Seven Exes by Lucy Vine

This book’s synopsis set me up for a fun premise: a possible second-chance romance, but with seven exes and not knowing which might be The One for Esther. But although it was interesting to revisit their relationships with a combination of flashbacks and present day reunions, and there was an attempt to balance these stories with her friendships, Esther spent most of the book far too self-centered and insufferable for me to find her or her personal journey relatable.

If we could have seen Esther being really great in some parts of her life — say, rocking it at work and getting on with her coworkers — while struggling with personal relationships, it could have made her more likeable. And if we saw her growing slowly and incrementally improving things as she reconnected with each ex and worked through the conflicts with her friends, maybe I could believe in her growth and great connections at the end. But everything seemed to come together at the eleventh hour, with a romance that didn’t feel supported by enough on the page and a lesson that was both far too on the nose and didn’t feel entirely earned.

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Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for providing an advanced reader copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Seven Exes comes out on 25 May 2023.