The Ex-Files: a wonderfully witty rom-com which shows you can never really leave the past (or people from it) behind…

by Jane Moore

Take one wedding, add several exes, and stir ...

Fay Parker is beautiful, successful - and worried she'll never find her perfect match. So when she meets a caring, good-looking man who adores her, she casts aside any niggling doubts and accepts his proposal.

In a bid to be modern and grown-up, the bride and groom invite a potentially explosive mix of ex-boyfriends and girlfriends and Fay is determined to enjoy her special day. But there's one person present who has other ideas ...

Genres: Chick Lit, Romance, Fiction, Indonesian Literature, Novels, Beach Reads, Contemporary Romance

404 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Jane Moore is an English journalist, author and television presenter, best known as a columnist for The Sun newspaper and as a panellist and anchor on the ITV lunchtime chat show Loose Women between 1999 and 2002, returning as a regular panellist from 2013 onwards. Since 2018 Moore has been regularly relief-anchoring the show.

Reviews

[Athena · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book took me FOREVER to read! I just couldn't get engrossed in it. But at the same time, I wanted to finish it. The plot and characters were interesting enough that they made me want to find out what happens. I suppose the problem was that the text was a bit dry. It flopped around between perspectives and jumped a bit in time. Instead of making me more interested in everyone, it made me disconnect from everyone. I knew just enough to slightly care about them, but not enough to really give a crap.

[Tetty Marlinda · Rating 2 out of 5]

#280 - 2022
Genre: Chick Lit

[Cristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

"there are no ugly women, only lazy ones!
that was step 1.
step 2: pretend you're endlessly fascinated by him.
step 3: don't talk about yourself too much and maintain an air of mistery.
step 4, when the relationship has developed a little: give a great blow-job."

[♡ Rosella Swan ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny, and cute. It took me some time to get engrossed in the story but when I did I loved it. It was fun.

Many laugh out loud moments especially the Truth and Dare part and the anticipation was too much. Would Tony say something? Will Mark find out? What is going to happen now?

From the beginning I knew that Tony was perfect for her. And the re-meeting was awesome. I was cheering Faye all through the conversation 🥰 I couldn't help but feel as though the story should have been continued. The ending was cute but seemed short and abrupt 😕

I would have loved to read an epilogue or short story. Something to get to read about Tony and Faye finally together 💙

[David Proffitt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not to be confused with the relationship between Fox Mulder and Dana Skully, Jane Moore's Ex-Files examines relationships between people with very different characters. At a push, I could extrapolate on several similarities between the stories but that really would be pushing things a bit too far.

The Ex-Files is a rom-com, but like most of Jane Moore's stories, there is a twist. In this case the main focus of the story is Faye and Mark's wedding weekend. Inviting four exe's may not have been the best idea either of them has had, but as it turns out, it was not the worst. 

Over the course of the weekend Faye, a successful model, comes face to face with an unexpected extra ex, the consequences of which will affect everyone involved.

Although the book deviates slightly from the traditional rom-com format, the plot is intrinsically the same as her other books. Whilst there are opportunities along the way for the plot to deviate, the end result is pretty much as I expected.

The Ex-Files is a quick and enjoyable read. Not in any way taxing but all the better for it. The characters are all well developed and the narrative fairly interesting. I enjoyed the book which provided some light relief.

[Любопитка · Rating 2 out of 5]

Поредното от леките четива, които ползвам за разтуха след натоварен ден. Авторката е известна британска журналистка, списваща колони в “Сън” и “Хелоу”, а това е дебютният и роман.

На Фей Паркър и предстои сватба, а тя се озовава в бар и се заговаря с интигуващ непознат. Последно прегрешение преди големия ден и сериозното обвързване след това. Сватбата ще бъде в старинен френски замък, а по идея на младоженеца са поканени и бившите гаджета. Всичко изглежда по план до момента, в който загадъчният мъж от бара се оказва сред гостите. Как ще се справи с това Фей и в какви проблеми ще се забърка може да проследите на страниците на книгата. Има я налична в Читанка.

Поредната не твърде ангажираща, почти любовна история с гарантирано добър край. На моменти главната героиня и терзанията и ме отегчаваха, да не използвам по-силни думи. Подходяща за плажа или преди сън, но за съжаление не блести с нищо конкретно. Приятна и ненатрапчива.

https://prezprozoreca.wordpress.com/2...

[Zarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this up somehow mistaking it for one of Jane Green's books, that I usually enjoy... unfortunately one Jane is not another Jane alike and with this one, enjoying a fun and witty book with relatable, lovable characters was off the table! Every single person in this book (with the possible exception for Kate, and Mark from time to time) is an absolute caricature and the plot is annoying at best, degrading and demeaning at worst.
How anyone can call this a "feel good book" is beyond me. It was mostly horrifyingly embarrassing and filled to the brim with childish egomaniacs who had too much money and/or good looks for their own good.
I don't recommend this to anyone.
1½ stars (The extra ½ star is for the few giggles and clever oneliners in the beginning.)

