This book is an absolutely adorable romance that will serve as a perfect beach read for many. Margo is a podcaster who has made her living off of encouraging other single women to follow seven dating rules to avoid getting their hearts broken. Then her best friend (and co-host) Jo decided to get married, and the trip and wedding that ensue leave Margo questioning everything about her career, her personal life, and the validity of the rules they've been preaching.

I truly enjoyed everything about this book. Go is an admittedly imperfect heroine, and Declan is the kind of love interest that is sure to leave romance readers swooning. The book is well paced, and the cast of secondary characters are both unique and interesting. This is a book I will definitely be recommending to all my book loving girlfriends as they pack their bags to head on this summer's vacations.

*A special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts in exchange for an honest review*

Best friends Margo and Jo are the hosts of the viral podcast “Seven Rules For Breaking Hearts,” where they share all the ways you can successfully hook-up without catching feelings. When Jo surprises Margo by ignoring these rules and deciding to get married, they owe the internet an explanation. Since a sponsor is hosting the all-expenses paid wedding, Margo needs to come up with some content for their listeners and she needs to do it fast. She decides to conduct a social experiment breaking all her own dating rules- and who better to do that with than her high school nemesis, Declan. Sure, he’s definitely hotter now. But he’s still arrogant and annoying and there’s no way she will ever catch feelings for him. Until she does.

Cute and fast enemy-to-lovers read with lots of tension and a bit of spice. The back-and-forth between Margo and Declan was entertaining, you obviously know Margo is going to catch feelings for this guy. But I still liked getting to that point in the book. I also enjoyed the BFF relationship between Margo and Jo. The author did a great job handling what it was like for them to be at different points in their lives and how one friend inevitably feels left behind. Definitely something that happens in real life friendships that I’m sure we can all relate to! I’m a huge fan of the “chicks in the office” podcast and this book was giving me all the vibes.

If you’re looking for a cute ETL romance, be on the lookout for this to drop on May 16!

3 Stars!

This book was really cute and fun! I enjoyed it.

I’m going to be honest, the first few chapters were really hard for me to get into and I had the feeling of, “uh oh, I’m not going to like this.” The main character, Margo, came off as so pessimistic & bitchy—just really unlikable in my opinion. I’m glad I stuck it out and kept reading though because it got better and so did Margo.

I loved the vacation setting of this book and how it gave opportunities for interesting activities like kayaking, hiking, zip lining, etc. If Margo at first came off as unlikable Declan was the exact opposite. He was so lovable and one of my new favorite book boyfriends.

Thank you NetGalley & St. Martins Press for the ARC! Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts will be release 05/16!

Overall, this was a cute and quick read but left me wanting more.

I wanted more character development and dialogue from Margo and Declan. I think having more insight into Declan's thoughts and where his mind was throughout the book would have added that extra level. While their chemistry was great, and I was left wondering nonstop if they were ever going to get together, I just wanted something a little deeper and felt like the ending was a bit rushed.

TLDR: Sexy, joyful debut and I'm already excited for whatever Miller is planning next.

I read this book in one night (ok, well into the morning hours) and smiled the whole time. The whole time! Not only was I thoroughly charmed by each of the characters and the little twists and turns, but I really just adored the way this was written.

I'll start with Margo and Declan. I love them, full stop. I don't want to give anything away but I just felt it so much between these two. Single-POV romance is so fun because it makes revelations and misunderstandings so honest (and tense!!). We meet Margo at a tough point in her life and get to see her perspective grow which had me feeling like the Grinch when he learns the meaning of Christmas. And Declan... my guy. So soft and so hot. Which I'm now realizing is my favorite kind of romance hero.

As for my reading experience: Miller's writing style is my absolute catnip. Each scene and setting is so grounded and vivid, and her little nuggets of description--of a character, an idea, a place--are itty-bitty shots of dopamine. Yum, I tell you. YUM.

It was a good boom once I got into it and it was a fun little read I would definitely read this author again

This was a cute little enemies to lovers rom-com! Loved the island setting and the red haired love interest lol you don’t see that often. I thought the plot was interesting, with the podcast and them straying away from it and everything. The kayak scene was so funny!
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

This was a cute book! It’s a fun, summery enemies-to-lovers rom com. If you know anything about me, you know I have a thing for redheads, so I could relate to the attraction that Margo had for Declan. I inevitably loved his character and was so happy with the ending of the book. I also thought it was fun watching the development of Margo’s character. I liked how social media and the podcast excerpts were incorporated into the story. With that being said, I do feel like the book was a little slow and overall kind of hard for me to get into.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC.

