Amy Lea is quickly becoming one of my favourite new authors - Exes and O's was a cutesy read that I absolutely flew through. Being a fan of romance books, reading a book essentially about romance books and falling in love AROUND the books themselves was inception-y for me! Will be throwing myself at the rest of Amy's books now!

This book honestly really was not for me. I felt that this book was written to relate to BookTok and what is "trending" on there.
I thought I was going to love this book honestly and was quite surprised when I did not because of all the good reviews it had.
I mean it is not a surprise her relationships are not working out...she is annoying.
Both the characters had no chemistry and I just did not feel they were meant to be.

1.5 stars

I absolutely loved this book and the style of writing. Witty, humorous and so relatable, I couldn’t help but fall in love with both the main characters just a little bit. This really is a ‘stand-apart from the others’ type of chick-lit, and I couldn’t recommend it enough.

This was my first Amy Lea book, and it definitely won’t be my last! Though I typically prefer dual POV books, Tara’s single POV was so fun! Tara is hilarious and relatable and not in an overdone “quirky fmc” way. The banter, the deadpan back and forth were the perfect foil for the very, very slow burn to the romance. Plus forced proximity trope is always top tier!

This is a very well written book with a smoothly developed plotline. At first I thought it was gonna be a slow read, but once I got through the initial background of the first few chapters it was an enjoyably quick and easy read. Although the book feels quite short nothing is rushed or dragged out. It has a perfect timeline for every new detail.

Although this book is part of the "Set on you" series there isn't really a need to read Set on you before diving into this book. Of course, if you plan to read all the books anyways definitely read Set on you first so you can enjoy Crystal and Scott's relationship and dynamics development. The author does a great job doing a mini recap of the relationships with side characters and backgrounds without you having to read her previous books.
I would recommend reading Set on you first as it does add to the enjoyment of this book and it in itself is a really good read.

I felt as though both the female lead, Tara, and the male lead, Trevor, are really relatable and loveable characters. Tara is us as the reader. She is quirky, reads romance novels, has a bookstagram and is a generally emotionally rounded character who I felt connected to from the very start. Trevor is the perfect broody male but his emotional development with Tara is extremely endearing and made me love him as a character and not just as the main love interest.

Overall the pace of this book paired with these characters made for a very seamless and enjoyable read. And I can't wait to read the next book to get a taste of Mel's character in more detail as this book sets a good lead into the next book, The Catch.

3/5🌶 on the spice scale !!

Exes and O’s follows romance lover and book influencer Tara as she searches for her ‘one’. Jumping from one failed relationship to another, Tara takes it upon herself to get in touch with her inner romance heroine and live her own second-chance trope. The first problem? She’s not sure which of her exes should be her leading man. The second? What should she do about her hot roommate?

If you’re a fan of the Chris Evans’ and Anna Faris movie ‘What’s Your Number?’ this book is definitely for you, with a similar premise and character vibe.

Overall, Exes and O’s was okay, with a fun premise and enjoyable characters. My biggest issue was that the focus on romance books and tropes felt like it pushed past paying homage to readers and toppled straight into cringe. This isn’t a bad thing necessarily, but it definitely made Tara feel a bit two-dimensional.

Regardless, it was a fun read!

(thank you Net-Galley and the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.)

This was the first book I’ve read by Amy and I really enjoyed it. Not something that I wasn’t absolutely hooked into which was a shame as I had a higher expectation but still thoroughly enjoyed the read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
1 smut (spice)/5

First of all thank you NetGalley for the ARC 💖

I loved Amy's debut SET ON YOU so much!! And I really enjoyed this book, but I didn't love it as much as SET ON YOU. Not because it was bad but because I struggle with slow burns and this was a slooow burn.

Our FMC, Tara, was funny and sweet and her book/trope obsession was so relatable...though her want for a second-chance romance with one of her exes wasn't relatable for me. Haha...

