This was a slow burning psychological thriller set during the pandemic and on the whole told from in the third person from the point of view of the character of Miranda sams boss.

When Sam decided to make another go of it with his ex Naomi he really has no idea of what he is letting himself in for and what is yet to come

This was an intense gripping read and shows nothing and no one is how they seem at face value.

A lovely dark thriller for the majority of the book that will keep you entertained. Some great characters although I felt the ending was a slight let down. Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the chance to review.

The Ex is a well written, can’t put it down book. The story has been brilliantly set mid-pandemic. The author, S. E. Lynes, has woven Covid throughout the plot creatively using it to explain/enhance the evolution of non-traditional story of revenge. Definitely a must read!
Thank You to Bookouture, NetGalley and S. E. Lynes for the opportunity to enjoy this ARC.
I am anxious to read other titles by this author.

The Ex by S.E. Lynes was a bit of a letdown for me as I always have such high expectations of anything from this author. While it is an undeniably solid read, it just did not engage me as much as I had hoped.

Sam runs into his ex Naomi about a year after their breakup and is shocked to discover that she now has a baby. Wondering if the child is his, Sam rekindles his relationship with Naomi, setting off a whirlwind of events that will forever alter lives. 3.5 stars

I have previously enjoyed this author's titles, and do realize that not every offering is destined to be a favourite. While I did not gel with this particular book for whatever reason, I very much look forward to what comes next from the fabulously talented Ms Lynes.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC.

Good Lord this was good. This book had me so anxious throughout. I had to laugh at how invested I was. The characters really come to life and the pandemic is woven throughout the book, rather than just mentioned in passing as many books I'm reading.

I loved all the characters and the whole storyline itself. This would make an excellent movie.

As usual for S.E. Lynes, a five star read.

SE Lynes is one of my favourite authors. An auto-buy author, as they say: I don't even need to read the blurb. And yes I will buy it even though I got to read it here (I think everyone should).

Sam broke up with Naomi. Was she as coercive as she seemed? Or was he neglectful? We get a peek at their relationship and the author makes it very hard to determine at first. One thing you do know early on: Sam has done something bad. But WHAT?!
And so it's with bated breath that you are carried through the story of them coming together again.

SE Lynes once again delivers a story of simmering suspense where all is not what it seems. I must've suspected EVERYONE at one point or another.

Highly recommend, like all the others (though Can You See Her? is still my favourite)

A failed relationship leaves a different mark on Naomi and Sam.
The creative writing style had me detesting the Naomi character; wanting to know why she did certain things. I found Sam to be a pleaser, but I think as he had been a victim of both emotional and physical abuse he would tend to be this way.
This book had me hooked from the start of the book, but I felt the book came to an abrupt end.

I really liked this book, it was well written with a gripping story, an engaging narrative and well developed charcaters. A good level of suspense and like that the pandemic was brought into it as we can all relate.

I am clearly in the minority, but I didn’t like this book as much as the others by this author. The story felt very predictable to me. It centers on Sam, who broke up with his girlfriend Naomi during the pandemic and then runs into her by chance a year or so later- she has a baby in tow and he can’t help but wonder if it is his baby. This sets off a whirlwind of events as Sam and Naomi rekindle their relationship. The story is told primarily from Sam’s POV, but you also get some chapters from letters written by Naomi’s and from Sam’s friend Miranda.

I found the first half of the book a little boring as we see Sam and Naomi try to rebuild their relationship. I was really frustrated with Sam through most of this part because he didn’t stand up for himself and constantly questioned his own actions. Things pick up as the book continues and there are a couple of twists towards the end, though I had predicted the twists. One thing I did really enjoy is the true emotion Sam feels towards baby Tommy, which is expertly written and felt truly authentic.

