Review in progress and to come.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

Wow, I feel like I fell down a rabbit hole and never wanted to resurface. Within three chapters, I wanted to purchase this book which I ultimately preordered.
This story follows Marina who was dumped after more than a decade. Now she's 30 and her biological clock is ticking, motherhood should be around the corner with the white picket fence. When her work idea doesn't go as planned, she ends up in a friendly competition with Lucas, a stranger in marketing. Lucas is everything she shouldn't want but is he everything she needs?
I know some will read this book, and say it's unrealistic, but honestly isn't that why we read?

Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC. All the above opinions are my own.

This was so relatable, funny and heart warming. I always love a fast paced, unlikely romance story. I am not a huge spice fan but, this one needed even a little pepper as it went fade to black a little too fast to make their love realistic.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishing team for this free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

After breaking up with her boyfriend of 15 years on her birthday, 30 year old Marina loses her sun-filled apartment, moves into her newly-married best friend’s spare room and focuses all her energy in getting a promotion at the start up she works for (a booking app company), while trying to find the perfect man she can build her life with, along with checking off every box on her list. When her presentation to expand the booking app to cater to groups is confronted by the remote copywriter Lucas, who argues that offering services in dates instead is a much more fitting direction, they go on a few days long “fake dating” adventures to sample and review various experiences from their company’s app to prove a point (and get that promotion).

This story started off strong, I loved Marina’s friends’ dynamics, the banter between the two main characters was entertaining, though somehow not enough, and I found the quick progression of the romance underwhelming. Marina and Lucas fall in love too quickly, despite it not feeling so credible on page, so I did find that questionable. Romance in this book is fade to black/ closed door, so no spice, which isn’t generally an issue for me, but when it comes to romance books that are targeted to adults, I would have preferred some spice to convey the two characters’ tension. Lucas didn’t read like a well developed character and I would have loved more background info, the most we get from his was when the two characters had a couple of moments of back and forth conversation. Otherwise it was a very quick read, and the writing smooth and engaging.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️5.0/5.0
Dealbreakers by Lauren Forsythe
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Pub date: 08-01-2023
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Dealbreakers was a fun, quick read that became an “accidentally stayed up until midnight on a weekday” book. Marina is recently out of a long-term relationship and her life’s plan shattered. She is on a mission to right her plan and find the one. Failed date after failed date lead her to create an app to help other women avoid men with dealbreakers - tattoos, smoking, the usual. At work, she proposes a new idea and much to her dismay, the charming, sunshiney guy she loathes proposes a counter idea and they suddenly end up in a project to decide who has the better idea and with it, a promotion. An enemies to lovers romance with witty banter and life’s lessons along the way. It was a bit of a slow start but it lended to character development and understanding. Both characters find something they weren’t looking for through some vulnerability and willingness to consider that plans change.
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Read if you like:
✔️enemies to lovers
✔️forced proximity
✔️grumpy sunshine
✔️witty banter

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for allowing me to voluntarily read and review an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Dealbreakers follows Marina, a thirty year old software developer who's life plan is turned on its head when her boyfriend of the last decade leaves her. She spends the next year of her life endlessly dating--trying to find a man who meets all her criteria and will fit into her future plans (babies, kids, dogs, etc). Marina aims for perfection and efficiency, so she develops an app called "Dealbreakers" where women who have been on dates with men can leave reviews warning other women of dealbreakers they experienced on their dates.

For work, Marina works in development for LetsGo, a travel and excursion website. She only took this job for the maternity benefits (before the ex left her), and she's trying to get a promotion and do more of the work she really enjoys. She pitches redesigning LetsGo to be geared towards groups of friends trying to do these experiences together. Her pitch is interrupted by Lucas, her freelance (usually remote) coworker who knows just how to get under her skin. He thinks the site should be marketed to couples looking for fun date ideas.

The stereotypical start-up CEOs send Marina and Lucas on various excursions through LetsGo, in an effort to have them each make their point-- that Marina thinks the location would be more suited for friends and Lucas thinks it would be better as a date. As they spend more time together, Lucas continues to get under her skin, in all the right ways.

I really enjoyed this book! It was a page turner. I thought it was really fun and I loved Marina and Lucas' banter. I related to Marina's perfectionism and appreciated her growth throughout the book.

I loved this easy, sweet little rom-com. Every character was likeable and the "live in the moment" message was a fun reminder to sometimes toss the lists aside.

Enemies to lovers and a workplace rivalry - sign me up! This book was so fun. I adored the characters, thought the plot was fantastic, and enjoyed the side characters. I am pretty sure I had a smile on my face a majority of the time.

While I enjoyed The Fixer Upper, I must admit that I liked this one much more! While the plot seemed similar as of about 20% of the way into the book, I found Dealbreakers much more intriguing and couldn't wait to pick it back up each evening. The enemies-to-lovers trope is strong here so if you love that type of story, this one's for you! ALOS: I appreciate how this author showcases women in STEM as MCs ... awesome!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC copy of this book to read and review. All of these thoughts and comments are my own.

Marina is a woman who has a life plan. She knows what she wants in life and in a man. She’s created this app that you can use to rate dates you’ve been on. Marina really wants to promote in her job and develop her app even more. So, when Lucas shows up and tests not only her plans for promotion but also her list for what she wants/doesn’t want in a man, things get complicated. If all signs point away from Lucas that means Marina shouldn’t want him right, right?

I actually really loved this. The plot was great. The characters were relatable and funny. I loved the date ideas and also how Marina turns Lucas into a man who wants more than just hookups. This was such a fast pace read and I couldn’t put it down. My only complaint is that I just wanted more of them.

