This book is a really fun enjoyable read. I really enjoyed the setting on the island for the two weeks celebration leading up to the wedding. It is a very modern Rom-com involving social influencers and podcasters. Margo and Jo run a very successful podcast the past few years. It’s been based on their 7 rules to ensure they do not catch feeling switch any hookups. Jo suddenly finds herself in love and has broken their own rules. Margo in effort to keep the podcast popular decides she will also break the rules. This seems to be a harder task than what she envision. A great enemies to lovers book. Loved the setting and the character development. Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the digital review copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

What happens when half of a famous podcasting duo decides to get married? Well, a lot, if said podcast is literally called “Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts.” And what happens when the un-engaged half of the duo has to play nice with her former nemesis? Well, let’s just say, that’s what makes this book so great.

Author Kristyn J. Miller puts a fresh take on enemies-to-lovers in this delightful rom com, featuring a closed off heroine and a hero who just might have been crazy about her the whole time.

This is a premise that I could see being easily adapted to the screen. The slow burning chemistry and the internal conflicts are well done, and the setting is so vivid you feel like you’re there. I would have loved for there to have been some better communication between the two protagonists, but it wasn’t enough to turn me off from the plot.

If you’re looking for a book that will make you feel like you’re on vacation, this is the one for you.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for generously providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

What's it about (in a nutshell):
Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts by Kristyn J. Miller is an entertaining vacation with an enemies-to-lovers romance, a destination wedding, and many influencer shenanigans.
My Reading Experience:
I thoroughly enjoyed Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts. It has a bit of everything current in it. The main character, Margo, and her best friend, Jo, run a wildly popular podcast that has elevated them to Influencer status. I loved the deep dive into that world and how precarious it is.

The characters are just exceptional. There is an authenticity to them that also carries over to the romance. And the romance gave me all the feels. Margot and Declan are perfect together, and I loved them as a couple as much as I did each separately.

I also enjoyed the self-discovery Margot goes through as her world unravels fully. Jo and Margot initially fell into their podcast and never expected it to be the hit it became. But it's about being and staying single, and Jo is now getting married. Their viewers feel betrayed, and sponsors abandon the ship. So what can Margot do now? Because she has to figure out what's next, she deeply digs into what she wants in life and career. I loved watching her figure it out and come out as a fully realized adult on the other side.
Characters:
Margot is the main character and one-half of Go and Jo, podcasters on Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts. She is creative and colorful, full of spunk and spirit. But when it comes to love, Margot wants no part of it. When she lets go of her rules for staying single, as an experiment for the podcast, she learns that they were standing in her way of finding someone special.

Narration & Pacing:
Margot tells this story in first-person narration, which I loved. Seeing the world through her eyes is essential for feeling authenticity and emotional highs and lows. First-person narration also works towards keeping the pace fast, and this story did have a swift pace.
Setting:
The setting is Catalina Island. I've never been there, but I love any location on the water, and this is no exception. I had a lot of fun learning more about the island and being able to experience the bookish vacation it offered.

Read if you like:
Enemies to Lovers romances
Island settings
Character-driven stories

This is a great read for fans of fake dating kind of enemies to lovers tropes, which are always fun for me and ones I enjoy in a good light summer read. I admit, as a rule kind of person, I liked that this book leaned into some of the controlling my life when life can't be controlled vibes, that was a fun part of the plot and character development. And a wedding themed setting always works for me too as I like to lean into some of the ridiculousness of wedding stuff but also the romance and happiness of those settings as well.
Thank you to St Martin's for the review copy, this was a most welcome end of semester read for me. Recommended for rom com fans and for readers wanting a light summer vacation read.

4.5 stars!!!

Another beach read that I highly recommend! Grab this if you are a fan of high school crush, second chance romance, enemies to loves, and cute best friends.

I love that the book has a unique storyline and isn't predictable (though you always know it's a HEA ending). Margo is a fun, relatable MC facing the painful dilemma of choosing between her declining podcast and her beloved friend's wedding.

Miller takes us on a heartwarming journey as we see Margo put her life back together and discover that she can finally have it all.

I especially loved the crazy climax I hadn't seen coming, and all the drama that came with it (who doesn't like drama, confessions, and realizations?)

So to conclude, I am a fan of this book and the author. You should read this book ASAP!!!

This was a cute, quick read. Witty, romancey, love story with a happy ending. A great weekend read. The chemistry was warming.

Margo has built a podcast based upon 7 rules of hooking up along with her friend and partner Jo. However, Jo is getting married and Margo wrestles with the future and also her old high school nemesis.
I thought Margo was a bit tiresome for most of the book and also hypocritical. She wasn’t being altruistic when she agreed to hang out with Declan. When the stuff hits the fan, it’s too late to be indignant.
It was an ok read but I didn’t really care for the main characters.