Overall, there just weren’t that many surprises in this book and the relationship didn’t feel believable. It was an ok read but not my favorite. I see most other reviewers felt much differently, though; seems worth the read if you like this author. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks NetGalley, Bookouture and S. E. Lynes for an ARC to review.
Loved The Housewarming, The Baby Shower and Her Sister's Secret.. S. E. Lynes become one of my favorite authors.. She doesn't follow the stereotypical structure of such books.
Here in The Ex, I loved the narration style, the characters, the scenic setting and the impact of COVID and its mental and social effects.
I absolutely loved The Ex. Looking forward to reading the next one already.

Right. I'm actually starting to bore myself now with how much I rate this author. We have now been treated to book 11 and as per usual, it is another 5 star read. I just don't know how she does it. Each book is beautifully written which obviously draws you in, but the 'depth' of these books blows my mind. Everything is so intricately woven and plotted, that you really have no idea about what is coming next. I go between wanting to devour the book immediately, or save it to read as long as possible so I don't have months to wait until the next!

As highly recommended as always!!

This was a great fast paced, engaging read. Sam Moore runs into his ex-girlfriend. Naomi has a baby with her and Sam wonders if it could be his child. Sam has always wanted a family so he starts a relationship with Naomi. The relationship moves along very quickly and Joyce is worried about Sam and so is Miranda. Miranda wonders should she say something?

This was like a roller coaster ride just buckle up and enjoy the ride in this fast paced psychological thriller.

"The Ex" is a book about just that, an ex. It's written in a narrative form from the view of Miranda about Sam and Naomi. It kicks of right away telling us something big is going to happen, but what is the question? It's a very suspenseful read and I've never read a book where I actively hate a character, namely Naomi! This made the book kind of hard to read for me as I disliked her character so much that I didn't want to know what else she was going to do to poor Sam but I had to know what happens in the end. The ending is a little bit predictable but it's still a good ending to a good book!

Wow! S.E.Lynes has produced an amazing book with The Ex. With each of her books, the plots get more twisted. The Ex is the most tense to date.

The plot of The Ex fascinated me. It's a deep exploration of morality, human connections, self-image, and values. For quite a while I questioned who was wrong and right in how Naomi and Sam conducted their relationship the first time around. Narcissism and gas-lighting do their devious work in making you almost sympathise with an abuser.

We all like to think we're smart and would never be fooled, but we've all lost our heads for love. The consequences of a character's earnest belief in love a second time around has heartbreaking and deadly repercussions.

I couldn't put this book down, even when what was happening was painful to read. That's the sign of a brilliant writer who knows how to play with a reader's emotions, in the best way possible.

An excellent read.

S.E. Lynes' books are always a reliably good read and The Ex was no exception. Sam and Naomi split up a while ago, for reasons about which they would both give very different accounts; when Sam meets Naomi again by chance, she has a baby with her - a baby who looks suspiciously like him. It seems that motherhood has changed Naomi for the better, and they reconnect and rekindle their relationship over baby Tom - but of course, there's more going on than meets the eye.

There aren't really any big surprises, however; we-the-reader can see more or less where things are going, and it was one of those situations where I hoped they wouldn't go there but knew they would. As a result it was quite a painful read waiting for the inevitable hammer to fall. Towards the end I half expected a twist which didn't really come.

It was a plausible - up to a point - account of a toxic relationship with a profoundly narcissistic person. Things rarely go as far as they do here, but the letters scattered throughout help explain, to some extent, how someone can consider themselves entirely justified in acting in clearly dreadful and indefensible ways.

I don't think this is my favourite of Lynes' books, but it was nevertheless an engrossing read.

I am a huge S.E. Lynes fan especially after reading The Housewarming. The Ex has so much emotion especially from the male's point of view regarding his past relationship and the secrets between them. I also adored the aunt he lived with and how protective and cynical she can be. We all need aunties like her. Excellent suspense once again from this fab author!

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture Publishing for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

The synopsis:
Sam is an honest, hard-working young man. He lives with his grandmother, Joyce.
One day on a walk, Sam sees his ex, Naomi. Naomi has a baby with her. Sam notices the resemblance, but Naomi insists she is just babysitting and the baby is not his. But is it? What other jaw dropping secrets is Naomi hiding?

