I found this book a fun read once I got into it. I had a hard time with Marina because she comes across pretty harshly but as the book goes on, it makes more sense as to why she is that way. Lucas is a great counter to her perfectionism ways. He's more laid back and less serious. They get paired together at work to figure out if activities are for dates (Lucas's stance) or for group activities (Marina's stance). They have a competition going and the winner will get a promotion. This leads to some interesting interactions at some fun sounding places. Recommend reading this one if you like a good romcom.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for advanced copy, and I give my review freely.

After fifteen years together with her high school sweetheart, Marina wants to start a family and her boyfriend tells her he's not interested in having kids. Now she's living in her newlywed best friend's couch and navigating the online dating world. She has a list to find the perfect guy, but she feels like she's running out of time. As a coder, she's able to create an app that pulls ratings and comments from all the dating sites to better weed out guys with dealbreakers. Then Irish freelance content writer Lucas Kennedy shows up in her office, competing for the promotion Marina was set on getting. When their bosses assign them a task of testing out dating locations, Marina plugs him into her dating app to see what she'll be working with and is shocked to see that he's the worst rated date on the app. They've always clashed even over email, but as they argue their way through the fake dates, Marina realizes that she's having more fun with a guy that seems so wrong for her than the perfect guys her app keeps setting her up with. Could Lucas actually be her Mr Right or is she just wasting her time?
This was a cute and fun enemies to lovers, fake dating office romance with a fast pace, lots of flirting and humor and moderate spice. I loved all the fun dating locations they tried out, especially the see throwing! These two were definitely an opposites attract couple.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I adore the cover and the blurb is so fun, so I was excited to jump into this one. Forsythe is a new-to-me author, and there were definitely things I liked about her writing. Unfortunately, I simply didn't connect to the heroine at all, and this is very much her story. She's so judgmental and makes so many assumptions, I just couldn't get behind some of her decisions. For that reason, the romance was tarnished for me, and I found myself skimming a lot - and it's not a particularly long book. So this was a miss for me, but I'm sure there are readers out there who are going to love it.

One of the best romances I’ve read this summer! It’s workplace nemesis-to-lovers set at an internet start-up in England. Marina Spicer is a coder, with a life-plan: work promotion, new apartment, a husband, and kids, and after wasting 15 years on her ex-boyfriend who didn’t want those things, she’s ready to enact her plan now. In an effort to cut the BS out of online dating, she created Dealbreakers - an app for women to rate their dates so that other women don’t waste their time. Enter Lucas Kennedy, an Irish writer who has been working remotely as a freelance writer for the startup, and has been trading passive-aggressive emails with Marina the whole time. When the pair are teamed up to compete on a project, the winner of which will receive a promotion, the sparks fly. Despite their intense attraction to one another, Dealbreakers reveals that Lucas is nothing Marina wants… except someone forgot to tell her heart… as they spend more and more time together, Marina begins to question of her dealbreakers are actually holding her back instead of helping her to move forward with her plan.

If you loved The Hating Game or Shipped, you will absolutely love Dealbreakers. The tension and attraction between Marina and Lucas is so thick you can practically cut it with a knife, and the push and pull between them has you screaming at Marina to just get her head out of her a$$ LOL

Dating is like navigating a minefield, so many hidden explosives that threaten to blow up.
Marina developed a little app so women could add notes to their dating experience, a novel idea.
Of course she starts hanging out with Lucas, who has received some of the worst scores.
Is she wasting time or is there really something there?
It’s a cute angle for a rom-com and the ending was good.

Dealbreaker is a fun read. It started strong for me but ended slow. but overall I enjoy reading it and will recommend to others.
Thank you Netgalley for the Advance E-readers copy.

3.5 stars

I greatly enjoyed Lauren Forsythe's debut The Fixer Upper, so it was an absolute no-brainer to pick up Dealbreakers. Her particular brand of women's fiction is definitely more grounded than most, which is such a treat as I have grown to find most books of the genre to be overly twee or underdeveloped in the romance department.

Dealbreakers, while treading familiar ground, is an immensely enjoyable read that made me long for that fireworks feeling of falling in love. It's light, it's fun, and a great reminder that love can find you in the most unexpected of places. Reading this was an absolute delightful way to spend a rainy weekend afternoon and I hope that other readers get to enjoy Marina and Lucas as much as I did!

Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

Marina Spicer is a coder living in London, trying to get back into the dating game to get "back on track" after her boyfriend of 15 years leaves her. She has everything all planned out about her future and is frustrated by the men she meets and is feeling stuck in her job. To get a promotion and move ahead, however, she has to work with her nemesis to prove that the fun activities the company promotes are better for friend events, not dates.

