I am absolutely loving the resurgence of the rom com, I’ve been loving them SO much lately and I am super impressed with how amazing this new batch of romance books has been in the last few months. From start to finish I adored this one, it was fun, light and totally modern and it also had depth and plenty of heart.

Lucky for me I was married long before online dating/apps became a common thing so while I couldn’t totally relate to Mel, that didn’t stop me from loving her! She’s a typical twenty something woman trying to navigate the dating world in the big city, but she’s fed up and ready to take action. She starts JerkAlert as a place where woman can review men they’ve met online as a way for them to prescreen potential dates and the ramifications are way more than she ever could’ve imagined. I loved her attitude and drive, both personally and professionally, she was constantly dealing with so many jerks in both areas and she not only made me laugh, she inspired me a little. It’s not cheesy girl power type of junk but instead an authentic feeling sense of women are badass, time to let the world know that I just enjoyed.

Highly recommended by me for a super fun summer read, it had everything I love in a rom com and more and I’ll definitely be looking forward to reading more from the author.

How to Hack a Heartbreak in three words: Fresh, Hip and Fun

This was a very interesting look at the world of online dating. It was funny, and a quick read. The main character jumped to a LOT of conclusions and made stupid decisions because of them, but which of us haven't done that?

Mel Strickland has a computer science degree but is stuck working at the help desk at Hatch, a start up company that helps young coding designers acquire funding to develop their computer project. Mel is smarter than most of the "Hatchlings" trying to code, but in a male dominated field, she finds she is getting no where.

After a few horrible dates using the app Fluttr, Mel decides to develop her own app....JerkAlert....which will work with Fluttr to warn other females of any guys on Fluttr that turn out to be jerks. Overnight her app goes viral.

Mel finally meets a decent guy, one of the Hatchlings, Alex Hernandez, and they are getting along great until she decides to look him up on JerkAlert. Let's just say that this is going to blow everything up in Mel's world. Just when she thinks life couldn't get any better, her entire world caves in. It will take a huge leap of faith for Mel to find her happy ending with Alex but it ends up being worth it in the end.

I really enjoyed Mel. Being a computer programmer I could relate to a lot of what she went through. It was nice seeing a female portrayed as a smart programmer. I also really liked Alex. He was just a sweet, honest guy and he was perfect for Mel!

I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would, and I think many people will find it very relatable. The writing and plot were a little clunky and heavy-handed, but it was a fast read so it didn’t bother me too much. I appreciated the depictions of being a woman (/minority) in the tech world and dating world, and I liked how the author included a lot of the micro aggressions people face. It was a very cathartic book to read. Definitely not a comedy, but also not heavy—the romance bit was take it or leave it. Read this if you’re looking for something fast and want to explore start-up life from the female perspective.

3 stars
In the world where we live on the net, it would make sense to have a romance book talking about all the duds out there on dating sites.
It takes an underestimated helpdesk person to decide to create a "little" app to give a heads up on all of these jerks. She is shocked with it takes off with a life of its own.

This had potential.

I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review.

I haven't read anything by this author before, I was intrigued enough by the description and the cover to give this a read! This was a really cute book a good story. I love how modern it was with all the creative ideas on website creation, dating sites, and some of the hazards women face in the modern world. There were some pieces of this modernity within the book that I found frustrating though - specifically how Melanie has to put up with blatant sexual harassment at her office with absolutely no form of recourse. I understood that the "Hatchlings" were important to the owner but at the same time that kind of flagrant disrespect for someone shouldn't be tolerated anywhere in a professional working environment. That being said, it was an interesting plot line and definitely different from other books I've read lately. I liked the varied cast of characters and how supportive Melanie's friends were with helping her realize her full potential. I also loved how talented Melanie was and her journey to becoming a confident business woman at the end was a wonderful character arc. I would recommend this book, I enjoyed it!

I really enjoyed How to Hack a Heartbreak by Kristin Rockaway. I read a decent amount of romance novels and especially enjoy contemporary romance and rom-coms. I admit I was drawn to this one because of the cute cover and the storyline snippet, but it did not disappoint. Our main character is working in a sexist and simply harsh work environment. She is smart AF but is getting nowhere. She also doesn't really seem to have the motivation to do much about this. She's single and trying to date in NYC, using the newest app (think Tinder but without that name). After getting stood up by her date, she decides to drunkenly start her own website where women can anonymously review the men from the fake-Tinder website. Its an instant hit. I enjoyed that the main character was smart and resourceful and didn't have any apologies for it. She works in a male-dominant field and simply tries to make her own way. Her meet-cute moment is fun and I enjoyed the romance in this story. Oh and the core group of female friends is delightful. I strongly recommend How to Hack a Heartbreak!

