The Ex I Buried by Natali Simmonds review – a festive small town bingeable thriller

About The Book

Book: The Ex I Buried
Author: Natali Simmonds
Standalone or Series: Standalone
Publisher: Bookoutre
Publication Date (UK): 29th September 2025

My Review

Eva Walsh is pulled back to her small hometown to attend the funeral of her ex, Jacob. It’s the kind of town where everyone knows everyone else’s business and one she couldn’t WAIT to escape. So she doesn’t intend to stay for long.

It has been ten years since Eva last saw Jacob. But that doesn’t stop his mother from accusing her of killing him as the service is emptying out of the church. Whispers in the town quickly spread that Eva and Jacob were back in touch prior to his death, which Eva vehemently denies. So who started the rumours? Eva knows all too well the damage they can cause, having been the subject of them in her childhood too.

The Ex I Buried is a bingeable psychological thriller and I found that the small town setting really added to the tension. Whilst the book left enough breadcrumbs to suss out the first 75%, I wasn’t expecting the turns it would take at the end!

It’s also worth mentioning that although the name doesn’t give it away, the events of the book unfold during Christmas. So for any seasonal readers, get this added to your December TBR!

Thanks to Bookoutre for sending me a copy of the ebook in order to review and participate in the blog tour.