Well, that was the most short lived happiness ever. Chapter two and we’re already doubting our fiancée in more ways than one. Awesome start to that ‘forever’ pact (aka marriage), Edith.

Rowan is… I don’t even know how to describe him.

“I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything with you, Edi, but we’ve never really known anything different and in the nicest way possible, I still want to marry you but I also want to talk with other girls”.

What. The. Heck.

If you don’t believe that’s what he actually said, here’s a direct quote:

“We would still be together. And life would absolutely carry on as normal in a lot of ways. But imagine, okay, imagine you’re on a night out with the girls and a man comes up to you and says, hey, can I get you a drink? If you wanted to say yes, you could!”

Then Edi asks him if the same would apply for him when he’s out and he “nodded instantly”.

Did I mention Rowan cheated on Edi well before they were engaged as well? No one is surprised, after everything we’ve been told about him already. Hey, at least he asked permission this time! 🙄

Did the author set out to make the worst character in the history of fictional characters? Because if so, she dang well succeeded. Rowan is toxic beyond belief. I could transform this entire review into an angry rant about why Rowan is unbelievable. Oh, wait, I don’t need to bother. Our lovely Edith has written out a table for us. Three simple sentences:
1) Rowan sleeping with other people
2) Rowan leaving me
3) I’ll always know that Rowan wanted to sleep with other people AGAIN and I’ll have to carry that around forever and how do I live with that knowledge?

Step one done, Edi. Step two: break up with the bastard.

Also, who compares a bad feeling to speculums and lubricants?? I am seriously weirded out.

I felt obligated to finish the book no matter how much I wanted to hurl my Kindle across my room (I think I was literally shaking in anger at some points) but that wouldn’t be an honest review because in full transparency, I wish I’d DNF-ed this one well before the 27% mark (which is when I finally gave up).

I read some other reviews and came across an alarming amount that mentioned a transphobic comment (the same one) and that sealed the deal for me. I wasn’t going to force myself any further.

Big thank you to NetGalley and HQ for the eArc in return for an honest review.

I think this book was just subpar. The plot never felt all that thought out, and the characters weren't that interesting. I never really felt much connection between Edi and Fred. In fact, Fred was not a memorable character of any sort. The writing was more telling than showing so things never felt that impactful. The random flashbacks were not helping and I think the book would have improved without them, since they never seemed that important and just gave small insights on Edi, things we could have learned in the present time of the novel. I also just wasn't a fan of Lily with her white woman feminism and how the novel seemed to demonize an open relationship. However, I did like the premise of the book and I enjoyed Edi and Faith's friendship. I also really liked how Edi had a therapist, however, I think that Edi's therapist should've had more scenes because she seemed to really help Edi. I think that if Fred was replaced with a man then it'd essentially be a cheesy new adult romance novel that isn't that great, but if that's the book that they're going for then they did succeed with that.

1.5 ⭐️ Dnf at 60%
I just I didn’t get it. I did not connect with any or the characters I did not like the way this was written. I hated the language of this book. It is definitely not a cute sapphic love story I was hoping for. I was kinda interested at first but god it was really boring and did not interest me at all. It just was not it for me. I just couldn’t read it anymore.

This book was not for me. I don't normally rate books a 1, but when there is problematic language and behaviours in it, I do.

First problem I had with the book was me personally. For me this book wasn't interesting. I didn't connect with Edi, and I absolutely hated Rowan. I hated that Edi struggled so much to let Rowan treat her as disposable and even at the end of the book, she still didn't understand how manipulative Rowan was. This book was marketed as a romance, and LGBTQIA+ romance and it wasn't. It is more women's fiction than anything.

The biggest problem I had with the book, however, was the language used. There were transphobic comments and anti-LGBTQIA+ comments. When these comments happened, I could have just DNFed the book, but I decided to persist to see if these comments would ever be addressed. They did not.

This book was, I think, supposed to be about Edi finding herself, her worth and exploring the platonic love of her friendships. I found the friends, although, ride or dies, to be mean, catty and anti LGBTQIA+. They were so tone deaf on lesbians, and lesbian relationships. Even though I think they were trying to be funny, it came off as uneducated and mean.

I wish books would stop making transphobia and queerphobic comments without them being challenged. There is no reason to make them without even an internal dialogue about why it is wrong or problematic. Unfortunately, for me, these comments set the tone for the novel and I just could not enjoy it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an open and honest review. All opinions are 100% mine.

The Break Up - Reseña (Spanish - English)

Antes de nada, muchas gracias a NetGalley por proporcionar este libro en digital antes de su publicación el 25 de Marzo.

