The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling

“As I gradually restore Words Like Silver to its archive of reviews written between 2011 and 2024, I'll aim to first and foremost make my reading history explorable by publishing the blurbs and short reflections as books cross my mind, with the goal of eventually transferring and fleshing out the original WLS content. For now, please enjoy this brief spotlight.”

New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hawkins, writing as Erin Sterling, casts a spell with a spine-tingling romance full of wishes, witches, and hexes gone wrong.

Nine years ago, Vivienne Jones nursed her broken heart like any young witch would: vodka, weepy music, bubble baths...and a curse on the horrible boyfriend. Sure, Vivi knows she shouldn't use her magic this way, but with only an "orchard hayride" scented candle on hand, she isn't worried it will cause him anything more than a bad hair day or two.

That is until Rhys Penhallow, descendent of the town's ancestors, breaker of hearts, and annoyingly just as gorgeous as he always was, returns to Graves Glen, Georgia. What should be a quick trip to recharge the town's ley lines and make an appearance at the annual fall festival turns disastrously wrong. With one calamity after another striking Rhys, Vivi realizes her silly little Ex Hex may not have been so harmless after all.

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Suddenly, Graves Glen is under attack from murderous wind-up toys, a pissed off ghost, and a talking cat with some interesting things to say. Vivi and Rhys have to ignore their off the charts chemistry to work together to save the town and find a way to break the break-up curse before it's too late.

I’m a long time fan of Rachel Hawkins’ work, and am hopeful that her choice to use a pseudonym might mean she will continue to write adult romantic comedies because — spoiler alert — she’s great at it, albeit under the name Erin Sterling.

Her YA debut, Hex Hall, won my heart as a middle schooler for its goofiness. Spooky and comedic is a winning combination when done well; Sophie, her narrator, was innocent and endearing without being obnoxious. The world-building was simple but inventive enough to be a pleasant, enjoyable read.

The title of this one is similar, and the book itself has a similar vibe. It’s not too ambitious, but tackles what it wants to do well. In this case, the author aimed to do (as she puts it on Twitter) “Hocus Pocus (But They F**k)”.

It actually reads a lot like the feeling of watching Practical Magic: spooky feel-good. It’s warm and witchy. It’s the bookish equivalent of curling up with a blanket, lighting an autumn candle, and making cider tea in a skull mug. Everything’s orange and black. Everything screams Halloween in the best little giddy way.

So I liked it a lot. I’m not big on reading adult rom-coms, but The Ex Hex won my heart easily.

“Never mix witchcraft and vodka.”

You know a book’s going to go well when it’s open line is Never mix witchcraft and vodka. The beginning finds our narrator, Vivi, in the bathtub nursing a broken heart. She’s in her final (?) year of college, and pissed at her ex Rhys for lying to her about an engagement — very à la Mamma Mia. She and her cousin decide to tipsily hex him (hence the title of the book), but he’s gone already, so they assume nothing’s happened.

Nine years later finds her working as a history lecturer in the college and small town they both attended. Her aunt and cousin run the local witchy store, full of mostly tarot cards and charms. The atmosphere enough is reason to read: despite being set in Georgia, it’s surprisingly and wonderfully autumnal. The town relies a lot on its Halloween charm, like Salem, and ushers in a bunch of tourists — and her ex, who must return to refresh the ley lines every nine years.

When he tries, it backfires spectacularly because of the hex placed upon him. And thus Vivi and Rhys are on a mission to unravel the petty curse, and fix the town’s magic.

THE PLOT

The plot is structured, but relatively lowkey. Although it’s technically about them breaking the curse, it’s mostly about them falling in love. The witticisms and frustrations that bubble (and boil and toil and trouble…couldn’t resist) up within them aren’t immediately obvious. Will they work? Will they not? Their relationship is compelling and their history is tangled.

The witch backstory is excellent, and feels full in a way necessary for the book to feel satisfying. There are a few questions that are never quite answered, but never enough to detract from the story.

I read the book in an evening, and I can’t remember the last time I ignored everything to just sit down and read a book that I’ve just gotten. It’s rare for me to finish a book the literal same day I get it, but I was so excited for this one.

Overall, I enjoyed the series of events and there were definitive peaks and valleys that still made The Ex Hex feel satisfying; it wasn’t overly predictable, although it did use tropes and rom-com usuals that you lean into from your favorite chick flicks. I wasn’t particularly impressed with how they wrapped up the magical conflict (overly convenient, and the stakes were never super high) but I genuinely did not care, because I was in it for the spooky couple. I’ve noticed the author tends to shy away from intense plotting or resolution — and I have not read her thriller yet, so keep in mind that I’m speaking from the books I have read and maybe I’m wrong on that count — but she shines mostly in smaller interactions between characters.

THE CHARACTERS

I loved the characters, and so I was rooting for them and their relationship. The obstacles they faced were genuine rather than feeling overly staged, and there were both reasons why they should end up together and reasons why they shouldn’t — but their chemistry was undeniable. The banter was fantastic, the family dynamics were stellar, and there were a lot of fringe bits from the cast that I appreciated.

THE VIBE (EVERYTHING ELSE)

I love that her books are funny, and appropriately dark when they need to be (in a Halloween way rather than a particularly scary one.) They have this excellent, crackling dynamic that operates well on a hate-to-love trope and has these stellar one liners. It also doesn’t shy away from what readers want: Hocus Pocus vibes.

The main question is obvious (will they save the town and each other?!) but the actual execution is stellar. In writing this review, I’m reminded a lot of my complaints about People We Met on Vacation by Emily Henry, and how The Ex Hex really excels in all the ways that People fell short. There are plenty of anecdotes and it deals out heavy doses of quirk, but it keeps enough active tension, conflict, and charm at any given point to preserve at least the integral elements of storytelling.

OVERALL

Simply, I liked The Ex Hex. It’s like it had a checklist of everything we needed from a Halloween read — every aesthetic element of the holiday — and crammed it into a book. Add a sparkling romance, some smart wit, and a few shenanigans (just so we have some conflict) and it’s the perfect way to get in the Halloween mood. It’s spooky and seasonal, but fun enough that I would also like to read it during any other holiday cycle or time of year. It’s easy (requiring literally no brainpower.) The chemistry is fun to follow. It’s lighthearted, but doesn’t sacrifice that particular moody feeling you want from anything you read in October.

If you like small town vibes in the fall, this is it. If you like witchy vibes, this is it. But also, if you just want an uplifting and rewarding rom-com written by a hilarious author who pretty much always writes winners, this is it too. I highly recommend it, especially now.

For fans of:

Gilmore Girls (TV); Practical Magic (movie); Halloweentown (movie); Dead is the New Black by Marlene Perez; Bras and Broomsticks by Sarah Mlynowski.