This book was everything I wanted from a cosy autumn read. I adored Dina so much, her cafe was what I wished I could have where I live. Her relationship with her family was so amazing and gave me all the feels. Dina is such a strong character and it was so refreshing to read a book where the FMC is not questioning every life decision she has made because of a man. Scott fit into her life so seamlessly and honestly, I loved him just as much. I loved the chemistry and how unforced their relationship felt. To top it off Dina also has top tier friends who I could related to, their friendship is stronger than the space between them. I am so excited for the next in the series and cannot wait to read more of El-Fassi's work, she is now an auto-buy author for me. Make sure you have a cinnamon bun near when you read this one.

I really loved the idea of this book but for me I DNFed at 30%. The characters were great but the insta-love was a bit much for me and also it felt very heavy on the spice too quickly. I can see why some people would love this book but it wasn’t one for me.

I was initially drawn to Best Hex Ever as I loved the title and the cover is gorgeous.

I really enjoyed the magical, cosy vibes of Best Hex Ever and loved FMC Dina. At the beginning she seemed like such a strong independent woman and the bond with her family and friends was so wholesome.

Then chapter 19 happened... now I'm no prude but those sex scenes were too much. They were far too detailed and a lot of the 'sexy talk' gave me the ick. The 'C' word to describe the female genitalia was horrendous. What makes it worse is that I don't think they were needed. I also don't really believe the insta-love between Scott and Dina.

I did like the twist at the end regarding the hex but overall I feel duped by the cover.

I thought this book was amazing and it really had me hooked. The author's unique approach allowed the writing to be very captivating. I'd recommend this book to anyone looking for a new read.

OK, let me break it down:

pros:
- the magic was sweet & pretty realistic meaning: it feels like it could much well exist in our world, like the manifestation of what witchy things in our world are said to do 🍁
- the cafe was mega cozy and all the bakery & hot drinks depiction was divine. I loved how the food and drinks matched the season. I loved all the scenes she was performing kitchen magic & I hoped we had more of those instead of the sex scenes 🤣 > this was easily the best part of the book 🥞
- theirs jobs was so much fun (all of them), as if the author was describing cozy dreamjobs 😌
- the last plottwist (around 94%) was great, I loved the implications and reflections it brought. 🤍
- STI and Birth ontrol talk > so important to demystify and show how those talks don't kill the vibe 🌿
- British Museum critic & solutions 🙏🏼
- Representation of ethnicities & sexuality 🌈


cons (might contain mild spoilers)

firstly: if you're Nadia, please don't read, you are doing great, you are amazing ✨️✨️

- so freaking much sex, god.... I like my smut but not a book built almost solely on that.😮‍💨
- instalove killed me. I couldn't actually believe in them falling in love like that.😒
- super lusty in a way that makes me not care about them being together or not.😐
- so focus on the friends matching them up and then suddenly they dissapering on page > loss of one of the greatest point of this book which is the found family trope. 😕
- they share everything yet she feels like the most relevant information (the hex) is "too much" and will scare him... come on girl, you shared you are a freaking witch without a second thought and yet you draw the line and sharing that his life is at risk 😂
- no significant plotline except the instalove lusty relationship 😣
- predictable 🙃
- I swear if she wraps her legs one more time around his waist...


In the end the cons really prevail although the pros made me finish this read even if I was about to dnf this book in so MANY instances....

It was just not doing it for me & I could already tell exactly how the whole book played out.

It feels like this book was written by the author to herself, a way of putting all the things she loved in a book and I can appreciate & respect that. Sadly it didn't work for me.

This was a very fun, if slightly obvious book, with a lot more spice in it that I had expected. I really enjoyed how the magic was just weaved throughout the story, and how it was a part of every day life - all of the magic baking sounds great, and I am a sucker for a magical bakery/coffee shop story.

The relationships between Dina and her friends, and especially as you approach the end of the book, Dina and her mother were really beautiful. I loved the Samhain scene, and the idea that magic is something that should be shared, but all women are witches on Samhain.

