I feel like this one had so much potential but it fell flat for me :( super disappointed I wanted to love this one
Maybe it’s just not my type of book anymore :(

I thought that Five Ways to Fall Out of Love was actually a pretty sweet and fun YA read. It was the perfect mix of coming of age and navigating young love, while still having that real world angst vibe to it.

I was really into the premise, but I didn't really end up enjoying a lot because I had a hard time with the characters. I really wasn't a fan of Webster and Aubrey's relationship, or of them as individuals either.

A big thank you to Emily Martin and those at NetGalley and Inkyard Press for giving me the opportunity to read and review this arc.

Content + Trigger Warning: estranged-divorced parents, teens drinking and under the influence, discussion of sex, description of oral sex and foreplay, minor biphobia

Representation: a bisexual male main character/love interest

FIVE WAYS TO FALL OUT OF LOVE by EMILY MARTIN is a YA rom-com following high school student Aubrey Cash as she navigates her romantic and platonic relationships in her life. The problem is, she has learned not to trust or rely on love. It just never seems to work out and her theory only continues to be proven with all of the relationships crumbling around her. First, there's her parents that seem to be on their way to a divorce. Then there are the friendship breakups. Don't even get started on the disaster of a homecoming date with Webster and falling for his cousin, Holland.

It's Aubrey's world and they are all just living in it. One of my favorite things in books is when an author can write some incredible side characters that I'm rooting for them just as much as I'm rooting for the main characters. The side characters in this? Chef's kiss. I adored the story behind Veronica and the journey of Reese and Kevin. I wanted more page time with them! Webster and Holland being cousins vying for Aubrey's love left room for comparison between the two and let me tell you, I was definitely flipping sides just as much as Aubrey was. They're both great boys and make some mistakes, but they are promising love interests and tried their best.

Even though I was so sucked into the story that I read this in a span of 2 days, I will be giving it a 3 star rating. The premise was promising and I enjoyed reading about high school characters that felt realistic, that felt similar to someone I may already know. But I felt there were a few issues with the story that made it difficult for me to give this a higher rating. For starters, the main character and narrator of the story, Aubrey Cash, is an unlikeable character. She does have her flaws and issues that she learns from in the story. However, I was not a fan of some comments she would make about her friends, especially some relating to Webster's bisexuality. They felt a bit ignorant or like she wasn't listening to what he was saying. Another issue I had with the story was how some plot points felt repetitive. Then again, that could just be typical high schooler behavior trying to figure out themselves and making the same mistakes along the way.

Was a decent ya contemporary, it didn't wow me but was still mostly enjoyable. I did love how far our main characters matured by the end of the book.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book! The title and this beautiful cover drew me in and i was excited to read this book! I will be recommending this book to others for readers advisory

Thanks Net Galley for the preview!

I am really torn on this story. I don't know if the title really matches the book. Aubrey doesn't seem to know what she wants and is really struggling with trusting in her relationships. I think her character seems confused for a large part of the story. Webster is frustrating and not very kind. The love seems to not match up, the characters just don't fit together. Aubrey was also pretty cruel to Holland and Webster didn't seemed bothered by that at all. I was not rooting for Aubrey and Webster to end up together. Quick read but overall not for me.

3.5 / 5 Stars:

Rant time: So despite my review I will say that I blew through this book in less than 24 hours, purely because I needed to know what happened and these characters were irritatingly addictive. So it was really fast paced and entertaining which for a YA Romance I really loved. Despite really enjoying the premise I will say that my biggest issue with this book was how frustrating I found the lead trio! Aubrey is smart and yet so so dumb when I comes to actually engaging with other people. And while as any YA book these concerns between characters could easily be solved with a little thing called COMMUNICATION I will say that’s not what irritated me about the story. It was the repetitiveness of misunderstanding - fight -make up. It felt like the same story occurring throughout the book several different times with no one actually growing from it. I’m not convinced that the characters would be able to outgrow this pattern beyond the pages. That being said, some of the characters were really likeable so it’s a balance.

Overall I still really enjoyed this book and would probably read any future books from Emily Martin and am happy for this advanced read from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

If had to choose one word to describe this book, it would be: average.

However, I could truly relate to Aubrey and her family life. All of her feelings about her parents crumbling marriage was something I understood first hand.

And though this didn't play much of a role in the story, I loved that Webster was bisexual. It was just a part of who he was and that was great.

Webster and Aubrey's relationship was lowkey toxic and I couldn't root for them. Holland was a sweetheart! I thought he was done dirty in this and derserved so much better.

Overall, there was nothing else interesting or memorable about this book.

A fantastic read if you want to see inside a teenager's head as they try to figure out love, self, and where they belong. The story is painful in parts, but only because it reminds us (adults) of the pain associated with that part of our life. There are many teens who would benefit from Martin's story as it artfully shows how to deal with growing up.

So I really wanted to love this book. I just had a hard time connecting to the characters, especially when the heroine is so judgmental. There were also some issues with the plot, the premise was good but the execution was not there. I feel like it could have been improved. The cover is adorable and it is what originally attracted me to request this! I just wish that the overall story lived up to my expectations for a cute YA read.

A cute light-read about teenage love and the impact miscommunication has on relationships of all kinds. Takes a realistic approach to romance between older teenagers.

I received this free eARC novel from NetGalley. This is my honest review.

This was an okay book for me. Aubrey was so determined to find the negative in everything and everybody that it was a bit of a downer through the whole book. Her and Webster were too stubborn for their own good and wasted a year of being friends, and possibly more. I think there was too much miscommunication or just no communication at all.

All in all a good YA read. I think this one would be a good read for older teens, and even adults who enjoy popping back into those high school angst feels.

A fun, light YA rom-com with a fair number of misunderstandings and mistrust between Aubrey and Webster. They had good chemistry, and even though I knew the HEA was coming, I still turned pages making sure it was a satisfying ending.

an adorable romance between two amazing characters!!! the drama between the cast of characters was fulfilling, and entertaining!! definitely want to read more of Emily Martin’s work in the future!! 4/5 stars !!!!!

DNF @ 10%.
This felt too young and underdeveloped, we just plopped down in the middle of this story with these mean characters and it didn’t make sense. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the free preview in exchange for an honest review.

There's nothing really stand outish about this story. The girl is skeptical about love, and then the guy that stood her up tries to help her find love. I feel like I've read other stories with plots like this that are better written.

Parts of this story felt very under developed and others just felt that these teens just didn't seem right or realistic. I didn't care for the narrative and the teenage issues. It all felt like this was more geared towards the lower end of ya. Which is fine it just wasnt for me. If you looking for some major teenager angst with unbelievable plot then this one might be for you.

Don’t get me wrong, this is a good YA book but holy smokesssssssss did this book annoy me. The main character and I actually have a lot of common as far as our thought process but even I am not that self-destructive. I just don’t understand how somebody can go out of their way time & time again to ruin things for them??? By the end of the book I was so over it. Also I don’t think her and Webster should’ve ended up together. He was right when he said that she didn’t care who she hurt & I think he deserved better.