It took me a few days to get into this book because of my own preconceived notions. Margo wasn't relatable, and it felt like the book was going to be a narcissistic trip that I didn't want to take.

I realized that's exactly what the reader was SUPPOSED to feel because that's the persona that Margo, or Go to her podcast listeners, had unwittingly adopted. A few chapters in, it became clear to me and I kicked myself for not giving the character - and the book - a more deserved chance in the beginning, just as Margo should have given Declan a more deserved chance at the resort.

It was fun watching Margo cope with her life as an influencer and how that affected every aspect of her life, including her hair color. Every decision she made was for the 'gram, and it was wearing down on her. Pairing her with a guy who shunned social media was perfect because it made her really evaluate if the success of the podcast was worth being tied to her phone constantly.

This may be the mom in me talking, but subtle admonitions like this about the dangers of living online are important, and I'm happy to see them woven into a fun, sweet (and slightly spicy) romcom.

Speaking of slightly spicy, I was NOT expecting that dressing room scene! ::fans self:: It was glorious. Declan's character had been so forthright throughout the book about not being a one-night stand or a casual fling, and he shocked both Margo and me in the most glorious way. That scene and the conversation about cake are tied as my most favorite Declan moments for sure!

I give Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts 4 stars for bringing a unique take to the enemies-to-lovers trope with a healthy dose of comedy, societal reflection, and slow burn romance.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

While on my trip, I also finished this ARC. I always get so nervous when reading an ARC cause I really want to like it and give it a good review. Luckily for me this was a book I really enjoyed!
Margo and her best friend run a really popular podcast about how to not get attached to guys. Lo and behold when Jo, Margo’s best friend gets engaged and is soon to be married, some of their fans are not happy. After some discussion they realized that their current season was going to be the last one. While they were on break from filming Jo was going to get married! And Margo was so happy for Jo, with the only exception as to who the best man is.
She has hated Dec since they were in high school after she pulled some cruel pranks on her. What she didn’t expect was how good looking he would be. And then, a great idea popped into her head, what if she broke all the rules she created on her podcast, and Dec was the person to experiment on. She didn’t count on the fact that she would actually like Dec, which leads to some complications.
I want to start off by saying that I really enjoyed the plot, and don’t get me started on Declan as a character. He was the nice guy, and while I know bookstagram has a thing for the “bad boy/troubled souls”, there’s something very endearing about the good guy. He’s genuine, funny, and honest. I loved everything about him!
I also enjoyed Margo, but sometimes I felt like she was a bit petty. The idea that she held a grudge against Declan for 10 years because of 2 pranks he pulled is a little ridiculous.
I do like the fact that Margo was very open to allowing herself to get to know Declan, and to accept when she was starting to like him. While there’s nothing wrong with an “in denial” FMC, it was refreshing for that not to be the case. Overall, it was a fun summer read, and I’m looking forward to more from this author! I give it 4⭐️ s

THIS BOOK WAS SO FUN! I don’t. normally read books like this but I was happily surprised by how much I loved the fun and flirty romance! Would recommend for a lighter read that still grips you and keeps you engaged!

1 Star! Well, it sounded good. I couldn’t force myself to continue reading this book though. I tried, I really did. The main character was way too sexually promiscuous and I couldn’t get into that. There wasn’t really any romance. All in all, a forgettable book with a main female character that needs to have a little more dignity and self-respect.
*I received this at no charge & I voluntarily left this review.*

Living for this absolute gem of a story! This is a debut rom-com (available May 2023) about a perpetually single podcaster who has to break all of her own dating rules. There’s something so heartwarming about an anti love character finding love. This novel, written from Margo’s first person perspective, features one of my favorite tropes of all time: enemies to lovers. Also I loved Margo’s spunky personality! I think Kristyn J. Miller did a great job writing Margo, who despite being an “influencer,” came across very genuine.

Thanks to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

BRB crying!
Thank you NetGalley, Kristyn Miller & St. Martins Press for giving me to opportunity to read this before it becomes available in May. I loved this book so much! The character development Margo went through was so much fun to read & I would like my own Declan. The story felt so realistic but also so unique.
Everyone should add this to their TBR

This was a nice, easy romance to read in the enemies to lovers trope. I did think the reason Margo disliked Declan at the beginning was a little much, but I liked the podcast and the previous podcasts interspersed throughout the book. I really liked the discussion about Influencer culture too.

This was a great romance book. I was a little hesitant at first as I wasn't sure if it would be one of those books that has an out of touch, social media obsessed character but Margo turned out alright.

