Summary: Lark’s view of relationships is different from other 17-year-olds. Lark finds a boy, decides she likes him, dates/fools around with him until she’s sick of himthen she gets the boy to break up with her. Lark is happy with her how she handles her love life. She get the fun part without the messy break up part. However, Lark’s life is about to change. Her two best friends have dared her to find a boy, date him until they are in a real relationship and then let it end in a messy break-up. Lark immediately sets her sights on Ardy, a new boy who has been labeled as “Undateable”. The two begin to connect and everything gets complicated when Lark’s feelings become real and she’s doesn’t think she wants any kind of breakup.

Review: Sometimes I just want to read a fun book and Hearts Made For Breaking was just fun. Lark is a perfect YA romcom main character. She is searching for a real relationship but her journey is muddled with family issues and tons of emotional baggage. She is accompanied on her emotional journey with cast of quirky and likable characters. Lark and her friends are sarcastically hysterical with their views about life and love that is all filled with snark and sass. However, like most romance books, the best part of the story is the love interest. Ardy, the boy everyone declared weird, turned out to be sweet and romantic and just about perfect. Klein used her signature humor to craft a story that was fun and sweet and a perfect beach read for this summer.

This was a really cute, enjoyable read. I really liked the pacing and the plot and the characters. There was some good conflict as well and it was an interesting concept. Overall, I would recommend!

I absolutely adored this book. Even though I have had it as an eARC (thank you NetGalley!) for a few weeks now I hadn't gotten a chance to read it yet. It just released last week and I plan to purchase it because it is that good.

Something I really admired about the book was that it discussed sensitive topics that I don't think we talk about nearly enough. Lark, the female protagonist, struggles with keeping relationships. In fact, she intentionally pushes the boyfriend out of the door before they can even become something real. Throughout the story you start to realize that she feels that way because of the relationship her parents have. She continually calls her home a "war zone." I don't think there are nearly enough examples of psychological connection and transference in literature. Ardy, the male lead, also deals with personal issues. You find out that his father does something that others have thought Ardy did by taking a trek into the woods after a break up. Another great example of transference but on the other side of the coin. Lark and Ardy are not their parents and the author makes sure you know and understand that by the end of the story.

Both characters deal with labels such a "undateable" or "weird" and learn to grow through those moments with each other. True relationship issues/emotions such as jealousy and uncertainty are portrayed in a way that is real and raw. There are moments when you want to hurdle Lark's friends, Katie and Cooper. However, you appreciate having Cooper, the gay best friend, also struggle with his love issues. The "game" they play is obviously morally wrong but they soon find they don't actually want to play.

Overall, the writing is done well and you grow to love the characters and their struggles. The ending is adorable and exactly what you would hope for after everything they struggle through, both individually and as a couple. If you enjoy a good high school love story that feels real, this is a book for you.

I just couldn’t get into this book. It was just so so for me. Thank you to netgalley for the ARC. 2 stars.

lark dayton is that girl who lies to get boys to dump her. mostly because she doesn't want to have that big breakup fight. possibly because she's been hearing her parents have that big breakup fight for years but it never gets better.

but when she meets ardy tate in hearts made for breaking. he's not her usual kind of guy. he's a little strange. a little bit too honest. maybe a bit too good to be true. but lark likes him. she can't read him though, and that's enough reason for her to not take a risk. but when her best friends, katie and cooper, dare her to be with someone for 3 months and be real and not fake her way into a breakup but have a real one, her mind drifts to ardy.

soon, she's finding ways to interact with him. excuses to talk or study together. he's still a bit hard to read, and he's definitely weird, but lark likes all this. he likes her back. but there's his past and her curiosity and the game that isn't really a game waiting in the wings to blow everything up.

i just loved how their relationship grew and developed on the page, they're both flawed but interesting and they grow and figure stuff out to become better versions of themselves in a way that's really quite great.

**hearts made for breaking will publish on april 30, 2019. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/random house publishing group (random house children's) in exchange for my honest review.

