Reviews

Hex and the Single Girl by Valerie Frankel

charlmax's review against another edition

funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

nighteyes82's review

couldn't finish it. didn't even read half of it. didn't like the writing style and the heroine.

snarkymotherreader's review against another edition

5.0

Emma Hutch has the unique ability to send images into the minds of people she touches, which works wonders for her matchmaking business, The Good Witch, where women pay her to plant images of themselves into the heads of men they want to date, but it doesn’t work so well during sexual situations when her attention isn’t fully on the individual in front of her. Sending men screaming from your bedroom because they saw naughty images of other men can be a fierce blow to a woman’s ego, and it might drive a woman to do something crazy to keep potential suitors at bay. Like claiming anorgasmia.

Her lie works beautifully to keep men from trying to enter her forbidden kingdom. Then along comes William Dearborn. Smart, sexy, with a touch of a British accent that makes her knees go weak. Unfortunately, he’s also her mark, a man meant to fall in love with her client. But she can’t get his image out of her own head, so how is she supposed to plant the image of another woman in his head?

Hex and the Single Girl by Valerie Frankel may sound convoluted, but it is one of those books that make you sigh in contentment with a big, fat, cheesy grin on your face. It isn’t gritty, it isn’t intense, it isn’t dark and menacing like a lot of paranormal books. It’s light and fluffy and funny as hell while managing to remain smart and savvy.

Some of the loose ends are tied up far too easily (all I can say is Jews for Jesus t-shirts in the right place at the right time), but you end up not caring. You’re too busy laughing at the side characters’ banter or the mushy eyes the protagonist and her love interest are giving each other or the old woman and her orthopedic sneakers scaling a fence. If you like cute stories, there is no way Hex could earn anything less than 5 tombstones.

storieswithsoul's review against another edition

4.0

Some of it was exceptionally good, some not so much. I enjoyed the funny moments. Loved the main character and her friend Victor. But I didn't like Liam much. I mean, was he even human? I know romance books have "perfect" men as heroes, but there should be limits to how much perfection we are talking about. They must at least appear human. Anyhow, other than that; the book is great. I enjoyed reading it a lot.

philyra91's review against another edition

3.0

Hex and the Single Girl is a true chick-lit title. This is actually my first Little Black Dress title and I don't think it's that bad. The plot is a little whimsical; after all, it's about a good witch who uses her powers to help match couples, almost like Emma by Jane Austen really (her name's Emma too!), except now, she falls for a guy meant for a client. What's a girl going to do?

Emma's nice but unfortunately, her personality doesn't really shine through. She sort of just comes across as the good girl who tries to do good by people but is sort of stuck in a sticky situation. I didn't feel like there was much depth to her character. I did feel like she had chemistry with the male lead, Will Dearborn, but it could have been written and explored better.

Things did get a little confusing when quite a few supporting characters came out of the woodwork. While their side stories were entertaining, I didn't think they were ALL needed. A few, with more detailed backgrounds, would have sufficed.

There was, maybe, 2 sex scenes in this one. The first one, I sort of get, but the second one was just.. I don't even know where it came from. It just felt like it had to be there but for no good reason. Overall, one of those books you can switch off your brains for. 2.5 stars.

prettylightsandcitynights's review

funny tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

libraryowl's review against another edition

2.0

The premise of this book was exciting. Quirky? Check. Funny? Check. Romance? Check. But that was just the description on the back of the book. I actually opened the book and decided to read it. Uncheck. It really was a Harlequin romance in a different jacket. If you like the Harlequin thing, this would fit the mold perfectly. Somehow, I left those Harlequin days behind in high school...... Well, maybe college. I read it quickly, but that was only because of time spent in doctor waiting rooms and other situations when you only have a minute or two to read and need something brainless. This was the perfect book in that case. SO, here's the plot. Emily is a matchmaker of sorts with a special talent. She can implant images in other people's minds simply by a concentrated touch. Unfortunately this backfires for her in her own love life when she experiences fantasies at inopportune moments (the only funny part of the book, but it was hilarious). However, when a client asks her to implant images of the client into the head of William Dearborn, a famed graphic artist, it backfires. Suddenly William thinks only of Emily. I felt that this book had a great idea, but it was poorly written. It felt so unrealistic that the story was no longer likable by the end. I rated two stars for the laugh in the beginning and the idea. I just wish it was better developed with descriptions.

marinaschulz's review against another edition

1.0

Hex and The Single Girl is the story of a matchmaker, Emma, who is also a psychic. She can pass images into other people's brains, and she uses this "power" in her line of work: women look for her telling them about men they care about but haven't noticed them, and she puts their image in their minds. To quote the blurb: "After all, what bachelor, confirmed or otherwise, could deny his true destiny when the woman he can't seem to stop thinking about suddenly appears right in front of him?". But then she has a new job, and she's falling for the object of her costumer's desires...

Sounds interesting right? It really, really, isn't due to bad writing, contrived situations, and just really bad writing. I read this so long ago, and yet I still remember feeling offended by it. Fake technology exists in a romance novel, which is something that really irks me. Everybody gets a happy ending and great sex. WOW!!!!

Just... so bad. How can an author have such an interesting idea and ruin it so badly??

elianaelisabeth's review against another edition

funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Really liked this book for getting back into reading. Very funny and easy to read.
The story is very unique and never heard of something similar

pinknantucket's review

3.0

A bit meh at the start but it grew on me. I like it when EVERYONE ends up happy at the end of a romance. The hero was probably the least interesting person, though.

My copy: Savers!