Best Hex Ever was a cute book! I loved that Dina was a kitchen witch and Scott was a museum curator - so cozy! The chemistry between them was really great as well. I adore Dina’s family house. Where can I find a magical house? One thing that wasn’t my favorite was the PC stuff really being force fed. I’m here to suspend reality; when authors oh-so-casually drop stuff like that in their books, it feels more like pushing an agenda dressed up in fiction to me.

I received an ARC of Best Hex Ever from NetGalley. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

True score 3.75, rounding up to 4

What to expect:
🍂Cozy fall vibes
🍂Bi rep
🍂Moroccan witch
🍂forced proximity
🍂baking with spells
🍂reverse Indiana Jones MC
🍂magical house with personality
🍂SPICY
🍂insta love

🫶🏽What I enjoyed
The fall atmospheric vibes were SO good! This had an incredibly cozy start and the imagery described was so clear I could easily see it in my head. I was very much intrigued by the premise, enjoyed Dina’s relationship with her best friends, and appreciated a few of the tender moments she had with Scott. I also loved the close relationship each MC had with their parents, even though Dina was afraid of coming out to her mom.

What didn’t work for me
I wish this book had gradually eased in to the spice. The start was so sweet and cozy and I feel like the jump to graphic language came out of no where and was a bit extreme. I would have liked to have seen Dina and Scott develop more of an emotional relationship first, and for them to have dug deeper during the maze scene. I was also hoping to learn more about Rosemary seeing dead people, as that was glossed over. And about 1|4 of the book was mostly back-to-back smut. Thankfully it did get better after the cringy 3rd act break up.

All that said though, I think there were a lot of strong strengths here for a debut, and I look forward to reading more from this author! Plus she gave a pspspsps shoutout to her cat in the acknowledgments, so she’s won me over

A review will be posted on my Instagram account the week of September 23rd.

This book was amazing! No notes! It was cozy and spicy and literally made me forget it’s still summer outside! I cannot wait to follow Nadia’s career!

Best Hex Ever is a romantic cozy about a kitchen witch who has been hexed; anyone who loves her romantically will get hurt. I specify romantic love because Dina is loved. She has good friends that accept her as she is. Her parents are kind and supportive. She owns a thriving business with happy repeat customers. She can pay her bills. There isn’t anyone in her life that is manipulative, or mean, or sarcastic, or out to destroy her. Yes, she is lonely, but otherwise her life is good.

It is so nice to start a novel with a hug instead a long list of problems to fix.

And once Scott shows up, her life just gets better. He is fascinated with her magic, but not in an exploitive way. He likes her cat. Their chemistry is great. They genuinely like and respect each other, tell each other the truth and are vulnerable. He is emotionally mature enough to apologize, helps out when firewood needs to be chopped.

The sex scenes are spicy and welcome, don’t get me wrong, but I think the author has tapped into a much sweeter sort of fantasy than she anticipated.

I really wanted to like this book because Dina is a witch who owns a magical cafe where the hot chocolate and pastries are always delicious. Cute, right? However, the pacing was so slow in the beginning that it was hard for me to get into it. There were several pages of dialogue and interiority just talking about pastries and how amazing Dina is at baking. I feel like all of that could've been condensed to one paragraph. Since she's also a witch, it was odd that she was taking so much credit for it. Which is it? Is it your amazing baking skills or is it magic?

The love story was cute but there was some kink stuff that just isn't my personal taste. I also thought that the stakes were high but I had a hard time believing it for some reason. I don't know if I just wasn't invested enough in the characters or if it was a case of telling versus showing. Either way I was okay with the third act breakup trope.

Overall though it's a cute, autumn read. I think if you just take it at face value and go into it with low expectations, you'll enjoy it.

Thank you, Random House and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

📖📖 Book Review 📖📖 In a world that can be so overwhelming and cruel, it cannot hurt to believe in a little bit of magic….Whether you think magic is real or not, the universe sure did have a plan to bring Dina and Scott together over the course of their best friends’ wedding weekend. A little bit of witchcraft mixed with forced proximity is just the right recipe to bring these two together in this absolutely wonderful read! And sometimes it takes finding someone who helps balance us to break old hexes and find freedom to move forward toward a better future. I might have been under a spell the whole time reading this book (and am totally amenable to that) because I was 💯 enthralled by the characters and captivated by this wonderfully witchy romance.