I am still not quite sure how I feel about this book. And if I don't know whether I love or hate a book by the time I'm done, something was missing from the story. Lark's tendency of using boys to mask the pain you are feeling hit close to home for me. However, the issues that were driving that behavior were never fully addressed or really discussed so the story felt unfinished to me. The same goes for Ardy's character. So while the story is cute and funny, I do not feel closure after finishing. This is most disappointing because I absolutely LOVED Shuffle, Repeat so I was so excited about reading this new book.

Thanks NetGalley and Random House for the ARC. I received a free, advanced copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased opinion. No compensation was received.

This wasn't my favorite contemporary I've read. It was cute and adorable, but I didn't agree with some of the concepts and issues that were talked about in this book. I feel like one certain issue dealing with Ardy and how he reacted to a breakup was insensitive and unnecessary. I didn't see how it fit into the plot and it seemed like it was thrown in there just to give the book a bit of drama. The relationship between Lark and Ardy was cute and I loved some of the scenes between them. I didn't like Lark's character that much. She seemed very full of herself since she could have any guy she wanted (and she constantly reminded the reader about that). Overall it wasn't an amazing contemporary book. It was just okay. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it either. I give this book 3 out of 5 stars.

Hearts Made for Breaking is a sweet, contemporary ya, that's a fun, fast read. Lark has spent high school making out with guys and always ending it before things can get too intense. She stays away from guys like. Ardy, especially him because he intrigues her. Naturally, the get together and fall in love but this story, though strictly by the tropes book as they come, is so smoothly written that you can't help but root for Lark and Ardy. Featherweight, but enjoyable and definitely a great read for younger and more reluctant readers who like contemporary ya--a market that it too often littered with books that aren't nearly as much seamless sweet fun as this.

Another super cute YA romance from Jen Klein. I love her writing and her characters feel like real teenagers, which is so hit and miss in YA.

Um...DNF.



I was hooked by the blurb of this book. Even more so, when I got an ARC. But this story fell short in so many ways.



Lark dates guys like its nothing. Because it is nothing, to her at least. She dates a guy, comes up with something to make them leaver her. Then the cycle goes on and on from there.



Her friends want her to change her views on dating. And so, she sets her eyes on Andy.



Andy is the new guy in school. Jot, smart, funny. Someone Lark can see herself with.



I wasn't all for the start. It was very slow. They are in Ikea, chat briefly about why they are there and then move on. I wasn't digging that start, but come about 5 chapters in, I was so done with the book that I moved on to something else.



I wish this book had turned out they way I expected...but alas, it wasn't meant to be.

arc received from netgalley for an honest review

2.5 stars. This book was just not for me.

To start off, I’m not a fan of the plot. Because of the “game” It reminds me of After in a way which is a book that I literally despise. The whole “breaking hearts for fun” thing was just not something I personally agree with.

I found the characters to be boring and I just couldn’t connect with him. I guess I’m not a big fan of the “I’m different, I’m a weirdo” thing. The characters I did enjoy reading from all had minor roles in the story.

Something I did like was the friendship between Lark, Cooper, and Katie. Eventually Lark and Hope as well. I was a little disappointed to see Lark and Cooper’s relationship go downhill but I’m glad that they worked things out. I also didn’t like how they treated Lark at certain points and continuously put down Ardy but I guess that contributed to the conflict.

The romance was underwhelming. Lark said she was in love with Ardy but I feel like neither of them really showed it? I did like the almost-sex scene where she stops it and he explains that it’s okay. I feel like we often don’t see consent in books or the lack of consent and seeing how Ardy responsed to Lark was just a really perfect scene.

This book has the potential to get deep and become a hard hitting novel. However, it didn’t go the route which disappointed me. It was more fluff than substance. Lark’s parents are constantly fighting and I wish we could’ve seen how that affects both her and her brother. Ardy’s father had committed suicide which again, I feel like that could have really affected him as a character but it was a pretty insignificant detail to the story.