And MMC, Trevor, was so cute and grumpy and HOT!! And the way he helped Tara with going on dates with her exes while you clearly got glimpses of him falling for her made my heart pound!!

That being said because it was slow burn, all the romance between them happened in the last 30% of the book so I was left feeling underwhelmed and craving more of them. Though it was cute overall, and seeing Trevor vulnerable made me ache for him!

I just needed more romance.

This was an interesting read that had the potential to do well but it just missed the mark for me. Tara was written okay and I found the romance was fine but it just felt kind of underwhelming and missed the mark for me. I felt like the pacing didn't work fully and certain moments could have been rewritten or done differently and there would have been a greater impact. I don't think this was bad by any means, just slightly underwhelming.

I loved this book. Everything about it was just perfect. Both Tara and Trevor are such lovable characters and their friendship was so wholesome. Tara felt relatable and like someone you want to be friends with. Having her be an avid book blogger who is obsessed with the romance tropes made this story 10x better. It made the dates more fun. There are also some fantastic side characters, especially Tara’s Gran and Trevor’s niece.

Tara’s journey revisiting her ex’s just made me fall in love with her even more. She’s constantly told she’s too much in some way or another, which I think a lot of women can relate to. As for the third act breakup, there was no forced conflict or unnecessary miscommunication. It added to the story and didn’t make me angry. This book is equal parts cute romance and laugh out loud fun. I highly recommend and I will be reading the first book asap.

I received a copy of the ebook via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

I loved this book!
I could really relate to Tara and thought she was really likable.
A great plot and sat nicely with the debut novel without it being too involved.
4*

Absolutely laugh out loud Brilliant book. If you like forced proximity/friends to lovers/roommates sort of trope this one is for you! Couldn’t recommend it enough

When it comes to a good romcom you can’t go wrong with Amy Lea. I enjoyed Set on You and I loved Exes and O’s even more.

Hospital nurse and book influencer Tara Chen is looking for love, but after her engagement had abruptly ended a year earlier, she hasn’t had any luck. With online dating out of the question and trying to meet people in public places not going at all well, Tara decides to take a page out of her grandmother’s book and reconnect with her former loves to see if there may be a second chance to love. With the help of her handsome new roommate, Trevor Metcalfe, Tara tracks down her ex-boyfriends in the hope that the romance is not over, but the more time she spends with Trevor, the more she struggles to pretend that they can be just friends.

If you’ve read Set On You, you have already met Tara and Trevor. Tara is Crystal’s sister and when she and her now-fiancé Scott decide to move in together, Tara moves in with Scott’s friend and colleague Trevor. And the two of them couldn’t be more different. Despite many heartbreaks, Tara has never stopped believing in love and looking for it. On the other hand, Trevor is a one-night stand kind of guy and doesn’t do relationships. Tara is messy and leaves all her books laying around their apartment, Trevor is always cleaning after her. She loves junk food, he follows a healthy diet. Tara is sunshine and Trevor is grumpy and together they are simply adorable.

Exes and O’s is a really fun read: it is witty and sexy, featuring a slow-burn romance and two fantastic protagonists that kept me glued to the pages. Highly recommended!!!

It’s not often I read romance/rom-coms but I’m starting to realise that when I do, I tend to really enjoy them! Exes and O’s by Amy Lea is no exception! This was my first book by Lea but it will not be my last. I found it funny, relatable and it warmed my heart. I’m so glad I picked this up in February as it was an ideal Valentine’s read!

Where to start with what I loved about this little gem? The bookstagrammer MC that is also the person that’ll eat your discarded McDonalds pickles?! I’m 1000% that friend so this girl spoke to me! But really, I loved Tara as the main character. She’s a sweet, quirky romantic just looking for her second chance at true love. Trevor was also a very welcome addition. I really enjoyed reading as their friendship developed, their banter was just great! 

One of my favourite things about this book is that the main character is a bookstagrammer. I know we’re starting to see more books with this but I thought it was great! The aftermath of taking book photos, the random stacks around the apartments, discussions about tropes and challenges, lives; loved it all! I could literally look around the room while reading and see aspects of the story in front of my eyes. 