4 stars!

Ah, the wonderful enemies to lovers trope! Add in the workplace proximity and you have my perfect storyline.

Dealbreakers Review 🍸💘

this was a cute workplace enemies-to-lovers novel 🫶

blurb: “Marina Spicer has no time to waste when it comes to dating, hence her (rather long) list of dealbreakers. Must love dogs, no smokers need apply, etc. Still, Marina is stuck. Frustrated by the online dating world, she creates Dealbreakers, an anonymous dating review app, to whittle down the depressingly large dating pool man by man and help other women along the way.

But after a disagreement at work gets her paired up as the marketer on a project with uppity Irish content writer Lucas Kennedy, she realizes he’s the most reviewed walking red flag on the entire app. The charming ne’er-do-well is the last person she wants to spend time with, but they have to test out date ideas together, the writer of the best pitch walking away with the promotion Marina feels she’s already earned.”

At first I was a bit annoyed by Mariana, and her insistence on getting married soon and having kids ASAP felt repetitive to me. But as the book went on, I think she had some good character growth and I liked her more! I also enjoyed the cast of side characters and friends 🫶

I’d say this was a solid 3.5/5 for me, and good if you’re looking for a Hating Game-esque book without the spice.

This story had a slow start for me, but it grew into a cute and funny rom com. Good banter and a fun read!

Marina is literally my spirit animal. So boarded up with her red flags and deal breakers that she almost misses out on the one worth potentially dropping her guard for. I loved this story. Lucas was exactly what she needed to mend her broken pieces even though she is fighting ever so stubbornly to admit it. So cute. So easy to read. Loved it! 4/5 stars

Marina is literally my spirit animal. So boarded up with her red flags and deal breakers that she almost misses out on the one worth potentially dropping her guard for. I loved this story. Lucas was exactly what she needed to mend her broken pieces even though she is fighting ever so stubbornly to admit it. So cute. So easy to read. Loved it! 4/5 stars

I loved her debut The Fixer Upper and was way too excited when I seen her newest title ready for request.

Dealbreakers by Lauren Forsythe was just the perfect romantic comedy I needed.

Even though the plot was predictable, the story gave me so much happiness that I smiled throughout the whole book. Marina and Lucas were so cute and funny together. They had great chemistry with lots of banter, sarcasm and such sweet scenes.
The characters, the plot, the writing, the romance. Every aspect was so good and so well written.
Overall, this was a highly entertaining read. Once I started I couldn’t stop.

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

Thank You NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

*Received an ARC from Netgalley*

Lover's of The Hating Game will devour this light refreshing read. This book is less enemies-to-lovers and more academic rivals(but in the workplace), however it does have the witty back and forth that I just love! Marina Spicer is your typical grumpy character and Lucas Kennedy is full sunshine! Forced to work together as they compete for a promotion, Marina has a head start using Dealbreakers. Dealbreakers is an app she created that allows women to post the "red flags" from their dates, so now Marina has a full list of Lucas' downfalls. But what if his dealbreakers aren't what they sound like?

After reading this, I have officially decided dinner and a movie is no longer an acceptable first date. Bring on the axe throwing!

She has a checklist for her perfect partner and he’s the exact opposite of what she could want, but can two work enemies actually be perfect for each other? Marina Spicer has a checklist of what she is looking for in a perfect partner and her list of dealbreakers, yet every guy she’s gone out with has been a miss. She creates an app called Dealbreakers where people can anonymously write reviews for their dates for other women to read. When a disagreement at work gets her paired up with her work enemy, Lucas Kennedy, a supremely charming, smoking, and tattooed content writer. They enter into a competition in where they test out date ideas together and the winner with the best pitch gets the new promotion. Marina feels like she has earned this promotion and is going to take Lucas down.. or that was the plan until Lucas charms his way into her heart. From cocktail mixing dates, salsa dancing, and ace throwing, Marina and Lucas find themselves opening up to each other more and Marina begins to realize that maybe despite the fact that Lucas checks off every single one of her dealbreakers.... he is the perfect guy for her. This was a short and interesting read about two people who are opposites but find a way to completely fit one another.

*Thanks Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

This rom-com about workplace rivals who are participating in a series of activities while competing for the same promotion, was full of laughs, tender moments of honesty and tenderness, and an unlikely romance that was truly a delight to read!

The story started a little slow and the characters mainly stayed surface level for about a good portion of the book, but then Forsythe infused more dimension and vulnerability into Lucas and Mariana, which especially helped soften Marina. While she might have been unlikable at times, I think Marina’s story is very relatable as there is always the tendency to put up walls and be swayed by fear after being hurt. I think some of the miscommunication could have been eliminated and while Lucas and Marina’s story ventured into insta-love territory at times, I didn’t much mind it.

I immensely enjoyed the sharp banter, moments of hilarity, and the supporting characters, that rounded out the humor and charm in this story about taking chances, allowing yourself to dream something new, and embracing the messiness, imperfect, and unplanned moments in life.

Dealbreakers by Lauren Forsythe is a cute little romance that reminders readers it’s ok to change, and to not always trust your assumptions/ first impressions. One of the descriptors was “if you loved The Hating Game, this book is for you,” and that cannot be more accurate. The writing is witty and sharp and the main characters were fun to get to know. The book was even a little inspiring, encouraging (via the characters) people to try new things. All in all, a perfect little romance.

Special thanks to Net Galley and Penguin Group Putnam for pricing me this advanced reviewer copy!