This was soo cute! I loved it! Perfect for romance lovers and Taylor Swift fans! Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka's writing is hit and quirky fun and as always. A total delight to read.

Thank you Berkley for my early copy of The Break Up Tour! All thoughts are my own.

This was one of my most anticipated releases for 2024 and I was so excited to read it! I loved Do I Know You? by this author duo so I was so excited to see what they did with this Taylor Swift inspired Romance. Sadly, I liked it, didn’t love it. I felt like it was missing some crucial connection. Even though it’s a second chance romance, I would have liked to see the characters connect in a new way. I felt like there was very little dialogue. On the plus side, this book is romantic and really pulls at the heartstrings, so I think it’s perfect for fans of the Rom-Dram vs Rom Coms.

Synopsis:

“Riley Wynn went from a promising singer-songwriter to a superstar overnight, thanks to her breakup song concept album and its unforgettable lead single. When Riley’s ex-husband claims the hit song is about him, she does something she hasn’t in ten years and calls Max Harcourt, her college boyfriend and the real inspiration for the song of the summer.Max hasn’t spoken to Riley since their relationship ended. He’s content with managing the retirement home his family owns, but it’s not the life filled with music he dreamed of. When Riley asks him to go public as her songwriting muse, he agrees on one condition: he’ll join her band on tour.As they perform across the country, Max and Riley start to realize that while they hit some wrong notes in the past, their future could hold incredible things. And their rekindled relationship will either last forever or go down in flames.” —NetGalley

What I Liked:

The Premise—I’m a Swiftie since debut era, so I was HERE for this. Maybe I wanted more similarities to Taylor because I feel like they could have gone a step further but I thought it was such a fun idea.

The Strong Emotional Pull—These two authors know how to pull at the heartstrings. I think it’s a huge strength of theirs! This book felt like a heartache from page one.

The Writing—I really love their writing. It’s complex and full of feeling, the kind you don’t usually find in Romance novels. I love that they’re not afraid to “go there” instead of keeping things light and fun.

What Didn’t Work for Me:

Lack of Dialogue—But I would have appreciated a little lightness and a little fun. I felt like there was next to no dialogue between characters! A little banter would have been nice.

Disjointed Pacing—Things just did not flow for me and I had trouble wanting to keep reading.

Character Authenticity: 4/5 Spice Rating: 0/5 Overall Rating: 3.5/5

Thank you so much to Berkley Romance for an advanced copy of The BreakUp Tour. This was a cute one!

I'm always a sucker for a second chance love story, and I think Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka tell a second chance love story perfectly! The characters, the emotion, the SONGS...everything in this story was so good at evoking real feelings from the reader that I was hooked from the beginning. I also like that this story brings more than second chance love to the table; it also brings a second chance at doing what you were meant to do. I don't want to give away too many spoilers, but there are lots of second chances floating around throughout this book!

I think what kept me from rating this was five stars was the language...the writing was overly flowery and frilly at times, and I get what the authors were trying to connect (the song writing, songs, and the love story), but it was too much at times. I felt that it took away from the quality of the story in many scenes.

Otherwise, I loved this one, and I think all my fellow Swifties will love it too!

Rating: 4 Stars

This is a great book for all the Swiftie fans out there, although I cannot say this book was for me. But I think that many romance readers will enjoy this book. I also love that it is co-authored by a married couple! This made the dual POVs feel really unique in my eyes.

The Breakup Tour is a great fit for readers who love:
- Dual POV
- Second chance romance
- Symbolism tied to song lyrics
- Swoony and heartbreaking romance

3 ⭐️

I was so excited for this book, especially given its marketing as a very Taylor Swift-inspired romance. I expected some nods to Taylor's music or just general pop-star vibes, but parts of it were a little close for comfort and felt more invasive. This was my first book by the duo, and I did not think the writing was very strong. It was a little cheesy but not in the fun rom-com way, more so where I was rolling my eyes occasionally. The relationship development was lacking - not the most convincing chemistry or connection. There was still a decent storyline that kept me reading, but overall I hoped to enjoy it a lot more.

I’m a huge fan of these authors in general, I’ve read and loved many of their books. I was very excited to get this new one to review. They really know how to write character, plot driven stories. I love a good second chance romance.

I love that it is told in alternating perspectives of Riley and Max. I feel like we get a deeper understanding of how both are feeling throughout the whole story.

I highly recommend this ​book to fans of these authors, or people wanting to give them a try. It gives a great example of their writing style and story telling.

