Tired of swiping right on losers, programmer extraordinaire Melanie codes a site where scorned women can warn other women off potential date mistakes. But when the seemingly nice guy from work Alex whom Melanie is dating ends up with a profile on her site she begins to doubt her instincts and her relationship. Meanwhile her app has gone viral and the future of her career is up in the air.

My main issue with this book was that I didn't like the way that Melanie acted in her relationship with Alex. She overreacted to every single thing Alex did or didn't do, which made me find her irritating.

Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin/Graydon House Books for the advance digital copy of this book.

This book takes a sexy swipe at online dating and swipe culture. Mel Strickland is fed up with being stood up, being sent unsolicited dick pics and generally meeting jerk guys who are interested in only one thing. Are there any men left in New York worth actually dating? By day she runs the helpdesk at a company, Hatch, that funds start ups, and while she's got a degree in computer science and is awesome at running code, she's stuck to scrubbing viruses and malware off of the computers used by Hatch's "Hatchlings". She's feeling under recognized, underpaid and sick of men. So she decides to do something about it and the website, JerkAlert, is born - it's a place where women can vet their potential swipe dates by checking reviews of their profiles. It's the perfect way to see if he's serious or not, has a wife or is just trying to send gross pictures to your inbox. But as with most things on the web, as JerkAlert becomes more popular, Mel's website starts to impact her own life.

At first I wasn't sure about this book. Kristin Rockaway writes well, her characters are engaging and funny. It was the subject matter that had me kind of wondering if this book would be for me. Mel experiences all manner of sexual harassment from dealing with misogynistic men at work, the subway, and in her dating life. In fact, the only people she has to count on are her group of girlfriends. She's a fantastic coder, but seems to be stuck in a rut both personally and professionally. I've been out of the dating scene for over a decade meaning that I can not relate to Mel's dating troubles in any way. That said, it doesn't mean that I don't think the things that happened to Mel don't actually happen in real life - I'm sure that this book is going to be very relatable to a bunch of young women out there. So while I personally couldn't relate to the whole swipe right, swipe left thing, I know that there are women who will - and that got me thinking a little more critically about this book. What seems to be at first glance a rom-com about a woman who's fed up with men and all the creeps that seem to overpopulate the online dating field, it's actually a pretty smart look at swipe culture and an online culture that spans social media, google, and dating that acts as an intermediary to actually getting to know someone. And when you look at it like that, this book is really valuable.

An ode to the woes of internet life, it's a fresh look at what it means to actually get to know someone and form a relationship. And that most often the best relationships are the ones that are taking place offline. A smart contemporary novel that should appeal to fans of Lauren Weisberger and Candace Bushnell.

"How to Hack a Heartbreak" display's the persistent problem within the tech industry in a pithy and engaging way. It's no secret that women in the tech world are undervalued and have to work twice as hard for their success. Rockaway demonstrates this in a way that alternately gives you warm fuzzies and irate anger all while keeping you glued to the pages. This book is well timed and will have every woman saying connecting to the plight of the single woman in a digital age.

How To Hack A Heartbreak is the perfect novel for traveling with or taking on the beach. It reads light enough to enjoy on a lovely vacation or when you need a break from the daily grind.
Kristin Rockaway writes in an easy going tone while planting an underlying message by telling readers to take charge of their own life.
Although this is a quick read, it is not one that truly sets it self apart from other novels out there in the same genre.
If you are looking for something to break apart the mundane day to day routine, this book will certainly help!

Kristin Rockaway is a new favorite author of mine!!

What a breathe of fresh air! I had SO much fun with this book!!

Kristin delivers a sassy, funny, uplifting, and addicting romance novel. I was hooked after the first five pages and devoured this book in less than two days.

Let's meet Melanie. Melanie works for Hatch in a male driven industry and she is FED up. Mind you... she is also even more fed up with the dating scene of getting harassed with nude photos from men, being "ghosted", and being stood up. Mel goes out with her girlfriends one night and she decides to make an app called JerkAlert. This was all supposed to be a joke... where women rate men on this site and can tell other women to watch out for each of these "jerks". But, slowly word gets out and the app starts to spread.

I could not put this book down! I loved Melanie and her girlfriends! Talk about strong, supportive, and loving women to keep you going!!

