4.5 stars
This was such a cute and refreshing rom com! I loved amargo, and found her easy to relate to and empathize with, and I had fun rooting for her. She had a lot of growth in this book, something that doesn’t always happen in a rom com. I loved the main characters together and I was fully invested in their story! I also liked the setting of Catalina Island with all the wedding events in the background.

The texts, tweets, and podcast episodes were fun add ins and helped me to really get sucked into the story.
I definitely recommend this to rom com fans and I think this will be the perfect summer book!

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for an eARC!

Wow! I really enjoyed reading this book. The characters were fantastic and the way the author brought them into the storyline was excellent. Such a fun read!

If you want to better understand the life of a social media influencer, Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts by Kristyn J. Miller is for you. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the perks and pitfalls of being internet moderately famous, a strange in-between place where a person is not (yet) paparazzi famous, but luxury resorts will still foot the bill for your entire destination wedding in exchange for promotion on your Instagram feed.

But that’s not the only — or even the most compelling — reason to read this new novel.

Here’s the basic set up. Margo (Go) and Jo run an unexpectedly popular podcast about how to stay single for women who want to stay single. For real, not just pretending because they happen to be single. It's a mutual admiration and support group type of thing. There are rules they all live by (seven of course), like “always keep the ball in your court” and “say no to sleepovers.” Above all, of course, is don’t “catch feelings.”

Then Jo goes and catches feelings. She announces she’s getting married. Loyal single fans are not happy, not at all. Were the podcast just a hoax?

Now what for the Go and Jo fab duo and their heretofore popular podcast by which they both earn a living (and get loads of free stuff)? How do you keep your fanbase when one of you has just broken all seven rules?

As they are deliberating (and shedding sponsors) at Jo’s destination luxe wedding, an old high school hottie-geek shows up as the best man. Go and said hottie-geek have a history and that history means she is not his fan. She gets an idea. Go decides to try taking the podcast in a provocative new direction by using poor hot geek (Declan) as a case study of applying the rules in real time. She will have a pretend romance while showcasing the rules. Without him knowing that’s what she’s doing.

But then it all goes awry. Of course. Sparks smolder and fly and heat up to a full on burn and singe, then it crashes down hard when the truth comes out. Also, of course.

This book is all around fun and I enjoyed it. It’s not often you get to live the life of a social media influencer in a convincing manner. Seven Rules is well-written with a believable female friendship at the core, a sweet relationship between Go and her newly single mom (I’d like to see a book about mom’s romantic life!), and a great second-chance romance between Go and Declan along with entertaining sidebar wedding stuff happening with the bride and groom.

Of note, the pacing of the book is very good. At first, I found it a bit slow-moving but then realized this relaxed pace was allowing me to get to know the well-drawn characters more fully; the leads were believable, thoughtful and whip-smart. In short, people whose stories I was eager to hear.

I definitely recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book!

I have mixed feelings about this book. I didn’t dislike it, but I also didn’t love it. I had more issues with it than things I actually liked. If you are in the mood for a light summer romance, this is a book you could read.

Normally for these types of reviews, I would do a pros and cons list, but I feel like it would be easier for me to divide my review into categories instead.

PLOT: Margo and Jocelyn (Go and Jo) run a successful podcast called Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts, all about seven rules they created to avoid catching feelings for people. However, they get a sponsorship for a completely paid vacation, which is perfectly timed with Jo’s upcoming wedding. But what happens when the best man is Margo’s high school nemesis, along with some retaliation on social media for “breaking” their rules?

I think the premise of the book is interesting. I like the podcast aspect of it, but I wish there was more focus on its creation. The book takes place in between seasons, so it is more of the social media and planning aspect of the job rather than podcasting.

CHARACTERS: I did not like Margo at all. I don’t think the author wrote her specifically to be unlikeable, but I just didn’t really enjoy her character. Also, Declan works at NASA and somehow doesn’t know a lot about technology, which I felt was unrealistic. He’s probably in his 20s-30s and that’s certainly a reasonable age to understand technology. I think this was supposed to be some sort of opposites attract thing maybe like Margo loves technology and Declan doesn't.

ROMANCE: As I mentioned in the plot section, Margo and Declan were high school nemeses… except that isn’t completely true. Declan pranked Margo a few times and she started disliking him, and somehow Declan liked Margo the whole time. This was marketed as enemies to lovers but it was one-sided.

Margo also showed interest in Declan purely to use him to gain listeners on the podcast. She exploited the fact that he liked him for the wrong reasons. I couldn’t get over the HEA because Declan shouldn’t have forgiven her.

