I really enjoyed this fun and fabulous book. It was fresh and funny and feel good. I liked the romantic element running throughout and the characters were great too.

The Break-Up Agency by Sheila McClure is a great book about second chances. This novel was about an agency that helps couples when they are breaking up. This feel good story shows that break ups don’t have to be horrible.
This story has you cheering for Ellie as well as the other characters. I loved how the characters interact with each other and how you can tell they make each other better.. This story is an easy read and perfect for a day at the beach or a rainy day.

Ellie and her friends of Simon and Thea run an agency that helps people break up from bad relationships. I like the premise of the story, and enjoy it overall, but found myself skimming after awhile. Trying to keep up with their clients and deal with their own issues at times got tiresome. Might just be me. Still though, I did like this story and would recommend it. Fun summer read.

I feel like this book had so much potential but the execution just wasn’t quite right. It could be a cultural thing and things got lost in translation but there were parts that just didn’t make sense. Like Sadie’s break-up plan? Vee’s business plan?

Things I liked: Gus, the sightseeing duo was really sweet, Ellie’s mom, the rock climbing couple, Dan’s parents comforting Ellie.

Things I didn’t like: all the questionnaires (a couple was cute but it got annoying after 4), the whole Simon story (it seemed to be really brushed over for how devastating it is to watch someone die of ALS),, the way the disabilities were discussed (It really made me upset when she calls antidepressants “happy pills” like they aren’t a legitimate treatment for a medical condition), Vee, referring to him as American Dan even after she “fell in love” was weird.

Side note to the editors: starting at chapter 29 it switches between the name Sherry and Shelley frequently and randomly. Maybe fix that?

I like the concept of the books - an agency that helps people break up when they want out of a relationship so that the dumpee is let down easy. Unfortunately that wasn't the main focus of the book, but more of the side plot with a touch of push for the main characters stories.

The book is well written, and the characters and side characters are well rounded and unique. However I just couldn't get into this book. Maybe it was the second hand awkwardness and just so much angst that the FMC just radiates, which is not for me.

One of my drawbacks is the ableist undertones which with the specific inclusion of disability plotlines adds to the disappointment. I will leave a more nuanced and specific discussion to those that are in the disability community, but from personal experience I disliked the use of Gus, a "failed" seeing eye dog. First, dogs who go through training to be a seeing eye dog have other options for placement than just adoption and they would never just let him be adopted by someone who would just drop the dog off with someone else after owning them for a week (do you know how much money is spent training these dogs??). Second, the FMC just hands Gus off left and right to do service work without her - service work is not a replacement for a doggy daycare or dogwalker. And most annoying to me (a personal pet peeve) she just puts on his working vest so she take him wherever she wants (restaurants, stores, tourism locations). Not ok.

So overall a good premise and the bones to be great, but could do with more editing and sensitivity readers.

Thank you to NetGalley for an arc of this book; it was a nice summer rom-com read. Unfortunately there are some elements of the story that I did not connect with and thus could not get into. I think this is more of a reflection of my personal preferences with writing styles and plots - regardless it was a cute romantic read, and I think a lot of people would enjoy this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sheila McClure and Amazon Publishing UK for allowing me to read this book in advance, in exchange for an honest review.

Ellie is a master at break-ups. She started helping her sister break up with her boyfriends, and slowly realized how good she was at it. When given a chance to use these skills to help people as her full-time job, she runs with it. With the help of her sister and some friends, she starts a side company that helps people break up with their partners in a friendly way. When Ellie helps her sister break up with 'American Dan', she falls for him instantly. American Dan never leaves her mind, and her heart breaks when he returns from a trip with a new girlfriend. Luckily, her newfound company might be the solution to all her problems.

The Break-Up Agency was very intriguing to me right away after reading the description. I love a good love story and I love a strong female main character. This book falls within the YA category but has some adult themes sprinkled in it. It took me a bit to get into this book and I found some of the paragraphs were filled with a bit too much description of the scene. However, as I continued to read, I really enjoyed the characters and the banter that they had with each other. Ellie's friend group was really easygoing and relatable. They had some interesting personalities and some hardships - but they always stood by each other.

Ellie and Dan's friendship was super cute and the addition of Gus made it all better. I really enjoyed their friendship and the adventures that they went on together. Exploring London and having a fun time with it. Dan's character is just super likable because of how kind and caring he is. He's the type of guy that anyone would want around, as a friend or a boyfriend. I really enjoyed Ellie's character too. She gained love with me the more she opened up about her parents and her past relationships with Dan.

