The Exes by Leodora Darlington: A wickedly fun debut that doesn’t quite stick the landing

Who hasn’t fantasized—purely figuratively—about exacting a little revenge on an ex? The Exes by Leodora Darlington leans hard into that universal impulse, opening as an explosive, darkly entertaining thriller about love gone wrong, bad men getting what they deserve, and the stories women tell themselves to survive heartbreak. Natalie wants what she’s always wanted: the perfect partner, the stable family she never had, a life that finally feels settled. Instead, she’s left with a growing list of exes, each crossed out for reasons that grow more unsettling as the novel unfolds.

After the mysterious “Big Fallout” leaves Natalie more isolated than ever, she meets James—handsome, charming, seemingly everything she’s been waiting for. Their relationship feels like a second chance, a reset. But as Natalie tries to perform the role of a “normal” wife, unsettling truths begin to surface, forcing her to question not just her marriage, but her own identity. Are her dead exes connected by coincidence, by guilt, or by something much darker? And is Natalie the monster in this story—or is someone else pulling the strings?

The first half of The Exes was completely my kind of book. Following Natalie through the wreckage of her past relationships—and what she did to finally end them—felt like riding shotgun in one of those women serving justice upon bad men novels I can’t get enough of. This has quietly become my favorite genre, and Darlington clearly understands its appeal. The setup is sharp, provocative, and genuinely fun, with just enough menace to keep the pages turning.

Unfortunately, the novel takes a sharp turn in the second half, and not one that worked for me. The story becomes increasingly melodramatic, shifting into something far removed from the wickedly satisfying revenge fantasy promised at the start. Natalie’s apparent descent into madness wasn’t the trajectory I was rooting for, and the final reckoning with the last bad man in her life landed with a thud rather than a punch. I wasn’t hoping Natalie would turn out “good” in any conventional sense—I wanted her to remain a full-fledged badass.

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Ironically, the most compelling character for me wasn’t Natalie at all, but Claire. Her story hinted at something richer, sharper, and more emotionally grounded than the direction the novel ultimately chose. I’d happily read a prequel told entirely from Claire’s point of view, especially if it leaned into the morally messy, revenge-fueled energy of the book’s first half.

The Exes is a classic example of a novel that doesn’t quite live up to the expectations it sets for itself. I’m not asking for predictability—just consistency. When a book promises one kind of story and delivers another, it can feel less like a twist and more like a betrayal of trust. Still, Darlington’s debut shows real promise, particularly in its opening act, and I’ll be curious to see what she does next.

The Exes by Leodora Darlington is scheduled for release on February 3, 2026.

Have you read The Exes, or are you planning to? I’d love to hear whether the second half worked for you—drop your thoughts in the comments.

An advance reader copy of this book (ARC) was provided to me by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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• Fiction book releases to check out In 2026 (The Nerd Daily)
• Leodora Darlington – Interview (The Conversation with Nadine Matheson)
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