This book worked for me because I love an insta-love trope, if you don't then this is not for you. This book was very spicy, so yes!! I really enjoyed the magic, although I think the book could have delved a little deeper into the magical aspect. All together I enjoyed this book, it was a cute and cozy paranormal romance with lots of spice. I will definitely read the next in the series!

I've never read a cozy witchy paranormal romance but I thought this was a good read. The fmc is Moroccan, lives in London, and owns her her own cafe. She has had a terrible time finding love after a hex was put on her by her ex-girlfriend so anytime she's in a relationship or likes someone they get hurt. She meets the mmc and there's that instant lust between them and she has to figure out what to do about the hex and magic etc. Despite the instant lust, there was a lot of chemistry between the main characters and I found their romance very believable. There's a lot of spice in this book(like a lot) and I was so surprised by it because of the cozy cute cover lol. The fmc is a chaotic bisexual and I liked that, i wish the mmc had been a little more fleshed out but overall I think this is a good fast-paced cozy romance. Thank you Dell for the arc for an honest review.

Read for:
- Paranormal romance
- Bipoc fmc
- Witchy vibes
- Instant lust
- Spicy 🌶️🌶️🌶️
- Praise kink

While I liked this, I wish I had realized just how spicy it was going to be when I went into it. Dina and Scott are very horny for each other pretty much as soon as they meet each other. This book also takes place over a fairly short period of time, which made me struggle to believe they were actually in love, rather than just lust. Still, I do think I'll end up reading Rosemary's love story.

DNF at 60%.

Was excited for this! Believe me, I’ve been hearing and seeing it around Booktwt. But all the elements of the premise that I hoped would make this stand out and feel special let me down so unfortunately I had to set it aside.

This rating is definitely subjective so please keep that in mind. As far as a promise of fantasy goes, the magical elements are light-light-light. I wouldn’t even count this as a magical romance because there's so little explanation of the magic (Dina bakes magical treats and suffers from a love-related hex). As far as the romance: good characters overshadowed by some romance tropes that just aren't my favorite.

This book was cute, but it wasn’t really for me. I loved the premise of it but the execution wasn’t great in my opinion. It was nearly a DNF for me, the quickness of instant love vibes wasn’t something I enjoyed. I wanted to root for the characters and their budding relationship but that didn’t happen.
The conflict of the love- hex resolved extremely quickly and was the main conflict of this book. I wanted more tension and burn to create more drama and interest to maintain an intriguing factor in the book as a reader.

There is definitely room to grow for this book and author as more develops but it’s a start for sure. I’ll keep an eye out on what’s next because the idea was there and it was good. But it needs work to become great.

Thank you to NetGalley and random house publishing for the ARC.

she was cute!!!! i read this at the recommendation of lana ferguson and it did not disappoint! she was a very cute, witchy romance perfect for spooky season. also, the spice was spicing and that alone conveys just how swooney and sweet this story was, and i can’t wait to read more from her!

Dina works hard at keeping her café going, as well as refusing any meaningful relationship since she was hexed so that anyone who falls for her gets hurt. When Scott walks into the café, it sets off a series of events that has Dina questioning her the hex, her magical abilities, and if she's willing to do whatever it takes to change things.

Dina and Scott are very much in insta-love, and the story is fairly predictable, but the setting (coffee drinks? pastries? hell yeah) is cute and there is a certain familiar who will steal your heart. I'm glad I read it and I'll be on the lookout for more from the author.

Equal parts sweet AND spicy. I had so much fun reading it! This is a witchy, cozy fantasy romance that would be a perfect autumn read.

I loved the FMC, Dina, so much! She's a Moroccan, bisexual entrepreneur who loves her curves. It was so refreshing to follow her journey! There's also a lottttt of well-executed spice in this book too.

I've seen a lot of reviews that are critical of the insta-love between Dina and Scott. While yes they did hit it off instantly, I found their attraction sweet and believable. Not every relationship has to be enemies to lovers, and this book proudly shows that.

