This was just an ok read for me. Esther is nearing 30 and reads an article about ex's and feels that she needs to revisit her past to see if one of the ex's is the guy she should be with now. She has two roommates - her friend Lou from grade school and Bibi. She gets very involved in her quest to seek out the ex's and loses sight of everything else. I thought the side story with Lou and her long-time boyfriend Sven was odd. The epilogue was the strangest ever - including the toilet issues that were noted throughout the book.

Where do I start?
Part of me enjoyed this book and part of me wanted to throw something while reading it.

I loved the concept of this story, and I love that we had interspersed timelines for each ex. It was a cool way for this book to be laid out, and had you curious about the next relationship. However, most of these characters fell flat.

Esther, the MC, is selfish, a user, and unlikable for half of this book. She gave me the ICK, and was honestly the character that I liked the least (besides the couple that were obviously bad people). It seemed like she didn't even like her friends. She treated them horribly. Plus, it was so weird that her and Bibi would sit there and listen to Louise be intimate with her boyfriend. That's horrifying.

The entire concept of this book was "I'm turning 30 and I need to find a man to make babies with". As a 31 year old woman, I'm so beyond over this stereotype that we freak out if we're still single at this age. I cannot roll my eyes any harder when I think about it.

Beyond those gripes, it was a quick and easy read.

another banger summer read! i love the found family and the romance with great laugh out loud moments!!!

Seven Exes was a fun, reflective read and the literary equivalent of going through that box we shove to the very back of the closet that holds the relics and feelings of past relationships. Esther was a bit chaotic and an emotional train wreck at times, as she finds herself navigating her late 20s single while being bombarded by societal pressure that she might have let “the one” get away. With the support of her best friends, Esther embarks on a mission to reconnect with her seven exes in attempt to see if one of them is the love of her life.

This book was unhinged and hilarious, but still heartfelt. I definitely identified with Esther’s overthinking and anxiety spirals - who hasn’t read into text messages or emails when you have to wait more than a few minutes for a reply?? Over thinkers unite!! While Esther wasn’t a particularly likable character - she was immature, selfish, and made some pretty cringey decisions - she was unabashedly herself, and I appreciated her honesty and open mindedness.

More a story of self love and acceptance than romantic love, Esther’s growth felt genuine and I admired how she sought to learn from past mistakes, make amends in friendships she broke, and learn to fully love herself. Definitely more contemporary/women’s fiction (hate that term), I can see some readers being disappointed by this being marketed as romcom since it’s very light on romance.

I really love how authors are bringing such magic to supporting characters right now, making them just as memorable as the MCs. I really loved Bibi and Lou and I want to be besties with Sofia.

Overall, I enjoyed this book! The characters and story weren’t necessarily profound, but the honest look into how maddening dating can be and the pressure society places on women was relatable and spot on.

3.5 stars!

I love the premise for this book - reviewing/contacting your exes to see what you've learned, if you missed out on a real romance, if they are the person you remember them being, etc. I really liked that the exes weren't in chronological order, so it wasn't as predictable. It took me quite a while to read this book, as parts of it were pretty slow, but overall I liked the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for feedback.

It kept my attention and I think the author has a wonderful writing style. I'm still not sure this was the book for me but it wasn't bad!

A delightful rom-com about a woman who decides to revisit each of her seven exes, convinced that one of them is “the one who got away.” Seven Exes. Seven Missed Chances. Who was the one who got away?

This started off great. What an amazing premise & the idea of this book is absolutely fun to read about!

But it pains to say this, it felt flat for me as i went further. I thought the storyline was all over the place. And instead of making it interesting, I almost felt clueless reading it.

Sorry but this wasn't for me.

<i>Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.<i>

I did not love this book. I found the characters a little silly, but I did keep reading to see what would happen in the end.

Esther is nearing 30 and whilst out with her gal pals and roommates at their local, finds an article about the 7 Exes everyone has. In her drunken state, and feeling down about her love life, she decides to revisit her relationships that fit into the categories laid out in the article.