Overall, this was a quick and easy rom-com read and I really did love it. The characters and the story were so good and I cannot wait to read more of Lea’s work!

* Please research any trigger warnings before reading *

I love a sexy rom-com with relatable characters and a cute romance. I didn’t love the heroine of Set On You, Amy Lea’s first book in this series but I did love her sister Tara, which thankfully this book follows! I definitely enjoyed this one more and I’m curious to see if I’ll meet any of these characters again in future books from her.

Tara Chen is a devourer of romance novels and loves promoting her favourite books on social media. She has also had her heart broken a grand total of ten times and is struggling to find The One. With little faith in dating apps, Tara decides to take her grandmother’s advice and revisit her past relationships to see if a second chance romance will work for her. Tara’s new flatmate is firefighter Trevor, who isn’t interested in a serious relationship but he begrudgingly agrees to help Tara out on her new quest for love. Could Tara and Trevor’s newfound friendship turn out to be something that neither of them were looking for and yet both of them need?

Tara is aware that she jumps into relationships with both feet and becomes emotionally invested very quickly. She has almost certainly been told this before by her exes but if you naturally believe humans to be kind, sensitive creatures, it’s hard to change this behaviour. Some readers might dismiss this trait as juvenile and naive, which isn’t accurate for a woman over 30 but I can assure you that these women exist and that there’s nothing wrong with being romantic and emotional. I actually loved reading about a heroine who was the literal opposite of emotionally stunted, as it felt like a refreshing treat within a contemporary romance.

If this is the Crazy Ex Girlfriend/Overly Attached Girlfriend meme that actually exists, that girl really isn’t how I imagined Tara to look at all. Due to the slight name change, I think this is a fictional meme with the same vibes as the real one but it certainly made me think about the effect the real Overly Attached Girlfriend meme would have had on its actual subject.

The first date that Tara goes on is with a man she had a fling with and he is filled with horrendous misogyny. Tara quickly realises that this isn’t going to work out but to read about something as icky as the Crazy Hot Matrix made my stomach churn. I have no idea whether this really exists and have no desire to know.

As a romance reader, Tara knows all about tropes and delights in pointing them out in her real life. I really enjoyed this aspect of reading the book too and loved psycho-analysing each of the men she dated. Whenever I read a romance book with a character who is distant and reluctant to accept someone else’s advances, I know that the dark parts of their past are going to be revealed at some point and I loved that Tara knew that too because it felt like we were on the same wavelength.

I really loved watching Tara and Trevor get to know each other and settle into the easy conversations that they have. At first, they seem to be quite mismatched (her so invested in romance and him so dismissive) but it was only as their connection grew that I realised how great they were together. Of course, I knew how things were going to work out between them but I loved the journey.

Exes and O’s is a cute, funny exploration of revisiting your romantic past and realising how far you’ve come from the person you used to be. Tara is a relatable, warm-hearted heroine who I couldn’t help but root for and the slow burn friends-to-lovers romance is really fun to watch. If you weren’t a fan of Set On You, don’t be put off reading this one because I think it’s much better!

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review..

A wonderful, easy read. Recently single Tara is the sunshine, chatty new roommate to Trevor, the quiet, hunky firefighter. Trevor "supports" Tara with her project - helping her rediscover her exes as she thinks her future lies with the trope 'second chance' romances. This is a slow burner and I was totally invested in Tara and Trevor. Would recommend.

"I want to do literally anything as long as it means being with you, because I am so in love with you, I don't know what to do with myself."

- Friends to lovers
- Forced proximity (roommates)
- Bookstagrammer and NICU nurse x firefighter

Hopeless romantic, Tara switches places with her soon-to-be brother-in-law, Scott (from Set on You) and moves in with his colleague, Trevor. After spending time with her grandma, she realises that maybe her true love is someone she's previously dated. So she goes on a quest to meet up with her exes. Trevor is (reluctantly) with her every step of the way and as her quest continues, her friendship with Trevor subsequently deepens.