Margo and her best friend, Jo, are co-hosts of a viral podcast that they made famous for seven rules for hooking up without getting feelings involved. So, the internet freaked out when Jo announced she was getting married and using a sponsor’s offer for an all-expenses paid wedding trip to Catalina Island. Also upset was Margo. She was left dealing with the fallout from Jo’s announcement. So, she devised a plan. She’s going to break her own dating rules to prove that it is a bad idea. Her victim: Declan Walsh, the groom’s best man and Margo’s arch nemesis from high school. But, as Margo spends time with Declan, he isn’t who she remembered, and she does something that she vowed never to do: She caught feelings for him. But, when a vengeful fan reveals her plan, Margo might just have lost the best thing that has happened to her. Will Margo prove to Declan that what she feels is real? Or has she blown it?

Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts was a medium to fast-paced book that made me laugh in places and want to cry in others. It is mainly set on Catalina Island, centering on the resort and the town of Avalon. Having always wanted to go to Catalina Island, I enjoyed the brief forays into the water and one memorable hike to see bison. On a side note, I was surprised when that came up in this book and did a Google search of it. Seeing that it is real, I want to go there even more.

The main storyline of Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts centers around Margo, Declan, Margo’s plans to do damage control, Jo’s wedding, and the various trips the wedding party takes. I wasn’t a massive fan of Margo’s plan and felt it would end badly. I did think that the author did a great job of weaving all of these details together to make a great story. Because I feel that if she had just based this book on Margo and Declan, it would have fallen flat.

I didn’t like Margo at first. She seemed immature and needy. Even though high school was ten years behind them, she was still focused on how Declan treated her. There were points when she talked crap about Declan to Jo, and that’s when I wanted to stuff a gag in her mouth and tell her to get over it. Her plan to use him for her damage control plan was pretty low. But then something happened that usually doesn’t happen if I had made up my mind about a character. I started to like her. She was acting the way she was because she wasn’t sure what her future held, which scared her. And when her phone was stolen, and everything leaked, I felt awful for her. I wish that storyline had been closure because I was heated. But the author left it as that person did it and got caught, but nothing happened. Margo, of course, got the short end of the stick there. I won’t say how, but it made me very teary-eyed.

I loved Declan. He was the complete package: gorgeous, intelligent, and built. His confession to Margo about why he acted the way to her in high school was sweet. He also dealt with everything that Jo and Margo did (for the podcast and their sponsors) in stride. There were points in the book where I thought he was a little too laid back, but that didn’t last long. But, when everything was leaked, he jetted. I didn’t blame him; it was just too much. Plus, his feelings were shattered. So, no, I didn’t blame him for what he said to Margo and how he took off.

For a romance, there weren’t a ton of sex scenes. Margo and Declan fooled around a ton, but sex was only a few times. The author did include Margo getting serviced by Declan in a dressing room and Margo returning the favor to Declan in the shower. The sex wasn’t graphic either, and honestly, I could have cared less. For me, it was the chemistry that they had and the build-up. Other people might disagree, but I stand my ground in this case. Declan and Margo had great sexual chemistry.

As for trigger warnings in this book, I can only think of two. They are:

Drinking: The drinks flowed freely in this book. Margo and the rest of the wedding party were drunk up to the wedding.
Drugs: One of the bridesmaids owns a high-profile cannabis store. During the bachelorette party, she brings cannabis-laced brownies and gummies to help celebrate.
The end of Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts was super sad. I hated seeing Margo acting the way that she was. She was depressed and knew she had mucked it up between her and Declan. Of course, this is a romance, and you know they end up together. That scene stole my breath. And the epilogue was fantastic!!!!

I would recommend Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts to anyone over 21. There is language, mild violence, and sexual situations. Also, see my trigger warning list.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Griffin, NetGalley, and Kristyn J. Miller for allowing me to read and review Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

Thank you Kristyn J. Miller and St. Martin’s Griffin Publishing for the advanced reader copy of Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts.

Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts followed the story of two women Jo and Go who started a Podcast to support women during the dating game and how to "not catch feelings" through a list of seven rules. However, once Jo breaks those rules and is engaged to be married to Peter, Go feels she has to pick up the pieces of their newfound backlash of their podcast.

Margo (Go) as our FMC gives an honestly refreshing perspective as to what it means to be a woman in the dating space and how to be manipulate the dating apps and experiences to benefit women to not get hurt. With this being said, there are obvious issues she needs to work through, which creates a strong character development in this story.