I loved the premise and the hijinks that followed Esther, and her friends Lou, Bibi and Alex, through her quest. Light and fun read, lots of self discovery and growth, finding what you want, realizing the value in what you already have.

Recommend!

I will turn 29 in three months. With (almost) everyone around me married and some stepping into motherhood, I at times ask myself if I’m doing something ‘wrong’? Am I ‘supposed’ to get married now? These questions come as a surprise to me because I’m content and happy as I am, where I am. I do not feel the need to have someone by my side I’m at this moment. But I guess when everyone around you is doing the same thing, you do pause and question yourself, don’t you?

But unlike me, Esther is desperate to find a partner. She is turning thirty and every time she sees babies, her 'ovaries explode'.
At a night out with her girl friends at the nearby pub, she comes across an old magazine where she reads an article about how everyone has had seven kinds of exes and one of them is probably 'The One'. Esther freaks out, realising she may have already dumped the love of her life! In order to find The One, she decides to reconnect with her seven exes one by one, starting with her first love. And this is how the story comes into being.

To be frank, Esther didn't have a personality outside of how she was painfully single and desperately looking for the father of her children. In the midst of her mission, she gains old friends, comes to certain realisations, and almost jeopardises her job that she actually loves.

This book was nothing extraordinary, but I enjoyed reading it; practically finished it in 1.5 days! I reckon I was in need of a light and fun read, which this absolutely was. It also had an important (but slightly preachy) message towards the end, so it was a nice way to tie it all together!
It points out a single woman’s—of ‘marriageable age’—doubts, thoughts, and questions…making it meaningful.
Thank you to @harperperennial for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
PS I totally called the end!

Lucy Vine's Seven Exes is a delightful romantic comedy that follows Esther, a woman who revisits each of her seven exes, convinced that one of them is "the one who got away." The premise is fun and intriguing, and Vine executes it well. The pacing of the story is exactly what it should be, and the banter between the characters is laced with humor.

The book is a heartfelt story that explores the complexities of relationships and the different types of love that exist. Vine's writing is engaging and relatable, and she creates characters that are flawed but endearing. Esther is a relatable protagonist who is trying to figure out her life and love.

In the end, I only wish we were able to spend more time in the conclusion of the story. After all of the buildup, I wanted a little more. Overall, Seven Exes is a fun a read that will make you laugh, and you'll fall in love with more than the main character. If you're looking for a light and entertaining romantic comedy, this book is definitely worth checking out.

The concept of this book was interesting—it is about a woman named Esther who is on the brink of turning 30 and she desperately wants to find love. She finds an old magazine article about how there are seven archetypes a woman will date before finding The One. She realizes her seven exes fit into these categories and fears she missed her chance with The One. She contacts each of her exes in the hopes of finding out that one of them is actually meant for her.

This book didn’t resonate me. It was a good book but I felt it was missing something. I didn’t love it but I didn’t not enjoy it. It was funny at times (although I must admit some of the British humor probably flew over my head a bit at times). I didn’t find Esther to be particularly likable and I thought she was immature at times. However, I did like that she seemed to grow up a bit as a character. The whole friend group had their flaws but I think I liked Bibi the best. She was the most levelheaded. Overall, a good read but not a great read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This one was super fun and cute! I loved the friendships and love the concept of revisiting old relationships. This type of story has the potential to be done poorly, but Lucy Vine excelled at it. She was able to make you sympathize with the MC as well as show the growth and changes the MC went through. Her journey was a good one and I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed myself. I can’t wait to read more from this author!

Seven Exes is one of those reads that just didn't land right for me, more a DNF though I skimmed the whole thing. The vibe was less romcom tropes, which I wanted, and more what I don't want in a romcom, which for me is characters who I can't connect with/don't engage with and a plot that is lacking in the joyful fun of a romcom trope and instead feels more rushed/labored.
I appreciate the review chance and wish this had been more a win for me. I do love the premise and think the cover art is great!