Hay muchas cosas que decir sobre este libro porque por un lado he disfrutado mucho pero por otro no era lo que creía que era. Así que voy a empezar por lo «negativo» y así os dejo con el buen sabor de boca!

La sinopsis y la portada tienen que reflejar no sólo lo que se va a leer pero también las expectativas que pueda tener quien quiera leerlo. Es decir, si en este caso tenemos una portada con lo colores típicos de una novela romántica-new adult, entonces se espera un tono más parecido quizás a The love Hypothesis, The hating game o uno de mis favoritos The mistletoe motive. Esperas que lo principal sea la relación romántica entre las chicas de la portada, que se menciona en la sinopsis. Y el problema es que no se centra tanto en ese aspecto como en el desarrollo personal de Edi, la protagonista. Así que, básicamente, nos encontramos con un libro que venden y dirigen a una audiencia LGTBQ+ y que espera una especie de comedia romántica, y en su lugar se encuentran con algo bastante diferente.

Ahora, si el marketing no fuera por ahí entonces el libro se llevaba las 4 o 5 estrellas porque el mensaje final y los personajes y demás me gustan muchísimo. Creo que la historia es muy interesante para explorarla de ambas formas: más desenfadado como esperaba o quizás un poco más serio (aunque sigue teniendo esa gracia tan típica). Quiero decir, que habría cogido el libro igualmente, pero la nota al final ha bajado porque me siento ligeramente engañada.

Dejando eso de lado.

El libro nos presenta en la siguiente situación Edi y Rowan se van a casar, quedan con sus amistades, con sus familias y en resumen todo parece ir viento en popa. Pero un día, Rowan le propone tener una especie de «relación abierta» durante tres meses antes de casarse. Así que entre unas cosas y otras, Edi conoce a una chica que junto a sus propias experiencias y sus amigas (y algún amigo de Rowan) le lleva por otro camino de desarrollo personal interesante.

Con ese resumen creo que se refleja mejor la idea del libro que no se centra en el plano romántico, pero sí en el personal. El mensaje feminista que hay de fondo y ya más claro hacia el final me gustó mucho y creo que si se hubiera desarrollado de otra forma incluso podría haber más cosas sobre el romántico con la muchacha. Mi problema en ese sentido es que aunque me identifiqué mucho con esa relación y con la de las amigas, creo que no se desarrolla lo suficiente como para llegar a ser algo relevante como tal. Aquí lo único que se explora es la evolución de la protagonista.

Ahora, los personajes me parecen increíblemente profundos y complejos, incluso los segundarios (Monty, Fred, Faith). Por eso creo que a este libro le faltan algunas vueltas más. Creo que con algún cambio en cuanto al ritmo del libro y al marketing, sería una propuesta muy buena. Y es que es muy fácil de leer, de picarte. Pero al principio se desarrolla demasiado la relación con Rowan y seamos sinceras, la sinopsis ya nos deja claro que con Rowan no se va a quedar. Tienes esa duda, sí, pero sinceramente creo que está muy claro que no.

En resumen, si no fuera por cómo lo están vendiendo, el libro sería un 4-5 fácil. Por el mensaje feminista, por los personajes, por el desarrollo de la protagonista, porque en verdad son muy cuquis Edi y la chica que conoce. Es un buen libro, pero no una buena campaña de marketing y me da mucha rabia porque últimamente lo estoy viendo mucho.

-ELE

First of all, thanks to NetGalley for providing this book in digital format before its publication on March 25.

There are many things to say about this book because on the one hand I enjoyed it a lot but on the other hand it was not what I thought it was. So I'm going to start with the "negative" parts and so I leave you with the good things!

The synopsis and the cover have to reflect not only what is going to be read but also the expectations that the reader may have. That is, if in this case we have a cover with the typical colors of a romance-new adult novel, then you expect a tone more similar to perhaps "The love Hypothesis", "The hating game" or one of my favorites "The mistletoe motive". You expect the main thing to be the romantic relationship between the girls on the cover, which is mentioned in the synopsis. And the problem is that it doesn't focus so much on that aspect as it does on the personal development of Edi, the main character. So, basically, we get a book that they're selling and targeting to an LGTBQ+ audience who are expecting some sort of romantic comedy, and instead they get something quite different.

Now, if the marketing didn't go that way then the book would get the my 4 or 5 stars because I really, really liked the end message and the characters and such. I think the story is very interesting to explore in both ways: more lighthearted as I expected or maybe a bit more serious (although it still has that very typical humor). I mean, I would have picked up the book anyway, but the grade at the end has dropped because I feel slightly cheated.

That aside.

The book presents us in the following situation Edi and Rowan are getting married, they are meeting their friends, their families and in short everything seems to be going smoothly. But one day, Rowan proposes to her to have a kind of "open relationship" for three months before getting married. So between one thing and the other, Edi meets a girl who together with life experiences and Edi's friends (and some of Rowan's) takes her on interesting path of self development.