I gave this book 4 stars because I am not normally a huge fan of YA novels, but this one kept me reading and wanting more. The long paragraphs brought down the stars a little bit and I felt like the ending was a bit rushed. I did really enjoy the format of the book though, and the cover is very eye-catching. I would definitely recommend this to others!

I thought the premise of this book was interesting. I love dogs in a book and Gus was great. There are quite a few side characters who i think are all unique and fleshed out. With so little happening in the actual romance in this book, there was time for the author to include a lot of subplots.

I think this book really toes the line between women's fiction and adult romance. The romance is sweet, the main characters only kiss on page. The relationship grows between the main characters as the story progresses but the hero is engaged to another woman for almost all of the story. Then, when they are finally together, the third act break up can be see coming from a mile away. I think this story would have benefited from clearing up who was who at the beginning of the story. With the interspersed flashbacks, it was a bit confusing as to who was exes with who.

I would have also liked to see more character growth from Ellie throughout the story. Her growth is minimal at best and that is all forced onto her by other characters. I wish Dan would have done something to show how he cared for Ellie at any point in the story. Him staying his fiance when they were both clearly unhappy and neither of them taking the time to just talk to each other about what was happening was so frustrating. Overall, in my opinion, a great premise with a poor execution.

Thank you to NetGalley for kindly providing this ARC for review.

Adorable and a perfect little light read for all romantics.
This book is about a young woman who works with a group of friends who offer a breakup service for people wanting to be single, however she ends up personally involved with one specific case where she is supposed to get a guy to fall in love with her so he can break up with his girlfriend in a nicer way. 
I was immediately hooked into this book after seeing the dynamic of the whole breakup agency and with the way they have questionnaires to fill out if they're looking to use the service. I loved the inclusion of emails as I felt more connected almost as if I was working for them🤣 seeing the way Ellies career mindset changes in the middle was interesting and the ending was perfect and really rounded everything off for the romance.
The main character Ellie was kind, empathetic and hard working so it was nice reading about a workplace that predominantly had female employees together. There's some characters that were a bit iffy for me but I assume the author wrote them that way for a reason. Gus, my new favourite fictional dog, was ADORABLE. Having him so included in the book was sweet and I seriously loved reading every chapter he was in.
The cover is your typical romance cover with love hearts and light colours which work really well together. It's definitely one to stand out from the shelves.
It only took me 3 separate sittings to finish this and I would happily read more from those author in the future.

I love rom-com. I wasn’t the right reader for this particular book. American Dan and Ellie just seemed to force. Then Simon’s dying boyfriend was mentioned, but never actively appeared in the novel. Thea had issues as well. It was too much going on and none of it held my attention.

The Break-Up Agency
Sheila McClure
Pub Date: Oct 4 2022

MY ratings:
Title: 3/5
Cover: 4/5
Blurb: 3/5

Response to the Note from the Publisher: The cattle comment is cute, the dill pickle one isn't.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for sending an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

If I am being honest, had I picked this book up organically, I would have DNF'd it around the fifth chapter. Since I recieved it as an eARC, however, I felt obligated to finish it and offer my honest opinion. This is my *spoiler free* review of The Break-Up Agency by Sheila McClure.

I felt as though the author may have been in a different head-space writing the middle of this book than she was while writing the beginning and ending. The middle, namely chapters 18-30, was the only time where I was following the story with interest. In this section, the writing and dialogue felt natural, the pacing was appropriate, and we began to (finally) see some character development.

The beginning was a slog to get through. The main character feels like a self-pitying, judgmental prude who loves to highlight everyone elses flaws while making excuses for her own. The two friend characters were obnoxcious and shallow until way too far into the book. The main character's behavior in the first part of the book was truly unbelievable, as in I could not concieve a moment in reality where a rational adult would behave in the same way. (neighing??? if you know, you know)
The Instant-Love trope is what the first third of this book relys on, which is a big miss for me personally. The last five chapters could have easily been condensed into two or three without missing any vital informaiton. Also, the epilogue felt entirely unnessecary.

I can't reference it directly, since this is spoiler free, but I did really enjoy the line about a particular huggable sugar cookie.

The plot for this book had a whole lot of potential, unfortunately it was just a little too messy for me.
It was easy to get lost and it needed a more clear, and defined plot line.
The characters felt either one dimensional or added for the drama.
But just because it didn't work for me, doesn't mean it won't for you!