Overall, this magical, cozy romance had me smiling and blushing all throughout the book. I cannot wait to read what Nadia writes next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dell for the advanced copy of this book.

I wanna give a massive thank you to author Lana Harper for putting this book on my radar. Lana Harper is one of my favorite authors and when I saw her recommending this book on Instagram I knew I had to add it to my TBR. Also another massive thank you to Ballantine/Del Rey & Netgalley for an ARC review copy!

Now back to our regularly scheduled review portion! Like I mentioned as soon as I heard about Best Hex Ever I was ecstatic. I’m always down to read a witchy romcom. Best Hex Ever is a cozy fall fantasy romance that’s easy and charming to read. Now even though I loved certain aspects of this book I still had some minor issues throughout.

My first minor qualm I had was with our main character Diana. I had a really hard time relating to her or feeling any sympathy for her situation. Won’t get to into details because I don’t want to spoil anything. But I fully believe Diana needed to learn actions have consequences. My other gripe with not just Diana but romcoms in general the miscommunication trope was used quite heavily in this book and I’m not particularly a fan when that trope comes into play. Especially when it’s the cause of 90% of the main characters suffering. I just wanted to scream at Diana multiple times “just say something woman!! You have an amazing support group of family and friends. TALK TO THEM!!!”

Ok I promise I’m done with my rage outbursts. Let’s talk about my favorite moments of the book. I absolutely loved Dina and Scott. I know at times their relationship felt insta-lovey. But Nadia did a great job of fleshing out both characters. Diana & Scott’s relationship was one to root for. They are both kind, hard working characters that have both struggled and deserve to have a happily ever after.

Another part that I thoroughly loved was our side characters Immy & Rosemary. They were both super relatable and I couldn’t see two of my best girlfriends in them. Their friendship with Diana added a great heart warming presence to the story.

Last but not least the Magic! I loved the Magic system in this cozy romcom. It was easy to follow and made you wish we had more Magic in our own world.

Overall this is a fun cute witchy romcom that I think anyone could enjoy. I highly recommend you check this book on its release on October 1, 2024

Best Hex Ever by Nadia El-Fassi is a charming and heartwarming story about Dina, a cafe owner and witch, and Scott, a museum curator. The two of them keep running into each other, but both are hesitant to make the first move until their friends and fate get involved.

Best Hex Ever by Nadia El-Fassi is a spicy magical romance featuring a friendly kitchen witch, Dina. Dina is a skilled witch, infusing drinks and treats at her Café with magic to help her customers, however she does not have the same luck for herself. She's under a hex that has plagued her love life. She meets Scott, a curator at a local museum, and they instantly have chemistry. Dina must now decide if it's worth it to explore this connection with Scott as she faces the risk of him discovering she's a witch and that she's hexed.

This is a cute read for spooky season. It's a spicy HEA romance with the witchy element. It was an entertaining read but not necessarily one I'd re-read. HOWEVER for readers looking for a spooky HEA book to read during Halloween (or really any time), this would be a decent option.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for granting me an ARC eBook. Best Hex Ever is expected to be published October 1, 2024.

I enjoyed this contemporary romance with plenty of paranormal elements. I love the idea of kitchen witches adding elements of positivity to their food. The friendships embraced in this book were wonderful and leave options for more books. The romance itself was spicy and heart warming. I read this book on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Best Hex Ever was an incredibly cozy and fun read. I love how Nadia touched on all the paranormal/witchy aspects.

This book was amazing and I devoured this book in just a few sittings! I loved the character development and how the story progressed.

I went back and forth with this story. Really loved the magical elements. The FMC Dina is a witch and she owns a cafe where she puts nice spells into the baked goods for her costumers. Like for them to have a nice day or make them feel warm a cozy. It was also nice how she showcased her Moroccan culture through her food.

