Ex Marks the Spot

Q: Do I have to buy the ebook to participate in a book club?

No, you don’t have to buy the ebook to participate, but we do recommend it to get the most out of your club. There are several premium social reading features that are only available when you buy the ebook, like annotations, reactions, comment threads, resources, discussion prompts, and more, all embedded right in the text. It’s a unique and immersive way to read.

Q: Why can’t I buy the ebook on the app?

It’s annoying, we know. App store rules prevent us from selling directly in the app, so for now you can only purchase ebooks on our website. Don’t worry: when you purchase an ebook on the web, it’s automatically added to your bookshelf in the app.

Q: How is Fable’s reader different from Kindle?

Kindle is a straightforward e-reader; Fable is an interactive e-reader that includes social features inside the ebooks. When you read an ebook on Fable, you can see and react to the text with others in real time. Start a discussion, share highlights and quotes, add emoji reactions—all of it lives right inside the book. It’s hard to explain and easy to see, so we recommend reading the free sample in one of our most active clubs to get a feel for it.

Q: Do you sell physical books too?

We do not sell physical books at this time. Wish we did? Let us know why here!

Q: Are book clubs free to join on Fable?

Most of our clubs are completely free to join. The only exceptions are clubs marked as “Premium” or “Career Development,” which do require a fee. You can find out more on each club’s detail page.

Q: How do I start a book club with this book on Fable?

The first step is to download the Fable app. From there, you’ll be able to create your own private or public book club and invite others to read with you. Once your club is created, click on the plus sign under “Currently reading” and search for this book to add it to your club.

By Gloria Chao

Publisher Description

A swoony rivals-to-lovers romance . . .
Family secrets that can't stay buried . . .
A globe-spanning treasure hunt with puzzles to solve . . .

This latest YA novel by acclaimed writer Gloria Chao takes readers on a soaring adventure through love, loss, and the lively streets of Taiwan.

For Gemma's whole life, it has always been her and her mom against the world. As far as she knew, all her grandparents—and thus her ties to Taiwanese culture—were dead. Until one day when a mysterious man shows up at her door with two shocking things: the news that her grandfather has just recently passed, and the first clue to a treasure hunt that Gemma hopes will lead to her inheritance.

There's just one major problem: to complete the hunt, she has to go to her grandfather's home in Taiwan. And the only way Gemma can get there is by asking her ex and biggest high-school rival, Xander, for help. But after swallowing her pride, she finds herself halfway across the world, ready to unearth her life-changing prize. Soon Gemma discovers that the treasure hunt is about much more than money—it's about finally learning about her family, her cultural roots, and maybe even finding true love.

Filled with ingenious puzzles, a vibrant Taipei setting, and a delicious romance, Ex Marks the Spot is an exciting adventure by award-winning writer Gloria Chao, perfect for fans of Loveboat Taipei, The Inheritance Games, and Thirteen Little Blue Envelopes.

Download the free Fable app

Stay organized

Keep track of what you’re reading, what you’ve finished, and what’s next.

Build a better TBR

Swipe, skip, and save with our smart list-building tool

Rate and review

Share your take with other readers with half stars, emojis, and tags

Curate your feed

Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communities

Stay organized

Keep track of what you’re reading, what you’ve finished, and what’s next.

Build a better TBR

Swipe, skip, and save with our smart list-building tool

Rate and review

Share your take with other readers with half stars, emojis, and tags

Curate your feed

Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communities

Ex Marks the Spot Reviews

3.5

jaen🌷

Created 6 months ago

“𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘶𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦. Adventurous treasure hunt? Mysterious puzzles? With a sprinkle of romance? YES, SIGN ME UP! 😼🙌🏻 I’ve been so excited about this book ever since I saw a review of it. And yes! I’ll devour any mystery book with puzzles for me to solve (even if my brain fails miserably along the way) 🧠🙈 I loved everything about this book: the bond between Gemma and her mom, her friendship with Val, the puzzles, and the journey through Taiwan’s beautiful culture and places. I even looked up the places mentioned in the book for a better experience while reading (and I had the nerve to be surprised that the places are real 😭) The puzzles totally had my brain working overtime, even though I couldn’t crack them, I was still so excited to find out what was behind the clues her Gong Gong left her. The romance in this book is so subtle, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying it. I was totally immersed in Gemma’s POV, and her hate goggles definitely rubbed off on me because istg Xander was so annoying for half the book 😭😭 But once he started showing he actually cared for her, I saw him in a different light (it really took one small sweet gesture to thaw my cold heart) 😆💖 And omg I really loved it when they started working together to solve the puzzles, they’re so playful! Though Xander’s still annoying, but now I love it haha and it wrecked me a little when they finally discovered the truth about their grandfathers’ pasts. This was such a fun read, full of puzzles and heritage discoveries. I truly enjoyed myself so much that I took my time reading the epilogue because I didn’t want it to end🫂”

