Make Up Break Up brings girl power to the table with an optimistic Indian main character in the tech industry who is passionate about her business. I liked Annika's idealistic view on love and relationships; it's one I cannot help but support. As much as I liked her, she complained a lot about Hudson and Break Up...a lot. I wanted her to get to work and show him that her app was better. What speaks better than blowing people away with your work? I admired that she sticks to her morals throughout the novel, but she can also be judgmental. Also, Hudson Craft is undeniably sexy as both rival and love interest.

The book is predictable, but I don't mind predictability as long as it's done well. The ride needs to be interesting, and for the most part, it is, especially with the chemistry-filled run-ins and showdowns between Annika and Hudson. I would have liked more petty antics, allowing it more of the rom-com vibe Menon was potentially going for. Overall, Make Up Break Up is a good choice to start the most romantic month with.

Make Up, Break Up positioned itself to be a fun enemies-to-lovers romance that, unfortunately, never paid off.

Annika was the founder of her app, Make Up. The app was designed to bring couples together and learn communication strategies. While the app showed promise, she hadn’t made it big yet and money was quickly dwindling. Unbeknownst to her, her professional rival, Hudson, had just rented the office space across from her own office.

In all transparency, I was never in love with Menon’s YA titles but couldn’t pass up an opportunity to experience her adult romance titles. Make Up, Break Up fell flat for me because the characters weren’t believable. Annika was a young woman you could root for, but her hatred for Hudson didn’t make any sense. The enemies-to-lovers trope felt incredibly one-sided and it was hard to believe that the two of them had chemistry. I never fully understood their professional and personal motives either.

Make Up, Break Up may work for fans of Menon’s YA contemporary novels, but something was missing in Make Up, Break Up.

Annika has created the app that she believes will take the dating world by storm as rather than giving up when a relationship becomes hard it helps you find solutions to keep the relationship flourishing. The only problem is that she needs the cash to launch it and her biggest competitor is not only her neighbor but is also the man she was romantically involved with for a week in Vegas and she believes betrayed her professionally.

Hudson has created his own app which outlines that when a relationship hits a rough spot the best course of action is end things before they escalate. His creation has achieved success beyond what he expected however winning the contest will allow it to take off. The only thing standing in his way is Annika and their past.

The animosity between Annika and Hudson was a cover for their true feelings and I can only admire his patience at times when it comes to Annika. The interactions between them were entertaining whether they were flirting or fighting and there is a great cast of secondary characters which enhance the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's for the chance to read an advance copy of this book!

This book was just not a good fit for me. I enjoy opposites attract and enemies to lovers tropes, but I've discovered that I really can't stand the subset of these where there's pettiness and pranks and a complete lack of professionalism. Additionally, even though this is marketed as an adult romance novel (in contrast to the author's writing YA romances under a different name) I would definitely call it New Adult. The protagonists are 24 and 25 and there's a lot of immaturity in both of them. Seriously, they made me feel like a crabby old woman and I'm literally not even 30 yet.

We are only in the heroine Annika's point of view for this book, and I really didn't like her. I know Hudson is supposed to be the villain, but I sympathized with him at almost every turn (though the actual Break Up app event we see is pretty darn cold). Annika was extremely petty and let resentment build up in her to the point where she completely overreacts in ways that could have serious consequences if we weren't in a "rom com." For example, from her POV we've seen all her resentment build up around the attention that her rival Hudson gets, and how she thinks he stole her idea because the name and taglines are similar (which is ridiculous when you see the two business models in action, concierge in-person service vs AI interaction, but that's my opinion). OK, fine, she's mad. But then her next action is shooting Hudson in the face with a Nerf gun and smashing some of his company property. That's a ridiculous escalation that went way too far and definitely crossed the "suspension of disbelief:" line.

There's a couple other pet peeves of mine, like lots of pop culture/celebrity references, and some incredibly obvious "twists" about the real origins of Hudson's app. But I think it all really boils down to audience and these characters and their antics were way too young for me to have any interest.