With that summary I think that the idea of the book is better reflected, which is not focused on the romantic plane, but on the personal one. I liked a lot the feminist message in the background, already clearer towards the end, and I think that if it had been developed differently there could even be more about the romance with the girl. My problem in that sense is that although I identified a lot with that relationship and with that of the friends, I think it is not developed enough to become something relevant as such. The only thing explored here is the evolution of the protagonist. Which, again, I liked.

Now, I find the characters incredibly deep and complex, even the secondary characters (Monty, Fred, Faith). That's why I think this book is missing a few more twists. I think with some change in terms of the book's pacing and marketing, it would be a very good proposal. And it's very easy to read, to grab you and make you want to read more. But at the beginning, the relationship with Rowan is overdeveloped and let's be honest, the synopsis already makes it clear that she is not going to sray with Rowan. You have that doubt, yes, but honestly I think it's pretty clear that it's not gonna happen.

In short, if it weren't for how they're selling it, the book would be an easy 4-5. For the feminist message, for the characters, for the development of the main character, because, Edi and the girl she meets, they are really cute. It's a good book, but not a good marketing campaign and it makes me very angry because I'm seeing it a lot lately.

-ELE

I really enjoyed how the characters grew and developed. A well written romance with enough conflict but not an overwhelming amount. The tension was great, given the premise is one that requires a decision between a childhood romance and new love.

This book was not what I was expecting, however I did really enjoy reading it. It was a different take on a break up, full of quirky friends, an annoying fiancé who I would have liked to have kicked up his backside. Being on a break and seeing things from another perspective.
It was a good read and easy to get lost in and to say it was Charlottes first romance novel - I think she did pretty well.

I enjoyed the strong friendship dynamics (platonic soulmates are very much my jam), but this book entirely lost me after the transphobic comment and I really had no interest in reading any further. I did though, to try and find out if there would be any reference to this comment, whether there were a point to it, and whether it would be called out, but there was not. Please stop using transphobic comments in an attempt to be humorous.

Thank you to NetGalley & HQ publishing for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I agree with many other reviewers in that this being marketed as a romcom isn’t completely accurate, but that didn’t diminish my enjoyment of the book at all.

While not a romcom, this is a super delightful tale of self discovery and friendship. Instead of going into this and expecting a book focused on romantic relationships, expect a story where romance may come and go but the support of friends is everlasting, and the importance of not identifying solely in relation to your love life.

This book is marketed completely wrong. This is not a sapphic romance story, this is also not truly a sexuality exporation / realisation book, it lacks depth. I didn't hate the book itself, and it's not like the writer isn't a good writer. It's just not what was promised. The transphobia also wasn't cute, at all :/ I recommend maybe editing that + marketing it in a different way: for example the cover. I'm not saying the main characters journey isn't important and I'm not trying to dismiss her journey but yeah, no

When I read the description I was excited for a sapphic romance. As the book went on I was immensely enjoying edi and her progression with her self love and her amazing support system of her friends. The further I got into it though the more confused I got as to where the romantic plot line was. Don’t get me wrong this book was a lovely read for a woman’s fiction about self discovery and personal growth, however the definition of a romance is a main romantic plot line with a happily ever after. As much as edi ends up happy with herself she isn’t in a relationship and her relationship with Fred is never really explored properly. There was so much potential with Fred. Since this book was marketed as a romance I have to give it three stars. If it was described as a book about self discovery or personal growth, simply women’s fiction I would rate it higher because the book was enjoyable and discussed important messages and I loved the Characters. My favourite part of the book was the friend group and the way they interacted and created a safe space always.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am a firm believer that romance novels do not have to purely centre around the main romantic relationship and can have concurrent storylines that contribute to the story. However, The Break Up being marketed as a sapphic romantic-comedy with things such as its cover and synopsis is incredibly misleading as the romantic relationship between Edi and Fred made up very little of the book.

As much as I dislike giving such negative ratings and reviews, I found the book hard to get into and was bored for majority of the time. Furthermore, as also mentioned by other reviewers, there were many problematic aspects in the book that were never properly addressed. Overall, I found this book to be a huge let down.

Well, let's start with this: don't believe the book blurb! This is not a f/f romance. This is a book about a woman breaking up with her absolute jerk of a fiance. There is scarcely any romance in the whole book, in fact. I'm sure I might have enjoyed Edi's "love interest" Fred, if her personality was described as much as her thighs were, or if they had any chemistry at all. The best part of the book was Edi's band of close friends, but they were nowhere near enough to rescue this mess.