This was a really unexpected book for me. I liked the setting, the banter, the friendships, and really connected with Marina's feelings of being stuck, not good enough, and not living the life she wants to be. Marina and Lucas' relationship was cute and never felt forced or off. I also really liked Marina's support system with her friends and her dad (♥️) encouraging her to get out there and try more things. The only thing I didn't really care for was the epilogue - I thought it ended perfectly without it!

Dealbreakers was a cute, easy read. Work enemies to lovers trope with forced proximity but no spice. I enjoyed the storyline, but things seemed to progress either really slow, or really quick. It had a great cast of characters though and good banter.

Marina is a coder who has invented an app called Dealbreakers. It’s basically a rating system for people on dating apps; if the real life person matched what they have on their profile and if they are good people just not right for them. (This is a genius idea!)

At work, she’s on the road to promotion, but her email only colleague is in her way. When Lucas shows up to the office, she can’t believe this handsome (and tattooed) man is the same person she’s been corresponding with. Their boss decides to send them on some dates to test new ideas for things to do. The series of dates they go on was absolutely hilarious especially the axe throwing date. Marina can’t help but take a look at Lucas’ profile and he has one of the worst reports on the whole app. Apparently, he’s famous for making women feel like they are one in a million and then just leaving them.

Marina loves getting to know Lucas and she’s getting very close. But she can’t help be wonder if the dealbreakers comments are telling her something. Should she listen to her own instincts?

I highly recommend listening to the audiobook. Lucas’ Northern Irish accent will have you absolutely swooning. I loved that Marina made her own app! I loved that she had a real job she worked hard to get and was successful. Thank you @putnambooks, @laurenforsthye and @prhaudio for my gifted ebook. Dealbreakers is out on August 1!

4.5 stars

Fun, witty and enjoyable enemies to lovers plot. Took a few chapters to get me engaged but overall I enjoyed the story.

I’m a bit conflicted on this one. I think I liked it, I flew through it, but something about it just rubbed me the wrong way. I think it all just felt a bit judgy? Like one way of life is “right” and one is “wrong”. I don’t know, maybe I need to think on it some more cause I thought the romance was fun with them being work nemesis of sorts and then being forced to do these activities together, getting to know each other along the way.

Tropes:
💻 workplace romance
🤭 banter
❤️ "darling"
👥 forced proximity

single POV
3/5 stars ⭐️
0/5 spice level 🌶️

Ｒ Ｅ Ｖ Ｉ Ｅ Ｗ 🪓❤️

ᴅᴇᴀʟʙʀᴇᴀᴋᴇʀꜱ
ʙʏ: ʟᴀᴜʀᴇɴ ꜰᴏʀꜱʏᴛʜᴇ
ᴘᴜʙʟɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴅᴀᴛᴇ: ᴀᴜɢᴜꜱᴛ 1, 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5

This book was overall just good fun to read. With enemies to lovers, chemistry, forced proximity, and a charming guy with an accent; it was a sweet read that you won’t want to put down.

Synopsis: Coder Marina Spicer has no time to waste when it comes to love, hence her long list of dealbreakers. Frustrated by the online dating world, she created Dealbreakers, an anonymous app where women review how men stack up to their internet profiles. Her high standards have served her well at work, so why not in love?

Enter Lucas Kennedy. A charming Irish content writer, he’s the only one standing between Marina and her long-deserved promotion. Much to Marina’s chagrin, the two are paired on a project to test out date ideas, ultimately determining which of them will run the department. Taking a peek at Dealbreakers hoping to learn some dirt about her rival, she finds he’s the worst-rated man on the entire app.

As Lucas and Marina argue their way through mixing cocktails, salsa dancing, and throwing axes, Marina finds herself having more fun than she’s had in years. So when temptation becomes too strong to resist, Marina allows herself to break some of her own rules. After all, if the Dealbreakers say he’s Mr. Wrong, he can’t possibly be Mr. Right . . . can he?

I really enjoyed watching Marina’s feelings for Lucas develop over the book. She was so stuck on her checklist of what she wanted in a relationship and life that all along in front of her stood Lucas who absolutely adored her. I would recommend this heart and humor book to anyone that loves a good romcom.

ᴛʜᴀɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ @netgalley & penguin group @putnambooks ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴀᴅᴠᴀɴᴄᴇᴅ ᴄᴏᴘʏ ɪɴ ᴇxᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇ ᴀɴ ʜᴏɴᴇꜱᴛ ʀᴇᴠɪᴇᴡ

*4.5

This was super cute! I liked seeing her slowly fall for Lucas without knowing it. She was so stuck on what she wanted in a relationship that she didn't see what was right in front of her. He was so patient and kind of obsessed with her and I loved it.