[Elisala · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ah la chick-lit! Du facile à lire, du rêve irréaliste à souhait! Celui-là est gratiné. L'histoire de base est intéressante quoique pas réaliste pour un sou (un couple invite leurs ex respectifs à leur mariage), on découvre au fur et à mesure l'histoire de chacun des personnages, c'est pas mal construit, même si pas très original. Mais ça part assez vite en cacahuète, les personnages sont caricaturaux, avec chacun un caractère cousu de fil blanc, on devine ainsi sans mal ce que deviendra chacun. On aurait pu espérer que l'auteur prenne justement le contrepied de ce caractère et de sa destinée prévisible, mais non.
Une bonne lecture de vacances, on va dire.

[Marie :) · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5?

I really enjoyed this one because it was hilarious. I liked following all of these different characters at the wedding and following their dynamics. However, I never really connected with any of the characters and the pacing felt weird to me towards the end of the book (we spend 200 pages on two days and then the end just feels rushed). I didn’t have any big expectations going into this so I wasn’t necessarily disappointed. It was just something fun and flirty. A fast read. Though quite predictable (most contemporaries are but this was obvious pretty much from sentence one)

[Wisty · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a random book I picked off the library shelf. (I'm VERY drawn to bright pink book spines, who knew).

It was a lot of fun! Finished 10 days ago and already don't remember the details, but I loved how the story was told, with the different third-person POV switching off between the present wedding day and the past. And then you get a nice chunk of post-wedding content, so there was really a journey!

This had its 2004 moments but read as surprisingly modern/timeless most of the times. I'd say this was a quick, fun 2000s rom-com in book form.

[Jai · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite liked the ending but felt like it took a long time to get to where I felt like ah, here's the good bits i like. Most of it felt like I was determinedly slogging on because I suspected the set up was getting somewhere good. It did, just wished there were sappy crumbs much sooner than there was.

Also I don't topically pay attention to typos, but there were A LOT of them in my edition of this book.

So: long, long beginning, good ending.

[emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

These British people are pretty fucked up but it was interesting. The premise: a week before her wedding the bride nearly goes through with a one-night stand. The bride and groom both invite their ex’s to the rehearsal dinner, like why. And all chaos erupts. It’s so much drama. And a HUGE ‘well I didn’t see that coming’ moment.

❤️ : 2/5
🔥 : 3/5

[Rehia Rey · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book is fun. it's like having a box of chocolate in your hands. a must read for girls! there are so many lesson that will open your mind in it.

[Nur Wulan Nugrahani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yakin mau ngundang mantan di nikahan kamu?

Ini cerita Fay Parker yang gagal menikah, di hari pernikahannya. Alurnya seruuuu.

[Lois Keller · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great premise and interesting setup, but the execution totally skated over any/all tension and what makes romance novels fun. Lost opportunity

[Deanna Fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just too easy to predict the outcome from very early on. A bit difficult to read with the changes from past to present.

[Harriette Wilcock · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy read. Silly but soothing, great holiday book

[Jenny Ni · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting plot not great execution

[Penny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I usually set my expectations low for most books whose author I'm not familiar with. The premise may be unconventional or on the brink of unrealistic scenarios like inviting exes to your wedding, but the story was definitely entertaining. It started slow and a bit confusing and luckily unfolded to chapters that got my curiosity going and ended up to be a fun read.

[Blodeuedd Finland · Rating 2 out of 5]

THE EX-FILES by JANE MOORE

Fay Parker is getting married, she and Mark wants to make this weekend unforgettable and have rented a French castle. Now what could wrong?

Possible the fact that they have decided to invite old ex girlfriends/boyfriends. It's supposed to be the party of the century. What more could a model want. Now if there only wasn't a person on the wedding that will do anything to set them apart.

A bride, a groom, relatives, exes and alcohol. From Fays side there is the ex only interested in sex, and the sweet cop. Mark has the sweet first love, and the girl who seemed perfect for him.

A recipe for disaster.


Ok first *sighs*, how am i supposed to like a character who sleep with someone 3 pages into the book, a week before her wedding, and it's not her intended! Ok later on I get to know Fay and I see that she is not a total bitch, but still she is not that likeable. And for that reason I am not that fond of Mark either. Not his fault that he is a pushover but, no, not a chick-lit in my taste,

Everything is one big cliché, her looks, the way things happen, and yes I knew what would happen very early into the book. Exactly who would end up with who. It wasn't a surprise so i just sat around and waited for everything to fall into place. This book can be read, it was ok, cute in some freakish way. But for people to have read several books like this, well you are not in for any surprises. I am sure that you just like me will figure out what is gonna happen. Even if the one night stand is a surprise at first, I do figured that out too.

But for chick-lit it is ok, not any laughs, but love mix-ups, and true love. A very easy book to read.

