Book: Dealbreakers
Author: Lauren Forsythe
Format: Digital
Genre: Romantic Comedy, Change/Self-Discovery
Places Featured: London, England, United Kingdom
Review Score: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Review: After learning that her boyfriend of 15+ years no longer wanted the same thing, Marina goes back to the dating scene and tries the online thing. As a tech developer (love showing a woman succeeding in STEM), Marina decides to create an app to enhance dating apps and make them more efficient—women share dealbreakers for men they’ve met on dating sites, so women can know in advance if their potential date is not going to be a match. When a promotion at work becomes available and Marina is forced to go on dates/activities (some fun ideas here) with her nemesis—the always charming Lucas—she turns to her app to learn more about him…especially since she’s noticing he’s making her feel a certain way…. While the plot is predictable, the character development is fantastic—the chemistry between Marine and Lucas is some of the best I’ve read in awhile and the supporting characters are fun to get to know. It’s also always enjoyable when characters learn helpful lessons and change and grow. It’s a very quick fun read!

I failed to hide my smile, tapping my lips with my fingers. “I always see it, you know,” Lucas said, and I kept my eyes on the menu. “It’s a shame to hide a smile like yours.”

*4.5/5
oh i loved this. lauren forsythe didn't miss, i loved the fixer upper and dealbreakers was even better. i loved reading about marina and lucas, their chemistry and banter, going on fake dates together, the book just flew by, i finished it in less than a day, and it left smiling like an idiot (the ending was just perfect). i will definitely be reading any novels the author will write in the future!

arc provided by netgalley and penguin group putnam in exchange for an honest review.

This book was very cute and sweet. It's workplace enemies to friends to lovers with a type A heroine against manic pixie dream boy. Marina is living in her freshly married best friend's spare room because her boyfriend of 15 years broke up with her. Marina always saw herself having a family, and he said he did not want kids. As a side hustle, Marina created a site called "Dealbreakers" where women can submit the names of men they plan to date on the apps and they get a list of all the reviews from his dates on the other apps. Marina has list of dealbreakers for herself:: no tattoos, don't smoke, and he has to want get married and have babies. She has a five year plan: be a boss at work and have the perfect little family and dog and picket fence.

Then Lucas, her virtual work-nemesis, shows up at her office in person. He will be working there for a couple weeks. After she gave her big presentation that she hoped would manifest into a promotion to her bosses and colleagues, Lucas publicly dismissed her idea for their company. I;m till a little hazy on what they do, I guess it's like Yelp for business that do fun events and activities., but I digress, She thinks they should be targeting friend experiences, Lucas things it should be for dating experiences. So, of course this being 2023 and something that would totalllllllly be ok with HR, the bosses tells them to go on these experiences together and report back. Whoever is the most convincing that the experience was perfect for a date or for friends, wins the promotion and job security forevvvvver.

Um, sure, whatever. But it was cute seeing these two "will-they-or won't they"s banter it up in mixology classes and ax-throwing bars.. (side note: can we stop with the escape rooms? So over those.)

This was fun and breezy, a nice amuse bouche for my next read. Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC for my honest review.

Okay, I fell head over heels with this book. The banter, relatable scenerios of feeling like life is passing by and your life isn’t looking like the blueprint? All so good. The only thing I think would have made it better was some sort of emotional description of the sex. I liked how it wasn’t descriptive but it felt like it just jumped into post-sex and nothing was said about it at all. It was a bit awkward and the only part I didn’t love.

I loved Lauren Forsythe's novel The Fixer Upper so I was excited to read your subsequent novel. Unfortunately I was disappointed with a subpar storyline and superficial characters. The romantic relationship in Fixer Upper was more believable and had the foundation of relationship history, whereas I didn't feel I got to know Lucas and Marina well enough and see enough chemistry to really feel moved by their development.

Also, I felt the side characters in The Fixer Upper were given more backstory and chemistry, and I didn't feel I got to know the friends that well (thus feel much interest in) with Dealbreakers.

I did enjoy the different "missions" Lucas and Marina were sent on and thought that was where the strength of the story was. Overall I thought Dealbreakers was fine, but it was hard not to compare to The Fixer Upper which I thought was more relatable, more sussed out, and had a more satisfying ending.

Forsythe's writing is witty and sharp, and the chemistry between Marina and Lucas is undeniable. The story is a perfect blend of humor and heart, making it an enjoyable read from start to finish. Dealbreakers is a great choice for fans of romantic comedies and anyone looking for a light, feel-good read.