The summary of the book was intriguing and I was so excited to start it! Unfortunately, I could not get into at all. I found myself re-reading paragraphs and zoning out. DNF.

What a read! Just when I thought I had things figured out, a curveball got tossed it there.

This was a lighthearted romance with a spin. Ellie Shaw is a break up specialist who just can’t seem to find love herself. When she agrees to do a break up for a close friend she doesn’t expect American Dan and his fluffy companion, Gus. What she really doesn’t expect is taking the fluffy companion while American Dan pursues his dream all while ghosting her. Fast forward and American Dan is back and not alone, he’s got a new girlfriend. Ellie is heartbroken but pushes through for the sake of their shared dog. Another break up for hire, a new friend, some secrets and big ole Gus in the middle makes for some interesting times.

Although it was a bit hard to follow in the beginning, I really loved this story. The ups and downs of Ellie and Dan’s relationship kept me intrigued the whole time, and who doesn’t love a dog in the middle? It was your typical love story with some not so typical bits thrown in.

Honestly this book gave me anxiety. It was a bit too much all packed into one story. I loved the premise of the book but it could've been executed better.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I want to say this in the nicest way possible: This book was all over the place for me.

The premise of a "Softer Landing" dating agency seemed promising and a strangers to lovers is always a good trope for me. However - this book just felt very inauthentic in so many ways. I felt the side characters were just added for extra angst without actually adding anything (including a terminal diagnosis that was treated like an inconvenience). Ellie felt one-dimensional and was ready to accept marriage to a guy she had known for about three weeks.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sending an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ellie Shaw runs Soft Landings, a business helping people get through break-ups more kindly - an idea first inspired by the time she broke up with her friend’s boyfriend, American Dan - a guy who’s too nice to dump, with his earnest kindness and his adorable dog. Ellie is smitten from the first. After the break-up, Dan moves to Ethiopia for work, leaving his dog with Ellie, except he quickly stops replying to her communications.

A year later, he’s back, this time with a new girlfriend who wants Soft landing’s services to help break up with him. Ellie is reluctant, but eventually agrees, because she wants what’s best for Dan (since she’s in love with him, of course.)

This book had so much potential as a charming romcom, and I think I would have really loved it if it weren’t for that fact that I was on edge the whole time. There a plenty of signs early on that there’s a plot line leading to the reveal of a disability, and there’s also plenty of signs that this story is not in safe hands. The language was the first tip off - there’s a lot of common language that’s ableist, and I understand that breaking those habits takes learning and practice, but when it’s a book that tells any story related to disability, I need to see evidence that the author has taken the care to learn about it. A selection: “Thea had either been insane or blind” (for not appreciating Dan); Gus the dog working with “special needs kids”; a child’s stutter being described as “horrendous”; the fact that Simon’s home life “was crippling” (I’ll get back to why that was particularly galling). We have the old classic - able-bodied people using disabled loos, and not even for going to the toilet (they take a call in there so their boss can’t see).

And then there’s Simon’s husband Diego, who is terminally disabled, and his only role in the story is slowly dying off-screen - he never actually makes it onto the page, he’s just there in the background to be talked about as Simon’s motivation for being involved with Softer Landings. We’re even told that when Diego first got the terminal diagnosis, he tried to get Simon to leave him, since “it was time wasted, he insisted. Time Simon could use to find someone else.” So yeah. Any elements related to disability felt decidedly unsafe as a disabled reader.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This has such a fun premise but it felt a little unreal to me.

Ellie Shaw loves love. Unfortunately, she’s also an expert in break-ups. When a friend needs help with her ‘too nice to dump’ boyfriend, Ellie agrees to help. What she doesn’t expect is for American Dan to be kind, caring, to love dogs and look like a Disney hero. In other words, completely too good to be true.
She lets him down with grace and, encouraged by her friends, sets up Softer Landings, offering kinder, gentler break-ups.
A year later American Dan reappears in her life. With a new girlfriend. One who also decides he’s not the one for her.
The team hatch a plan to let Dan down easy, but while Ellie attempts to lead him gently away, real sparks start to fly. There’s just one big problem she can’t ignore. Can Ellie reveal that their romance is the result of an elaborate con without it feeling like a huge betrayal? Or is she about to star in the most awful dumping of all time?
Couldn’t put it down really enjoyable read totally recommend
Thank You NetGalley and Amazon Publishing Uk
I just reviewed The Break-Up Agency by Sheila McClure. #TheBreakUpAgency #NetGalley