[Sara Strand · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a really quick read and kind of fun. Was it fabulous? No. Was it super predictable but mildly entertaining? Yes. Actually- the description on the back of the book is misleading which is kind of weird because it's not what really happened, but that's ok. Luckily- I didn't read the back of the book until I had alerady started the book so that worked out.
For a chick-lit book I really expected more sex. Is that raunchy of me? I don't know- my chick-lit books have to have a little somethin somethin to keep me going. Fortunately, there was NOTHING on tv so that was what kept me going with this book.
The premise is that two people, who are so different and really not compatible at all are getting married. And because they are gluttons for punishment or idiots, they invite their ex's to the wedding. And then all hell breaks lose because it bounces back and forth between the present day and their respective pasts which only makes you realize how badly they should just call the wedding off, yet there they are, the night before having a party. And lots of their friends/family express reservations yet they think they will continue on. But then there's a twist and all kinds of nice things happen that tie the story off nicely. I thought it was super predictable which is always a downer for me, but it is a good book to just read when you get bored.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the beginning of the book where we found out about the beginnings of each of the former relationships.

As the book developed the recurring theme of being equals in a relationship, with one person not dominating the other, otherwise the relationship is doomed to failure - kept popping up. ALOT. TOO MUCH.

It was quite obvious that the main girl (her name escapes me), would end up with her ex-fiancée's brother. It is also extremely unlikely this would ever be deemed to be acceptable. Neither would the fact that the ex-fiancee goes back to his former ex and they live happily ever after.

I seemed to dislike the main character towards the end. She is painted as an egotistical bitch with a superiority complex. (Is this what was intended?). I greatly felt for her mother for breeding such a terrible human being.

It was good to begin with. But a bit far fetched in the end.

[Sherri Bryant · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this story! This is the first Jane Moore novel I've read and I laughed myself silly through quite a bit of the book. Though Faye comes across as a very shallow and selfish female, I found it hard to not like her. Of course, you had to know what was going to happen once Tony showed up in France, so that wasn't a surprise, but I was surprised she gave in as quickly as she did. Of course, if she had called Tony's bluff, who is to say how the story would have turned out. I also liked how the author takes the reader back in time to illustrate both Faye and Mark's previous relationships as well as giving us some background on Faye's mother. I thought Adam was a riot and think he would be a lot of fun to hang out with. I look forward to reading more from this author.

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was going to give this book only two stars because it's an icky romance with slutty, two-timing behavior; but then I thought about it a little more, and realized that it deserved more than that because the characters grow into better people, who are both more aware of themselves and of others. So I gave it three instead. It's still an icky romance that ends in a neat little bow, but the sex bits were nearly non-existent/largely glossed over, which is always a plus, and as previously mentioned, our important characters discover things about themselves that make them better people who are better able to deal with life. If only everyone could be so introspective… (Which is not to say that everyone should be introverted; then there'd never be any babies.)

[Ceh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I simply loved this book. granted chick-lit is mostly all i have been reading for a while.
It is the first book by Jane Moore that i read,and shes definitely been added on mt list of authors tobfind books from.
The storyline was simple but the drama nothing but..... as soon as she met that guy at wine bar, i was rooting for him alrdy,until well i realized she was getting married.
This book was relatable and more reason why i gave it 4 stars. it had me laughing from the onset amd ofcourse rooting for love and i wanted to knw how it would end, even though i was almst aware of how it would end, it was a sheer joy/sadness at finishing the book. (i am never too sure about how ifeel after finishing a good book)

[Laianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though overall this book was a satisfying twisty-turny romance, I did not really like the author's writing style. I know it's not her fault, but there were a lot of distracting typos and too often quotation marks were backwards or in the wrong place, blaringly wrong. Similarly, there is very little action in the book; it's a story told mostly through dialogue and flashbacks, and for me, I just wanted to *see* something, rather than have it told to me by every supporting character under the sun until the protagonist finally gets it.

A cute, exciting little novel nonetheless though. :)

[Alexis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Faye's getting married in a week and almost sleeps with a man she met at the bar. The day before the wedding, she meets that man again -- he's her fiancé's brother! Then, to top it all off, the wedding is filled with exes from her and her husband-to-be.

Notes: From the get-go I didn't like Faye, but I'm glad that as the story progressed I started to warm up to her. I enjoyed this novel and liked how Jane Moore provided ample background on the characters. My final comments are that it would have been cute if Ted and Adam hooked up (and perhaps that Brian got someone as well).

[Kendra · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5⭐️
I really enjoyed the concept of time skipping (present and past) and the storytelling overall. Sadly, the Exes where pretty... insignificant during most of the book, which was quite disappointing when reading the books title. Everything that happened after the wedding was also protracted and pretty boring personally. But reading until the wedding day was 4/5. Just after that it went downhill.
I liked Fay a lot as an UNperfect female main character and loved to read more about her past and mental being.

After all a solid romcom :)

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I could do half stars this book would have 3.5. It was a good book. It was a quick read and I liked the writing style but it was very very predictible. From the first chapter I could pretty much guess the ending. I guess that is what I get for reading so many chick lit books.

That being said Faye is probably a character that many could relate to. A women who is in love with the wedding part of a marriage. In the end it worked out for all the characters and that makes me happy.

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked this book, despite its strange marketing. While the flashbacks to both the bride and the groom with their exes were interesting, it really had little to do with the plot of the book and was quite misleading as time went along. I was quite surprised at the role that the brother played in the whole thing. All in all, it was a good quick read, even though it wasn't what I thought it was going to be about.