This was a 4 star read for me. It started very slow, and I was not sure I would finish. It did not have a "thriller" feel about it. But halfway through, wow!!! I was so glad I kept reading. There are many surprising twists, so do not give up. I also like how it ended on a happy note.

I would highly recommend and would like to read more books by the author, S.E. Lynes.

This book had great ratings, so I was really looking forward to it. However, it was extremely hard to get into. The main characters needed to be developed more in order for the storyline to make sense, in my opinion.

So, here I am again, broken and bereft, left in a million shattered pieces, wondering how on earth I can write a review that will do justice to SE Lynes latest book, The Ex.
Eleven books in and Susie Lynes still manages to blow me away every single time. The Ex is a toxic tale of dark and twisted relationships in the backdrop of the latter stages of the pandemic. The virus doesn’t really feature as such but hovers in the background as a dark and stark reminder of the loneliness and isolation that filled our lives and how easy it might have been for things to go horribly wrong.
Sam has picked himself up and dusted himself down after a relationship breakup, he’s living with Joyce, his gran and has a good life with some good friends and then his ex, Naomi, comes back into his life and their dreams collide.
When I pick up a book by SE Lynes, I am conflicted, part of me wants to hide away in a room and devour every page in one sitting but I also want to take my time and drink in and savour every word. Her writing is poetic, it’s elegant, powerful and brutally honest and raw. In the Ex she has created a cast of characters that creep under your skin and stay there. I felt as though I was inhabiting each of their lives as I read. Narrated by Miranda, Sam’s colleague and friend, it was easy to get inside her head and really experience her deep feelings for Sam, her feeling of powerlessness as she watched a tragic car accident play out in front of her eyes. I really felt for Miranda, to be in that position where you love someone so much you can’t actually bring yourself to tell them you think they are making a big mistake, it was heart-breaking to be in her head.
Now let’s talk about Naomi, what a delightfully complex character, the author has created in her. She will really screw with your head, has she changed, is she the love of Sam’s life or is she trying to trap him, and just what the hell is she up to. I was totally invested in this dark and twisted relationship, shouting at the pages, NOOOOOOOOOOO don’t do this all the way through. I wanted to feel for Naomi and I found myself wondering about her background, her family relationships and what led her to behave the way that she did at times. The author cleverly weaves in little snippets of the background and leaves you wondering whether you should take this woman and look after her or despise her. Oh so delightfully clever.
Sam, oh Sam, I kind of fell in love with him a little, his close relationship with his gran, Joyce and his need to do the right thing really lead to dark and turbulent times for this character.
It’s a psychological thriller and of course there are twists and turns, and SE Lynes is so very cruel to her characters in parts of this book. Some might call it a slow burner but please don’t mistake this for a criticism. It isn’t a wham bam thank you mam kind of read, rather the suspense is slowly drip fed throughout the book, leaving you with a mounting sense of uneasiness, and you so desperately want to reach into the pages and rescue the characters from the hell that you know awaits them.
Once again, SE Lynes takes us on a rollercoaster ride of a read, her observations of society and those who walk among us, makes for a relatable and authentic read. It is so easy to become invested and engaged in the lives of the characters she has created and to find yourself thinking…”what if…” and “what would I do...” Her characters are multi-layered and she takes great delight in slowly peeling back each layer to expose what lies beneath; dysfunctional and toxic relationships, narcissism and emotional abuse leave you with a creeping sense of discomfort and fear that things are always just waiting to collapse around the characters she has created.
I’ve said it many times and I’ll say it again, Susie Lynes, you are a genius! The Ex ticked every single box for me. Deliciously dark, tantalizingly toxic and completely compelling. Do NOT miss this!
All that is left for me to do is sit patiently and wait to see what you bring!
I wish I was allowed to rate this way more than five stars!

I loved this book as much as I love all this authors other books. I liked how the narrator was somewhat on the edge of the action and that kept me second guessing. Clever writing as always