Another great book from Jo Watson. Set in South Africa, Ash has not had good sex since attempting her first experience with boyfriend Logan at high school. Is she doomed to live life through bad sex?! She is hired for a location tour in South Africa as a cinematographer and is paired up with Max, a film location agency owner. Will he be the one to break the curse? A good story and lots of humour.

After Love at First Flight I really expected to enjoy this one but I just didn’t. If it hadn’t been an ARC, I probably would’ve DNF’d it. I found the characters irritating and the plot very repetitive. I struggled to think of Max and Logan as the same person as they felt so different, not in a way that could be conceived as growth but felt more like two different people. The “flirting” was so dull – we get it, you like cheese – and I found it odd that she had had numerous sexual disasters, was obviously quite sexually liberated but couldn’t say the word anal out loud. All in all, wouldn’t recommend.

This book gave me all the feels and I could not put it down! Ash has been cursed with an awful sex life and she needs someone to help her break it, and does she find someone. This is a good steamy romance and it was so well written. Another hit from Watson.

4 Llama Stars ⭐️
Spicy Level:🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
“There is no ‘d’, Ash. I love you. I’m in love with you. I’ve always been in love with you. You are all I’ve ever wanted. It’s always only been you.”
This was delightfully funny. I don't know if it’s because I just vibe with Jo Watson's writing as an author, or if it's because she and I share South African humour (you know the one built on self-deprecation and sarcasm) but I was absolutely hosing myself at some of the situations in this book.

𝙎𝙮𝙣𝙤𝙥𝙨𝙞𝙨:
Thirteen years ago, Ash tried to lose her virginity to her long-term boyfriend, and it went horribly wrong...think worst night ever. And then? He vanished. Gone without a trace, leaving Ash heartbroken and possibly cursed because every single time she has tried to hook up with another man since, something disastrous happens. Fast forward to the present. Ash finds herself flirting with a guy named Max, a RUMOURED SEX GOD, over email. Max is assisting with scouting locations for an upcoming commercial she is working on as a cinematographer. But when she finally meets Max in person? She realises that he is none other than the man who cursed her to begin with. Now, Ash is faced with a dilemma. Does she risk her heart again, or take the chance to finally break this ridiculous curse once and for all? I mean, there’s no way she still has feelings for him after all this time… right?

𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨:
I really loved the humour in this (if I haven’t said it enough already - which I know I have). I legit laughed so much. I’m talking full-on belly laughs, squeals, and giggles. I'm pretty sure people looked at me like I was a teenage girl fawning over her crush with the amount of noises I made while reading this. I think this is because this is very much a comedy of errors, like basically ridiculous in plot and absurd in situations.

I MEAN IT involves:
✔ Snakes
✔ Spider Webs
✔ Fish
✔ Pink Dolphin Dildos
✔ An unhealthy obsession with cheese
✔ A smelly Llama called Lucy

Basically, everything that could go wrong, does go wrong. Most of it is probably realistically impossible, especially considering a large part of the plot revolves around a sexual "curse", but it's the kind of story you could see as a rom-com movie. Because it’s so over the top and doesn’t take itself too seriously, you can sit back, relax, and have a great time reading it.

On top of that, the book takes you to some amazing locations. Now, I am biased toward Southern Africa (because I live here and have firsthand experience of these stunning locations). But this book takes you on a gorgeous, exquisite journey from Kruger to Zambia, Botswana, the Chobe Reserve, and Lake Malawi, which just does an amazing job of showcasing the stunning diversity of wildlife and landscapes this part of the world has to offer.

Then we have the romance. There is a lot of sex, a lot of top-tier banter AND even more sexual tension. It’s there right from the start, and if you're not comfortable with characters openly discussing their sex lives (in detail), you might not enjoy this one. The FMC shares everything with her best friends, and she is very open. There’s also a lot of “let’s just get it out of our systems” talk, and the tension between them is so thick you could cut it with a knife. Max does give off slight 'instalove' vibes when he reconnects with Ash, but considering realism had already gone out the window with everything going wrong, I just rolled with how quickly he caught feelings again.

The one aspect that frustrated me slightly was the initial conflict between the characters. It felt weak, and I didn’t really believe that this type of thing would cause such a rift, lack of communication and 13-year silence between them. But honestly? I was having too much fun to look too much into the flaws.

𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▶ Dual POV
▶ Forced Proximity
▶ Second Chance Romance
▶ It's Always Been You
▶ One Tent
▶ Childhood Sweethearts

𝙈𝙞𝙘𝙧𝙤 𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▷ Cages Her With His Arms
▷ "Sit on my Face"
▷ A Lot of Texting
▷ "Out of our systems"
▷ "Forehead Kisses"
▷ Never had a proper Orgasm Before
▷ "Fuck It"

Overall, if you want a cute, funny, low-stakes rom-com that will make you laugh out loud, this is definitely one to pick up for the laughs… and the llama… and the cheese!

Thank you to NetGalley, Headline and Jo Watson for the gifted copy, all thoughts and feelings are my own.

Ash has been cursed with a lifetime of bad sex after her first time with her ex Logan who disappeared immediately after that night and she never meets him again. Now as a successful cinematographer she has a chance to put this curse to rest because she's been emailing with location scout Max, and lets just say the chemistry is there!

Now they plan to meet and know they'll be working closely together, whatever could happen? lol I won't spoil it but lets just say you are in for a wild ride.

I really enjoyed this story and even though it was quite funny i have to admit that it was quite emotional as well, and it's difficult for ash to over come the past and the hurt she had dealt with.

Highly recommend

The Ex Effect by Jo Thomas was a fun and flirty read following the relationship between Ash and Max. It flits between both their points of view which is great because you really get to understand how both their characters are feeling about each other. Ash is still devastated at being abandoned by her high school sweetheart Logan thirteen years ago after a disastrous attempt to move their relationship to the physical level. She also feels she’s been cursed by him since she’s never had a fulfilling physical relationship with anyone since then. She hears many rumours about location scout Max who has a bit of a Casanova reputation and wonders if he might be the one to break the curse. When she has to work with him in her role as a cinematographer, things take an unexpected turn.

This is a slow burn relationship under the heat of the African sun and the beauty of the African landscape comes through well. I loved reading about all the beautiful places they visited and the wildlife they encountered. The sexual chemistry between the two is high – this is one hot story! Sexual tension between the two builds and builds, towards a perhaps inevitable climax – pun fully intended. If you don’t like uninhibited raunchy scenes, this isn’t a book for you. If you do, well then you will love this!

The Ex Effect includes many popular romance tropes – second-chance romance, slow-burn, enemies to lovers, forced proximity – so there’s almost certainly something that every romance reader will enjoy. It’s funny, romantic, poignant in parts and yes, sexy! I really enjoyed it and would be happy to read more from this author in future.

I loved Love at First Flight and I’m a huge fan of second chance romances so I’ve been eagerly awaiting to be able to read this book but unfortunately it was a bit of a letdown.

I think the biggest issue from me is that I was being told a lot of things about what the characters were feeling but I didn’t really believe it. I think there was a lot of focus on the physical side of their relationship, which I understand to a degree, as it was what ultimately led to their breakup (don’t get me started on that whole thing!!), but it was just too much, and a lot of that time could have been spent working on their emotional connection instead.

Unfortunately, this just wasn’t the book for me and I really struggled to get though it

I was so pleased to receive a copy of The Ex Effect. I’ve stated it many times before, but Jo Watson is one of my favourite authors, so the moment a new offering is available it’s like Christmas!

The Ex Effect centres around Ash and Max. There’s some name changes involved - Ash uses the name Leigh for work purposes and Max was previously Logan but changed his name. I wasn’t a fan of this, and think the story would have worked without it (maybe just one name change or changing from a childhood Libby to a more formal Elizabeth?)

The author ramped up the spice in this book and I loved it! I also really liked the huge acknowledgment to the fact that Ash and Logan/Max’s first time - like most first times - was a disaster. Think we’ve all read books where the first time is a well choreographed routine resulting in multiple orgasms 😂 This felt normal.

I liked the characters and I adored the South African settings. Also, the pink dolphin moment made me chuckle!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for my advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review 📚

4 ⭐️

Can you be sex cursed? Thirteen years of disastrous sexual encounters suggest that not only is it possible, but that Ash is bona fide-ly sex hexed. She knows exactly who to blame: Logan, the boy she one day thought she was going to marry... until he ghosted her after high school. That first heartbreak seems to have set off a chain of nothing but ever since. Ash decides a dating detox might be what she needs to realign what's going wrong. Of course, as soon as she swears off men, there's a new guy in town whose reputation precedes him. Word around the water cooler is that he's as sex blessed as Ash is sex cursed. He's also the guy she's been maybe kind of flirting with over work emails for the past month.