4/5 Stars

I adored this book. This was everything I wanted it to be and more. This was also a case of the right book at the right time. It was swifty and lyrical. I ended up really enjoying the romance but this took some time for me to get to that enjoyment level. I will also admit that this is kind of a surface-level book. It's pretty obvious who this book is based on, and I don't think that was a secret. I went in with low expectations and very unsure of what was to come and enjoyed my time. I would recommend giving this a read but also being mindful of this just being a fun time.

This book was beautifully and if I may say so melodically written. I would have had no idea that this couple has never written lyrics before because these songs were brilliant and I hope someone puts them to music one day. I haven’t loved characters like Max and Riley in a long time. They’re authentic and real and relatable with a hint of Taylor Swift vibes rolled into one. I don’t know why I haven’t read their other books but I have to now. I will be buying them to read them and everyone else should to. These are books for every romance reader. Everyone will love this book.

Listen, I'll take the blame for this. I did not realize when I requested this ARC that this was basically Taylor Swift RPF, this despite the cover being pretty obvious. (Sometimes, I'm clueless and oblivious to things that are staring me right in the face). I requested the book because I really liked their previous book. Anyway, I greatly dislike RPF, it's just not a thing that works for me. I think if I hadn't realized that this was Swift RPF, I probably would have liked it more but it was just so on the nose with things (and even with some of the song titles and lyrics and an entire album of songs about her ex boyfriends) that I really just cringed hard the entire time reading it. This is, by no means, a judgment on Taylor Swift or Swifties. Her songs are catchy! I greatly enjoy 1989 and Folklore! I just don't want to read an entire novel based on a real person, it feels icky and exploitative to me. (I did actually read this whole book and feel comfortable saying that a lot of Riley feels almost identical to what little I know of Taylor Swift and I'm just grateful that the hero wasn't a sports star). I do like second chance romance a lot but this one felt a bit low stakes to me, they basically broke up because they wanted different things and then eventually reconcile and reunite because they realize they can still be together despite wanting different things…? IDK, it didn’t move me, the main characters or the overall romance. I think a lot of Swifties may love it and that’s great, it just wasn’t for me.

The concept of a song as the catalyst for reconnecting with an ex adds a unique touch to the storyline. Riley's decision to reach out to Max Harcourt, her college boyfriend and the true inspiration behind her hit song, propels the narrative into a journey of rediscovery. The authors craft the characters with depth and nuance, allowing readers to connect with their struggles and aspirations.

The dynamic between Riley and Max is both tender and electric as they navigate the complexities of their shared past. The condition Max sets—joining Riley's band on tour—brings an engaging element to the story, intertwining the worlds of music and romance. As they travel and perform together, the novel explores themes of forgiveness, redemption, and the potential for a harmonious future.

The narrative's exploration of the music industry, coupled with the emotionally charged performances across the country, adds a layer of authenticity to the story. The possibility of a lasting connection or a fiery conclusion keeps readers eagerly turning pages.

In essence, this novel is a symphony of emotions—beautifully composed, with moments of sweetness and discord that culminate in a crescendo of love and self-discovery.

thank you netgalley and the publishers for a copy of the e-arc.

as a swiftie, when this was marketed as a Taylor Swift inspired second chance romance, i knew i wanted to read it. unfortunately, it didn’t end up working for me.

it seems that the marketing tactic was as far as the authors went to make genuine connections to Taylor’s fans. sure, you can tell that Riley is definitely Taylor-inspired, but in a way that any generic radio listener would understand. there is nothing specific or exciting about Riley’s character. just felt like the premise was made just to sell copies instead of from genuine inspiration.
don’t get me started on Max. his entire character and storyline was so.. random? i wasn’t interested in hearing about the old folks home, he seemed to be over music but then simultaneously never stops thinking about it, and the way HE propositioned her for a job was just… weird? Taylor Swift would NEVER hire her broke hometown ex-boyfriend to parade around on tour as an accessory.
but my biggest personal issue with the story was the cheesy writing style. as the readers, we understand that the main characters are both musicians but the musical metaphors got pretty overdone by chapter 2.

i’ve heard from other readers that they enjoyed the authors’ previous works more, so i will have to give them another shot elsewhere because this was just okay, in my opinion. it just missed the mark.

(3.5 Stars) A second chance romance. Riley Wynn is at the top of the charts with her latest album featuring songs for all of her previous break-ups. When her ex husband from her short lived marriage claims a certain hit is about him she seeks out her college boyfriend Max Harcourt who was the real inspiration. Max manages his family's retirement home but still loves music. As part of revealing he is the inspiration he goes on tour with her. Spending time together leads to sparks of inspiration and other sparks too.

