Written by bestselling author Rachel Hawkins – writing as Erin Sterling – The Ex Hex has become a viral TikTok sensation. The novel centres around Vivienne Jones, a young witch. While she was nursing her broken heart, drowning her sorrows in bubble baths and vodka, ‘accidentally’ places a curse on her ex-boyfriend with her cousin Gwen. Now, nine years later, Rhys Penhallow has returned to Graves Glen, Georgia to quickly recharge the town’s key lines. However, once multiple calamities befall Rhys, Vivi quickly realises that their may have been something behind that supposedly harmless ‘Ex Hex.’ Whilst trying to unravel the curse and lift it from Rhys and the town, Vivi and Rhys find it nigh impossible to deny their chemistry as they work together.

The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling is a very quick read, but for those expecting something clever from Rachel Hawkins, this is not it. The Ex Hex feels childish at times, not just with the content but the writing itself. Whilst an enjoyable and easy read, the characters feel quite surface level and so the reader is not suckered in in the way they have been in her other works. Honestly, we’d give this one a miss, despite its TikTok viral crown.

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[tps_title] 1. The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley [/tps_title]

Following the smash success of The Hunting Party and The Guest List, we can’t wait for the release of Lucy Foley’s new novel The Paris Apartment. The novel centres around Jess who is broke and alone and turns to her half-brother Ben, asking to crash at his apartment. Only when she shows up – to find a very nice apartment, could Ben really have afforded this? – he’s not there. The longer Ben stays missing, the more Jess starts to dig into her brother’s situation, and the more questions she has. Ben’s neighbors are an eclectic bunch, and not particularly friendly. Jess may have come to Paris to escape her past, but it’s starting to look like it’s Ben’s future that’s in question.

Pre-order a copy of the novel here.

Publication Date: 22nd February 2022

The post The 10 Thrillers and Mystery Books We’re Most Excited About in 2022 appeared first on off the record.