I don't need to tell you how hilarious Jo Watson's writing is. Her books never fail to make me laugh. What I loved about THE EX EFFECT was the breathtaking scenery. The action takes place in various African game preserves, making several tried-and-true romcom tropes (like being locked in a closet together, and sheltering from inclement weather) feel fresh and exciting. The romance was STEAMY without being smutty. Watson is a very sex positive writer and its always enjoyable to read about a couple having an unabashedly good time. This is more of a straightforward romcom romp than some of Watson's emotionally deeper books, so I really appreciated how heartfelt the ending was. It gave me that final something I thought the book was missing up until then. This had excellent pacing as always and was generally just a bunch of fun.

An enjoyable read filled with witty banter, humor, and lovable characters! The South African setting adds a unique touch, and the diverse supporting cast, especially Ash's friends, makes the story even more refreshing. I loved the second-chance romance trope, and the long-awaited reunion between Ash and Max after 13 years was a highlight. However, the fast pacing immediately afterward felt rushed. After such a strong build-up, their reunion leaned too heavily into insta-love, and the chosen ending felt somewhat far-fetched given their long separation. The final quarter could have been more tightly executed for a more satisfying conclusion.

This book had me hooked with its fun premise, and the opening had me laughing right away! Ashley’s string of bad sexual encounters? Absolutely hilarious. And I loved the friend group dynamic-it added so much charm to the story. Being no stranger to Jo’s writing, I always have high expectations for her books and this one did not disappoint.

Max went through a serious glow up, and it showed. He’s flirty, sincere, and just an all around good guy. I ate up every interaction between him and Ash, but I really wished we got more moments of them together-beyond all the push and pull. So much of the story is Ash resisting and denying her feelings that I wanted more of them just being a couple.

Since I am from South Africa and this book had a Southern Africa backdrop, I loved reading this book set in places I actually know and have also seen! It’s rare to find, and Jo did an incredible job bringing the landscapes to life. The journey through Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Malawi was stunning-I felt like I was right there with them.

This book was such a ride-from exes to strangers to everything but smooth sailing when they meet again. Their love story transcends time, and when they finally got their long awaited HEA? Gahhhh… my heart!! 💖

This is such a good rom com it had me hooked from the first chapter. I loved these characters. I literally couldn't put this down. Such a fun, hilarious read. Will definitely be recommending this book.

I kept reading until 40% and I can't anymore. Nothing happened till now.
Characters that are not interesting and changing names, the same story repeating itself ALL. THE. TIME, lots of inner monologues that aren't even funny. After reading the synopsis I've expected a book with wow - effect. It's meh - effect.
Maybe I'll get back to it one day, maybe not. Right now it's not worth my time.

Didn't rated the book, here I must.

The ultimate Galentines treat!

This book was an absolute joy to read. It was so funny, that at one point I tripped on the treadmill whilst reading in my own little freak accident. This was due to my giggling and not a curse.

What I loved most about this book was that it was like having a margarita and a catch-up session with your best friend - one of the mishaps that happened in this book actually happened to a real-life friend of mine, though I wont say which one. Like the best girls nights, it was effortless, hilarious and just the right amount of spicy (enough that you feel the evening had some substance, but not so much that you feel uncomfortable the next time you see her husband).

The book also had some amazing descriptions and scenes from Southern Africa that could convince even the biggest home-body to leave the comfort zone and come visit. As a South African it made me want to immediately get in my car and start travelling like a tourist in my own country.

My favourite things about this book: I loved the group-chat. The friendship was 🤌and I would have loved to see more of that dynamic at play. A found-family is something I always adore in a book and this one was great. I also really like the 🌶️build-up, whilst not a slow-build at all, I think the tension management was perfect.

What I didn't really like: I felt like the accidents that befell the main character towards the end became just a tad much, pushing it into a more unrealistic realm than it would have been if there was just one less bad thing that happened to her and giving a slight been-there-done-that feel to the book. I also think that the editing could be just a bit tighter.

Favorite quote: “I am on a detox! And you are not healthy for me! You are cheesecake, Max, and I need celery juice.”

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Thank you to Netgalley and Headline Eternal for providing me with a free ARC to review. It was a blast.

#TheExEffect #NetGalley #HeadlineEternal

This is an entertaining and well-paced second chance romance, with plenty to recommend it. I particularly liked the realism in what Ash believes to be the curse on her sex life: how often do we see first times depicted as soft-focus swoony perfection when it’s more likely to be closer to what happens here. I was also glad that they talked about the past soon after reconnecting, rather than drawing it out for maximum unnecessary drama. Max is delightfully upfront in owning his mistakes and wanting to redeem himself, and Ash is understandably cautious and conflicted - however her dramatic dithering and oversharing with her friends did get a little wearing as the book went on. Set against an African backdrop that is richly detailed and also the main reason for most of the mishaps that Ash gets into, this will make you smile and absolutely root for a couple who are clearly meant to be.

