BrizzleLass Books

Welcome to my stop on The Ex Factor Blog Tour, written by Eva Woods and published by HQ. I’m very pleased to be taking part and hope you enjoy my review.

Description:
Is it possible to freecycle love?

Modern dating is hard, especially when all you meet are liars, oddballs, men who wear Superman pants and men who live with their mums.

So why not date someone who already comes pre-approved? Just because your friend’s ex wasn’t right for her doesn’t mean that he won’t be right for you. That’s Marnie’s new plan for herself and her three best friends, perennially single Helen, recently divorced Rosa and cynical lawyer Ani.

Through bad dates and good, the four friends begin to realise that there are advantages to dating pre-screened men…but there can be some serious pitfalls to falling for your friend’s ex.

Review:
After two years away Marnie has returned to London, she is always the life and soul and her friends welcome her back knowing she will embrace life and bring an air of excitement to their lives which have been devolving into boredom and sadness.

Helen has lost a lot of weight but has also become filled with anxiety and barely leaves home, especially as she managed to find a job working from home. She’s never had a boyfriend and has spent years pining over the same person.

Rosa is newly divorced, still works in the same office as her ex and his intern fling, and hasn’t dated anyone since her life blew up.

Ani is a divorce lawyer who has become jaded by her job, she has been on more dates than she’s had hot dinners and doesn’t believe that there is anyone out there for her.

When Marnie suggests they set each other up with one of their exes, the others go into the project reluctantly but Marnie is so enthusiastic that they don’t have the heart to refuse her.

The book is mainly told from the perspective of the three friends with the occasional update from Marnie’s point of view. It’s really interesting seeing how their story arc’s unfold how these women in their early thirties deal with the dating game, especially when friends exes are involved, and how they deal with seeing their exes dating their friends.

I especially connected with Helen, being a fellow geeky girl and someone who struggles with mental health and weight issues, I found her easy to relate to and could understand why she has made some of the mistakes she had made.

I found this a light-hearted and enjoyable book with some strong messages about friendship tied in. This will be a great poolside or garden read for the end of summer or to be read by the fire as autumn closes in.

Thank you very much to Eva Woods and HQ for a copy of the novel via NetGalley to review this book honestly for the blog tour.

Rating: 3 of 5 Stars

About Eva Woods:
Eva Woods lives in London, where she writes and teaches creative writing. She likes wine, pop music, and holidays, and thinks online dating is like the worst board game ever invented.

Author Links: Goodreads | Twitter

 

Title: The Ex Factor
Series: N/A
Author: Eva Woods
Genre: Chick Lit | Romance
Publisher: HQ Romance
Publication Date: 8 September 2016
Review Format: eBook
Other Formats: Paperback | Audio
Pages: 368
Buy: Amazon UK | Amazon US | Nook | Kobo | iBooks