FRIENDSHIPS: I feel like Jo got left behind. They are supposed to be best friends who live together and run a podcast together, but once Margo started spending time with Declan, Jo got pushed to the side. I would have loved more scenes with just the two of them. I also vaguely remember some of the bridesmaids being in a few scenes, but they were never really mentioned.

OVERALL: I think the premise was good, I just didn’t really like Margo, who is the main focal point of the novel. I would still recommend this to people looking for a romance, it just had a few more cons than pros for me.

this was such a sweet book. I loved that margo struggled to let people in and believe in the concept of love and trusting another person. the way that tied in with her podcast was really unique. declan was also such a sweetheart I loved that he pined over her for so long. the only complaint I had was I wish there was more genuine conversation before the feelings confession but overall it was so sweet. A special thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Man the book description made this book sound better than it was. I felt like the main character was super immature. I didn’t really like the romance in this one. I thought this book was just bad. I wouldn’t suggest this one.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book.

I wanted to love this book but I found myself not liking the main character. I know we get dropped into an upheaval in her life but she just struck me as unlikeable. She does grow at the end but by then it was hard to care for her.

The *villain* was not believable to me. I kept wanting it to be Autumn instead of the random bartender.

The podcast idea is cute and worked well within the context of the book and overall it’s a cute beach read with some spice.

Margo and Jocelyn are childhood best friends who now host the mega-popular podcast, Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts, that normalizes and encourages staying single #singlenotseeking. Jo and Go provide listeners with not just tips and advice on living and maintaining the single life, but serve as role models in that pursuit. All this changes when Jo meets the love of her life and surprises fans (and Go) by agreeing to have an ultra-luxurious, sponsored wedding celebration over 2 weeks on Catalina Island. Now with the identity of their podcast in question, Go decides to flip the script and start breaking the seven rules on her own. When she reunites with Declan, a former high school classmate, who also happens to be the best man at the wedding, things get complicated as Go finds herself having a tough time not catching feelings for her former nemesis.

What I liked was that the concept was cute and different and the inclusion of the podcast felt modern. I also really enjoyed the development of Margo’s character, finding her own identity and learning to stand on her own. What I didn’t like was that the start of the relationship felt rushed. I would’ve liked more of a connection and build between the 2 MC’s to make the relationship feel more real. The plot also felt a bit predictable, including the break-up to make-up at the end. Overall, a cute read that I rated 3.5 stars.

Thank you to the author, Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to advance read this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This is a perfect summer romcom beach read. It will go over well, especially in libraries near the beaches here in St. Pete.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts is a sweet story of a couple getting together after many years of knowing each other. Margo hasn’t liked Declan since high school, when he was a cool guy who played pranks on her. However, those pranks probably reflect something more than just his desire to annoy her.

I enjoyed this book, but found some of the pacing odd. I didn’t really buy the way Margo is “exposed” online, but I was glad we sort of breezed through that section. A cute and easy read.

Margo and her best friend run a podcast instructing women how to stay single. But then her friend decides to get married so Margo has to adjust her focus or play down her insecurity around relationships. Seven Rules explores the duality of social media - the perks of being an influencer and the threat of losing one’s privacy when secrets are revealed. I found the writing to be quite smart and the dialogue between the two romantic characters, to be witty and indicative of their history as well as their potential relationship. The hate-to-love trope also works really well because of the the characters’ personalities. There were a couple side characters and sub-plots that didn’t seem to be well incorporated but overall I enjoyed the story, and even learned some things about the Catalina Island setting.

Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts was a quick and light read! While a typical romance story with a rather predictable ending, I loved the non-typical characters!

Jo and Go are best friends with a podcast on their seven rules. At Jo’s wedding, Mo falls for Declan, a guy from her past, but not in a typical sense.

This story was fun to follow along with the little details and added spice. I would recommend this story to anyone who enjoys a light romance story. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy.

First off, I loved all the little details about life in Southern California. I could tell the author lived, or had, lived here, right down to how the same weather can be stifling inland and perfect on Catalina Island (where I worked as a summer camp counselor for two summers, fifty years ago). Though my eyebrows did shoot up at the idea of Margo not knowing about the buffalos despite spending many summers there. (But then maybe Margo never had buffalo wander through her campsite at two a.m. time after time.)

I found the main character interestingly complex. Margo is prickly, having grown up dealing with a cheating dad, and then as a teen having to work to support her kind of hapless mom. I loved the way Miller didn't make a big deal of it, but we see how that shaped Margo, who has quite a fence built up against men. She has a podcast with her longtime bestie that focuses on women who want to stay single. They have seven rules, and discuss their own lives on the podcast as Jo and Go (for Margo) ... until Jo decides to get married. And during the two weeks on Catalina before the wedding, Margo encounters her high school nemesis, Declan. Who of course is Our Hero.

