I really liked the author's writing style and the original premise, and I liked the romance, but it felt somewhat imbalanced. The idea of the competing apps was original and a good device to put the main characters at odds with each other, but they were hard to believe as actual concepts. Although Hudson's Break Up app was the one cast as morally dubious in Annika's eyes, I kept think she should take a closer look at her own app and its shortcomings. Both apps made me wonder about the ethical aspects of putting them into practice. I loved the pieces of Hudson I got to see, but I wanted more of him, so much more. The plot was more centered around Annika's intent on disliking Hudson than on developing their relationship or showing us both characters. She felt younger than she's supposed to be in the book. That said, there were many glimpses of quiet, charming moments between the two, that made me keep turning the pages wanting more of that. I will definitely seek out future books by Lily Menon hoping that she leans a bit more heavily on the adult romance in the next ones.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My Review:⭐️⭐⭐/ 5 stars

This new contemporary romance novel follows the story of Annika Dev, CEO and Founder of Make Up - an app that helps couples communicate in failing relationships. Her archnemesis and ex one-night stand , Hudson Craft, also has an app called Break Up - that aids people cut ties with their significant others. To make matters worse, his company moves to the same building as Make Up - and now they are vying for the same EPIC Investment Pitch in San Francisco. Annika NEEDS this money - her business is not making money yet and she will lose the lease to her office space. Annika and Hudson clash and flirt - finding their chemistry undeniable.

Romance novels are such a hit or miss for me and I really wanted to like this one so much more. Annika was just so unlikeable, blaming everyone else for her problems and being so tough on Hudson. She seemed completely unable to function on her own, much less run a brand new company. And Hudson is pretty one dimensional - the ending also very unrealistic and felt a bit rushed for dramatic effect. My favorite character is probably Annika’s dad - probably the most reasonable of the bunch. Although there were parts I did enjoy, this one was not my favorite.

Thank you to St. Martins Press Griffin and Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

US Pub Date: February 2, 2021

I like the whole enemies to lovers trope. I really liked the premise of this book with one MC creating a Make Up app and the other a Break Up app. My problem was I really couldn't connect with either character. And I really felt that Annika was too hard on Hudson. There was also too much about the apps. Not as enjoyable as I expected but overall a cute romance.

Make Up Break Up by Lily Menon is a fast paced rom com based on a summer fling gone wrong. Main character Annika is appalled when her summer lover shows up at her workplace and things go awry from there. I found this book to be sweet and cute, but it was a slow read for me, and overall was lackluster in prose and plot. This book falls outside of my favorite genres, so that may be the culprit, but I didn’t have a great reading experience with this one.

Received an Advanced Reader’s Copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

First of all, Make Up Break Up has been one of the most exciting books for me to read this year because this was Sandhya Menon’s debut adult romance and I was all in as soon as I heard about it and read the blurb. I haven’t read The Hating Game (yeah, no I don’t want to talk about it) but this felt to me as if I was making up for not having read that, because work place rivals, romance, same thing right? (yes, that’s how I make myself feel better about having missed out on reading cult favourites, like I said I don’t want to talk about it).

The best thing about Sandhya Menon’s writing is that she’s got this ability I love seeing in an author. She can make the voice of each book sound very different, which means that every book feels like it’s a whole new experience and hasn’t got that same tenor that makes you feel like every book is similar even when they’re not. There’s nothing wrong with the latter, but the former is definitely something I would want to have.

The second thing in this book I enjoyed was the characters and the intensity they each brought. I loved seeing each of them on the page and everyone brought their own personalities to the scene and the chemistry was really really well done. I loved seeing both sides of chemistry to be honest, the parts when you don’t get along with someone and the parts when you connect immediately with the same someone and this doesn’t just happen between the hero and heroine. Everyone’s got a part of play; be it their little habits, loving rituals or the splash of colour they bring to the book.