Loved this!!! This is one not to miss my friends... get this on your summer TBR! ;)

4.5 heartbreak stars

Thank you so much to Harlequin/Graydon and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Publication date: 7/30/19
Published to Goodreads: 2/12/19

The world of online dating doesn't stand a chance after this book. I wish inPerson was real. Reading this book was a rollercoaster of emotions I couldn't put down. I loved the dialogue, the characters (Whit will steal your heart) and the drama. But I think my favorite part was the fact I felt like all my feelings about online dating were explored here. The positives, the negatives, they were all stated and given equal merit, and it was so cool to see such a retrospective on a current topic.

So this a book which I could relate to a lot, being a software engineer myself. Being a woman in the tech industry is pretty tough, with a vastly male population. This book addressed that in a very real way. Though I work at a place where my opinions are valued, I certainly know a lot of what my female software engineer friends go through.
Though there are some technicalities which bugged me (the way the software and technical problems are described is pretty vague, sometimes not true at all), I imagine this would not be an issue since this is written for a general audience. The storyline is kind of predictable, and at times Mel’s snooping and doubting got a bit annoying, this is a good book to read when you’ve read a lot of heavy books in a row and you just want a book that relaxed you!

I liked it, but the plot fell a bit flat. I love contemporary romance but couldn't get into this one.

First of all, let me say that I really, really, REALLY wanted to love this book. A woman in STEM and knowing exactly what she’s doing without the help of a man? Sign me up. However, when I finished the last line, I found myself LIKING the story but found it also lacking.

I liked the character of Mel. She was determined, intelligent, and persevered whenever she was face-to-face with a challenge. My issue with Mel was that she never stood up for herself in a way that made me want to cheer and root for her. Allowing those men to speak to her at her work in such an abusive and hostile without pursuing any type of justice for her or any other woman in this day and age? That did not sit well with my soul. She just accepted it and kept waiting for her opportunity to come.

My other issue is her relationship with Alex. Although I have thought that they had the possibility of good chemistry, I felt that we were never given that meet cute moment between the two of them. Instead were told that she likes him and that he likes her. I definitely would’ve been more invested in their relationship if I had seen that first moment when Mel met Alex. Instead it felt like we were thrown in the middle of their relationship, and quite honestly I don’t understand why they liked each other.

Although I felt that this book did need More in character development and relationship development, I loved the fact that Mel had a strong group of friends, A group of women who supported her and encouraged her to be successful. There was no backstabbing best friend or “bad girl” competition. It was a group of women supporting each other and being successful while doing it. To be honest, I would’ve loved for the book to focus more on these friendships. That was the true love story of this book.

Although this is my first book with the author, I definitely will read more of her work in the future.

Swiping left on this one. How to Hack a Heartbreak seemed like the perfect chicklit rom-com but the main character's continuous anger toward men was distracting. Yes, we are women, hear us ROAR but don't do shit just to spite men. The overall premise of the book about a woman doing something in the tech world just as well as a man is something much needed but I don't think it was executed well. I will say I loved that the nitty gritty of the business side of social media was highlighted. Authors who make their main character 'nerdy' do get an extra star in my book though!

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for an ARC of How to Hack a Heartbreak in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I’ve heard a lot about Kristin Rockaway’s latest novel and I was excited to dive right in! How to... will keep you entertained, make you laugh, and make you proud to be a woman (if you are one reading this). The storyline is pretty relevant and takes you through the online dating world and the trails and tribulations which go along with it.

Melanie, the main character is a strong lead - a woman coder in the world of men who are pretty demeaning and down right awful (minus her crush, Alex). The ensemble cast will have you feeling like you are right there hanging out with your girlfriends!

All in all, this is going to be a great summer hit! Perfect for beach reading! Enjoy!

Pros: A book about what it means to be a woman in the tech industry, and also a fairly accurate depiction of how it feels to be a typical millennial in an underpaying/overqualified for job. Con: The romance feels bland, some characters felt flat and only to serve as foils for Mel...and things work out just a little too perfectly? Can I believe that one woman codes this whole thing in a few nights? Only in a rom-com.

How to Hack a Heartbreak is a story for all the girls who have been sent an unsolicited dick pick, who’ve been on a bad date, or found out their new boyfriend was a player. Mel, after being stood up for a date, decides to create a website warning other women of the ‘jerks’ out there.
This was a good story with likeable, well-rounded characters. I enjoyed this story and liked that it was a bit different than a typical chick lit story.