Their romance follows the expected arc, with plenty of hot times while Margo reluctantly tears down emotional walls. I was sorry to see the friendship with Jo strained by Margo's development, though that's realistic. I just like supportive female friendships in fiction.

We get the usual climactic Big Misunderstanding, which was okay; basically I liked the beginning and middle more than I liked the end, but that might just be a taste thing. I really liked the writing, and will definitely watch for more by this author.

If you want a fun, escapism-type romcom with a great vacation backdrop, this would be a great recommendation for you. I’m sure this would be fantastic on audiobook for the podcast element! As someone who has also worked in social media, it was really refreshing to see both up and downsides of working with sponsors and having your life out on the internet.

The love interest is so freaking adorable. I loved watching them build their relationship alongside the changing best friend relationship between Margo & Jo. I was pretty sure I knew what the classic third act issue was going to be, but damn I didn’t see *how* it would happen. Ooo the way I wanted to punch somebody in the face.

Enemies to lovers, best friends wedding, week trip away. This one has all the tropes. But sadlY they didn’t deliver for me as much as they could have! And a miscommunication trope is not my thing. I loveddd the concept of the two best friends hosting a podcast and the involvement of social media in such a natural way versus feeling forced!
One of my favorite podcasts talks about similar things jo and go did, it really bummed me out when they went their separate ways. I feel like this could have been a romance that came back to best friends first but it didn’t? The last 20% really disappointed me, but overall it was super cute and easy to read even with minor plot holes.

loved this romance and having a podcast mixed up in the story. Loved the friends and the romance that happened over the week. Good romance.

I really wanted to love this. The premise was cute, the cover was cute. But it was lacking. I didn’t like Margo. She was immature and selfish. It’s hard to like a book when you don’t like the main character. If some chapters had been written from Declan’s point of view, readers might have seen another, more likable side of Margo. I also felt like there were too many secondary characters (all of the bridesmaids, Renée), so they were underdeveloped. Maybe a sequel is coming so we can get to know them better? I also think the book would have been stronger if there had been some flashbacks to high school. Then we’d better understand Declan’s crush, Go & Jo’s friendship, her parent’s divorce. This just didn’t do it for me, but I appreciate NetGalley offering me an advanced copy!

Funny and entertaining. I recommend this to readers who enjoy enemies-to-lovers stories. The destination wedding and activities were a nice touch. The messages from the sponsors also added a bit of realism. Changing your format can be a risk. But is such a cute love story.


Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an e-arc in exchange for an unbiased review.

Other reviews may lead you astray by calling this an enemies-to-lovers romance, but if you go into this thinking that, you will be a tad disappointed. Margo calls Declan her high school enemy, but that's about as many 'enemies' vibes that there are in this book; neither of them start out actually hating the other.
So, this book follows Margo, who runs a slightly popular podcast called Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts. It talks about the seven rules that Margo and her bestie Jo follow in order to stay single. Until! Jo decides to get married and a sponsor of the podcast pays for a two-week vacation and the whole wedding. In order to create new content (and answer for Jo's actions) for the podcast, Margo decides to also break the rules, deliberately, so she can show people why they have them in the first place. And the man that she decides to use as her guinea pig is Declan, the best man and a guy she holds a grudge against from high school. She's sure there's no way she could ever actually catch feelings for him, but they're stuck on an island vacation together for two weeks. Will anything--wedding included--go to plan?
This was a super cute book that cast an intense light on commitment issues, giving people second chances, and trying to be yourself as a mild celebrity with a certain kind of image. I enjoyed the characters and their development, and it was very interesting to delve into Margo's mind as she had these extremely clear reasons for everything she did, and then once she started questioning them, everything she had built up started falling apart.
This book is what I call mildly predictable, but not in a bad way. You'll guess pretty early on what's going to happen, but it's still super enjoyable!

This was an enjoyable read. Margo's attitude toward dating, commitment, and life in general was so far from anything I could relate to. Then I found myself feeling sorry for her and hoping she would realize how unsatisfying her life was, open up, and maybe find happiness. Of course, the path couldn't be smooth, because where would the story be in that?

The book kept me reading to see exactly how things would turn out. There were a few things that didn't seem to be tied up or answered, but overall a good book.

Thanks to Kristyn J. Miller, NetGalley, and St. Martin's Press!