How to Hack a Heartbreak was my most anticipated book this year so far. I am so ecstatic to say that it definitely did not disappoint!

This book was a reminder why I never tried or would try online dating. There is a stigma now surrounded by online dating that it's all just for hookups. Kristin Rockaway wrote this story hilariously, like she herself has used online dating (apps, etc.) and had some of these problems arise personally. This book felt overall personal in a way, like a testament to not deal with this stuff!

The amount of time I spent laughing in this book is why I loved it so much. She made the characters very likable and able to be laughed at. When it got serious, it really felt it, but a lot of this book was upbeat and I think it really made a difference. I could connect them on a lighthearted level as well as a deeper level when things got a little angsty.

This book was also a testament to how women feel in a "male-dominated industry". Melanie, the main character, was a coder for a company. There were many times in this book where individuals made Melanie feel like she wasn't capable of doing her job. It happens so often in this society that I'm really glad Kristin Rockaway talked about how hard some women have to deal with it. I felt this on a personal level because I see it quite often.

I absolutely loved the friendships in this novel. It's so refreshing to see a character have some friends to rely on during a hard time in her life. A lot of the time in novels, it's "whoa is me", "I'm so alone"..., but I feel like this book really showcased the importance of friendship and being there for each other.

Finally, I think that the overall story is so good in this book that you just can't put it down. Melanie creates a website for women to write about their horror stories that they experienced on a dating app. Jerk Alert was a hilarious and amazing idea. I wish it was a real thing so I could sit, read, laugh and enjoy the stories!

If you’ve experienced online dating recently - this book will feel very familiar to you. I felt echoes of real life conversations as I read what Mel and her friends were experiencing.

If you’ve wished for a way to weed out men who are the worst - you will understand the impulse behind Mel starting Jerk Alert, the site for women to warn each other about men on the dating app.

This was a quick and enjoyable read. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

The premise of this book sounded very intriguing and the cover definitely caught my eye while perusing NetGalley.

I really enjoyed the character of Mel. She's the lone female in her tech industry company and she gets treated like dirt by most of the guys she works with. This reminded me of a character from a TV show that I love, and it opened my eyes to how horrible some women in tech are treated. She's also single and looking for a relationship using an online app. Problem is, men are gross and horrible, so she develops a app where you can list all the jerks on said dating app. I love that she creates this app and that the book focuses on that more than Alex, the cute guy she works with.

Another thing I enjoyed was the female friendships. Mel has a great group of girlfriends that are so supportive of each other. They all were well written and developed. Something I wasn't too keen on, was Mel's negativity at points. She seemed to go back and forth on a few things and I wish she just stuck with her opinion.

It's a fun and quick read with great female friendships and empowerment.

This was such a smart, entertaining read! There was so much in this story is going to resonate with readers: the treatment of women in tech fields (and the bro culture Melanie encounters), the difficulties of connecting with people in an online "swipe" environment, the tight and fierce friendships Melanie has. I'd say this would fall more into being contemporary fiction versus romance. If you've been seeking a smart, interesting contemporary main character, this is a great place to start.

This was such a fun and entertaining read about what it is like to date/try to meet someone in this digital age. I found this story really interesting, especially coming from Melanie's perspective as a female coder in a tech world full of men who don't give her any credit. It definitely put a great spin on this story. The story was at moments funny, sweet, romantic, sexy and it felt very realistic. Thank you to Graydon House Books and Netgalley for the ARC.

Wow! This book was so modern and emotionally satisfying.

Melanie is a coder who has a mind-numbing day job at a technical help desk in a New York business start-up incubator. Like most single ladies Melanie is using an on-line dating app but after one too many bad dates she creates a website where ladies can log and track their bad dates to warn other ladies off. Right after she swears off on-line dating, she meets Alex in-person! Alex seems like a great guy but then she reads a bad on-line review of him as a boyfriend and she starts to doubt her own judgment and his honesty. Can you ever really leave your on-line dating history in the past? If it started on the internet does it stay around forever and ruin your chance at a happily-ever-after?

