The Ex-Factor [Paperback]

Andrea Semple (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2004

When Martha Seymore finds out about her boyfriend's one-night-stand she doesn't know what to do. And Martha's business is relationships. She's the girl who gets paid to sympathise with the cheated and jilted, the under sexed and over attached at Gloss magazine. Realising she's just as clueless as her hapless readers, Martha finds it increasingly difficult to continue giving relationship advice whilst dealing with her own heartache. Also, there's the distinctly unattractive prospect of admitting a failed relationship not only to her colleagues, but also to her oldest friend, Desdemona, whose irritatingly perfect lifestyle would make even a saint harbour murderous tendencies. Worse, Desdemona's new fiance is Alex, Martha's first ex-boyfriend, who, contrary to all expectations, has matured into an infuriatingly sexy and talented chef. Life just isn't fair. Tired of always doing the right thing, Martha starts to wonder whether her new flatmate has the right approach to relationships after all: is the best way to get one man off your mind, at least temporarily, to get another one into your bed? A novel about sex, relationships, and other natural disasters

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

A woman who bills herself as a "relationship guru" should never find out that her boyfriend has cheated while she's in the throes of passion. That's exactly what happens to Martha Seymore, advice columnist for British fashion mag Gloss. Soon she's questioning every relationship platitude she's ever passed off as advice. She moves into the home of party-planning beauty Jacquie, who leads her into a life of wild parties and weekends in Ibiza. It's a life rife with alcohol, drugs, and sex, and the racy depictions of this are bound to make a few readers blush. Martha soon realizes the wild life isn't exactly glamorous. She finds out that her problems with Luke run deeper than she thought and that her job is in jeopardy. All her problems seem insurmountable, until her best friend gets attacked. Suddenly, Martha realizes she needs to quit wallowing and start taking her own advice. This plucky heroine will appeal to fans of Bridget Jones, but readers will be pleased to find a character who's less self-deprecating and more self-assured. Aleksandra Kostovski
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

'Andrea Semple's book about an agony aunt's agony will make you laugh, cry and make you want to call up your friends and tell them how much you love them. Refreshingly original - it's like an advice column but much, much better.' Faith Bleasdale 'A bright and sunny read, whatever the weather' Matt Whyman 'Very witty - it made me laugh out loud several times' Deborah Wright --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Kensington (October 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0758206445
• ISBN-13: 978-0758206442
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,099,522 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Brit-Chick-Lit with few surprises, April 20, 2006

By 

Tracy Vest (Northern California) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Ex-Factor (Paperback)

While having sex, Martha's boyfriend utters the words no woman wants to hear - least of all in bed - "I've slept with someone else." She calmly dresses and tells him that they are over. It is not until she is on the street that she remembers that they share an apartment... The betrayal is all the more humiliating since Martha makes her living as an advice columnist (or as her editor calls her - a "relationship counselor"), and immediately starts to wonder if it was a one night stand or happened repeatedly.

She moves into a new place with sexual dynamo Jacqui, who introduces her to a whole new set of people and experiences. She also has to make that obligatory call to her childhood nemesis Desdemona, who is now dating Martha's first ex-boyfriend Alex. As she tries to get over Luke, she explores her unresolved feelings for Alex, who seems to still have a soft spot for her. She also must contend with her column, which her editor wants spiced up who she could be out the door.

As she trudges through the letters from her lovelorn readers, she wonders if she shouldn't give Luke another chance. This Brit-Chick-Lit tale has some comical situations, but it does not take a rocket scientist to figure out where she is going with the story - in fact, there are few surprises.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Paint-by-Numbers Chick-lit, April 23, 2005

By 

Jeanette C. (Utah, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ex-Factor (Paperback)

If Microsoft ever comes out with a template for writing a chick-lit novel, they can use "The Ex-Factor" as their guide. Every, and I mean EVERY, stereotype and cliché is here and Semple has put it together in a bored, fill-in-the-blanks tone that leaves no room for plot twists.

Pretty but insecure heroine?
Glamorous job in jeopardy?
Handsome cheating boyfriend?
Gorgeous and catty arch-rival?
Sweet and syrupy best friend?
And most of all, the perfect but unavailable, unattainable man?

Check, check, check, check, check, check. *Yawn*

None of the characters are believable or likeable and the plot drags so much in places that it's a struggle to get through it. Among all this predictability are crude sex scenes and a generous sprinkling of the f-word.

If this had been written when the genre was new, this type of writing would be more acceptable. But this is one of the latest entries in the chick-lit canon and there are dozens and dozens of books that use one or more of Semple's plot points. Readers have moved past such bland and generic stories. I think the droopy toothbrush on the cover is actually asleep.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Call it Chick Lite, January 26, 2005

By 

Dangle's girl (Astoria, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ex-Factor (Paperback)

Calling "The Ex Factor" the Chinese food of Chick Lit is a grave disservice to the cuisine of the Middle Kingdom. Semple's not a bad writer and her sex scenes are quite spicy, but the novel will stay with you only as long as it takes to close the book and put it back on a shelf. None of the characters is remotely believable or likeable, and a bizarre domestic violence interlude just leaves you queasy. "Ex Factor" would be better described, perhaps, as the Yoshinoya of Japanese food--cheap, greasy and a bit stomach-turning.