This book gets bonus points for the anti-colonialist curator - I love the idea of the museum having to take artefacts on a tour of the places they were stolen from.

I found the ending slightly predictable, but that isn't a bad thing here - this is a fun, witchy read, perfect to get you in the mood for the spooky season!

Found this book to be slow going in places with what I felt were very 2D characters that didn't really develop. The story overall wasn't bad but it just wasn't as page-turning for me as some of the other books I've read in this genre.

This was such a perfect cosy autumnal read, with the perfect amount of spice. I loved it! I loved the plot, it was such a fun witchy read, with both bits that made me laugh and cry. I adored Scott and Dina's chemistry, and her friendship group too. I can't wait for book two!

I loved this so much that I put it down and instantly preordered it. I could not put it down. Such a fab read

While I don’t read much cosy romantasy, this looked fun and worth giving a try. What really worked was the blend of cosy romance and enough spice to warm the winter nights to come. It met my expectations that it would be a comforting, feel good read but that perhaps made it a bit too predictable at times and the ending was a bit rushed, possibly resolved a bit too quickly. But, for an easy read that’s got some spooky fun in there it fits that bill. While I’m not sure I’d read another - either this series or perhaps cosy romantasy in general may not be quite pacy enough for me - I’d recommend this read for cosy witchy romance fans and all the Halloween loving gals out there. Huge thanks to the author and publisher for this advance review copy. Views my own. 4*

this was my first cozy witch romance and it definitely wont be my last!

it gave me all the cozy, cute and sweet vibes whilst also packing in plenty of spice

its a bewitching mix of black cats, charming cottages, a Halloween wedding, henna magic and old enchanting houses

i especially loved the dynamic between dina and her mum & friends.

This book made me giddy with joy, what an absolute delight. I loved the way in which witchiness was threaded through the story, and how the romance was supported by a cast of close friends and family which added to the cosy vibe. I thought the romance was a little rushed, but it's a witchy romance book so my suspension of disbelief tolerance was quite high, though I did also feel that the third act breakup/resolution was also quite rushed (and I say cliche?), but I'd had such a good time all the way up to that point that I was willing to forgive quite a lot. Overall, excellent autumnal witchy vibes, a steamy romance, and a whole lot of fun

Really fun, wholesome, witchy romcom, perfect for fans of Erin Sterling, Meg Cabot, and Sangu Mandanna.

Perfect cosy witchy romance and sprinkled with a good amount of spice 🌶️🌶️
Dina runs a London Cafe where her pastries are magic infused, unlucky in love she believes she has a hex on her from an ex.
Scott has begun a new job as a curator in the British Museum, having recently returned to the UK after travelling the World to fix his broken heart. A trip to Dina’s cafe has him spellbound by her charms not that she’s purposely doing anything other than her charming self.
Both unaware of their friendship links that bring them both together for their besties wedding. Scott as Best Man and Dina as Maid of Honour, a fun filled weekend pulls them together but with the Hex hanging over her can she overcome it or will Scott be in danger.
Such a fun, interesting, cute witchy romance. The spice is so good and took me by surprise at the intensity but in a good way.
Thank you NetGalley, Nadia El-Fassi and Random House UK, Cornerstone for this ARC, all opinions expressed are my own.

This was such a cute and fun read, especially suitable for the current season and what a twist at the end!

Dina and Scott are cute af, they're just made for each other, their story is definity what you would call soulmates and love at first sight.
It's spooky, magical and hot (some very very steamy scenes in there), basically everything you would need for this lovely halloween season.
The friendships in there are also wholesome. Dina and her friends are what you would expect best friends to be and so so much more, they are definitely more sisters than friends!
I love that we see so much of Dina's relationship with her parents and it's not only about her relationship (or lack of) with Scott.

overall it was such a cute and fun read!

Thank you to netgalley and dell romance for the arc in exchange of an honest review.

I can't express how much I loved this book. My heart feels so full and content.

There isn't a single thing I disliked about this book. I loved the plot, the characters, the world building.

This is the perfect cosy witchy read and I'm so glad I saved it for October. However, I will happily and will read this any month of the year. Over and over again.

