This was a wonderful new adult novel. A super fast and lovely romance.

The strong theme of friendship in this book, the relationship between Norah and Lisa in particular is something I loved. This book displayed perfectly how important friendships and loyalty are.

I did feel like the relationship between Wade and Norah fell into place a little too quickly, I like a bit more angst and slow burn however you could tell it was implied this was a long time coming sort of thing because they’d known each other for years. Wade and Norah both helped eachother grow and cope and navigate through some tricky teenage emotions. I liked that there was more depth to these characters and their stories but not too much, this book is still advertised to young adults so I don’t think too much exploration into those deep topics was needed but the author did deal with them well enough.

Fell a little flat in more than one aspect for me.

Probably the book I needed to read in my teens as I was navigating life. not in my late 20's when i'm planning a wedding.

This was a great palate cleanser in between reading horror and thriller. It read like a movie. Loved it.

There are many things that i liked in this book like how the author didn't try to make the characters act out of their age i.e teenage. And in the likeness comes one of things that i disliked from the story and it was lack of communication. Because the drama surrounding the characters could have been avoided if they just talked but then again they are teenagers so they wouldn't br behaving like adults.

Overall all it was good.


Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

I have given The Art of Breaking Up by Elizabeth Stevens three out of five stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The romance that blossoms from an enemies to lovers trope didn’t give me the emotions I normally get when reading this type of book. However, I did enjoy that the author touches on family problems at home which I could resonate with and captured my attention.

I found it hard to connect with the main characters of this story: Wade and Norah and the same goes for their romance which was another reason why I didn’t really feel more towards this book than others might.

This book was okay, I can’t quite pinpoint things that I disliked and therefore I have come to the conclusion that this book is okay.

This was a quick, cute read. The characters are in high school, and around the age of 18. The author did not try to age them up to relate to the older readers which I really appreciated. They dealt with high school problems that covered areas from friendships to heavier issues of divorce. and hook-up culture Nora was definitely my favorite character and I loved her development throughout the story. With that said, it is a typical YA romance novel with all the trimmings of your typical high school love story. However, predictability never bothers me when the book is well written as it is with this one! It was definitely aided by its wonderful discussion of mental health and the pressure and judgment stemming from hook-up culture for females

I received an ARC of this book via the author and NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a cute.
My favorite thing about this was definitely the friendship between Lisa and Norah. It isn't often that friendship is what is a major factor in books like this so it was great to read their friendship.

This has been sitting on my NetGalley shelf for an embarrassing amount of time, which is so dumb of me because it is a quick read despite being on the long side for a YA contemporary. I thought it was... okay. There was nothing I really liked, but there wasn't anything I actively disliked about it. Maybe the whole dating your best friend's ex, but that is the entire premise of the book and it was on me to have requested it anyway.

This is a book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. I thought it was a cute book.
There were times in the book when I did not believe the characters were teenagers.
In all fairness, almost all of the girls were between 18 and 19 years of age, but all of them were very mature.
Since I have been trying not to read book reviews prior to reading a book, I did see that there were a few for this one and a number of people commented on how great the friendship was between Nora and Lisa.
The truth is that I was surprised by how long the secret relationship lasted before Lisa found out about it.

2.75 stars.
it was a little cute, but the conversations kept feeling like it was the same on and on. Do not forget we kissed, are we something? or aren`t we? Sometimes it felt like Norah did not think about Lisa, and took LONG time to tell her about her nad Wade. Wade was quirky and cute.

I really loved this one! I needed something cute and fluffy to binge, and this worked perfectly. I finished it in one sitting, this was that good. My favorite part was the friendship between Lisa and Norah. So often, friendships are discarded for the romance in books, and I hate that, because what woman goes through romance without her girlfriends? I really loved that this book put such a strong emphasis on friendship and loyalty. I also really loved the relationship between Norah and Wade. It did fall into place super fast, but it was addictive to read and see where it would lead. I loved how it wasn't all fluff, they discussed and worked through their problems both apart and together. I'd definitely recommend this to romance fans! It was a super fun, quick to read romance, and I really enjoyed it.

This book made me so happy!! I just adored the characters in this story and loved Nora and Lisa's relationship. It was cute seeing how they were both trying to do the best for each other, but really lacking in the communication aspects that could have avoided a lot of drama.

Another one of those stories that I enjoyed being goofy , cute and in all its seriousness it did not feel too heavy. I would have liked a little more time to know Wade's issues but atleast the story did not preach about anything fixing on its own. It gets messy but it also gets okay if you work on it. My only issue was the whole thing sounded a little mature for school age. Maybe if they were in uni , it would feel more relatable. But still a really good one.

Authors who write love interests that go to therapy and utilize the knowledge that they’ve gained from therapy to better their relationships ??? PHENOMENAL. Amazing. Iconic. I love them dearly. And especially the fact that Elizabeth Stevens gave representation for male mental health. That is so incredibly important to normalize and give representation to. I absolutely ADORED Nora and Wade. The way that they were able to be there for each other and support one another made my heart feel so full and happy. They didn’t trauma dump on each other but took turns giving the other space to reveal what they wanted and work through what they were feeling which I felt was so important. Everything about them felt so domestic and I ate it up. The way that Wade got Nora to communicate and open up throughout the book was *chef’s kiss*.

The friendship and love that Nora and Lisa have for each other is also everything. I loved the way Lisa knew there was something happening with Nora (without knowing it was the inevitable divorce) but gave her the ability to come to her on her own. Their girls' nights and support for each other felt true to the dynamic between my friends and I. They complimented/balanced one another.