I liked the dynamic between Declan and Margo and the high school reunion vibes they brought.

This was chefs kiss pure, real, perfection and an absolute gem of a book. I am in love with it and these MCs! Undoubtedly it’s a full 5 stars read for me

I loved this book! Podcasting influencers who follow rules for not falling in love... but, of course, end up falling in love? Count me in. The characters were lovable, I enjoyed the friendships, and the enemies to lovers focus was perfection. Very enjoyable read!

thank you to netgalley + martin's press for this advanced copy!!!

wowowow ok ms. kristyn j miller - what an adorable book! from start to finish, this book is the pinnacle of lighthearted fun. it's like watching a romcom unfold in front of you, which i absolutely adored. lemme break it down real quick!!!

CHARACTRERS
margo is such a genuine character. is she annoying sometimes? sure. does she make bad decisions? yeah. but if she incredibly human? yes!!!!!!!! her fear of being hurt and losing people is something i can relate to. besides the fact that my parents have a VERY similar story to margo's, love is fucking terrifying and i think as people, we are often trying to figure out how to not have our hearts broken.

declan is so charming and we love a ginger mmc (representation!!!!!!). he's so nerdy and cute and i just wanted to know even more about him.

the side characters were quirky and fun and i think i wanted to get to know them more! i loved jo and peter, who were so sweet and such good elements to add. i would've loved to find out more about autumn and liv and luke (kristyn please write their stories too. im screamin cryin throwing up wanting to know how their lives are). also, margo's mom SCREAMS jewish mother and i was here for it. i don't think there was any mention of religion but she reminded me of my mom and i loved that

STORYLINE
margo and declan's enemies to lovers pipeline is SPICY and all the touching and arguing and the slow development of feelings for margo is so frickin adorable i loved it. cutest lil storyline!!!! their plotting for jo and peter's bachelor and bachelorette parties was so silly and i couldn't get ENOUGH

the twist about shelley stealing the phone and posting was (1) BOLD and (2) a bit shocking!!!! i kind of wish we could've found out more about why. i get that there was a distaste and dislike for influencers but i wanted to know more, y'know?

the ending made me tear up a bit. i love a grand gesture.

GENERAL THOUGHTS
there were some loose strings i wanted to know more about. some lasting thoughts about what jo is going to do next, how the seven rules audience responded to the final podcast, and what happened to the gang of side characters. i wanted a lil more about go and jo's friendship post-wedding after their lil spat. otherwise, this book was gold.

i think i also am generally a fan of the dual pov books where we hear about the guy's feelings. i think i would've loved knowing how in love declan was with margo and how seeing her made his heart skip a beat and stuff. i wanted to know how he felt when he finally (!!!!) kissed her and how he let her win all those games in the arcade. also, i would've loved a lil more spice but that's just one girls opinion.

anyways this book SLAPS i LOVED IT

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
seven rules is the 21st century love story with influencers, social media and online trolls in between and i was living for it. as someone who has built a small following on instagram, i found myself relating to so much of margo's perspectives and i just couldn't wait to see where it would all go. shoutout go and jo also - what a cutie lil duo. this book is a comfort read and so so sweet and i just loved it lots. really happy lil story and i think everyone should check it out.

GREAT ARC LOVED IT WOOOOOOOOO
xoxoxoxox

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Margo and her best friend Jo run a podcast, the whole premise of which is giving girls rules to follow to never catch feelings and to be happily single. When Jo falls in loves and decides to get married, Margo feels like she has to save the podcast by creating a new concept. She decides to purposefully break all the rules they’ve set and see what happens. She decided to use the best man in the wedding, a boy she hates from high school, because she knows she’ll never fall in love with him. Except…. She does. Now what?

⚠️Rant ahead⚠️

Okay, some of y’all may have seen my rant and threats to DNF this in my stories 😂 the FMC, Margo, was the most annoying character I’ve read in a long time. She was narcissistic and seemed shocked when her poor choices reflected badly on her. She spent most of the book complaining that her BEST FRIEND was happy and getting married, because that negatively affected her own podcast and influencer lifestyle. Rude. I never really felt like she got her redemption arc, she was maybe less annoying at the end but still… She also talks a lot about how she hated the MMC because of two pranks he pulled on her in high school… which honestly were harmless and didn’t seem worth the burning hatred and poor behavior she directed at him. The MMC, Declan, was great - a perfect romance book love interest. He put up with Margo being rude, totally using him, and still forgave her. He deserved better 😂 I did love the setting and I think if the FMC had been likable at all, I would’ve enjoyed this so much more. The chemistry just wasn’t there for me 🤷‍♀️