Change and grow Diverse representation Strong relationships Clever plotting Gripping/exciting Well-structured Beautiful

TipsyonTropes

Created 9 months ago

“***Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ebook. Rating: 3.5 “Ex Marks the Spot” by Gloria Chao follows Gemma, a recent high school graduate. She begins to realize there’s more to life—and more to her small world—than the tunnel vision she’s had for almost her whole life. She’s raised by her single mother, who it turns out, hasn’t been honest to her daughter about her only recently deceased grandfather. To learn more about him (and a potentially life changing inheritance), she must go on scavenger hunt in Taiwan and ask her only serious ex-boyfriend, Xander for help. The journey that follows ended up being so sweet—I loved the FMC point-of view and the self-exploration/growth the reader gets to see. The puzzles created by the grandfather are so well done, and while maybe the list could be hard to follow at times—it ended up making sense. The couple of plot twists with the grandfather were well set up (and maybe a bit predictable?). They were still interesting and fun to get too—for example (spoilers incoming****skip this paratheses if you don’t want to know!!*** The grandfather ends up being the secret artist “X” whose work they see at a museum exhibit, minus one painting. It really wasn’t too much of a surprise as his clues were repetitive “to get to know me,” “x marks the spot,” and he saved all of his repainted works. There was also one piece of work missing, and it was a major clue. Also, the fact that he was in a relationship with Xander’s grandfather, they are not ex-business partners. It’s clear that her grandmother abandoned the marriage around the 60’s because of his secret relationship. There’s also a couple of works that show relationships between the same gender***) The scenery, the descriptions, even historical references were very well done. I cannot tell you how the food descriptions—ugh—sent me! I desperately want to go to Tawain for the street side snacks, for this perfect tangy/spicy soup. I did read both the NetGalley ARC and waited a bit longer for the audiobook to become available (which was very well done, especially reading Mandarin). There are some novels that I read that are YA, where my reaction is usually along the lines of “well….it is YA, lower your expectations,” but this isn’t how I felt all. The romantic tension was closed door, and very tender. I also got vibes that our FMC maybe neurodivergent (she feels excluded—some of that is her own actions, for sure, but other times--) it’s clear that she thinks about things differently. The reason for the break up as freshman was a big misunderstanding, and she just assumed the teasing/jokes was bullying and not him trying to be friends. It seems like she had a hard time, at least from her own point of view, in connecting with others/feeling grounded in friendships. Also the thought process/way she makes connections: painting, the puzzles, even her own growth and re-evaluating—all of that was well done and highlighted that’s she a bit different (at least to me). I think this a great YA book that expands to new adults as well. I would say my final rating is a 3.5. I enjoyed it quite a bit, and I’m happy to recommend to readers who want a touch of romance, but more adventures/puzzles. This a great book for recent high school graduates especially, as I think there’s a lot that young people let out into the world as adults for the 1st time—can relate too. I think some of her initial feelings in the first half of the book made me feel frustrated as a reader. But a lot of that is just miscommunication—my least favorite in a book.”

Believable Change and grow Predictable but satisfying Picturesque Setting fits the story

About Gloria Chao

Gloria Chao is a screenwriter and the award-winning author of American Panda, Our Wayward Fate, Rent a Boyfriend, When You Wish Upon a Lantern, Ex Marks the Spot, and the forthcoming The Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club. She graduated from MIT, then became a dentist before realizing she'd rather spend her days in fictional characters' heads instead of real people's mouths. When she’s not writing, you can find her on the curling ice, where she and her husband are world-ranked in mixed doubles.

Visit her tea-and-book-filled world at GloriaChao.wordpress.com and find her on Instagram and Twitter @GloriaCChao.