I need a llama emoji for this review. Don’t ask.

🦙🦙🦙🦙 Four llama stars.

Ash had a boyfriend in high school. They loved each other, but when they finally decided to have sex, it went horribly wrong. He disappeared after that, and her sex life has been a disaster ever since.

What I really appreciated about this book was the deromanticizing of the first time; you don’t see it often in romance. And we need it, because listen, kids, even if it’s with someone you love, it is possible that it will not be spectacular right away. Especially if you’re both inexperienced teenagers. Don’t let it discourage you; this stuff can be learned. 😈

I enjoyed the writing and the chemistry between Ash and Max (at least for the most part). It was also a great story; I loved the African setup and all the travels and adventures. It was a very entertaining book, but there were things that bothered me.

The first problem was the constant oversharing. Ash had a group of close friends, and she shared absolutely EVERYTHING with them. The updates about her sex life on their WhatsApp group were so cringe 😩. This is my personal pet peeve; I firmly believe that some things should stay between two people. Sharing with a bestie is bad enough, but with a whole group? I can’t even.

As much as I enjoyed most of the story, it went downhill in the last few chapters. The constant push and pull was getting on my nerves, and it didn’t stop until the very end, which made for a very rushed and confusing ending. I did not believe that everything fell into place so easily in the end. Especially with no epilogue.

Ranting aside, if there will be a sequel, and I hope there will be, I will absolutely read it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

CW: death of a sibling, mentioned, off page, snake bite

Thanks Headline and NetGalley for the arc❤️

I want to start off by saying that this is in no means a negative review as I know alot of people see 3 stars as negative. The main reason it wasn't higher was that I didn't overly connect to the characters but overall I did like the characters and the story as well as the writing style. I just didn't feel overly invested in them.

Ash believes she’s cursed in love, tracing her bad luck back to a disastrous first time with her teenage love, Max. Now a successful woman, she unknowingly flirts with him via email at work, convinced he might be the key to breaking the curse.

When a work trip takes them across Africa, Ash is shocked to discover Max’s true identity. As they navigate their past, hilarious mishaps and deep emotions resurface. Max is determined to win her back, proving their love never truly faded.

Filled with humor, romance, and stunning travel scenes, this is a heartfelt second-chance love story.

The Ex Effect has a premise that sounds really fun - and not only, because the beginning of the book made me laugh!
I liked the group of friends, and Ashley's unfortunate bad sexual encounters made for some really funny moments.
Max went through a glow-up and it was visible with his exploits. He was flirty, and sincere, and a good guy all-around.
It's very rare that I read a book set in South Africa, so that was a nice change of pace! The author describes the landscapes of the different countries Max and Ash were in so beautifully too!
Most of the story was so much of Ash resisting Max and denying her feelings, that I wish we saw what Ashley and Max were like in less antagonistic (on her part) moments, like them going through life as a couple.
It was overall a very lovely read!

Thank you to Headline Eternal for the ARC via Netgalley UK. All opinions are my own.

4⭐
2🌶️

I've always been a fan of Jo's writing, who always guarantees to pull you into the story from the very first word of hers and let me tell you.. this was no exception. I absolutely adored this cute rom, filled with second chances, comedy gold banter, pure chemistry, and sizzling heat (of the slow variety 😉).

Ash is convinced she has been cursed by her ex, since the night everything went drastically wrong thirteen years ago. With a long list of bad bedroom experiences, she overhears about the Casanova/Sex God in town, Max, who is coincidentally the same person she's been emailing at work. Their instant connection has been tangible and down right flirty, but desspite not knowing what he looks like, Ash can't dismiss the notion that Max just might be the solution in breaking the 'curse'.

All is good until Ash sets out on her week long recce trip, accompanied by Max. This might just be the sign she needed in going through her crazy plan in seducing him... Until she comes face-to-face with 'Max' - the very last person she'd thought she'd ever see again.

I honestly loved the bizarre concept of this story, which made for a hilarious read. Ash and Max were such beautiful and fun characters and I thought the back story to their history was well written, in how they became from lovers to strangers. When they meet again it's anything from smooth sailing (and the antics that follow...!!). I absolutely adored them as a couple and their love story is definitely one that transcends through time. Their hearts never truly got over the other and I was so happy when they finally got their long awaited HEA 🫠💖 Gahhhhh....!!!

Jo also takes you on one epic African Safari journey, in which the MC's travel across some amazing places, from Zimbabwe, to Botswana and Malawi. I adored these scenes and I felt I was right there with them!

Thank you to Jo, Headline Eternal and Netgalley for the eARC, in exchange for an honest review 🫶🏻