Cover Image: The Break Up

The Break Up

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Member Reviews

Really did not enjoy this book, i struggled to understand what genre this should fit into in addition to the many many homophobic / transphobic comments throughout the book which i found, quite frankly uncomfortable to read.

There was no real plot to the story and i really struggled to read this and would not recommend this to my audience

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This book had all the intentions of a cute romcom with the marketing suggesting the sapphic romance of the summer. Unfortunately this isn't what was delivered. What we actually have hear is more a discovery of the value of platonic relationships and self sufficiency with some bland sapphic flirting in the midst.
I found it hard to invest in, due to the characters not really having much depth, and seeming to engage in perfunctory feminism that didn't seem too authentic. This book wasn't a hard read but there were definitely some questionable moments, that have been discussed in detail in other reviews, so I'm not going to repeat them here.
The main positive about the book is Fred's character, who did provide moments of entertainment throughout.

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I was really excited for this book! It was a DNF for me. After reading some reviews, I realised that I wasn’t the only one who was jarred from the transphobia. Hopefully others might find this read more enlightening than I did.

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I really thought that it was an LGBT+ book. But it wasn't, and all the history didn't work for me. If you are looking for some romance and woman supporting woman, then go for it. But I was really expecting something different.

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I just couldn't get my self to even half read it, just felt the narration didn't work for me at all.

It was kind of confusing and incomplete.

#thank you #netgalley for ARC

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The blurb sounded really interesting but it ended up not feeling like a romance at all, Rowan and his comments almost made it unreadable for me

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I really hoped that this would be a sapphic romance book, and it wasn't, which was incredibly disappointing. I had issues with some of the layout from the beginning where everything happening was confusing and chaotic and the way the sentences and scenes were structured were just a mess to get through. This book was made out to be for those who like Something to Talk About and Written in the Stars, and it is decidedly not in the same boat as them.

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I wasn't expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did in all honesty considering it revolves around a situation a struggled to get my head around 🤣

It was more than your casual rom-com and heavily features a wonderful squad of women who support each other in the exact right way - they were the highlight - pit them against a genuinely shocking boyfriend/fiancé and they were a force.

The Break Up sits under 300 pages and is a super cute and quick read - perfect for the beach if you're going away this summer.

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If your looking for a gay romance then this is not the book for you as its neither.

Before we kick start in with the review, can we please take the time to appreciate how lovely the cover art it.

Unfortunately the cover and the title of the book isn't really what's inside the book. I was expecting a rom com and obviously an epic break up / make up or move forward. Now I don't mind when I book can be different but I juts didn't click with the book. It was more straight then it was gay.

I'm sure alot of you have seen the transphobic reviews and I would like to mention it. I can understand why the content might of been blown out of proportion and sometimes people aren't very acknowledgeable on Trans , Gay, Queer of what's insensitive and what's not. I think if the author was to right on LGBT , then more research is to be done to avoid this escalating going forward.

Personally this book was really hard to get through and I don't normally not recommend books but this one is just so disappointing. Its hard saying it as I know the Author has other books (not LGBT) thrillers that are really good.


Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

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This book was so much fun! I had an excellent time following this story and I thought the story, the writing and the characters were just so great. The Romance was so swoony and I had to go back and read certain parts multiple times because they just made me giddy! Loved this!

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DNF early on because I was bored. I've heard some good things so maybe it just wasn't right for me. I didn't think there was anything particularly bad about it, but it just didn't hook me

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Edi has a group of supportive friends…but I kept getting them mixed up, couldn’t remember who was the feisty one, the caring one, the feminist one….even how many there were!
But the main gist of the story seemed nonsense - why on earth did Edi put up with the awful Rowan?
It was a jolly read, however, if a little unbelievable!

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Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for this read.
I have tried three times to read this book but unfortunately it does not hold my attention, most likely due to the genre/subject matter, as I gave previously read and enjoyed a book by this author.

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This book wasn't want I expected the story to be but that was just what I liked about it. It wasn't an instant love story but a long and complicated story as some love stories just are. it really intrigued me because of it. Edi thinks she has figured live out she is engaged to her childhood sweetheart but life wouldn’t be life it didn’t derailed at some point. And that happens when he asks her to take a 3month break to date other people. She agrees but she does so skeptically as she doesn’t really want to date other people. But then she meets Winifred and Edi begins to question everything.
It’s more complicated story then I am used to seeing in romance but it made it more real as not all love stories are easy. I really enjoyed reading about the characters journey. I love the side characters a lot especially Edi’s friend group as they were so funny. I definitely recommend this book if you need a fun and quick read.

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At first I had a hard time getting into it, but I was interested enough to keep going! I definitely enjoyed the last half of the book a lot more and the outcome.

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dnf 20%
I just could not go any longer in this book.
the transphobia alone was making me angry as f. The characters were annoying and stupid.

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DNF unfortunately. It's taken me a while to get this review out there.

The promise of this got me really intrigued, but honestly, I felt a bit disappointed. I couldn't get into it. First of all, it dragged, and the characters didn't seem all that appealing to me. And for a British person who frequently uses the term 'mate', I got a bit mindboggled by how many times someone can say it.

Plus after reading other reviews, the queerbaiting and transphobia really about did it for me. No. Just no.

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When I requested an ARC I thought the premise of this story sounded really good and I was interested to read a wonderful LGBTQ+ book, but I feel like I was tricked into reading a straight romance with a side of gay, and I was thoroughly disappointed.. Edi is in a hetero relationship but finds herself on a break. She meets a woman named Fred and supposedly romance blooms between them. I say supposedly as it is really inferred rather than explored, which I found overly disappointing. I think this book missed a great opportunity here as it felt like it didn't really find its feet. I kept wondering while reading - is this book a romance novel? I don't think it really fits as the majority of this book features interactions between Edi and her group of friends, rather then her and Fred. I would be remiss if I didn't mention the transphobic moment of the book. I'm not sure of the author's background but I'd have thought the editing process might have been stronger with this book in general to exclude such comments, let alone sharpen the premise of the novel so it fits with how it's being marketed. It's a bit misleading as it currently is. Definitely not one I will find myself recommending, I'm surprised I even finished it, but I wanted to give it it's fair shot. I was just left disappointed.

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Whoa! What a ride. It was very fast-paced. The writing style kept me hooked and I didn't find myself losing any interest. I enjoyed getting to know each of the characters and how real the story felt. The author did a great job painting the setting, so it was easy for me to visualize the scene played out before me. I recommend giving this one a chance!

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I was super intrigued by the premise, as I love a "finding yourself after a break up" narrative. But, this left a lot to look for and I didn't enjoy any of the characters in this book.

It also felt homophobic at times, which I did not approve of at all.

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