It is easy to make the comparison to Taylor Swift at least for the inspiration of the heroine. And I was drawn to the premise. But the characters didn’t win me over for the romance. The less than a year romance in college needs a few more scenes for me to see them as the great loves that got away from each other. And Max is a good guy, but he needs to stand up and speak for himself. Riley is a product of her career. She has been used by people but I didn’t see her sacrificing anything to have Max in her life. I did love the story is told from alternating POVs and you get a lot of the inner thoughts and feelings. The feelings were more often moody and seldom joyful. And I liked Riley’s growing relationship with her mother as a side story. I enjoyed the author's previous book, The Roughest Draft (Jan 2022) more. But I am a reader more than a music lover so maybe that explains the difference.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC and I am leaving an honest review.

DNF. Having read the authors' work before (The Roughest Draft), I was excited when I received an ARC for The Breakup Tour. I'm not sure what happened with this book, but I just couldn't get past the writing style. I thought the prose was too heavy and their hyperboles were over used. I also couldn't connect with the main characters. Thank you to Berkley for the ARC.

This was such a good book! I lived out all my young-hearted popstar fantasies through Riley. The second romance was so believable. At times so heart-wrenching (I definitely cried) and other times so magical and deeply heartfelt. I love their respect for each other and the decision (at the time) that for them, love wasn't enough. The representation of the media and how it can a spin a narrative was sad, but true. I couldn't put this book down. Even now, when I am writing my review, I'm getting emotional about the hurt, but also the love that flows through this book.

Thank you Berkley for the ARC in exchange for my honest reivew!

The Breakup Tour is an absolute delight and deserves every bit of its 5-star rating from me! If you're a fan of Taylor Swift's music and the idea of watching two souls who were meant to be together fall back in love, then this book is for you!

The story revolves around Riley Wynn, a singer-songwriter who becomes a superstar overnight thanks to her breakup song concept album. When her ex-husband claims that her hit song is about him, Riley decides to reconnect with Max Harcourt, her college boyfriend who was the real inspiration behind the song of the summer. What follows is a heartwarming journey as Max and Riley navigate their rekindled relationship amidst the flurry of a state-wide tour.

The book brilliantly captures the essence of forced proximity, allowing readers to witness the sparks flying between the characters. Furthermore, it provides a fascinating glimpse into Riley's creative process, making you feel like you're right there in the studio as she writes her songs. The narrative is engaging, and the characters are fun and flawed.

As an easy-to-please reader, I found "The Breakup Tour" to be utterly captivating. It kept me hooked from the first page to the last, and I couldn't get enough of Max and Riley's story. This book is a wonderful blend of romance, music, and nostalgia, making it a must-add to your reading list.

What a writing duo Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka are proving to be! I have loved these two since The Roughest Draft. The Break Up Tour is a moving, at times heartbreaking, story of second chance love. Emily and Austin really shine when they are writing characters who are writers/artists themselves.

Yes, there a hints of a Ms. Taylor Swift in the Break Up Queen, Riley, but mainly, Riley is her own fully formed character. It was beautiful to see Riley learn to accept love and that she is more than her break up songs. And boy do we get a cinematic third act.

If you are a Swiftie, yes you'll love this story, but even in you're not and you just love a good old second chance romance, The Break Up Tour is for you!

People who enjoyed Once More With Feeling, Daisy Jones and the Six, or The Happy Every Playlist will absolutely devour The Breakup Tour. This will be a perfect addition to warm our shelves in the dreary month of January.

I have a confession to make...

I am 38 years old and in my "Swiftie Era" . Clearly, I am living my best life.

When the good ole folks over at Bookstagram started buzzing about the hot new book releasing in 2024 and said it had strong Taylor Swift vibes, the decision became clear; I needed to get my hands on an early copy!

When I pick my "next book" I have to know everything there is to know about the author and the inspo behind the content. I completely submerge myself into an obsession of sorts and The Break Up Tour, had me pulling out my red lipstick.

Fun Fact: Did you know the authors, Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka, are married high school sweethearts?

You can tell how much love went into this book and it glitters on every page. I wonder if The Break Up Tour, has some real life inspiration behind it.

The cute and quirky banter between Max and Riley had me giggling out loud. I absolutely loved the dual points of view and getting to know both of them. Reading along with these characters had me teleported right alongside them, I felt like a groupie, observing a love story blossom right before my eyes.

