This was such a lovely and cute romance! I highly enjoyed it especially being for the YA set. Seth was such a charming character and I could t get enough! I think readers of all ages are going to enjoy this love story!

This has to be one of my favourite books of 2025. Harley a sixth-former is broken up with on their 4 year anniversary. She’s planned her whole life with him and has no idea what to do. When she joins her college’s Recently Dumped Club (RDC) everything changes …

I loved and really related to Harley as a character. I was very similar to her at that age and could really feel for her as she navigates through the awkwardness of young adulthood. The people she meets along the way are really compelling too, and her relationships with them felt very authentic. Even though we’re made to hate Freddie at the beginning, he was an interesting character with his own struggles and his eccentricities.

The pacing was perfect, almost too perfect because I couldn’t put it down. Not in a stressful way though, I just wanted to stay in their world as long as possible. It was funny and immersive and overall a great time.

I’d recommend to fans of general teen fiction, authors like John Green and Alice Oseman.

Heartbreak Era by Sophie Jo is a warm, funny and deeply relatable coming of age story about heartbreak, healing and figuring out who you are when the person you built your whole future around suddenly disappears.

Harley is utterly convinced she has her life mapped out. She and Freddie have been together forever, they are heading to the same university, and even their future children already have names. So when he breaks up with her on their four year anniversary, her world collapses overnight. Watching her try to piece herself back together felt painfully real. That hollow, disorientating stage after a first big heartbreak is captured so well, especially the way your entire sense of identity can unravel.

I really loved Harley as a protagonist. She felt honest, vulnerable and incredibly relatable, especially in how she navigates early adulthood and the pressure to have everything figured out. The heartbreak club was such a lovely concept and brought in a cast of characters who felt genuine and easy to care about. Seth, in particular, added warmth and chaos in equal measure, and their dynamic felt natural rather than forced.

What I appreciated most was the emotional balance. The story is funny and light in places, but it never dismisses how painful heartbreak can be. Even Freddie, who you are encouraged to dislike at first, is given enough depth to feel human rather than a villain, which made the story feel richer and more realistic.

The pacing was spot on. I found myself flying through the pages because I genuinely wanted to stay in this world and spend more time with these characters. It is heartfelt without being heavy, comforting without being predictable, and full of moments that will resonate with anyone who has ever loved, lost, or had to rebuild themselves afterwards.

A tender, funny and emotionally satisfying read that captures the messy beauty of growing up and starting over.

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Another fantastic YA treat from Sophie Jo! Absolutely loved all the characters in this book and the development of their characters through the book is perfect. Really enjoyed how the relationship between Harley and Seth develops through the story; the characters complement each other beautifully.
Sophie Jo’s books are very popular in our school library so imagine this will be in high demand!

I actually cannot tell you how much I love this book! The premise of this novel is one I haven't seen before and the way it combines fake-dating is an absolute masterpierce. Give Sophie all the accolades and all the awards IMMEDIATELY.

Seth is instantly likable and Harley is too. They're such different people but somehow melt together to bring such an incredible fusion that it's impossible not to love them and watch their stories unfold.