heart broken all over again.
This was such a fun romp through a quaint, magical small town with an endearing cast of characters. I love a second-chance romance, and she really delivers with this one! There’s even a talking cat, you really can’t ask for more.
Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins for the digital ARC!

This is me invoking all the fall vibes! it may be early for a fall and Halloween-themed read for some of you, but for me, any bit of Halloween I can soak up is good for me!
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THE EX HEX by Erin Sterling / Rachel Hawkins is out 9/28 & a huge thank you to Avon Books for our gifted review copy.
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Read this if:
You love witchy heroines
A fall festival really gets you going
Stories set around Halloween are your jam!
Forced proximity & second chance romances melt you into a puddle
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THE EX HEX is one of my favorite reads of 2021! I can’t wait to get a finished copy and read it again and again! I feel like I may need to revisit these characters and the town every fall. This book is truly a warm hug for my fall, Halloween, and witch-loving heart!

oh i loved this more than i thought i would!!! it was sweet and a little spooky with mutual pining and adventure! a 4.8, i rounded up!

as always, i get weary with books outside of a normal rom com, thinking that the supernatural or science part of it will be confusing. (sometimes authors don’t explain it all that well) but i didn’t find that here at all! it was fun and witchy but modern and i appreciated that.

rhys and vivi’s story would’ve made for a great plot regardless but throwing in magic into it was unexpected but totally welcome. the obstacles they had to take gave the book so much fun adventure and added to the plot. i guess not a complete 5 only because the answer in the end was just simple and happened quick. i thought it would be a little more difficult to crack but i appreciated it all around. it wasn’t as abrupt as some books and i didn’t just go “well why didn’t they just go that in the first place?” because there Was solid build up to it.

anyway, hiiiiighly recommend it and this will be a perfect halloween read honestly! so gooood!

This was such a fun read, I loved it it make me laugh and swoon !I found the story heartwarming and I adored both characters!It has a little bit of everything, it's sweet,funny and cute.

We have Vivi who is a witch and Rhys broke her heart in the past after a summer fling .She decides to curse him with her cousin.Now after nine years he is back to town and things getting interesting between them.

It's a great second chance romance , a little bit steamy,a lot cute and so much funny!I'm going to reread it close to fall!

Thank you to Harper for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I love second chances, witches and romance, so The Ex Hex seemed like a hilarious, magic romance!

Unfortunately, this one failed a bit for me. I was really looking forward to the humor. I loved the premise of Vivi cursing her ex and them meeting again after 9 years, but the characters and most of the plot fell flat.

There is a great scene about a magical sex cave, which I got a good chuckle put of, but otherwise, it was a bit meh. Might have enjoyed it more as an audiobook.

Overall, a 3.5

The Ex Hex is a creative, sexy, and witchy fall rom-com you didn't know you needed. A laugh-out-loud hexing good time.

Think of Halloween town/Stars Hollow small town vibes with Hocus Pocus shenanigans & spice.

Vivi accidentally hexed her ex, Rhys, after having her heart broken many years ago... when he returns 9 years later, things in the town started going crazy and his magic isn't responding as it should be. They must work together reverse the hex.

Their banter is hilarious and the chemistry is off the charts...and for you bookworms out there, there's a library scene you'll appreciate *wink wink*!

This is the perfect fall witchy rom-com that I would 100% buy for all my girlfriends.

This was such a cute book and perfect to read near Halloween. It gave me such Stars Hollow vibes only with witches. I thought the romance was adorable and gah Rhys was so swoonworthy. I do wish there was more magic in this book, I wanted our main characters to use it more and it talk about it more.
Overall a great book to read in the fall. A little bit witchy, a little bit romance all set in an adorable town.

** spoiler alert ** I wanted to like this book. Viv and rhys seemed bland and yes there was some heat --it wasn't enough for me. I hope that the next book is about the sister or the brother . I did enjoy the magic and the witching college -- almost reminded me of the magicians . I wouldn't mind finding out about the ghost. I think that the talking cat was a bit much.

Words cannot describe how much I LOVED this book! It was very Hocus Pocus meets Practical Magic and it was a every ounce as magical. After Vivenne (Vivi) gets her heart broken her cousin Gwyn (who I loved) tried to make her feel better by casting a “fake” hex on the man who broke Vivi’s heart. Years later they find out the cause might not have been as fake as they thought. The sex was hot and I think Rhys might be my newest book boyfriend! The plot moved forward flawlessly and Vivi’s entire family had me in stitches. Highly recommend! Must read!
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for an ARC copy that I throughly enjoyed reviewing!

I am here for witch romances shining bright this year. The Ex Hex was my second one this month. They are hitting right. I love autumn. The Ex Hex felt like an autumn hug. I’m not a fan of very scary and it wasn’t. There was not one moment I felt like I was losing interest. It feels like lately only a small number of books make me feel this way. I loved the characters and the cat. It has a very important life less of never mixing vodka and witchcraft. I loved reading it.


I voluntarily read an early copy.

Wow this was such a fun easy read! I honestly could not put it down.

I am usually not super into second chance romances, but I absolutely loved Vivi and Rhys. They totally deserved another chance. :)

I loved hearing the dual narration. They both were fighting their mutual attraction, well mainly Vivi because Rhys wasn't fighting too hard. I loved hearing his POV because he was SO into her. Vivi was more hesitant and insecure in her feelings. Obviously she wasn't sure she could trust him after what happened before.