I wanted to love this. I love the cover, I love the premise, I love the app ideas. I couldn't get into the book sadly. It felt like too much dancing around and not enough meat.

Well. This is a massive disappointment. Having loved all of Sandhya Menon's YA romances, I was so pumped to read her adult debut. I thought for sure she'd nail it, but here I am even months after I've read this book, completely baffled at how this is a book that came from one of my favorite authors of all-time. I have only myself to blame for having so much hope. There's nothing obviously wrong with Make Up Break Up - it's simply a boring book with irritating characters and a bland romance that didn't work for me. I think the big issue here for me is the storyline with Annika's app. She is clearly a driven woman and I always enjoy reading about characters who are driven and I love even more to actually see what they are passionate about. I feel like in this book, the focus on the app development was too much and it was at the expense of the romantic development. Annika also drove me batty because I didn't completely understand her annoyance towards Hudson, especially after he clarifies her misunderstanding. It made no sense and I felt like she was just looking for an excuse to hate him. I can't believe I'm even saying this because this is a privileged white man but I felt like she was unnecessarily rude to Hudson in her attempt to one-up him (they are both competing for the same investment pitch). Frankly, she was way too stubborn. Her issues with and her handling of money was also a big source of frustration for me, but I don't want to get too much into that. With all the focus on the tech aspects of their careers, I also didn't feel like we got to know Hudson all that much. He was just ... there and I had no real feelings towards him. Menon could not have written a more basic white boy. Ultimately, this romance just felt very awkward to me and there was no real chemistry between the couple. I'm not convinced these two lasted past the HEA. I should have DNFed, but since this is an author I've enjoyed immensely in the past, I pushed through hoping it would get better. Anyways, if you are new to Menon, skip this one and read her YA books instead - they are superior.

A week long conference in Vegas leads to a perfect fling, until someone steals your big idea. Annika’s big idea was to create an app for couples to get back together, missed opportunities. Hudson, created an app where a third party will come in and break up for you. Somehow, the two end up sharing an office building together and the hatred /jealousy continues to grow, as does their friendship.

This story took be a while to get into it. There was a lot of background information provided and I found it quite slow initially. Overall though an easy read and you wait for all the pieces to fall into place happily in the end💜.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC. This is set to publish Feb 2nd.

4/5 stars

Lily Menon may be new to the field of adult romance, but she absolutely shines in this novel.

Menon, also the author of rom-coms for young adults, creates a romance worth rooting for in that of Annika Dev and Hudson Craft, two app developers who constantly are at each other's throats but can't deny the spark of attraction they feel toward each other.

I loved the journey Annika and Hudson went on, together and apart. I loved the time spent focusing on things other than their relationship, like Annika's friendship with June (a delight) and her time with her father (also a delight); or the time we spent focusing on their respective apps, and what they meant to each other.

Hudson is brash and confident in appearance (we don't get his perspective, so don't know as well what he's dealing with on the inside) and Annika struggles with self-doubt on a lot of fronts which I, for one, found eminently relatable.

There was one snag in the plot that would be a massive spoiler that I wasn't a huge fan of; I felt like the book's resolution was a little *too* easy, and maybe out of character for Hudson.

That said, I truly enjoyed this book, a lot. It's funny, sexy, and heartfelt in all the right places.

After reading several suspense novels, I decided to take a break and read something light and fluffy. Make Up Break Up was just the book to read. It is filled with miscommunication, sexual tension, women in STEM, and a happily ever after ending.

Annika has a brilliant idea for an app and is working hard to develop it, along with her best friend June. These two women embody women in STEM and there is even a part of the story where they speak to some high school students and encourage the girls to pursue their dreams in coding. It is really a great message that nothing has to hold you back other than yourself.