Then a day before she has to go away for the weekend for her best friends wedding she meets Scott, who works as a curator at he museum near the cafe and instantly they are attracted to each other. Unbeknownst to them he was also going to the wedding as the groom is also his best friend. How they haven’t met or heard of each other before I don’t know. From there everything goes way to fast, insta lust for them. All they were thinking abut the whole time was getting it on and by the fourth day I think it was Scott was already thinking about love.

Dina was also hesitant about telling Scott about her magic and being a witch. And when she did (again like three days in) she just gathered some moonlight in a teacup and left it at that, he didn’t even question it. They later “talked” about it but not really she just told him “I’m a witch” and he said “I know”, that just confused me.

Also a major key point to the story was that she didn’t want to get in a serious relationship because she had a hex put on her that made anyone she fell in love with get hurt. Despite this she didn’t ask her mom (also a witch) for help because she was scared of telling her she is Bi, which I understand but the way she went about it was not great. Sadly all of that just took me out of the story and just didn’t feel it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing - Ballantine for the opportunity to read this ARC and share my honest review.

This was a DNF for me. I really tried, but it was boring. This was very instalove and nothing came off it and that’s just not my favorite.

3.5 ⭐
This book was adorable! Cute and cozy with a dash of spice.
Can't wait to check out the next book in the series.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Best Hex Ever is a steamy witchy romance, full of lovable characters, including our bi-icon FMC, Dina. Dina comes from a long line of female witches and owns a cafe, where her magic bakes good luck into a croissant or the feeling of nostalgia into a tea. Then, we have Scott, who is from the start, giving nerdy golden retriever energy. He's clearly into Dina from the get-go and wants to be with her, and is willing to fight to prove it.

This book is clearly going to be cozy from the cover (and it certainly delivered.) Dina's two best friends and their obsession with horror made them full of fun and mischief as side characters. What I wasn't expecting was the amount of steam in this book?? Our group of characters are very sex-positive, and I always love a book with diverse characters that don't have those conservative ideals baked in! The one thing I will say is that one of the main plot points is how much Dina is afraid to tell her mom that she is bisexual - her grappling with this occupies a large part of the heavier side of the plot -- but the resolution felt a bit rushed. Dina's mom responded in the way all queer children, especially queer children of immigrants, can only ever hope for their moms to respond -- but it also felt like it all happened so quickly that it felt a tad unrealistic and flat to me. This is not to say that I wanted the book to take a sadder, more angsty edge - I think we get enough of that in diverse books that wish to take that direction; I just wish there was another beat or two taken with Dina and her mother, because otherwise, to be totally honest, I didn't understand her qualms about it? Perhaps that is bad of me to say, but as someone who comes from a much more conservative background and could not possibly imagine having the relationship Dina and her mom have, I just couldn't wrap my mind around why this one thing was what Dina felt she had to hide - it would almost make sense if there were other little things that were tension points between them. Scott, I will admit, felt a little one-dimensional to me as a character, but it depends on how much you care as a reader ( I don't really, as I'm happy with a golden retriever and that being that.) He was just clearly from the get-go going to be a perfect male romantic interest, and that was that. Also, my deep, deep love this house and its magic -- I kind of wish we had more??? Something about this house keeping the kettle warm for tea and packing her bags just had my heart full.

Overall, this was a great read for any of you who like your cozy with a side of spice, like I do. Add in the witchy and the house, and consider me happy to have found my genre. While at times, I felt like the book could've had better pacing, this would be the perfect fall read to cozy up in a corner with. Low stakes, high steam. I'd give this a solid 3.5 stars.

Reviewed on Goodreads. Posted on May 28, 2024.

Loved this cozy, witchy, heartfelt romance! Dina and Scott are such a sweet couple. It was a great quick read.

I enjoyed this book so much! The cozy autumn vibes were there from the start. I really appreciated the representation in this book as well. And the romance!!! Sweet AND spicy! I can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy. This is one I’ll reread every year in the fall for the coziest fall and Halloween and witchy vibes (and a sprinkle of Christmas!). Curl up with a tea and enjoy yourself!