Enemies to lovers with a little work competition. I’m not usually big on enemies to lovers but really enjoyed this romcom! It reminds me of The Hating Game (which I liked despite some of it’s problematic parts) but this was better and I felt the relationship was more believable/realistic for me.

I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really don't have much to say about this book other then it being a very cute and easy read. The characters in this book were a lot of fun and I enjoyed their interactions. I really liked Lucas and absolutely loved the banter between him and Marina.

If you're looking for something easy and fun to read then I definitely would go for this book.

Too slow for me and didn’t love their banter and hate to like story. Also the side characters were pretty annoying.

I thought this was really cute. It was a bit slow but I love forced proximity, It took me a while to feel connected to the story and the characters but in the end I was really happy with it.

Lucas. Ahhh Lucas. Such as sweet man, but he’s been burned by love and now his dates have written things about him that aren’t too flattering on a new dating app that Marina created in her desperation to find a decent date.

Then through no fault of their own (ok, it was kind of their fault), they forced into a series of dates. We all know where that will lead, but with Lucas, it’s going to be a just fine.

This is a book that holds no surprises at all except for how much the reader will enjoy the development of the characters. The author does a great job is creating their appeal and putting them into situations that enhance that appeal.

One of my best bookish friends refuses to read descriptions before she picks up books. In the case of this one, I wish I had followed her lead. I put off reading it because the description didn't appeal to me at the time but ultimately this was a fairly classic enemies to lovers read. I really connected with the female lead who had a plan and a list and struggled to realize that sometimes, it's ok to let all that go. It was cathartic to see her character grow.

I'm not a fan of the writing style. It's a very slow build and reads predictable to me.
DNF




*****************I received an ARC for my honest opinion from NetGalley************************

I adored this book! It was funny, romantic, witty and inspiring. I adored the characters and the writing was so easy to read. The description was described for anyone who likes Sally Thornes, The Hating Game and i couldn't agree more! It had that same type of humor and I would highly recommend!

This was a cute, easy read. Although I didn’t connect with either main character, I didn’t dislike them.

Pros: fun read, LGBTQIA+ representation, women in STEM. Love a good forced proximity romcom.

Cons: I felt like the main character gave up the one thing that was most important to her through the entirety of the book. Some of the language was strange and a bit cringey i.e. arse, darling.

Overall I really enjoyed the book!

I love a good light hearted book. Something that takes me away from the everyday of life.

Marina Spicer’s plan for the perfect life is thrown out the window when her boyfriend of 15 years decides that it isn’t what he wants. However, this doesn’t make Marina stop with her plan for her life. Instead she comes up with an app to check out the men prior to going on a date with them. Going in with preconceived notions of them. She also needs to get that promotion at work in order to have that perfect flat. Enter Lucas who is her enemy, the co-worker who in the past has thrown wrenches in her work. Now he’s done it again, but this time he might just take her promotion.

Go on a fun ride with Marina and Lucas taking dates to compete with the same job. See what might happen along the way.

Thank you #NetGalley for the advanced copy

A good read -- I thought the characters were well-developed but I didn't connect with their chemistry as much I had hoped.

My gut told me this would be a good one because Lauren Forsythe's writing is brilliant; I was not wrong! I loved, loved, loved this story! The characters were really interesting, the enemies-to-lovers trope was done perfectly, and the chemistry between Marina and Lucas was feisty with fireworks- my favorite! Well done, Lauren Forsythe; you are killing it! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Special thanks to NetGalley and G. P. Putnam's Sons for sharing this digital ARC with me in exchange for my honest review.

Dealbreakers

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

Marina and Lucas are competing for the same promotion and do a series of dates to test out events for their company. Newly single, Marina relies heavily on the app she created to weed out men on dating apps, on which, Lucas has terrible reviews. Even with his bad reviews, Marina can’t help falling for him.

This book has forced proximity, workplace romance, and good banter! This cute cover holds an easy romance read perfect for summer.

#bookstagram #bookreview #bookrecommendations #arc #advancedcopy #netgalley

I got the chance to read Dealbreakers from NetGalley! First and most important is that I adored the relationship between Marina and Lucas! I think the whole aspect of Marina fighting to let go of her "high standards" and step out of her comfort zone that includes an unwavering plan is very relatable for a lot of people. The banter in this book was top notch. This is my first Lauren Forsythe book and I can't wait to pick up her other novel! This book is a page turner and will keep you rooting for Marina and Lucas both individually as they go through their own character developments but also as a couple!