The Ex Effect, Dana Hawkins
The Ex Effect, Dana Hawkins
List: $34.99 | Sale: $24.50
Club: $17.49

The Ex Effect
A completely addictive lesbian romance

Author: Dana Hawkins

Series: Meet Cute in Minnesota

Narrator: Katie Beudert

Unabridged: 9 hr 59 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 08/19/2025


Synopsis

Morgan Rose has always been the girl with the plan. Color-coded calendars, backup plans for her backup plans, and a wedding business that’s her entire world. Only one woman ever managed to derail Morgan’s organized life and shatter her heart in the process. But Morgan doesn’t think about Frankie Lee anymore.Until Morgan meets the photographer hand-picked by her latest clients and discovers that Frankie is not miles away in New York like she thought. She's back in Spring Harbors, looking infuriatingly good, and Morgan's carefully ordered world descends into chaos.Morgan has just 87 days to pull off the wedding of her career, and she’s not going to let Frankie derail this opportunity. She will not be distracted by Frankie’s new haircut or the shadowy dips between her shoulders and biceps. And she won’t care about Frankie’s unfairly salty attitude when she left Morgan.But some sparks never die, and as the wedding approaches and the tension between Morgan and Frankie grows, can they face up to the mistakes that pulled them apart, or risk it happening all over again?A perfectly spiced romance about learning that the best love stories are worth fighting for… twice. The next unputdownable read for fans of Ashley Herring Blake, Alexandria Bellefleur, and Haley Cass.Readers love Dana Hawkins…“I’m in awe of the book I just read… The emotional depth was so good, the communication between the characters was incredible. I don’t even know how to put into words how much I absolutely LOVE this book. Obsesseddddddd.” Reader review, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️“My god this book… my heart is so warm… I could have read thousands of pages of these characters… One I already can’t wait to re-read and… I cannot recommend it enough!!” Reader review, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️“AHHHHHH I launched out of bed to write this review. Such an amazing book, it made my heart feel like putty. The emotional moments were so strong. I felt every single thing the characters felt. I was stressed, I was relieved, I was sad, and I was blushing along with them… It definitely cemented its spot for top reads of the year.” Reader review, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️“I fell into their story and grumbled each time “real life” made me set it aside… The stakes felt real, and high, and had me worried the entire time… This story had me contemplating how they’d make it work and biting my fingernails, waiting for the “eep!” moment… A must-read!” Reader review, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️“A resounding 5-stars!!… This book was gentle, caring, joyful and gave me ALL THE FEELS!!!… I CANNOT WAIT to read more… BTW just the right amount of heat!! Gah! I could devour this book over and over, with a Dirty Chia Tea Latte and a Blackberry scone please xo.” Reader review, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️“This story has everything— great side characters… great character development… and just a real natural flow to their relationship where you believe every second of it. All I want to do now is travel to my closest queer coffee shop and find a good scone and fall in love. Also, props for a queer story about the joys and not the anxiety behind being in the LGBTQIA+ community.” Reader review, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️“Easy 5/5⭐️ Read this book with a smile on my face almost 100% of the time! … It was so wholesome seeing two young women navigate life with so many ups and downs while also discovering what love truly is… Their connection from the beginning had me hooked!… Such an awesome book!… 100% recommend it to everyone.” Reader review, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

About Dana Hawkins

"Dana Hawkins is a caffeine-fueled writer of contemporary romance stories. She hopes to spread a bit of sparkle in a sometimes gray world while writing love stories with heart, heat, and enough humor to keep the reader smiling throughout the story.

Originally from central Minnesota, Dana has claimed Seattle, Washington, as her home for the last twenty years.

As a mom of three humans and one Saint Bernard, she spends her days chasing after kids (or dogs), neglecting her last remaining lucky bamboo plant, and searching for the perfect coffee mug."


Reviews

Goodreads review by Sunny on October 26, 2025

The beginning was very cute made me smile a lot !!! Author overuses certain phrases, especially “what the hell” “what in the hell,” in a way that became distracting to me… overall a pretty convincing and engaging romance that I enjoyed! Frankie is straight up a direct mashup of like multiple exes an......more

Goodreads review by SJARR ✨ on July 07, 2025

A huge thank you to Netgalley, Storm Publishing and author Dana Hawkins for providing me with the eARC of “The Ex Effect”, in exchange for my honest review! Publication date: August 19th, 2025 This was a great read! Romantic, suspenseful and fast-paced. This really held my attention, and I was excite......more

Goodreads review by Rachel ✨ on August 20, 2025

3.25 ⭐️ The Ex Effect is a sapphic second chance romance that explores the question: what happens when two women find themselves working on the same project after 15 years apart? Morgan Rose is an enterprising, organized wedding planner who has everything planned to a tee. She prides herself on her......more

Goodreads review by Stuffl on July 21, 2025

I was really looking forward to the new book by Dana Hawkins as I liked her previous books. However, I had real problems immersing myself in the story because I didn't warm to Morgan in particular. Her way of wanting to control everything really annoyed me. Also the constant repetition that Frankie......more

Goodreads review by -ˋˏ ༻ Persie ༺ ˎˊ- on August 25, 2025

Ex-girlfriend + small town + forced proximity = peak lesbian drama (and I loved every second) ━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━ The Ex Effect is a swoony, sapphic, second chance romance that blends smalltown charm with just the right amount of angst and pining. Morgan, a slightly uptight wedding planner is trying to save h......more