Hudson has created an app that is the opposite of what Annika is creating. His app will send someone (a terminator) to end a relationship that you don't want to be involved with anymore. I wondered how and why he came up with this app and the answer to that is near the end of the book so you will have to read it to find out.

Annika and Hudson had met in Vegas at a conference and sparks flew during that week. But then they went their separate ways until Hudson ends up as Annika's neighbor in an office building in Los Angeles. Hilarity ensues between these two with the pranks to knock each other off their game. But what they didn't expect was to feel those sparks again.

I am not sure how much I liked Annika. She is a tough woman with a passion for her app, but some of her actions are childish. Granted she is in her early 20s, but it still seemed a bit immature. Not that Hudson was much better. It is also a little vague as to how she can afford this nice office in Los Angeles. There are conversations with a banker so it is assumed she has a loan from that bank. but it isn't ever really confirmed outright. June is her partner in crime, a master coder, and apparently very wealthy. I was surprised that Annika refused her help monetarily to get them out of the hole they currently are in, but if she did accept the financial help it would have taken the story in a different direction. I did feel like Annika did start to mature towards the end of the book when certain events occurred.

Annika has a great relationship with her father other than he wants her to attend medical school and become a doctor. That is not her passion and I wondered if her father would ever realize that becoming a doctor is not her dream. Small spoiler, he does but it takes a long time. But the journey to get to that point is two-fold for him and an intriguing subplot.

Hudson has his own issues too. He has become very successful with his app, but he isn't happy. There are underlying issues that Annika helps him uncover at various points during the story. Hudson does seem too perfect, but in reality, he is just as flawed as Annika, and perhaps that is what makes these two a perfect couple. Once they can get past their hangups.

The book made me chuckle and there are a few "oh no" moments, but we get our HEA and all is right with the world.

We give this book 3 1/2 paws up.

Having met at a conference, Annika and Hudson find themselves competing for funding with their apps that couldn’t be more different. Annika’s app, Make Up, tries to help people in struggling relationships regain what they’ve lost and stay together. Hudson’s app, Break Up, offers the services of an impartial third party to break up with your significant other. Both have strong feelings for each other but Hudson’s app makes Annika sick and she can’t be with someone who does that for a living.
Opinion
Told in multiple points of view, Ms. Menon hits the mark with her writing style. Feelings are quite palpable, almost like you are there with them. The story line over all has a very sweet and endearing nature. This book was quite a pleasure to read and will help restore faith in humanity for you if read on a bad day.
Many thanks to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC of this book.

This is the debut adult romance book with her pen name of Lily Menon, but I've read several of Sandhya Menon's other books (I love her Dimpleverse series). While I enjoyed the overall plot of this book, the characters fell a little flat for me. Her protagonist Annika Dev showed promise, but I just thought she came off as super immature with some of the things she said or did even though she's supposed to be 24 years old and the founder of a promising tech company. And while I enjoyed Hudson, the male love-interest in the book, I wasn't a fan of where his story arc ended up going. The side character of June was enjoyable and I loved the friendship interactions between her and Annika. I'll definitely give Lily Menon another chance with romance books in the future, but hopefully the next book will feature a more "adult" main character and not come off as a YA-type character with their maturity levels.

I loved the fact that this celebrated ladies in stem!! I loved that there was dating app drama. I loved the enemies to lovers! But I wished for more tension and chemistry between Hudson and Annika. The steam felt like an after thought but the actual scene was a+!! I loved annikas relationship with her father and the inspiration behind her app. I thought she was the strong inspirational character we could use more of. But what I didn’t like was the Hudson closed down his app for her. I wish they could have found a way to coexist in the dating app world. 3.5*

Unfortunately I didn’t enjoy this one. I was looking forward to it as I love the authors YA books but this one didn’t work for me and I’m sad about it. Review to come

of course I loved this, I always love books by Sandhya Menon and I can't wait for her Adult Romance debut with Make Up Break Up. I can't wait for everyone to read this and love it!