The plot itself is very interesting, with two different perspectives to a situation along with a little bit of philosophy thrown in. There were many points I found myself thinking that there isn’t always a black and white to any situation and that outcomes often don’t match with motive. I do feel that that was both mildly addressed but also glossed over a little, simply because we don’t get to have as much time to explore it. The book does end much too quickly and slightly abruptly making all that the story was built on finish on slightly shaky ground.

For me, while that doesn’t take away from all the emotions I was drenched in while reading or all the angst–by God the angst–it does mildly remind us the magic of the book isn’t real and bring us back to reality for a bit. BUT, I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a quick, emotional but somehow still light read. By God the angst.

Four stars! Happy reading and stay super super safe! ❤

I love reading the enemies to lovers trope, and Make Up Break Up by Lily Menon was no exception! The set up was perfect: two competing app developers set up shop next door and have some lingering tension from a trip to Vegas. I loved the tension and chemistry between Annika and Hudson. I also really enjoyed Hudson’s personality, and I almost wish that Annika had been a little gentler to him and not required quite so much give on his part. I would recommend this for fans of enemies to lovers romance or anyone looking for a sweet, slow burn romance.

I received an advanced copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley. This did not affect the contents of my review, and all opinions are my own.

I'd like to thank Netgalley and St. Martin's Griffin for gifting this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not sure if you would categorize this as an enemies to lovers or second chance at romance but I loved the chemistry between the two main characters and was banging my head against the wall waiting for them to see it themselves.

This is a story about two rival techies who are starting up rival businesses. Is it a coincidence that after spending an amazing week together in Vegas that Hudson is now staring a similar business as Annika? That he just happens to move his company into not only the same building as hers but also the same floor? That they are going after the same investors?

This was a cute, heartwarming, some parts lol, and just down right enjoyable book. I loved the banter and the pranks that the couple played on each other. I just wish the ending was drawn out a little more. I feel like I didn't have the closure to them being a couple. Otherwise, it was a cute, fun, and easy read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the chance to read and review an early copy of Lily
Menon’s debut adult romance: Make Up Break Up.

It’s really hard to put into words how I felt about this book because I’m still not even sure.

I love Sandhya’s YA work so when I heard she was releasing an adult romance I was completely on bored! Unfortunately this did not meet the hype that I had prior to reading this.

It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great. Menon is an all star at writing my favorite trope, enemies-to-lovers and she does a great job with that in this one. However; the main female lead, Annika, was so unlikeable to me that it ruined the rest of the story. Annika was arrogant and snobby. She was so in her head about Hudson trying to destroy her, that she was blind to what was actually going on and kept excusing his kindness as a way to sabotage her. While Hudson was totally in love with her and putting his heart out there, she just refused to accept it. The number of times she said how they can’t be together because of their morals, not knowing what they are and basing it off their different apps, was annoying. I also lost count of how many times she said Hudson had good pecs and was tall. I get it girl, let’s move on.

The ending was cute and predictable like all adult romances and it was easy to get into with the writing style. I just really, really did not like our main female lead and that’s what overall ruined this for me. I just couldn’t get past it.

I will say, this does give off When Dimple Met Rishi vibes with the tech world, and I was here for it. I love seeing strong women in the tech industry, making apps and coding. It’s inspiring and Menon clearly knows a lot about the subject!

The writing style was enjoyable (witty, realistic) but unfortunately the plot just fell flat for me. I feel like I've read this same story multiple times before, with nothing new being added here. I also didn't particularly connect with either Annika or Hudson, which made it hard to care about what was happening.

I enjoyed Make Up Break Up well enough, but I did not love it.

It gave a lot of on-the-page space to plot points other than the romance – which would be fine if Make Up Break Up was not marketed as a romantic comedy. I strangely came out feeling like I hadn't gotten enough of the main characters as a couple or enough romance.

This is a Hallmark movie in book form. Not a lot of substance here but fans of simple rom coms will enjoy this.