Anddd the ending. It was so unrealistic and a bit cringey. I mean, there were definitely cringe worthy moments in this book but the whole screen thing and then him wearing the shirt? yikes.

Overall, I feel bad for not liking this book, but I need to learn to be more critical. This was entertaining and I flew through it but it just was not a well written novel. I hope someone else gets the opportunity to read it and enjoy it a lot more.

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<p>The synopsis seemed like a really interesting play on the "fake dating" trope (which is basically one of my all time favorites) so I was definitely intrigued by this book! After reading a bunch of fantasy, I usually always get into the mood of reading something contemporary, so this book came at just the right time!</p>
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<p>Though I didn't really relate to Lark, I did enjoy her character. She had to deal with the normal family drama, and on top of that she was flawed. What I <em>did</em> enjoy was that her reputation for dating didn't automatically label her as some bad person. I've seen too many YA contemporaries where the serial-dating girl is automatically labeled and this was refreshing because she wasn't shamed for doing that-- it was more like her friends were getting annoyed that she didn't bother getting emotional or attached in a relationship (if that makes sense). </p>
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<p>Her character arc was interesting and I really enjoyed her relationship with her friends and Ardy. The cliche romance was turned on its head and Jen Klein made the story her own with some fun drama. I was definitely intrigued by the "mystery" behind Ardy and his own reputation. And as much as I love romance, the drama in this novel (especially the climax) really made the story unique and fun!</p>
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<p>Though the book wasn't what I expected it to be, I was genuinely surprised and got sucked in pretty easily. I wish there was more of a spotlight on the side characters, especially because they were only there as plot devices and didn't get a fleshed out personality... but I did enjoy the two main characters' and their individuality. </p>
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<p>Overall, this book was fun and dramatic and just what I needed in the moment!</p>
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<p style="text-align:center"><strong>I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys fun high school "drama", flawed characters, dating "games", and mysterious pasts. I think fans of Kasie West would enjoy the fun dialogue and witty characters. If you enjoy go karts, quirky characters, hot gossip, and falcons this is something you might enjoy!</strong></p>
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I have to admit I didn't quite know what to think of Lark, mostly because she was my complete opposite in high school. she deals with her fear of being hurt by rotating through guys before they have a chance to get serious. She dates them briefly, finds a way to let them down and moves on. Her two best friends, Cooper and Katie, think this attitude is all wrong and challenge her to break this vicious cycle by staying in a relationship long enough to fall in love (either Lark, the boy or both). She decides to go for "undateable" Andy, the new boy in school, who fascinates her. From the moment she goes along with this crazy plan and Lark starts talking to Andy, you can pretty much tell it's going to all blow up in her face. But knowing that didn't take away from the story. Because what starts off as a challenge ends up becoming quite real. They genuinely get to know one another and as they do, you being to see why Lark has this defense mechanism and why Andy has been labeled undateable. They're so different and yet it's how they're able to be themselves around each other that matters most. It was this aspect that I liked the most, even when I felt lukewarm about the individuals themselves at times. What I found myself continuously frustrated by was the friendship since it played a big role. Cooper and Katie are, in my humble opinion, terrible friends. I don't know if their "quirks" were supposed to make them funny or lovable for being so outlandish but I mostly found them annoying (Andy has a friend I adored though). Overall, Hearts Made for Breaking isn't a favorite from Jen Klein (that title still belongs to Shuffle, Repeat) but Jen Klein's writing is just so compulsively readable that I had fun reading it all the same.

This was a cute YA romcom. Lark is a serial dater - she dates a guy for a few weeks, then makes up a lie so he will end things. Oh no, her parents have gotten really strict all of a sudden and she’s never allowed out, etc. You get the idea.

Lark’s BFFs are tired of watching the same pattern play out on repeat. So they make her a deal. She has to date someone else - someone who is different from her usual type - and date him for 3 months. Then if she wants to end things, she has to do it by breaking up with him in an awkward conversation.

