I picked this up as a fun read the week of Halloween. I loved the characters, the magic and the baking aspect! Unfortunately I wish the story was fleshed out a little more. The character development moved along a little too quickly and I could have done with 3 fewer sex scenes as I felt like they didn’t add much to the book and seemed very abrupt when they were placed in the story.

This was a very fun, and surprising spicy witchy romance! I will stay it's a little bit of insta love, but isn't that kind of what we're looking for in a read like this?

This is definitely the first time I've read a witchy rom com with a Moroccan witch, and I thought her cultural experiences were incorporated in a really beautiful way. I loved her connections with family and friends and will definitely be recommending this in the future!

Thank you to Dell and NetGalley for granting me access to an ARC!

This was a cute Halloween book, but too much smut for my taste and I honestly don't think the main characters would last. Way too rushed.

“Best Hex Ever” by Nadia El-Fassi is a cozy read no doubt. The magic is fun, warm and whimsical. The simmering heat between the main characters is charming with a good amount of spice. We have Dina who is a kitchen witch, creating masterful pastries for her café. Bringing those who enter a sense of safety and peace. Scott is back in London after two years spent running from a hard break-up and not looking for love. But when Dina and Scott’s meet-cute is darkened by the hex Dina has been living with since college, Dina finds herself consumed by wanting Scott and by the fear that the hex will ruin what they could have.

The magic system is simple but still interesting. I always enjoy it when I get to read a book with magic being used so seamlessly in the characters’ everyday life compared to the characters needing to make a big show of it. I think what was mostly missing for me was some elements that were underdeveloped and that I would have liked to see being focused on a bit more. Dina’s core friendships are marked as very important to her, and besides the initial backdrop to most of the book and the few parts where her and her friends are together, their friendship is glossed over. This is very much romance focused (which is completely fine) but for me, just a bit more time spent developing the core basis of Dina’s friendships would have been appreciated and would have elevated the story for me.

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

3/5
I really wanted to like this book, but I just didn't. I enjoyed the beginning of this book, where we were learning about the characters and they both had lives and personalities that were interesting. But when Scott, the male main character, started to get to know Dina, the female main character, he started to lose his personality. As the romance and story progressed it seemed to have less and less of a plot, and the ending felt very unfinished and rushed. I also didn't love the instant lust in this book, basically from the moment these characters meet they want to get it on and then spend a long time on the verge of getting it on and then being like "no we can't" just to inevitably get it on, and personally that's not my favorite trope in books.
There is also a major plot point in this book about the main character being scared and not wanting to tell her parents that she's bisexual, and I just didn't get this plot point. As someone in the lgbt community that has had to come out to many family members including parents, I didn't understand why this part of the book was included. The main romance was heterosexual and it would have been easy to explain what she needed to explain to her parents without mentioning her sexuality by just saying her ex-girlfriend was a friend she hurt, and the coming out could have been avoided. The issue wasn't that she came out, but that she didn't want to come out yet felt forced to when she could have easily avoided coming out. In addition to this her parents were very kind, supportive and gave no indication they were at all homophobic throughout the entire book, in fact I would have been wildly surprised if they were homophobic. I just didn't get this, I would have if the main relationship was lgbt, but it wasn't and coming out just wasn't important or necessary to the story. A lot of the bisexuality references in this book also felt very forced and unnatural in my opinion, but maybe I just have had different experiences in the lgbt community.
That being said, this book wasn't all bad. I enjoyed the cozy vibes, the friendships, and her pet cat. I just didn't really connect with or love this book. I think that people looking for a light, witchy, bisexual representation, instant lust romance will enjoy this book.
I was also surprised that this was a debut novel, as there was a wedding. Often romance books like this are interconnected series, where they could be read as a standalone or as a series as different characters will each get their own romance book in the series. I was surprised this wasn't the case and that the characters getting married didn't have a book of their own set before this book.

Thank you for netgalley for giving me access to an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I always love witchy books and Best Hex Ever by Nadia El-Fassi is a new favorite. Dina and Scott’s story is magical, wholesome, and romantic and I loved every second of it.
 
Dina is a kitchen witch, and she infuses her baked goods with a sprinkle of magic, and I loved that. She has a small café in London, and I would visit it in a heartbeat if it was real. Dina is also hexed for love and therefore avoids relationships at all costs. She is such a great and loving person and I also liked seeing her friendship with her bestie.
 
Scott is a globetrotter, and he loves exploring new places and food. He returned to London to start a new position as a curator for the British museum and his job was so cool. Scott is just amazing and the way he is attracted to Dina and becomes smitten with her was just everything.
 
Dina and Scott together are a sight to behold, and their chemistry is through the roof. The story is cozy and spicy at the same time and that was the perfect combination. The spicy scenes were top tier and that’s also because Dina and Scott became the perfect team. The magical aspects of the book made it only better and I didn’t want this book to ever end. Already looking forward to rereading it.
 
If you’re looking for the perfect cozy and witchy romance read, you need to check out Best Hex ever. 5 stars.
 