I have concluded that authors who include a playlist for their books and/or characters deserve the most restful of sleep and supreme of joy. AKA I wish Elizabeth Stevens a wonderful rest and all the joy in the world. Since finishing this wonderful book I’ve been making my way through the playlist and was DELIGHTED to see some of my all-time favorite bands on it (accidental pun with All Time Low being one of the said bands).
more book playlists hooza. love interests who go to therapy and communicate !!!

Thank you Sleeping Dragon Books and NetGalley for giving me access to an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Art of Breaking Up is a genuinely heartfelt novel about romance growing up.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sleeping Dragon Books for allowing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Plot summary:
Wade Phillips Shattered Lisa McGinty’s heart in Year 10 with no reason given, and became a completely different person overnight. By Year 12 he has made it through nearly every girl in the year and was onto the year below.

In a story set up from the viewpoint of Lisa’s best friend, and what happens when a life event can really throw you into a path you didn’t expect, the story follows the relationships between Wade, Lisa and Norah, you get an insight into how their lives collide.

Review:
Plot and World Building – This was a really well developed romance story, cute and fluffy and I managed to actually binge read it in a day. The story shows the friendship between Norah and Lisa so well, and it was actually refreshing to read a romance story where the friendship between the girls is more important than the romance and it was done beautifully.

Overall pacing of the story was really quite varied and it worked well for the plot.

Characters and Development- Norah is a wonderful protagonist. Witty, smart and full of loyalty and her development throughout was fantastic. Wade was an interesting character and although he annoyed the living daylights out of me reading some parts of the book I am glad he got to develop and get a happy ending.

Lisa as well was also a wonderful addition and her character brought so much to the story she was honestly my favourite out of the lead three.

Final Thoughts:
A Cute, Fluffy romance perfect for a rainy day and escapism.

Cute, fluffy, and the perfect book to binge in one sitting.
The only thing I really didn't like about this book was that the characters read way more mature than being almost 18.
All in all, a solid read. One I'd highly recommend.

Absolutely love Elizabeth stevens writing. Whenever I am in a somber mood I love the pick me ups her books give me.
The art of Breaking up was a Brilliant read and one I will happily add to my collection.
This is a high school romance but the characters were not your typical students. they were more mature and went through real life problems such as divorce and other issues, each were handled really well.
The Bonds between characters was written so well. Lisa and Norahs friendship was spot on and really felt like a true connection.
This was a really great read.

Title: the Art of Breaking Up
Author: Elizabeth Stevens
Pub. Date: June 8, 2021
Rating: 4.5

This will be a spoiler free review. Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for a free copy in exchange for an honest review. It’s been almost four hours since I finished this book, and honestly, I can’t stop thinking about it.

I started this book around 3PM and finished it around 10PM. I probably would have finished it much quicker if life hadn’t interrupted me…multiple times. I’m so damn glad that I finally read this. When I saw it on NetGalley I was interesting, intrigued and willing to give it a chance. I lowkey thought it was kind of funny that the cover resembled another YA contemporary I requested off NetGalley (Fight for Her). It also made me a little wary because I couldn’t get into the other one. But the reviews didn’t lie, and this book didn’t disappoint at all. Like, I’ve already recommended it to multiple people.

It reminded me of Brigid Kemmerer’s Call It What You Want in terms of tone, and What’s Not to Love by Emily Wibberly and Austin Siegemund-Broka in terms of how much I utterly enjoyed it. I mean, it was such a good read. I really didn’t ever want to put it down, and honestly, I could totally read more.
Norah and Wade’s chemistry is so great, and their friends-rivals-more dynamic is addicting. The banter, the sass, the snide remarks…y’all – it’s top tier. I loved that their relationship progressed so naturally – and I loved the little twist at the end – Lisa is fantastic.

I also loved that this took place in Australia – which is just such a change from where contemporaries are usually set. It lowkey kind of reminded me of when I lived in the UK, with the slang and the way things are phrased. Now, obviously it’s not exactly the same, but it felt familiar, and I appreciated that.
The characters are the best thing about this book. Across the board they just feel so real, and relatable. I love that Wade is open and honest about his mental health. I love that Norah finds someone to confide her hurts and worries to. I loved that this book was open about the mental health aspects, and it did so in a way that was stigmatizing.

Ugh, I just really enjoyed this book. Once I finished reading it, I went and ordered a finish copy because I want it for my shelf. I loved it so much, and I can definitely see myself re-reading it in the future.
I highly recommend this book if you’re looking for a really good Upper YA/NA contemporary read. The plot is fantastic, the characters are wonderful and realistic and the chemistry between Norah and Wade is perfection. It will definitely leave you wanting more!

Thank you Netgalley, publishers and to the author for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I didn’t realise how much I would love this book but so many things about this book amazed me and I’m so glad I read this.

The representation of mental health in this book felt so good to see, particularly with a boy talking so openly about his mental health and seeing a therapist because society can be so toxic about this. This was one of the first books in a while that I felt I could relate to with my mental health.

Another thing I loved that went against societies judgment was the talk of hookup culture and how girls are judged more than boys about their number. The conversations Wade and Norah had were extremely sweet with a mix of deep and fun talk that just made the book flow perfectly and I fell in love with them both.

I highly recommend this book and I can already see myself re-reading this!

While I was entertained by this story, it wasn’t quite what I was expecting. The characters are engaging as was the storyline. I could relate to the emotional turmoil and the drama surrounding the characters. I couldn’t relate to the title and the connection to the storyline which was weak in my opinion. So while I enjoyed reading this book, it wasn’t one of my favorites from this author.

I requested a copy of this book and am voluntarily writing a review.