Is it a bad idea to start a relationship on a date? Yep!
Is it very easy to predict what will happen? Yep!
Was it still enjoyable to go along for the ride and see how it gets there? YEP!!

For me - Ardy totally made this book. He was quirky and smart and really fun. I would like more of him.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

High school sucks, like well and truly sucks for some people. From rumors running rampant to just a shoot load of insecurities during this time.. I myself could not imagine going through it again.

Hearts Made for Breaking introduces us to Lark, a girl from a plainly dysfunctional family who loves spending her time at IKEA (aka organizational heaven) who one day runs into the quirky and “undateable” Ardy, a new student to Lark’s high school. This run in leads Lark to remember Ardy’s name when her friends urge her to really date someone out of the norm and actually experience a natural break up rather than the weird scenario’s Lark tends to make up in order to get dumped and therefore be the “victim” not the “bad guy”.

Since it is high school and peer pressure abounds, Lark agrees to this plan but doesn’t count on actually falling for this adorably weird boy who in turn falls for her. Through a variety of ups and downs, this story keeps you entertained right till the very end, following all the plot points you would expect from a high school set book, this book is a quick read abounding with humorous moments.

- There is A LOT of diversity in this book. However, it’s introduced on a superficial level, such as “this girl is asian and wears an asian necklace” and the reference of “my dads.” It’s great to have mentions, but I would have liked to see the diversity add more to a character than a tagline.

- The story is fast-paced, spurred by superficial drama that results from poor communication (or lack of communication).

- Many assumptions are made that result in the aforementioned drama. For example, Lark dislikes her friend Cooper’s boyfriend on the basis that he’s boring, and she dismisses some important advice he gives without considering that perhaps he meant well for her.

- The characters are superficial. Their purpose seems mostly to fuel the drama. For example: One character participates in a neat activity, but it’s shown once and seems to serve mostly to demonstrate that he’s a weirdo (to most other teenagers). There’s also parental fighting in the background; most of this serves to fuel Lark’s negative thoughts about home and isn’t actually addressed within the family.

- I’d recommend this book if you like drama and teenage angst / romance.

Content warning: making out, clothes coming off, almost sex scenes, teen drinking.

At first I didn't really like Lark and it was hard to get behind the "game" her friends set up for her. I am glad, as it appears the trick was on them, that she overcame her lying, weird ways and made amends for every wrong, extensively. While funny and light hearted this novel really touched on loving, and almost irrevocably losing a loved one. It touched on good relationships, bad relationships, becoming a better person with hope instead of going down the same comfortable path that really doesn't allow you to grow.

There are a lot of really good messages in this book.

I received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

Based on premise alone, Hearts Made for Breaking had the potential to be a YA romcom that I’d love (especially as someone like me who is a total sap). Unfortunately, even with the easy-to-devour writing and highlights featuring adorable banter or swoony bits, this just didn’t meet my expectations. It was ultimately underdeveloped, specifically in terms of characters. While I didn’t have any issues on the whole with Ardy (who is a delight, honestly, and really was 90% of the reason I kept reading), I just didn’t care overly much for Lark because I felt like I didn’t know her outside of her identity as defined in terms of her relationships. She didn’t come to life off the page and since she’s the main character, this severely impacted my overall enjoyment. I also thought that her best friends weren’t really all that great (especially Katie, who came across as terrible majority of the time), and that some of the secondary plots weren’t handled entirely well (I’m specifically referring to the one about Cooper). All in all, Hearts Made for Breaking was a personally disappointing read.

4.5 stars rounded to 5

This book is a YA contemporary gem! It was utterly charming and so ridiculously adorable. I was completely enamored with how cute and fluffy and wonderfully entertaining it was and cannot stop thinking about that swoony ending that left me smiling and wanting more.