But the overall theme was a super cool idea. I'm not always into the magic element or witchy things, but I absolutely loved this. I thought it was so fun and unique and think it's so cool authors can come up with such interesting ideas!

If you love Hocus Pocus or Good Witch, but wanted some very spicy spice - this is the book for you!!!!

5/5

The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling has been described as Hocus Pocus but they fuck and I can definitely see that connection. This book follows two characters, Vivi and Rhys. Vivi is a young witch who has just gotten her heart broken by Rhys after a steamy summer fling and she decides to do a funny curse on him with her cousin. Nine years later, Rhys returns back to the town to recharge the town's ley lines and be there for founders day. While he is making his way through the town, bad luck strikes him too many times and once he see's Vivi again, they realize together that the curse she put on him nine years ago is real. They must work together to break the curse and learn more about the town along with Vivi's family history.

This was a super cute read. It honestly felt like a normal contemporary romance but with witches. I loved the dynamic that Vivi and Rhys have. I am a sucker for sarcastic romances where the two main love interests know how to poke fun at each other and make jokes.

I definitely feel like there could have been more though. It felt like the story was a bit rushed. Not in the writing sense but the plot. Each chapter something major would happen and it would be resolved by the end of the chapter. I loved Vivi and Rhys relationship but I could see it needing to be flushed out more or have more moments together. Those felt super quick as well.

Overall, it was a super cute and easy read. It brings a twist to a normal contemporary read. I would recommend picking it up for any romance and magical lovers.

The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling is a delightful, fun, laugh out loud, a book about witches, and small-town life as a witch. This book is just pure fun.

Vivienne Jones (Vivi), is a witch but lives her life mostly as an ordinary person. She’s a history professor at the nearby college and helps her Aunt Elaine and cousin Gwyn run a witch souvenir store in Graves Glen, GA. Nine years ago, Vivi was devastated after her three-month love affair with Rys Penhallow, one of the ancestors of the founder goes bad. Vivi and her cousin Gwyn, after too many shots of Vodka, decide to put a curse on Rys, even after Aunt Elaine warns to never mix witchcraft and Vodka. Neither Gwyn nor Vivi believes the curse worked, but nine years later when Rys retunes to Graves Glen, the curse is apparently working. Rys faces a myriad of magical problems as he tries to fix the magical leylines that lie in a secret cave on the outskirts of Glen Graves.

This book is engaging and fast-paced, but with enough detail that you felt like you lived in this small town in Georgia along with the witches and the normal people of the town of Graves Glen. I was immediately pulled into this story and thoroughly enjoyed my adventures with these characters as they raced to save the town. Vivi and Rys were engaging characters that I loved immediately. Their witty banter and underlying love for each other were endearing and heartwarming. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a fun, paranormal romance. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I DNF at 35%, I just couldn't get through it. The writing was very very adolescent for a book that's marketed for adults and has main characters that are nearly 30. I really wanted to like this because of the plot, and I always have a soft spot for Wales references, but that's about all I managed to like!

Thank you Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts!

Who hasn’t wanted to curse their ex? For Vivienne, a witch living in the idyllic epicenter of magic, Graves Glen, it’s all too easy to say a few angry words post-breakup and accidentally not totally on purpose curse her Welsh warlock ex, Rhys. Of course that isn’t the end of their story and this second chance romance sparkles with magic. The chemistry between Vivienne and Rhys sizzles and the supporting cast of characters (including a talking cat!) are the perfect way to get into the Halloween spirit. Light your Orchard Hayride candle, sip on some apple cider and get ready for a spooky good time.

This was a fun read, but one that I probably would not read again. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed everything about this: the swoony romance, the hint of magic, the snarkyness/quirkyness of the main character... but I feel like this was one that was good for a single read. Perfect for hot summers by the beach, cozy falls by a campfire, or winters in a warm blanket. Thank you for the e-arc!

To say I loved this book would be an understatement! I am usually hit or miss on rom/com type books but this one was the perfect amount of humor, sarcasm, and the added plot of magic/witches/town saving was perfect! I would love to see this one made into a movie! I blew through this one in two sittings and can't wait for it to come out so I can recommend to everyone!

A REALLY charming, wickedly funny debut from Sterling, who I've read thrillers from before but was really excited to get a copy of this! Vivi and Rhys' chemistry is so delicious and entertaining, and I think the thing I loved most about this was how light it felt content-wise, in the sense that nothing was ever TOO angsty or too emotionally draining. It was just a really delightful and ultimately fun reading experience, and I enjoyed every minute. I did think the resolution of the whole town curse was a little hasty in terms of execution compared to the rest of the novel, but overall this was so diverting and kept me hooked from start to finish, so my quibble with the pacing is really very minor in comparison to my enjoyment levels (which stayed so high!).

4.5

a very witchy second chance romance! third act conflict was mainly outside of vivi and rhys’ relationship, which i appreciated.

#netgalley

Vivienne Jones descends from a long line of witches and is expected to marry a well connected witch but after losing her heart years ago to fellow student Rhys Penhallow she's not interested. After too much tequila, she put a curse on Rhys when he broke up with her and hasn't seen him in nine years. She thought the hex she put on him was just for fun but Rhys is in for a big surprise when he comes back to town and they realize that the curse is real. I really enjoyed this story and all the witchy details. If Vivi and Rhys don't figure out how to make things right using their powers, the whole town will suffer. Highly recommended.