(ARC kindly provided in exchange for a review.)

I really wanted to love this book, but it just wasn’t for me. It was a rollercoaster of likes and dislikes and I felt disconnected from the characters, even the likable ones. I usually like the spice in books, but this one wasn’t for me.

2 🌕🌕🌑🌑🌑


I wanted to like this book more than I did. I keep trying the cozy books and most just don’t work for me. The characters here didn’t appeal to me much, and were a bit boring. I should have DNF’d this one but I’ve been trying to not DNF ARCs.

I really liked this one, but it's not my favorite witchy romance I've read this year. The characters were great, the spicy scenes were good, the magic was good, but I just couldn't wrap my head around the hex. Especially that she'd waited so long to tell her mom about it and then it only took one night to get rid of it? It seemed like such an essential part of the story, but then it was resolved so quickly, almost like an afterthought. I still enjoyed the book, I just feel like the book's resolution was rushed.

Another amazeballs debut novel! I love "witchy" novels and I think the Kitchen Witch subset is ripe for plucking. Nadia certainly did that well here. The Hex aspect made a fun setup for this novel to take place and I can't wait to see what else Nadia comes up with in future books!

Dina owns a bakery in London where she infuses her witchy magic into all her bakes. Scott works at the British museum and stops by the bakery - a meet-cute ensues. Little do they know they are the maid of honor and best man at their friend’s upcoming wedding!

This book was both sweet and spicy! I love a witchy romance in the fall and this one was exactly what I was in the mood for. The spice was more than I was expecting, but I still enjoyed the story overall. 4/5 stars!

In honor of Halloween and the last day of spooky reads, I finally got around to reading "Best Hex Ever." This delightful fall read is perfect for a Halloween season treat, with its cozy witchy vibes and creative magic.

However, while the premise was promising, the insta love/lust romance didn't quite resonate with me. Also, the "love yourself" message, though well intentioned, felt a bit heavy handed and overshadowed the overall magic of the story.

Despite these minor quibbles, “Best Hex Ever” is a charming and tasty read that will satisfy your craving for a bit of witchy goodness.

This is the coziest romance with the most fall/winter vibes.
I cannot wait to read the next one in this series.

This was a cozy and comfy read. I love baking and cooking so all the magical kitchen aspects of the book were so so so cute. The premise of our FMC being "hexed" was also very cute.

What made it a not perfect read was how insta-lusty the couple was. I wanted more depth and dimension from both the main characters as individuals and as a couple.

overall it's a fun, lighthearted, autumnal read. so if thats what you're looking for i say go for it!

I love the idea of a witchy romcom with spells and baking. It was a lot of fun to see how Dina's spells worked or didn't work in her kitchen. I liked that there was a lot of fall and witchy vibes, but I'm not a fan of instalust. I like the romance to be built up a little more before the spice hits.

This was the perfect read for Halloween week! A romance between a kitchen witch and a traveler that will delight fans of the paranormal. Part sweet and part spicy, readers can settle in for an atmospheric romp through autumn landscapes and witchy rituals. Romance lovers should do this title to their lists and enjoy during spooky season and the whole year!

This is a great book for those that are looking for less "spooky" halloween/fall books and more "magical" fall books. As I fall more into the former than the latter, some of the magical bits went over my head and.I started to feel a bit bored. There was also the insta-love/lust, which just didn't work for me 3/5 stars

Thank you to Nadia El-Fassi, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and NetGalley for an arc of Best Hex Ever!

Best Hex Ever is a cute witchy, fall romance. The characters fall for each other while weird coincidences are bringing them together over and over. Both Scott and Dina are recovering from rough past relationships, though Dina's is a bit further in the past, while also coming to terms with who they are. I liked that Dina's friends knew she was a witch but were determined to keep her secret. I also enjoyed all the antics that occurred over their friends' wedding weekend (Dina and Scott were in the wedding party). Though most of the events were funny, some were more serious and it showed how caring the two were early on in their relationship. Scott and Dina were both really good, kind people who were going through a rough patch and it was nice to see them find each other.

This is a great read for someone looking to get in the fall spirit with a cozy romance.

3.5 stars.

This book did bring us a very cozy sort of magic. We get a sweet, witchy FMC and an MMC that immediately falls for her. Very sweet, easy witchy read.
This was the very definition of insta love and moved veryyy quickly for my liking. Like I felt like the couple didn’t get to know each other? They just immediately fell in love.. The writing was also kind of wordy and felt more telling vs showing..

Genuinely the perfect cozy, spicy, witchy, autumnal read. I don't usually love books that are too centric on a holiday, but this is the exact type i DO love.

- dual POV
- maid of honor x best man
- a little insta-lust
- open door scenes
- cozy fantasy

Dina and Scott first meet when he comes into her cafe, but it turns out their best friends are getting married and they're all going to be in the wedding together! They also end up rooming together at the wedding. There is a lot of culture, female friendship and overall joy in this book. I would say if you're looking for something to read in Autumn that is super low stakes (no angst), this is perfect.