I liked this book. It has a clever premise and I will always be drawn to a enemies/rivals to lovers story. I also always appreciate positive women in stem representation.

I just felt like the plot rode on the back of the rival apps/businesses thing a little more than it did the relationship between Annika and Hudson. Which is not at all to say that it wasn’t entertaining to read, it was. It’s just that it wasn’t what I was wanting from the story. This is almost certainly a me thing and no fault of the book as I am in a big ‘GIVE ME DEEP, DARK COMPLEX EMOTIONS’ mood.

Again, I did like this book and I think lots of people following here would like it too.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s for the opportunity to read an advanced copy. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Lovers to enemies to lovers.

Annika and Hudson met at a tech conference the previous summer where they hit it off and had a weeklong fling. Now Hudson and Annika are developing similar but opposite apps and Annika thinks Hudson stole her idea.

I really wanted to love this book! I love enemies to lovers and I was excited for the techie storyline. It’s exciting that we’re starting to see more books with female leads involved with tech and science.

I thought Annika was very immature and unlikeable and I wish we got to get to know Hudson better.

I've been wanting to read Sandhya Menon/Lily Menon for a while now, and I was stoked to see this book pop up on NG. I didn't dislike this story, but...I'm not sure it was strong enough for me to seek out more from this author. There are a few too many ideas/plots - female empowerment; father/daughter dynamics; rival app developers; finding your own destiny; and the romance - and a heroine (the only PoV) whose constant whiplash effect of her mood changes between uber-confident /self defeated/ zen-calm grows increasingly tedious as the novel progresses. I think the heart of the story - lovers to rivals to lovers - is good. Unfortunately, everything else - and there's so much of it - isn't.

Annika Dev grew up believing in fairy tale love (like her parents had) and second chances. So much so that she's invented an app (alongside her best friend/solo-employee June - a programmer) to help couples communicate more effectively. She believes in Make Up and knows it can work AND CHANGE THE WORLD (eye roll)...except the app is still in development, she's still very single, and her landlord is threatening to kick her out unless she starts paying rent. With bankruptcy on the horizon, Annika has her heart set on winning the EPIC investment pitch contest which could MAKE or BREAK her company; unfortunately, Make Up isn't the only app the investors are interested in.

Break Up, the "Uber for break-ups," is a massive success. Users love it, investors love it, magazines love to write about it, and Annika Dev hates it. She also hates its handsome creator, Hudson Craft, who she's convinced stole her idea - after she made the mistake of telling him all about it during a hot, weeklong summer fling - and subverted it into the exact opposite of Make Up.

With Break Up, users provide information about themselves and the person they want to break up with; the app then sends a stranger/Break Up employee to deliver the break-up message in person and provide a link to a personal, pre-recorded message from the user/dumper. Simple, clean and effective, Break Up is the hottest app in town.

Annika knows she has to win EPIC, and she's certain that if she can focus on the pitch and beat Break up , the money will eventually lead to app success. But her landlord becomes the least of her worries when Break Up moves into the adjacent office space, and Hudson Craft is suddenly everywhere all the time. And he keeps giving her hot stares like he thinks she’s beautiful. And complimenting her big brain. And her commitment to her so far non-existent app. And he keeps being super cool and fun and hip. And showing up on her blind dates because he’s obviously into her. And basically being awesome and nice and chill in the face of her constant insults and one-upmanship games. Which he usually wins. Because he's a total dick.

Wait. Hold up. What just happened there?

Oh, sorry about that. I forgot to mention that even though Annika is constantly trying to tell us that Hudson is the last one at the jerk store, he always seems like a pretty great guy. And since his reason for starting his company is also GLARINGLY obvious nearly the moment we meet him on page - and it's sort of sad sack romantic, it’s impossible to dislike him.