I read Shuffle, Repeat a few years ago and absolutely enjoyed the chemistry between Oliver and June. I smiled, laughed, and even teared up a bit in the end. I knew then that Jen Klein would be one of my go to YA contemporary authors when I want something lighthearted, fun, and cute. I haven’t gotten the chance to read Summer Unscripted since I’ve been playing catch up with my TBR, but when I saw this book and the cover on Netgalley, I just couldn’t resist. My feedback ratio is still around the 50ish percent, so I didn’t really set my hopes up too high. BUT, to my surprise, I actually got it! I squealed (internally of course since I was at work when I was checking my inbox) and was super excited when I received the approval email. I had to get through a few more books for reviews, but when I finally started reading Hearts Made for Breaking, I was completely smitten!

This book had everything… and I mean EVERYTHING I love in YA romances. It was interesting, nostalgic, heartfelt, funny, swoony, and realistic. There were a few cheesy moments that may make other readers cringe, but to me, they were actually kind of fun. If I’m being totally honest, sometimes cheesy works and I’m a hopeless romantic, so I like them more than I don’t. I thought the pacing was good and if I didn't have work or adulting to do, I easily could have finished this in one sitting. The romance was one of the cutest I've ever read. I liked the twist with the prom, the tag scene, the texts between Lark and Ardy, the meet-cute in Ikea, and all the other adorable and amusing moments in the story. The ending may have seemed a tad bit rushed, but it was absolutely gooey, sweet, and adorkable. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I was really looking forward to an epilogue (because I wanted more Lark and Ardy moments), but I was quite happy with the conclusion.

I loved that both Lark and Ardy were perfectly weird, relatable, and likeable characters. I liked that there was something offbeat about them which I thought made them even more interesting and lovable. I also liked their easy-going chemistry and just how effortless and real it felt. Sure, they were a bit awkward at times, but the fact that both of them seemed to be acting that way together was super adorable. Nothing felt forced between them and I liked the way their relationship developed. They had so many cute and deliciously swoony moments that made my heart melt over and over. Of course they also had their own drama, tension, doubts and heartbreak, but they’re all part of what made their relationship so realistic for me. I totally shipped them so hard and to me, they were really great together.

I have to talk a bit ARDY because I absolutely loved him with all my heart and soul. I never understood why he was being labeled “undateable” or why him being a little different or weird makes him that. He was irresistibly sweet, caring, kind, loving, honest and just a really good person. I loved how he introduced himself to Lark’s mother and what he said to her. I loved that he respected boundaries and never pushed. He was a true gentleman and I adored him so much.

The other characters were interesting and entertaining enough. I wasn’t too fond of Katie or Cooper in the beginning, but I definitely liked Cooper more. I did really like Hope and thought she was sweet and such a great friend to Ardy. All in all, none of the side characters really stood out for me, but they made the story a bit more fun with their personalities, quirks, and drama.

Hearts Made for Breaking was just too charming and adorable! I swooned more than I expected and smiled like a dork who’s falling in love for the first time. With lovable characters, an addictively engaging storyline, and meaningful coming of age lessons, this book was a truly delightful, fun, and heartwarming story. I can't wait to read Summer Unscripted and whatever else Jen Klein comes out with next.

If you love reading sweet, swoony, and lighthearted teen romance stories, then this book might just be perfect for you.

I received an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts, opinions and swoons are my own.

Hearts Made for Breaking by Jen Klein is a sweet young adult romance. Lark is an expert at not getting hurt by boys. She only dates them a short time, than have them break up with her. When Lark's two best friends, Cooper and Katie challenge her to date one boy and risk falling in love. When Lark agrees to the challenge, she sets her sights on Ardy the new boy, who has been labeled undateable. What does Lark do when she realizes she has feeling for Ardy. I love this genre, there is something so innocent about first loves. I love the quirky people and situations in this book, and watching the characters grow. I found this book to be a quick read, and recommend it to all readers who enjoy a sweet romance.

I reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and the publisher. Thank you.