So, first things first. I really liked Tara. She was funny, endearing and a true optimist. This book was as much about the romance as it was about a journey of self-discovery and Tara accepting herself as she is.

Then you have Trevor, who is an expert at not letting people in. But then along came Tara who wanted to know everything about him. "For the first time, I wanted to let someone in." I loved seeing him let his walls down for her.

The way Trevor loved Tara was swoon-worthy. He was her friend and so much more. He took care of her, he supported her and her mission and he listened to her. And most importantly... "He does what no one else has done. He accepts all of me." Their friendship and relationship were both heartwarming 🥹.

To get it to the 5-star mark, I would have LOVED getting Trevor's POV like SO badly 😅. I also thought their 3rd act breakup/disagreement was unnecessary. There was no need for the drama when they'd just gotten together and it felt like it was inserted to tick a box, you know?

But overall, I personally found this to be a lot more enjoyable than Set on You and would definitely recommend it.

Thank you to Penguin Books UK and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for this honest review.

Ahh, what a book. This is definitely one of the best books I've read this year. I think I enjoyed it even more than Set on You, which is shocking to me because I absolutely loved that one. Amy Lea's writing style is absolutely addictive. I loved Tara so much and how hopeful she was in finding the one. While light, this book touched on heavy topics such as gaslighting, cheating, and emotional abuse, so beware of the trigger warnings.

And now for the best part, Trevor. Metcalfe. He is the man of all men! He was written so well, flawed and all, yet so loveable and loving and that had me melting. The tension between them was amazing, and when they finally got together it felt so organic. I absolutely love the forced proximity trope, and the author executed it perfectly. I also enjoyed that Tara was a fellow bookstagrammer who loved the same tropes as me.

This one is definitely worth the read. Thank you so much to Penguin Random House for giving me the opportunity to read this eARC.

This was a very enjoyable and addictive read by Amy Lea. I did not realise there was a prequel to this story so I look forward to reading that in the future. Well done!

REVIEW: Exes and O's 💔

Author: Amy Lea
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Format: E-book ARC

Disclaimer: This digital ARC copy was kindly sent to me by @prhinternational through @netgalley 🍬

"Real life isn't a ninety-minute movie or a three-hundred-page novel. It takes time to truly understand what someone else needs and how the other person communicates their love."

A four-star read for me.
This is a room-ance - I love this pun, I find it so fun! 😆 Basically, Tara is a bookworm, her favorite trope being second chance romance, so that's what she's seeking in this book. Then, we have Trevor, the hot, unbothered roommate who's a firefighter and wants no relationship. Just one night stands once in a while.

These two have the best friendship dynamic. They start out amazing and finish even better. The opening scene, when these two met, I literally cried laughing. 😂 I could not stop for a whole two minutes, it was exactly what I craved. This book can be read separately from the first one, Set On You, even tho it is a continuation, just with the side characters, Tara and Trevor - double trouble 💔

The things that made me fall for this book were the deeper themes such as loss, cancer, friendships and hard family relationships. We see our characters going through so many things at once and we realize that this is realistic. This happens. And I felt seen reading Tara's POV, I felt very close to her character.

Once again, this book is NOT YA! DO NOT BE FOOLED BY THE CUTE COVER! 🥺 (It's so cute, isn't it?) Also, by the time you hit the 60/70% mark in the book, you can't let go.

Read if you like:
📚 Slow-burn romance;
📚 Clingy, over-emotional (not) FMC;
📚 No emotions (so many tho) MMC;
📚 Plus-size representation;
📚 Books about books;
📚 TV Series mentions (The Office, Friends, etc. BE MY DWIGHT SCHRUTE);
📚 Heavier themes (cancer, death, family);
📚 A best friend trio (their personalities match Rachel, Phoebe and Monica);
📚 A happy-ending.