Do you think Max and Riley were able to find their happy ending?

Sorry folks, no spoilers here!

This book was absolutely adorable and I can not wait for the big release and already have a couple copies pre-ordered, I suggest you do the same .

Big thank you to Berkley, Emily Wibberley, Austin Sigemund-Broka and Netgalley, for allowing me the opportunity to read The Breakup Tour prior to the January 23rd release, in exchange for an honest review.

Check out this teaser :

A rising-star musician has a second chance at love with an old flame she remembers all too well in this swoony romance from the acclaimed authors of The Roughest Draft.

Riley Wynn went from a promising singer-songwriter to a superstar overnight, thanks to her breakup song concept album and its unforgettable lead single. When Riley’s ex-husband claims the hit song is about him, she does something she hasn’t in ten years and calls Max Harcourt, her college boyfriend and the real inspiration for the song of the summer.

Max hasn’t spoken to Riley since their relationship ended. He’s content with managing the retirement home his family owns, but it’s not the life filled with music he dreamed of. When Riley asks him to go public as her songwriting muse, he agrees on one condition: he’ll join her band on tour.

As they perform across the country, Max and Riley start to realize that while they hit some wrong notes in the past, their future could hold incredible things.And their rekindled relationship will either last forever or go down in flames.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC for review.

I wouldn't normally choose this title, but thought it might be timely given its comparison to Taylor Swift fan fiction. Riley is a famous pop singer, and she brings her ex-boyfriend, Max, a piano player, back into her life when she invites him on tour to help perform the breakup song inspired by their past relationship.

I had trouble getting through this one. It needed to be cut down by about 30%. There was just paragraphs and paragraphs of exposition that were hard to get through. Most of what happens with the characters could have been avoided by simple communication but instead we just get too much of their inner thoughts.

This book is a definite read for Swifties. It's dual POV and I loved how both the main characters bonded and connected over music.
I also loved how you got to see the behind the scenes of touring, writing and just being a celebrity.
I didn't love it but I would recommend it esp if you love Taylor Swift!

This was one of my most anticipated books of 2024 and I was unfortunately so disappointed. I am not one to write long rants about how much i dislike books but the more i think about this book, the angrier i get.

First, starting with the writing. I have read these authors two previous adult romances and enjoyed them. But the writing in this book felt so cheesy in a bad way. like I love a cheesy romance book, don't get me wrong, but this sounded ridiculous. since they are both supposed to be musicians they were just trying wayyyy too hard to sound profound and deep and lyrical in every other sentence. every other sentence was some dumb musical metaphor to which no one would say or think so constantly. think like “her laughter plays chords on my heartstrings” and “she’s a symphony when you expect a solo” and “emotions crescendoing like a forbidden harmony” - this is all in just chapter one and it continues constantly throughout the whole book

Second, I personally did not feel like these characters any chemistry. that may be a me thing since I was already annoyed with the writing and metaphors.

I could've dealt with these things and still enjoyed the book enough because i'm easy to please but third, as a huge taylor swift fan, it just felt like a really cheap version of taylor’s music career and a cheap shot to reduce the “taylor inspired” fmc down to the fact that she’s known for her relationships and breakup songs but look now she’s found love and now it doesnt have to just be breakup songs, she can write love songs instead!!! I think the authors were trying to have the fmc "take control of her narrative" the way taylor swift has but they did this by having their fmc "fight back" by making an entire album where she advertises the fact that each song is about a different specific relationship in her life and she's embarking on "the breakup tour" which she purposefully sings about each of her exes one by one (this woman wears her WEDDING DRESS while performing the song she wrote about her shitty ex husband) instead of actually confronting the misogyny of the media villainizing a young woman dating normally in her 20s and channeling her emotions into her passion of music. It just felt like a very cheap and underdeveloped version of what taylor has done with taking ownership of her reputation and the narrative around her and her relationships and her music.

If you are going to market a book as being taylor swift inspired/for taylor swift fans, you're setting high expectations to begin with... but not only did this book not deliver, it felt like targeting swifties was a marketing scheme as the authors seemed to miss the mark entirely on why taylor, her career, her music, and her growth in recent years, taking ownership of her narrative is so impactful to young people and women everywhere. instead they created a fmc who is almost like a caricature of taylor if someone wanted to describe her based on generalized public perception as someone reduced entirely to their relationships/breakups for profit sake... like the authors were not taylor swift fans and based their fmc on a cheap version of who they thought taylor swift and why they thought swifties liked her but didn't actually attempt to understand which just pisses me off