I'm not interested in continuing a book with a transphobic joke. I was hoping for some cute fun queer representation and unfortunately this is not what I got.

Edi and Rowan are childhood sweethearts who are recently engaged. Everything seems perfect until Rowan proposes a three month break to date other people. Edi ends up dating for the first time in forever and truly gets a chance to discover what it is she wants from life.
This story is a lighthearted fun story. We start out just after Edi and Rowan have been engaged, it’s quite nice to see how they interact as a couple before the break happens, however this does seem to fill a large amount of the book. It also takes a while before we meet the other love interest of the story.
The romance seems to be a minor point of this book. Edi meets Fred nearly halfway through and has a handful of encounters on page. We see a lot of Edi’s friends and how she is adjusting to dating life, with dating apps and organically meeting Fred. This friend group is one of my favourite things about this story!
Edi does go through development but the focus is very much on her. We learn more about Rowan and see that he too can grow.
The flaws from this novel seem to stem from being advertised as a sapphic romance which isn’t the real focus of the book.

Thanks NetGalley for the opportunity to review. What a lovely read.... Perfect to cosy up to on a cold night

Newly engaged couple Edi and Rowan quickly fall apart when Rowan suggests a three-month break to see other people. Edi shocked by the idea eventually agrees to the break and meets Artist Winifred (Fred).

The book while seeming to advertise a relationship between Edi and Winifred instead focuses on the failing relationship between Edi and Rowan. With Edi spending, most of the book with her group of supportive friends, who like the reader is confused as to why Edi would even want to continue a relationship with Rowan.

While you may enjoy this book as it follows Edi’s journey, I wouldn't consider this book to be a romantic comedy. There were also transphobic and homophobic moments that none of the characters registered as problematic.

Was a bit taken aback that this book gave off a cute lgbtq+ romance, but it was not that at all. I do agree lgbtq+ was apart of the book, but the main love story was between Rowan and Edi. I was a bit disappointed by that, as the cover was a bit deceiving, but nonetheless I finished the book. I absolutely loved the strong female friendships in this book. Edi constantly had support around her and that was very heartwarming. I’ve never been a fan of the “let’s take a break and see other people” trope, so this wasn’t exactly my cup of tea. I find the story lacked quite a bit and I found myself getting distracted from reading very easily. I did however love going along with Edi as she explored her sexuality. Fred was the perfect person to help her navigate that new part of herself. All in all, I did end up enjoying this read, but it definitely was lacking something.

Less of a rom-com and more a touching coming of age novel.
Tropes: Love Triangle, Second Chance
Spice: 0/10
Rating: 4.25/5 empowering friendships

Edi and Rowan are that couple that have been together since elementary school. Now they're in their mid twenties, and their relationship is at a comfortable place. Naturally, they decide the next step is to get engaged.

However shortly after their engagement, Rowan decides he wants an open relationship to explore other fish in the sea. Edi doesn't really want this, but agrees because she doesn't want to loose Rowan entirely.

Rowan immediately goes out and takes full advantage of this "free pass." Edi's a bit more resigned ... until she meets a cute and interesting barista. However once Rowan gets wind that Edi might be seeing someone, he gets jealous (because it's fine for him to sleep around, but not his fiancée, even though the open relationship was his idea in the first place.)

I honestly wonder why Edi was ever with Rowan past elementary school at all!!! He's such an asshole from the very beginning, and the more we learn about him the worse he gets. He treats Edi like a doormat in every situation.

The description pitched this book as a rom-com, but Fred (Winifred, Edi's love interest) is hardly even in the book. This is more of a fun story of Edi and her girlfriends galivanting around town and Edi, in the process, realizing how wonderful life is without a jealous, controlling, immature "boyfriend."

It's lovely to see Edi come into her own and realize her own self worth. The final few chapters were so satisfying. I really enjoyed reading this even if it was a totally different vibe than I was expecting (based off the description.)

When I requested an ARC via netgalley I thought the premise of this story sounded really good and I was interested to read something a bit different. Edi is in a hetero relationship but finds herself on a break. She meets a woman named Fred and supposedly romance blooms between them. I say supposedly as it is really inferred rather than explored, which I found slightly disappointing. I think this book missed a great opportunity here as it felt like it didn't really find its feet. I kept wondering while reading - is this book a romance novel? I don't think it really fits as the majority of this book features interactions between Edi and her group of friends, rather then her and Fred.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the transphobic moment of the book. I'm not sure of the author's background but I'd have thought the editing process might have been stronger with this book in general to exclude such comments, let alone sharpen the premise of the novel so it fits with how it's being marketed. It's a bit misleading as it currently is.

Many thanks to Netgalley and HQ for a copy of this novel. ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.