Our MMC, Declan is a cute, nerdy used to be "bully" to Margo that seemingly has a different remembrance of their high school experience. Throughout the novel Margo and Declan tackle their history and bring to the surface an undeniable connection that may lead Margo to breaking her own "rules."

Overall, I found this story to be sweet and endearing. I loved our main characters' personalities and their storyline. I, however, felt a lack of connection to the side characters or the main environment of the story, which was a little bit of a let down, making this story a 4 star read.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

So, this was a tough one for me. The story started out very slow with tons of exposition dumps and Margo the MC telling instead of showing everything. Also, Margo came off as very self-absorbed, obnoxious and immature at the beginning but through her character growth became a very likable and vulnerable heroine with whom I could identify.

But Declan! I have a soft spot for redheads and he was adorbs. Yes, he was a little turd back in middle school and high school to Margo with his childish pranks, but grown up Declan can get it.

Overall, I recommend this read if you can tough out the slow start until you actually get to the character growth and the romantic love story.

Margo has seen too many women get burned in bad relationships, so she and her friend Jocelyn created a podcast dedicated to helping women hook up with men and avoiding catching feelings. They grew their podcast through six seasons and gained many sponsors, but then–the beginning of the end–Jocelyn met Peter and fell in love, putting the whole basis of their podcast in jeopardy. Now one of their sponsors is hosting the wedding on beautiful Catalina Island and Margo is the maid of honor. But she has an idea for the show: break all her rules to show how bad an idea that is... and she has the perfect candidate picked out. Declan is the best man and also her high school nemesis. He's just as arrogant as ever and she's guaranteed never to feel anything for him... right? But the more time they spend together, the more Margo doesn't want to follow her plan. Who knew breaking all the rules could feel so right?
This story was sweet and fun with all the feels and some great vacation vibes. Declan appears so condescending and arrogant at first until you realize how shy and sweet he is... and so stuck on Margo for years! I love the description of the Island and all the touristy activities. It sounds like a really fun place to visit!I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

At first, I was really interested in this story.

Seven Rules For Breaking Hearts opens with our main character, Margo, speaking to her podcast. In order to introduce new listeners to the idea, she restates all the rules her podcast urges its listeners (and hosts) to follow if they want to stay single and keep their hearts from being broken. Then, Margo states that she has recently broken every single one of those rules.

Obviously, readers are going to want to learn more. How did Margo break these rules? What is the story here?

Unfortunately, once the book set itself up and really got into the story itself, I lost interest in the plot. For a book focused around a podcast, the story doesn’t really make it feel like the podcast is all that important to the characters. If our main character was any other sort of influencer, the idea behind the story wouldn’t really change. All we need to know is she worries about the backlash of social media when she and her friend talk about being single forever, yet her best friend goes against that by getting married.

Instead of the podcast, the main focus of the book is on her best friend, Jo’s, wedding. Margo goes to Catalina Island, where a sponsor is paying for Jo’s wedding, and finds that the groom’s best friend is her old high school enemy, Declan.

I really enjoyed Declan’s character. It’s very obvious early on that, despite Margo’s insistence that they hated each other in high school, Declan doesn’t exactly think the same. Instead of the terrible time Margo thinks she’s going to have, stuck with Declan as they prepare for Jo’s wedding, we are treated with scenes of Declan really caring for Margo and being absolutely pitiful. Seriously. The scene where Declan, a pale redheaded nerd, decides to go on a hike is one of my favorite scenes solely because of how bad it turned out for him.

What can I say? I love a pitiful man.

However, I wasn’t really a fan of the rest of this book. It didn’t grab me the way I wanted it to, and I wanted to focus a little more on the podcast and how that worked than on the wedding for a side character I had no reason to care for beyond “the main character likes her, so I guess she’s okay”. I can definitely see a lot of readers enjoying this book if they wanted to focus on Declan and Margo’s relationship, but I went into it because I thought the idea of a podcast setting would be interesting, and I didn’t quite get that.

This was a really fun rom-com! It's enemies to lovers, which is one of my favorite tropes, and Margo and Declan had great chemistry and banter. It's the perfect book for summer!

I'm glad I took a chance on reading this book from a new to me author. The book did not disappoint. I love the podcast/influencer aspect of the story for Jo and Margo, the creation of the 7 rules and the premise behind them. But then Jo falls in love and the backlash starts from fans and followers who live by the rules. Not to mention Jo's love is best friends with Margo's nemesis and they have to spend time together for the wedding. At first Declan had no clue why Margo had nothing but animosity for him. But as they spent time together on Catalina Island for the wedding festivities, the animosity seemed to peel away and they were enemies were no longer. Margo being Margo derails the progress they've made. I like that the author didn't have Margo and Declan find their HEA at the end of the wedding festivities. She needed to find her way, to figure out what new path she wanted to forge, to love herself wholeheartedly. I look forward to reading more books by this author in the future.