Review is on Goodreads and will be posted on instagram closer to publication date and on Amazon when published!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

2.5 stars. This pulled me in with the cute title and a magical cafe. A magical cafe! How wonderful. Sadly, I did not feel connected with the characters and I wasn't really invested in their relationship. Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC

Looking for a cozy, magical romance perfect for spooky season? Look no further than Nadia El-Fassi’s debut novel, Best Hex Ever.

Dina is a witch who weaves and magic and spells into the food and drinks she prepares. Life is great owning and running her own cafe, Dina has amazing friends and family, but there’s just one thing: there’s a hex on her plaguing her love life. Scott is a museum curator (yep, queue up the hot professor vibe), who has recently healed from a heartbreak. Dina and Scott find themselves on a collision course as they are thrown together as maid of honor and best man for their friends’ wedding. Can the two deny their chemistry? Can Dina undo the hex before it’s too late?

Huge thanks to delrey Uk for sending me this absolutely lovely and charming arc.

What’s your favorite spooky season read?

I struggled a bit with this book -- I loved the concept and the writing, but the plot felt too fast. Additionally, I somehow found the stakes to be too low. I enjoyed the twist of her cursing herself, and even more enjoyed a MMC who was supportive right off the bat of learning about Dina's abilities. Overall, a quick read that I didn't need to take too seriously to enjoy.

I absolutely adored Best Hex Ever by Nadia El-Fassi! This is a steamy and sweet, with light fantasy elements that add so much to the story. I couldn't put this one down! It's going to be a perfect fall read.

✨I received this as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion✨
You guys I had SO MUCH FUN reading this. I have always been a fan of anything witchy, so if I see a witchy romance y’all KNOW it’s gonna come home with me.
Scott and Dina were adorable. Just everything about them was just so cute.
I was pleasantly surprised with Dina’s queerness, that was a delight and I really appreciated how the author handled it in regards to her relationship with Scott.
I love when big men are soft and sweet and that is exactly what Scott is; he’s a big softie that would do anything for his love.
Had a great time and would absolutely recommend if you want something sweet and witchy and perfect for fall.
I am so in love with all types of witchy/paranormal/Halloween type romances so if I see one I’m EATING IT UP and leaving absolutely no crumbs.

Waaayyy spicier than “adorable cozy rom com”, so I'm just going to leave it at the autumn vibes and cute magic. I suggest saving this for a time where you can snuggle up in a fluffy sweater while drinking something warm AND in the mood for something strong & spicy. The characters keep internalizing how hot they find each other with very unfiltered descriptive fantasies. It’s a LUSTY instalove. I was caught off-guard, but don’t be like me. LOL… Looking beyond that, there is an adorable plot with the sweetest characters.

This book has a cute concept but it wasn’t particularly well written. It didn’t really grab me as much as many other books in this genre. It did have good Halloween vibes though so it would be a good seasonal read.

I was craving something that gave me the feeling of fall this summer, so I requested Best Hex Ever. I went into it knowing nearly nothing, except the cover gave me the fall-vibes I was craving, and that it was a witchy romance.

It was my first "kitchen witch" romance! I was really excited, I've heard great things about kitchen witch romances. With this being my first, take my opinion with a grain of salt. But this isn't my first romance and I haven't counted the books I've read, but it's well north of a thousand, so I don't know nothing.

This book reads like a debut novel. Some of this may go away in future edits, as I'm sure there were more done after this pass, but the magic feels like it was used a little too conveniently. If there was a big, inconvenient plot hole? Magic! If there was a small detail that could have been mundanely explained? Magic! There was also little to no cost to using the magic, and it was used too freely. And, occassionally, when the magic as used, it was used too . . . exaggeratedly? It felt a little like an unrealistic dream romance. The only real stakes that I felt were for Scott right before Dina left him. Like most books, the last chunk was the best chunk, but, unlike most great books, it didn't make up for the rest before it.

That said, I really enjoyed the read, I even have a copy coming, and I'm hoping Rosemary's story will prove to be even better, since magic won't be able to be used too conveniently, so long as it doesn't suffer from sophomore syndrome! It's not the best romance I've read this year, but it's not the worst romance I've ever read.

Best Hex Ever has a lot of qualities that are going for it--and many parts that I thoroughly enjoyed! But for me, there were also some significant stumbles in this debut romance.

