A review by roxanne_blythe
The Ex by Freida McFadden

challenging reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Okay. Literally, the entire reading experience probably up until 80% of the book I just kept getting secondhand embarrassment from “the ex” because she just kept doing things that were so pathetic and desperate. 

But she kept lying to all her friends talking about how she has a new apartment and how her and Joel are getting engaged even though they just broke up (actually he brutally dumped her) and she’s destitute.

And to top it all off I do not understand how this lady had this amount of free time to be stalking “olive” and Joel…. Like do you not have a job?? oh, and even if she did, she needs to get a second one with the amount of free time she spent trying to get her man’s back. Like you probably could’ve pulled yourself out of whatever financial crisis you were in few spent all that time obsessing into an actual job.

That’s another thing. Why the fuck are all these women so obsessed with Joel??? I’m sorry if I if I were Cassie, I would’ve ran in the opposite direction as soon as I have been harassed the first time actually the first time I would’ve been like it’s a fluke the second time I definitely would’ve been out of there and  dumped him, like it’s not worth it. 

Now let’s go to the plot twist, because this is where the whole story does dives into full throttle bullshit. So the ex girlfriend is not even Francesca, who everyone keeps mentioning throughout the entire book. “The ex” who is narrative we have been following is Anna. And it was in the book. Anna is some Mika short pregnant girl who’s actually friends with Cassie. And she is actually the crazy one. 

And then that doesn’t even make any sense to me, because there were so many questions that couldn’t be answered,  because of some points in “the ex” near it is, they keep talking about not being invited to Lily’s party and all of these things happening, but Anna is there. So did it happened in the past is it in the present? We don’t know. Because Frida. We have a well thought out timeline because I guess she want to just fuck with the readers and didn’t want to spoil the plot twist. But in doing so you just compromise the integrity of the entire book because nothing makes sense anymore like if there was an accurate timeline like we actually didn’t even find out how long Joel and and I guess were dating up until 90% (but anyone can guess that). Maybe italicizing the text for the past, and the present or something to indicate a time jump would’ve been better because I was confused or so many things that I still don’t quite understand even though I finished the book.

Now, let’s discuss the motives of these Joel obsessed ladies. So Lydia was the one who is actually stalking and harassing Cassie this entire time. Which again she is a lawyer and  a mom, like how does she have this amount of disposable time to be able to do these things??? like it doesn’t make any sense to me…. And the reason she was stocking her is because she is not Francesca. Like she is such a ride or die Fran for Francesca does she say no one can have Joel. Like she blames Joel for Francesca’s death, but she’s punishing Cassie for it??? it doesn’t make any sense wouldn’t it make more sense for her to be harassing and trying to kill Joel? And then they try to say oh it it would hurt him even more if you lost two women that he loved. 


I don’t know,  a man is a man… you saw the way he quickly bounced back after losing Francesca (LIKE SHE LITERALLY KILLED HERSELF WHILE SHE WAS PREGNANT) even if he lost Cassie I feel like he would be able to just find another woman. Lydia you were dumb. you should have just killed him since he is the source of your anguish. 

Not Anna’s motive was very fucking stupid. First of all, she was coming after Francesca forgetting her man. First of all a man is a man like I said he will go where he wants to go. If you want to do, he would’ve stayed he was with you for 10 years and he didn’t want to propose to you and he just dumped you… LIKE IF YOU DO NOT STAND UP. Like she really compromised her livelihood over this man like she could’ve spent her whole life in jail, because she was about to kill this woman over him over this man.

And she also blamed Lydia to because she said that Francesca wouldn’t have even been in Joel’s life if it weren’t for Lydia. Again, he doesn’t want you. She lacked her self awareness to even know that he lost interest in her a long time ago, like in the prologue, I already knew that she was gonna get dumped like I was getting “legally blonde” flashbacks. And she thought that she was gonna get proposed to. Like this bitch is crazy I’m kind of scared for her husband, Dean.. and for Cassie to like they both do not deserve to be in that situation. They all just need to cut it and leave or get Anna in jail or something because that bitch is crazy. The fact that she just left unscathed after murdering a pregnant woman?????? And then in the end, she just says don’t cross me 😒😒😒😒. Oof I would be so gone.