Thank you to Del Rey and Netgalley for this arc and allowing me to give my honest opinion

A kitchen witch with a penchant for baking and a (literally) cursed love life meets someone who's worth breaking a hex for in this sweet and spicy debut romance.

At the start, it took a bit of time to get into as it felt a bit slow but once the pace picked up, I really enjoyed this book and finished it within a couple of hours, which hasn't happened to me in a while because of being in a reading slump. I would definitely recommend this book if you are looking for a palette cleanser or something to get you out of a reading slump. I was obsessed with the setting and atmosphere of this book - it just screamed autumn and I loved every moment of it. The descriptions of the settings were so vivid that I could picture everything that happened.

I absolutely loved the two main characters - I felt like they were so relatable and I loved their banter. Although, their romance did feel a bit insta lovey but I enjoyed seeing their relationship further develop. The queer rep and how the baking was inspired by the author's Moroccan heritage was absolutely stunning and I loved to see it. However, I would have loved to see more character development as I felt like there was some but they could have benefitted from being fleshed out a bit more.

The plot was predictable in the direction that it would take but honestly, I didn't mind this as it added to the cosy element of the story because I knew exactly what I was going to get out of the story and I loved every moment of it. I will say that I did find the ending disappointing as it felt like a big part of the story was resolved very quickly and it grew frustrating with the plot and one of the characters when it was obvious what could have been done to prevent so much of what had happened. Furthermore, there were aspects to this book that lacked logic to me and felt like the explanations provided were weak, which further added to what could have been done to prevent certain events.

Thanks to Del Rey and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book early, in exchange for an honest review.

⚠️ CWs: cursing, alcohol use, blood, panic attack, sexual situations; mentions queerphobia, car accident, body injury detail, colonisation, cheating, death, grief, derogatory language, misogyny, ableist language, pregnancy ⚠️

A enjoyable, and spicy, cosy fantasy!

Dina has spent her adult life sure that her loves are forever cursed, doomed to fail because of a mistake she made when she was young and desperate, so she’s resigned herself to her smaller life - she has her friends, her cafe (where people are happier for having visited), her loving family, and her magic - that’s enough for her.
But one day a tall, handsome stranger wanders into her cafe (and breaks one of her lucky talismans) and for the first time in a long time Dina wishes that more was an option.

I really loved the way the magic worked in Best Hex Ever. I’m a sucker for any kind of baking/cooking magic, especially in a cosy fantasy, and I can’t help but enjoy the idea of her setting up her own cosy little magical coffee shop - sign me up!

The dual POV really helped me get lost in the story, as I could see what both characters are thinking - I think there were points where I would have gotten frustrated if that wasn’t the case since they do love to make incorrect assumptions about each other - and it also meant we got to explore two family dynamics, two sets of friends, and two pasts with their own traumas. Despite this, Best Hex Ever still had that cosy feeling.

The strong friendships and family connections were intrinsic to the plot, as was the theme of both main characters needing to learn to love and value themselves the way that others around them already do - something we could probably all learn from.

If you like spice in your books you won’t be disappointed - I don’t mind either way, but I certainly didn’t feel it detracted from the story and did feel realistic for the characters and their emotions throughout the book.

Overall, I really enjoyed Best Hex Ever and will definitely look out for more books by Nadia in the future!

I absolutely devoured this book in 2 days. I read the first 50% on a 1 hour 30 minute plane journey because I just couldn’t put it down. I even think the person sat next to me was taking a sneaky peak 👀

This book is a witchy spicy romance with forced proximity, hexes gone wrong, epic romance, baking and spicy second chances.

I highly recommend this for lovers of The Ex Hex and Go Hex Yourself. But honestly even if you’ve not read witchy books before but love cosy spicy books I cannot recommend this book enough!

It’s definitely a book that won’t be leaving my mind any time soon

I fear I slept on this book for too long. 5 stars. No notes really. Everything you’d want in a book. I thought the concept sounded a bit cringe/cheesy but it wasn’t it was perfect. Loved the characters