⭐️: 2/5

Nearing 30 and worried about her lack of romantic prospects, Esther reads a magazine dating column discussing the seven archetypes a woman will date before finding “the one”. She realizes she has already dated all of these archetypes, and decides that maybe she has left her “the one” in the past. She contacts all seven of her exes fitting the archetypes in hopes of reconnecting and finding the man of her dreams.

I was interested in this one because it seemed like a riff of of What’s Your Number, which I actually love as a romcom, and not just because Chris Evans is 🥵, but this one is like that movie’s sad younger sister who is trying and failing to live up to its reputation. It’s just trying. So. Hard. The main character of Esther comes off as juvenile, stupid, and immature, and while I think the intent was to embody the quirky-girl-vibes of like, New Girl or similar ~archetypes~, it comes off as just strange-socially-inept-girl-vibes. It’s trying way too hard to be funny, and definitely believes it’s funnier than it is by a long shot. I didn’t connect to any of the characters due to their just blatant un-likability and immaturity, and the story just…was boring and predictable. The writing also was not great, utilizing a lot of hack-y elements, most noticeably long strings of letters elongated throughout a word, such as “ohhhh nooooo nooooot meeee” which is really annoying to read honestly. To each their own, but my recommendation is to skip this one.

Thanks to @netgalley and @harperperennial for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!

A book that kept me reading late into the night! Esther reads an article that tells her she only has seven relationships to find The One. Esther decides to revisit each of her seven exes and see if they were The One. What follows is a funny journey into Esther’s past.
I laughed out loud several times in this book. Esther is a slight sarcastic woman and her responses are funny. She’s had good exes and bad exes and she explores them all. My favorite ex was The First Love for many reasons. If you love a good romcom with a side of serous topics you will love this book!

Dnf @ 88%

Thank you netgalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy

Before I start with everything I disliked I'll start with the one (1) thing that i enjoyed

The first thing that caught my initial attention was obviously the title and then reading the sysnopis. It immediately grabbed my attention, it felt like something new and fresh and fun and OF COURSE BOUND TO HAVE DRAMA AND LOVE which i am ALWAYS down to read. The book did start off strong but i quickly realized that Esther ( the main character) was not someone I could root so let’s talk about that.

What I didn’t enjoy

First off.. I don’t know if it was intentional or not but .. Esther is extremely unlikable… LIKE REALLY .. REAAAAALLY UNLIKABLE .. she’s one of the worst characters i’ve ever read about. I don’t think it’s the authors fault but im just confused as to why she’s written to be such a horrible person because that made me not want her to have a happy ending at all. Like she didn’t deserve to be with ANY OF THESE PEOPLE WHO .. half of the reason their exes is BECAUSE of her selfishness and immaturity. I truly believe she should’ve took the time to focus on herself instead of constantly throwing herself into new relationships but again she’s insanely immature. I didn’t find her relatable at all and I actually worry for anyone if they can find her relatable because she’s an awful person not only to the people she’s dating but to her friends 😭😭 LIKE THE AMOUNT OF times she went off on them was CRAZY. It was really hard to feel sorry for her when she was such an unlikable and hate-able( i did just make that word up) character like i actually wanted her to end up alone 😭😭 In the end I decided NOT to finish the book even though I did make it to the 88% mark, it was clear that she was going to get a “happy ending” after all the awful things and decisions she made while doing the seven exes challenge.

Thank you, Harper Perennial and NetGalley, for the advanced copy of Seven Exes.

Y'all! I loved this one. This was a fun read and had me laughing out loud. A great read to share with girlfriends. This one won't disappoint. Get it today!!

Esther is almost thirty and although she's got a job that she adores and loves living with her two very best friends, she's missing someone special in her life. One drunken night out, she finds an old magazine article that leads her down the path of contacting her seven exes to see if maybe she's already met the right person at the wrong time. The book follows Esther's rollercoaster path with her friends and her exes on her journey to find love.

This was an interesting plot I guess...This book seemed very rushed to me. I didn't really feel like the characters were flushed out enough. I didn't really find myself rooting for the main character. I just wish that there was more to the story.

A unique and fun look into "the one that go away trope." I enjoyed the voice and the dialogue, as well as the satisfying ending.