I loved that the characters really grew. Melanie matured and got past some of her trust issues. This book also did a brilliant job of examining all the ways that our on-line relationships make us insecure and crazy. As Mel learned to put technology into the right place in life, I think the reader went right along with her.

Super cute! A fast, fun read. A little too predictable for me (rolling my eyes at the main character a few times), but overall, a feel-good story. Would definitely recommend to romance fans. Really enjoyed this one.

Melanie Strickland works in the male-dominated world of technology as the one who fixes the computer problems of these internet geniuses. From jerks at work to jerks she meets on the dating app, Mel feels the need to weed out the winners from the losers. She creates an app to do that and becomes a hit overnight! Hopefully she won’t overlook the winner that is in the cubicle next door.


I am finding a lot of pleasure in reading the rom-com! How to Hack a Heartbreak is another addition to a growing pile of laugh out loud novels that I am recommending to friends. This one is very timely and relevant, considering it’s all about internet start-ups, new apps, and online dating. I think readers will enjoy the modern touch, but I think that much will be lost on more mature readers and readers in the future, as the “modern” feel will soon become dated...

The dialogue is awesome and the female friendships are excellent and very relatable. This was my favorite part of the entire book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Graydon House for the ARC of this title.

Millennials Might Enjoy This
This book contains significant swearing and vulgar situations. This is not the kind of book that I enjoy. I struggled to read the first half and then gave up on it. I didn't find any humor in it. However, it was well written and many readers will enjoy it. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.

Mel left university and went straight into working at the helpdesk for a startup incubator company. For four years she has been nearly invisible unless or until she is needed, the lone (or close to it) woman in the frat house – subject to verbal abuse, put downs and little to no support from her ‘boss’. Of course, she knew that being a woman in tech meant that it would be tough, the boy’ club doesn’t like the encroachment, and there’s plenty of moments to show that. But, with her friends and her trusty app, she’s swiping left and right to see if she can’t find her own happy ending.

But anyone who’s a woman and been on line knows that sometimes people are stupid. And that stupidity often tends to them leading with body parts – not the ones we care about either – always below the belt, usually unsolicited, and when questioned – they are offended! This causes Mel to start a ‘slam page’ about all the bad dates she’s had through THE popular ‘swipe’ app for singles.

In the midst of the chaos, there is one man developing an app, and he and Mel hit it off. Unfortunately, his partner is everything that you don’t want in a guy, and while Alex is wonderful, Mel is tentatively testing the waters – and finding that things are even more difficult. But her app, and the response is garnering attention – does she have the will and the courage to strike out on her own, find a new situation and support in her chosen career? Oh yes, she does. And the growth, her friends and the very real incidents of harassment and devaluation simply based on her sex are wonderfully and honestly portrayed, and show just how a sense of humor, support and being good at what you do offer options and choices to change the ‘how it is” to the “how it should be”. A wonderful, quick read that surprised with it’s depth and characterizations, and brought an ‘everyday girl’ into a heroic position based on her desire to do good while making the world of computers better for women.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href=” https://wp.me/p3OmRo-atS /” > <a> I am, Indeed </a>

The idea of this book and storyline is a great one. I enjoyed the premise and the main characters overall. However, with that said, I think it could have used a few male characters with redeeming qualities besides all of the jerks that this story consisted of. I understand that there are a lot of terrible men out there, but there are a lot of pretty amazing ones too. It would have been nice to add in some side characters to reflect that. Good story overall though.

An easy breezy summer read. Although there were some serious topics- trust, sexism, bullying. The main character, Mel, grows so much in a short period of time. She and all of her friends are great women that I would hang out with anytime. Maybe this could be a series and we find out more about Whitney or Dani?

Enjoyable story with a modern conscience. An app developed by an anonymous woman allowing women to rate dating app participants plot has been done before. Even so, who doesn’t love that concept? Loved Mel’s brains and her loyal friends and the way she eventually called out male condescension and harassment in the workplace. Didn’t love being beat over the head with most-men-are-not-to-be-trusted and the way Mel couldn’t get the blinders off to see the good guy in her life as good. Also, we knew Alex was a good guy but the story didn’t really give him much depth or convince me that he was worthy of Mel’s affections. All that said, it was a fine, quick read.