I received an arc through netgalley.

My heart is full.
I stayed up way too late and "just one more chaptered" my way to finishing. I smirked, smiled, and laughed my way through this one - a perfect romantic comedy in my book. This is easily a top contender for favorite contemporary romance of 2023.
Marina is practical. She'll give up swooning to get what she wants: a promotion, beautiful flat, stable husband and a penguin family. Growing up an only child of soulmates made for a lonely childhood but she knows she can have it all even if a romance is lackluster. Creating Dealbreakers, an app that allows women to date and rate men from dating apps, helps her weed through the guys only looking for a hookup. With her eye on a promotion, Marina shares her vision of the future only to be thwarted (again!) by the ever-charming Lucas, her nemesis.
It's the women's fiction/romance mash-up with the perfect amount of funny I can adore. There's so many relatable and quotable moments. I loved the full cast and most especially Lucas's brand of quick wit and charm. Lauren is officially on my auto-buy list.
Thank you to Putnam and Netgalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

Thank you to the author, Lauren Forsythe, Putnam Books, and NetGalley for giving me an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book will be published on August 1, 2023.

This was a cute rom-com! The MCs had great banter and chemistry. The story had a good plot and I’m a sucker for fake dating and loved the “dates” they went on.

I liked how Marina came to terms with herself that life doesn’t always go as planned. When you lose someone, you can’t just pick back up where you left of on with your plans with a “replacement” and be happy. And Lucas was a charming and charismatic character that opened up his heart again after being done SO WRONG in the past.

I would definitely recommend this!

Marina has her life planned out—she wants the white picket fence with 2.5 kids and the perfect husband. Everything is going according to plan until her childhood sweetheart breaks up with her and tells her he doesn’t want the same things she does. She’s sick of going on bad dates and creates an app called Dealbreakers where women can give feedback on their dates. Then her bosses put her up for promotion against her work rival, Lucas, going through a series of activities together to see who gets the promotion. Not only is he her rival, but he has more dealbreakers listed on her app than anyone else. But that doesn’t stop her from enjoying their time together and wanting more with him.

I won’t lie…Marina annoyed me at first. I just wanted to jump into the book and yell at her to stop following her checklist and notice the man in front of her!! Lucas was absolutely charming. He helped Marina grow and realize that maybe going off track is the right move. I also absolutely loved the activities that they had to do for their competition. The cocktail making activity and chapter was my absolute favorite. This book was the perfect example of workplace enemies-to-lovers and opposites attract!

Marina thought she had her whole life figured out until the man she has been together with for 15 years called it quits. Now, almost a year later, she is still trying to find Mr. Right. But the tattooed, charismatic, work rival Lucas can not be it...right?

I loved this book. I really am in my British Romcom era.

Marian and Lucas: these two are literally everything. I adored so much about them. This is an enemies to lovers and I can't decide if I like them more as enemies or lovers honestly. Lucas is all charm and that comes across in every conversation. It was great seeing Marina come around to seeing beyond that charm though.

The events: Their job sends them on "outings" which are amazing. Cocktail making, escape rooms, hikes...they are all a really great vehicle to show their romance.

The underlying issues: Marina is actually struggling with a lot that it takes her time to come around to realizing. I completely broke down with her a couple of times. This book is much more than just a romcom.

All in all, I adored this book. It has heart and humor. I didn't find it slow or drawn out at all!

-enemies to lovers
-British romcom
-closed door

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy. My reviews are always honest.

Cute and fun! Marina makes an app called "dealbreakers" to see if she can weed out men faster as she's in her 30's and wants to start a family ASAP. As you can imagine this doesn't work out as she planned (the moment she realized it was very well done). She's looking for steady and stable, spark is optional. Only she ends up feeling spark with her work nemesis Lucas. This was a really well done enemies to lovers, Lucas was a bit of a jerk at first, but not so much that he couldn't make up for it and win Marina over.

I could have done without the epilogue however. I’m over these over the top sugary sweet epilogues where a specific romance thing happens. They were just fine at the end of the book!!

Let me start by saying that how witty & funny this book was. The animosity between Marina & Lucas gave a hate-to-love situation, which I thrived on.

I loved how Lucas & Marina went on "test" dates. Set in the tech world, this was definitely a fresh take on that trope of romance.

Amidst all, I kinda wanted a little bit more tension, but nevertheless, it was a quick read to have expected more.
Lucas was charming as hell & I absolutely loved the banter between them. Amazing side characters for the points, too!

<>Thank you netgalley and publisher for the arc, in exchange for an honest review.<i>