A tech infused opposites attract romance between two APP developers competing for the same investment contest, leading to lots of sabotaging and one-upping. Snarky and surprisingly entertaining, this is a simmering love story with electrifying four-play and tons of mud slinging.

Annika Dev is trying to develop her Makeup APP that helps couples find happiness. And just when she finds out she’s on the brink of bankruptcy, her competitor/former lover moves in next door. Annika will stop at nothing to beat Hudson Croft, even if it means ignoring her palpitating heart and undeniable desire for the mysterious owner of Breakup.

At first, I had a hard time getting into this book, but once Hudson came into the picture and we got the full back story, I was invested. The fireworks between these two are my favorite part of the story. I love the way Menon created a strong feisty female and the steam scenes were perfection. But what I didn’t like was how the tech development descriptions were explained. I wasn’t completely sold on the idea of Makeup and I hard time believing the fast pace of their makeup toward the end. Overall an angsty and engrossing read, but wrapped up rather quickly.

This was a cute, fun read. This book was a fast read. The book was just fast paced enough to give you enough of the characters, without dragging. The characters were likeable and the story line was great. The book was a little predictable, but overall loved. It was the perfect fun, lighthearted read.

4 1/2 STARS - This was a great read. Annika and Hudson are both young CEO's of app startups. They share a week together in Vegas and then meet up again in LA. I thoroughly enjoyed their story and the tears with the last portion of the story. Definitely recommend.

Annika Dev is the founder of Make Up, a dating app to help couples with relationship problems. She’s horrified to find out that her company is going to be in the same building as Break Up, an app that helps people end relationships. Ani had a summer fling with Hudson Craft—Break Up’s founder—and she’s pretty sure that he stole the idea for his app from her. Needless to say, she’s less than thrilled to see him again, especially since he’s so different from the man she met over the summer.

And of course, all of a sudden, Hudson is *everywhere* and Ani can’t avoid him. Not only does she run into him at the office, but she also finds him at her yoga class and at the same restaurant—the man is practically omnipresent, but not in a creepy way.

As much as Ani wants to hate Hudson, the more time she spends with him, the harder it is to hate him. She might even be starting to like him.

I enjoy the “enemies to lovers” trope, so this book did not disappoint me. There’s also an element of slow burn; there are the typical “almost” moments, but our romantic leads
take their time with the relationship. However, in a fun twist, they already know each other from that week-long summer hookup at a conference, so this book also qualifies as a second chance romance. Tropes, tropes, tropes!

In a way, this book reminded me of Pride and Prejudice, wherein Ani makes several assumptions about Hudson’s character based on superficial appearances, and it takes her awhile to acknowledge that her perspective is shaped by their shared past and that perhaps she doesn’t know Hudson as well as she thinks she does. On that note, the reader only receives Ani’s perspective, but the exposition is neutral enough that it’s easy to tell when Ani is being unfair to Hudson. This leads to some of the funniest moments of the book: she’s so convinced that he’s doing something awful or scheming etc., and he’s just being a regular guy.

I would recommend Make Up Break Up. This is a delightful rom com featuring two people with seemingly opposite dating philosophies who can’t seem to get away from each other. It’s sweet and charming and I’m looking forward to reading more from Menon in the future.


I received an ARC of this book from St. Martin’s/NetGalley.

This was a cute, romantic story about finding love. The story looks at what is unfortunately (lol) the most popular way to date in today’s world. Annika & Hudson are at 2 different ends of the dating app spectrum and butt heads through most of the book. This story shows that you never know when or where you will find love and that not everyone is what they seem - sometimes you have to take a chance ! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’m a sucker for a good enemies-to-lovers story as well as a second chance romance, so I was eager to read Lily Menon’s new novel Make Up Break Up as soon as I heard it featured both. It also features an inside look at dating apps and start up companies, and I’m drawn to books that feel timely when it comes to technology so in many ways, this book was a great fit for me.