Amazing story! Such a sweet read. really enjoyed it! Great read for anyone looking to find a great one to curl up with!

This book was so bland!!! I feel incredibly let down. I was hoping for a book about a girl obsessed with technology and falling in love, but the pacing and *emotions* felt completely lifeless. I wasn't able to emotionally invest in this at all.

Full review to come on my blog

*I RECEIVED A ARC COPY OF HOW TO HACK A HEARTBREAK FROM NETGALLEY IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW*

Melanie Strickland is a help desk assistant at Hatch, a start up company. Since childhood, Melanie has had a paranoia towards love and men, which has made it more than difficult for her to trust. Melanie also has a secret undertaking that could ruin her life.

Alex Hernandez is an honest gentleman working towards funding his start up at Hatch. Alex is also falling hard for Melanie, but doesn't know how to convince her of his genuine feelings before it's too late.

In all honesty, I thought this book was okay. However, I really wanted to love this book based on its description and I didn't. The book starts out with Melanie being stood up by a guy she matched up with on "Flutter," a dating app much like Tinder. Enter Alex (who I felt absolutely awful for) who has had a secret crush on Melanie for some time.

This book is listed as chick lit, and it is from a very feminist prospective, for that alone I am glad I read it.

That said, I have never wanted to reach into a book and slap two characters more than Melanie Strickland and Alex Hernandez. I am all for women protecting, empowering themselves and finding their way in life. I was proud of Melanie for starting her own projects and seeing them through, but her paranoia went a little too far, and I felt awful for the way she treated Alex through the entire book.

I look forward to re-reading this book in print and hopefully changing my opinion.

For more information about How to Hack a Heartbreak, click here:

Mel Strickland is tired of meeting men on the Flutr app who keep sending her dick pics or turn out to be just plain jerks. She takes matters into her own hands and creates an app JerkAlert as her way to help fellow women weed out the Jerks on Flutr. She starts to date Alex a guy who works at one of the starts in her job Hatch. Will she be able to tell him she is the one behind the app? Will the app launch her career?

A fun book and in a world where the dating world is online a very relatable book. I enjoyed reading this book and couldn’t stop reading it. Do yourself a favor and add it to your TBR pile.

Let's start with a personal note: I shuffled this to the top of my 'to read' pile after enduring my own heartbreak. Not being in the mood for the heavier fare on my shelf, How to Hack a Heartbreak was the perfect escapist novel. Its protagonist strikes the perfect balance of intelligent and feminine; she is a coder, guys-- get used to it. I liked that the book isn't all silly rom com or smutty/eye-rolling romance. There's a little bit of meat here, some unexpected and much appreciated depth, as prejudices in the tech startup world are addressed, in addition to the nature of online dating and living through digital avatars, rather than creating true human connections. I also liked that while the book does critique sexist and aggressively sexual men who prowl dating apps (and the world at large), it also doesn't let women go without any responsibility for their own actions (ie the 'burn book' that JerkAlert becomes). Some of the "*gasp* another dick pick on a dating app" is a bit unbelievable, as I feel like most women are acclimated to that at this point and wouldn't be so enraged, but hey, who am I to speak for everyone? Overall, it's a fun beach read.

Swipe left or swipe right?? Fluttr is the latest and greatest dating app. In seconds you decide if you want to match with someone or not. Mel Strickland has had a batch of bad dates and too many bad messages from the app to count. She may work a helpdesk fixing tech “geniuses” computers at Hatch, but she in fact can code herself. In a weekend she comes up with Jerkalert (.biz not .com) after one too many dick pics. This is a forum for women to post reviews on the men they met on Fluttr. It sounds like a great idea, but it quickly turns her life upside down.

Thankfully Mel had her girlfriends with her every step of the way. I loved how much they supported her throughout the entire story. And Mel…..she had depth. I hated her subway ride. I wanted to punch people at her work. I also wanted to sit her down and tell her to figure things out. She was just so human and so sweet.

I loved this book. From the beginning I really wanted to know how it ended but forced myself to not peek at the ending. It reminds me of Christina Lauren (Josh & Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating) or Sally Thorne (The Hating Game). Not only was it fully of heart, but also great characters.

I barreled through this book in a desperate attempt to find out what happens with the characters! While not being entirely realistic, there are parts of this story that are completely plausible. Kudos to the author for not specifically naming hook-up apps, the ambiguity will help the book age better as time goes on. I really enjoyed it!