Friends, Annika is such a frustrating/polarizing character. You want to root for her - but the author can't stop stuffing this book full of all the reasons she's such a badass that you almost can’t help but find her a bit annoying. I loved her commitment to her company, her loyal and intense friendship with June, her grit, and her vulnerability around Hudson, but she still remained this “character,” I just never seemed to know very well. And it didn’t help that I thought her app idea sounded super lame (IF YOU NEED A COMPUTER APP TO TELL YOU WHAT TO SAY TO THE PERSON YOU ARE FAIRY TALE IN LOVE WITH, FFS I DON’T THINK YOU ARE FAIRY TALE IN LOVE WITH THEM. There, I said it. Anywho.

Like I mentioned earlier in the story, there are a whole bunch of other things happening in this story, and the most distracting of them all is the daddy/daughter plotline. Annika and her dad are super close, but his dreams for her and her dreams for herself are different. He’s mostly superfluous for much of the story, and when his ‘big moment,’ arrives, it’s supremely underwhelming.

Hmmm. Underwhelming is the biggest takeaway I had from this book. The characters, the romance, the plot. It’s good? Okay? Kinda dull? Messy? I’m still not sure. When Menon is laser focused on her principal pair and their excellent chemistry, the novel shines. When Annika is constantly refining her pitch and/or telling Hudson how to make his life right (since she totally has her own shit together. Ahem.), it’s a slog.

I’m on the fence folks.

If you like this author, maybe you forgive this overstuffed feel of this one.
If you’re new to Menon, maybe you wait to read reviews of her next release before you give it a try.

You do you.

The chemistry in this book is unmatched! Their witty banter slays me. I love the modern take with the app world and love connections through that. This book give The Hating Game a run for its money.

Imagine the having the handsome guy who stole your app idea moving into the office right next to yours. Annika is so relatable and her relationship with Hudson is so fresh and fast paced.

I highly recommend for fans of Sally Throne and Christina Lauren!

Thank you Net.Galley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

#makeupbreakup #lilymenon #netgalley #netgalleyreviewer #netgalleybooks #stmartinspress #stmartinsgriffin cute story of romance. Boy meets girl. Girl meets boy. Insecurities. Thinking that you know things but you don’t. Both starting up #techcompany #dating #breakingup fighting not to be together. But. What if??? Definitely a cute #valentinesday❤️ read #happilyeverafter #bookstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagrammer #readersofig

Make Up Break Up features some of my favorite tropes: Friends to Lovers and Forced Proximity. The competition between Annika and Hudson is smoking hot; Hudson's Break Up app and Annika's Make Up app put them at opposite ends of the relationship app spectrum. Lily's writing was enjoyable and engaging; the banter she wrote was amusing and the excitement she was able to portray of owning your own company made me wish I could come up with an app idea and take the tech world by storm!

Overall, I enjoyed the story but did feel that a few things kept me from loving it as much as I could have. I felt like the characters felt older than-24, in the way they behaved and the responsibility they shouldered, but then in other ways, like that ways they were okay sabotaging each other on really important stages, felt too immature for me. I honestly just didn't like Annika that much. I often prefer dual perspective stories, and in this case, I really wish we would have gotten some insight into what Hudson was thinking; I think seeing Annika through his eyes may have helped with that? In some ways, I also felt that Annika was really way too hard on Hudson; I respect that she felt they had fundamental differences, but really ultimately felt like she was putting a lot of her own issues and issues between her and her dad onto her relationship with Hudson, and that was just really hard to read and continue to feel sympathy towards her for. I also felt like the crisis moment towards the end felt a little unnecessary; issues between those two characters were already working their way towards being resolved, and it felt a bit forced and over the top to have the final push be what it was.

Overall, I give this one 3 stars. If you love enemies to lovers and forced proximity, you'll probably still enjoy this one, and what bothered me may not be a big deal for you; so you may even enjoy it way more than I did! That said, I will absolutely be looking for more things from Lily Menon in the future.