I received and advance copy of this book at my request and voluntarily left this review.

Thanks to #partner @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the digital ARC of Kristyn J. Miller's Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts. The book is out on Tuesday!

In Kristyn J. Miller’s Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts, main character Margo Anderson’s life centers on her podcast with her best friend Jo. Their focus? Well, it’s encompassed by that title: they began with a vow to live out the principle of a woman’s right to hook up without falling in love (or even like!) with anyone.

And then Jo fell in love.

Now, Go (Margo) is left adrift. Jo is her best friend, her partner, her roommate . . . and Margo isn’t so sure that she still wants to live the rules the way she has been, but she’s also not sure what she wants instead.

Jo’s wedding to her high school crush brings tons of feelings to the surface for Margo, as does the presence of Best Man Declan: the groom’s best friend from high school AND Margo’s high school nemesis.

But as Margo gets to know Declan, really for the first time, she also starts to understand herself a little more.

This was a fun, sweet romance. While it took me a little while to get invested, watching Margo work through her relationships, working through a deep consideration of the expectations she’s set for herself and just where they come from, is incredibly satisfying. I loved the relationship between Margo and Declan, who is such a great character, and I also enjoyed the behind-the-scenes look at Go and Jo’s podcast.

such a cute, light-hearted read with very enjoyable characters! i’m a HUGE enemies to lovers girlie, so i greatly enjoyed this book.

I’m a true lover of podcasts, add a little romance and I was sold! Margo and Jo have this successful podcast, and it’s a Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts, pretty much a single woman’s guide to staying single. Well Jo is getting married and it changes everything and Margo is going through it. But when she finds out that her high school nemesis is the best man, she decided that she will have a little fun, and create more content for the podcast, since she’s going to be losing her best friend to marriage.

Well jokes on her, because not only does she break all rules, she also gets a wake up call, and I love to see that in books. Not only does she find out things about Declan that makes her fall for him even more, she’s also realizing that change is a good thing, and to also be true to yourself. I adored this read, it was funny as hell, and so romantic. Thanks NetGalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

I went into the book thinking it would be along then lines of How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and I was not disappointed!!! Super easy, fast, fun read that is PERFECT for reading in the sunshine!
5 stars!

If you know me you know I love a book that contains a podcast. I'm also a sucker for a good enemies to lovers story line, so this one was a must read.

Margo has seven rules when it comes to dating, rules she doesn't break..and rules that doesn't let her get too deep or attached. Margo and her friend Jo even made a podcast out of the rules, Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts. However, Jo broke them when she got engaged. Jo and Go (aka Margo) landed a pretty sweet sponsor for the podcast. An all expense paid trip and wedding to Catalina Island, all they have to do is share some content with their followers. Since Jo is getting married they have to think of something new for their next season of their podcast. Margo decides why not throw out all the rules and find a guy she can hang out with, that would make good content, right? Insert Declan, the best man and someone who Margo didn't necessarily want to see. Margo can hang out with him for 2 weeks. It will be easy to not follow the rules....but will it be easy to not catch feelings in the process?

What can I say? I really enjoyed this book. I liked all the characters. Each one brought something to the story, even if it was a side character. I loved Margo and Jo as individual people and their friendship. Not many friendships can last as long as theirs has. But, I LOVED Declan. He is my new favorite redhead, sorry Ronald (iykyk). I thought their story was sweet. It didn't seem forced. How is this a debut novel?? The author did such a great job. I will be patiently waiting for more books from her.

Thank you to PRH Audio, NetGalley, and St. Martin's Press for my advanced copies.

This book was cute. The characters were cute, the storyline was cute, and I enjoyed reading it. However, at no point was this a "can't put down" kind of book. I never fell in love with the stories or the characters, but I still enjoyed the book. Parts of the story line dragged on a little too much for me, I may have enjoyed it more if it were a shorter read. Honestly, I may have just been too old to enjoy this :) Overall, a cute Contemporary Romance.

Margo and her best friend Jo run a viral podcast about how to hookup without catching feelings. When Jo decides to get married and takes a sponsor up on an all-expense paid wedding trip, the internet has a lot to say. Margo decides that she is going to mix things up for their listeners and break all her dating rules, with the groom's best friend and her high school enemy Declan - someone Margo will never have feelings for, right?

Thank you Netgalley for my advanced reader copy.