I did enjoy the characters quite a lot. Dina is a great main character. Very relatable and feels like your best friend. Her friends and family were equally likeable. Scott, Dina's love interest, is less-dimensional and, while he remains perfectly fine, never reaches book boyfriend status for me, since his chapters came off a bit flatter than Dina's. I also liked the atmosphere; the autumnal descriptions felt like a cozy sweater, and I loved El-Fassi's descriptions of Dina's baked goods :)

However, I took issue with the pacing--it's a bit of a slow burn between Dina and Scott, which is fine if it also wasn't an insta-love scenario. The end also felt super dragged-out. The spicy scenes, while well-written, felt misplaced in terms of the timeline. I also wasn't the biggest fan of the writing; the early chapters, especially, read very childishly, which, had this been a closed-door rom com, would have been fine, but the very explicit sexual scenes later jar HEAVILY against El-Fassi's voice as a writer. This is, for me, an editorial issue that should have been picked up in earlier drafts.

I'll gladly read more of El-Fassi's writing, and I look forward the next book in the series, but I hope that she and her editor are able to learn from the mistakes of the debut, because there is so much to love that I feel bad I can't give it more stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell for the ebook ARC. All opinions are mine alone.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC!

What a cute cozy fall romcom!! I loved this book with its practical magic feel to it. I highly recommend this book!

This cozy, fall romance pulled me in from the first sentence and kept me content throughout; I wanted to curl up in a big sweater with a warm drink, a delicious pastry, and a soft blanket. It had such a feel of warmth, love, and friendship, and had me wishing fall would get here sooner.
I found Dina immediately relatable and absolutely loved her two best friends, Immy and Rosemary. Dina’s magical bakery sounds like the perfect place to spend a dreary, cold day, or really any day.
Scott, an intelligent and athletic guy, would be perfect to fall asleep with while telling you about his latest exhibit at the museum or his world travels. I loved the chemistry between Scott and Dina, the friendships of the women, as well as between Scott and his best friend, Eric. Dina’s relationship with her mother, Nour was very sweet and reminded me a lot of a woman who is a bit like a second mum to me, I couldn’t help but read Nour in her voice. The spicy scenes with Dina and Scott were 🥵🤌🏻 and were a bit slow burn to get there, but worth the wait.
This book didn’t get resolved the way that I thought it would and I’m glad it went in the direction that it did. While this book is set in the UK and doesn’t have the same Halloween excitement as the US, it’s still a great fall read with a different twist on the season. I look forward to the author’s next book!

I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this arc of Best Hex Ever by Nadia El-Fassi.

I’ll start with the things I enjoyed about this book:
1. It was very cozy and the perfect book to read around Halloween and Christmas. It felt like a warm hug.
2. I enjoyed the pieces of Moroccan culture and history that were placed throughout the book.
3. The message of loving yourself and letting down your walls really spoke to me.
4. The Samhain ritual part of the book was really cute and made me smile.

Now, I’ll move on to my critiques:
1. My biggest issue was pacing. At some points I felt it moved too quickly and other points it felt really slow.
2. I felt that there were places that smut was inappropriate, like in the middle of a wedding reception. And often, the smut was cringey when it was misplaced.
3. Finally, I felt the “plot twist” at the end was extremely predictable.

Overall, this was an enjoyable book and I would love to read the next installment to see the other friends fall in love with their partners. Again, thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the opportunity to read the arc of this book.

This was such a cute and fun read. I was looking for a palette cleanser after reading some more heaving titles, and this hit the spot. Dina is such a sweet character and I couldn't help but think of The Spellshop in that it was cozy and the MC just wanted to use her magic to make other people's lives better. The spice level was higher than I was expecting. That's not a complaint, just an observation and something readers should be aware of in case that's not their thing. The author's writing style was engaging and I thought the characters were well-developed. I would recommend this to anyone looking for something cozy that also has some heat.

This will be the perfect fall read for anyone looking for an adorable, witchy book. The story focuses on Dina, a witch who was hexed by ex so that anyone who loves her will be hurt, and Scott, who she keeps having “meet-cute” moments with. They also happen to be the Maid of Honor and Best Main at their mutual friends’ wedding.

I absolutely loved all of Dina’s friends and family, and how supportive they were of her throughout the book. I was also immediately sucked into the writing style, especially how detailed the author made Dina’s magic and baking! (This book made me seriously hungry for some pastries 🤩)

This is definitely a great book to check out if you are looking for a steamy, but sweet read perfect for cozying up this fall!

Thank you to Netgalley and the published for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.