I found myself very invested in the main character, Annika, primarily because she’s a female business owner in the tech industry. I found myself rooting for her company’s success, especially when it became clear that not only were they the underdogs of the story, but it appears that Annika’s chief rival, Hudson Craft, is rising to fame on what appears to be an idea about a dating app that he stole from her when they met over the summer at a conference in Las Vegas. The fact that Annika’s company is struggling while Hudson’s is clearly taking off makes matters all the worse.

I really wanted to hate Hudson on Annika’s behalf but I have to admit that he won me over pretty quickly because even though he could be totally obnoxious around Annika, he seemed like a nice guy otherwise. The story takes an awkward but entertaining turn when Hudson moves into Annika’s office building so that now she has to see him every day. In spite of her seeming animosity toward Hudson, it becomes clear pretty quickly that the two of them have major chemistry. It’s hard to tell from one moment to the next if they’re going to kill each other or end up making out.

Even though I enjoyed their interactions overall and most of their scenes were a lot of fun, there were a few times where it just felt like they were acting pretty juvenile and I wanted to yell at them to grow up and behave like adults. I also found myself a little torn when it came to the actual app development and business side of Annika’s life though. While it was really interesting at times, there were other moments when I wanted less tech talk and more relationship talk.

In spite of those issues, however, I still really enjoyed Make Up Break Up overall and look forward to reading more from Lily Menon in the future. 3.5 STARS

I loved this book!

Annika and Hudson are both tech entrepreneurs, but their software does completely different things. Annika wants to help people get back together, Hudson wants to help people break up. Annika loathes Hudson at the beginning of the book; you'll have to read the book to find out exactly where that animosity comes from.

Hudson might seem like the ultimate villain--after all, he wants to help happy couples break up--but even the "villain" is the hero of their own story. And since this is a romance, there's a happily ever after in there somewhere. Everything will make sense in the end.

There are some steamy scenes in here, so this book is not for Sandhya Menon's (Lily Menon is her pen name for adult books) younger viewers, but if you enjoyed her YA books and you're an adult, you'll probably also like Make Up Break Up.

4.5 stars

Wow. This book was more than I was expecting.

I know that this is Lily's first Adult book (Lily being a pen name for YA phenom Sandhya Menon) but this book escapes all of the typical pitfalls of debut novels.

The character work was great. I loved our leading couple, Annika and Hudson, but I also adored June and Ziggy. And Annika's father. Such great characters. They felt realistic, flawed, and fully fleshed out in a way that I love.

The pacing of this was fantastic. I love the mental acrobatics you have to do to go from crying about these overly emotional things that are happening, to laughing so hard you're still crying. There were so many amazingly heartfelt moments in this book, I just want more of them.

If you are a lover of a good hate to love romance, especially when it's a miscommunication, this book is for you!

I will say I did struggle a bit with some of the scene changes. As I read an eARC of this book, I don't know if it's just a formatting issue or if it's the way the book is actually printed, but there's no real division between scenes and its a little jolting to just hop around from one to the next.

Speaking of the eARC, I did receive the ARC of this book via NetGalley and the publisher in an exchange for an honest review.

This book was just amazing and I can't wait to own my own copy. And I will definitely be picking up more from Lily in the future!

First of all, thank you so much to the publisher and Net Galley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Make Up Break Up follows Annika, the CEO of Make Up, an app to help relationships heal, to give love a second chance. She believes that Hudson Craft, the CEO of the successful app Break Up (which give couples a clean break) stole the root of her idea. Make Up is broke, and when Annika is preparing for a huge pitch that could keep Make Up going, Hudson moves into the office next door.

On the surface, they're enemies, but that week together in Vegas is a constant reminder of the people they'd been then. Annika can't stop thinking baout the soft, sweet man he'd been, and try as she might, the attraction to him is slowly coming back, and she can't quite stop it.

Make Up Break Up was fast-paced, witty, sexy, and heart-warming. I read this in one sitting. It made me cry, laugh, giggle, and gasp. This book was everything and more, and I absolutely cannot recommend it enough!