**Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Griffin, and Lily Menon. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own.***

Enemies-to-lovers is one of my favourite tropes, so I wanted to love this book. I wish I had. Truthfully this is a lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers story. Annika and Hudson met in Vegas and had a week long tryst. They’re both app developers and met at a conference. Months later, Hudson’s app is all anyone’s talking about and Annika doesn’t even have her app released. Her business is floundering. She needs cashflow to stay afloat and the upcoming tech conference is her last chance to get it. Too bad Hudson’s company is competing too.

I wanted more depth from this book and the characters. I didn’t even like Hudson and Annika in their enemies phase. They were jerks to one another. It was clear they had sexual chemistry, but I didn’t love the way it was used. I found the way Hudson got in her space kind of pushy. I also didn’t love the way Annika couldn’t seem to resist him when everything in her was telling her to stay away from him. If she weren’t intelligent and driven, it might have worked better. If she didn’t have so much to lose by getting distracted, or if he was, in any way, kind to her instead of pushing her buttons and sabotaging her at every turn. Once they moved into the lovers phase, they were nicer, but that was pretty far into the book. Even then, the characters—Annika, especially—spent way too much time in their heads. Their actions were more predictable than I’d like them to be. Also, the ending was the disappointing. I didn’t like the way the competition ended or the couple’s hokey reunion. Early on, Annika said she didn’t think their personalities and morals fit together. Menon never convinced me of the opposite.

I wanted Hudson's character to have more depth as he felt mostly one-dimensional. More June in the story would have been nice too, as she added some interest and quirkiness. Annika often came off as self-absorbed, selfish, and sometimes even childish. I also DID NOT like how the competition ended.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The writing style of this book did not work for me -- it seemed too obvious and cliched to be enjoyable . I did not finish it.

This is a very engaging will-they-won't-they novel (but, of course, we all have an idea on whether or not they will). It's fast-paced, with smart characters, though I would have loved for some of the supporting people to be more developed. I'm excited to see what the author does next.

I devoured this book and loved every single page. It’s the type of makes that makes me remember why I love this genre.

I could totally relate to Annika’s struggles as a business owner, and the feeling of having people you care about question if you should just be doing something else instead. Ugh, it sucks. It was great to see her come into her own and claim her desires.

I will say that I didn’t find Annika’s growth in the book nearly as significant as everyone else’s. It would have been great to see her evolve a bit more, but it is also interesting to read about a character who is so principled.

And Hudson! Oh, Hudson. I totally fell for him. His willingness to open his heart despite everything (while still being cautious) really endeared me to him.

I’m still recovering from that tub scene. OOH BOY! That was good.

All the side characters here were charming and lovable. But also, I have to admit, my absolute favorite character? ZeeZee. What’s not to love?! And where the hell do I get one?!

This book was a great quick story that I read in less than two days! I always enjoy an enemies to lovers story. With that said this one was a little frustrating because the "enemies" part was pretty rough in some parts. The main characters did some things that weren't just cute missteps but a few were *pretty* brutal that I didn't like as much. Additionally, some of the writing was much more tell than show. I did really like the friendship between the two main female characters and seeing two women working in tech, but it meant we didn't see much of the relationship between the love interest grow as naturally since he had less "page time".

A cute enemies to lovers story abider 2 app developers who come up with a similar app.. But before that all happened, they happen to have a one night fling together at a conference. Now, fats forward, they are both in different paces.
Annika wants her Make Up app to take her to places where she has dreamed of being. Financially stable' and proving to her father she can be something besides following in his footstep and becoming a doctor.

Hudson is already an established million who has come up with the Break Up app. The app helps people break up with tor's for them.

Both a smart and headstrong, which makes their relationship a rollercoaster. At times I foundS Annika to be annoying. She is a little too much. But, she softens up over the course of the book. Especially when it comes to her dad.

This was a really good start to Lily(Sandhya) Menon's debut to adult romance. It has a enemies to lovers trope that almost everyone loves, awesome friends, and of course a HEA. I did feel that the miscommunication trope was kinda slow and I also wanted more romance but overall a good romance book.

When Annika starts her app, Make Up, to help bring people back together, she butts heads with CEO of Break Up, an app to break people apart.

This was a cute rom com. I enjoy the enemies to friends trope, similar to the Hating Game. This book was a bit more mature than some rom coms I’ve read in the past. The main character, Annika, is very motivated and driven to start her app. We get into the difficulties of a being a woman of color entrepreneur in a male dominated tech field. The idea of the make up (and break up) software is really cool and loved hearing about it. This was a bit like the romance of the Hating Game and You’ve Got Mail, and the career aspirations of the Boyfriend Project, but with its own unique story and plot.

“It was one of life’s secret truths that almost all evil could be blamed on Vegas, margaritas, and gorgeous men”.

Make Up Break Up comes out 2/2/2021.

I really disliked this book. It made such a mockery of the haters to lovers trope and the main character had so few redeeming qualities that I was never truly rooting for her. She was so extremely rough around the edges and her hatred towards Hudson was overkill. At the end of the day, he had a successful app which he got put together and released. She did not. From what I could tell, their ideas were at completely different levels of execution and should have never been placed as "competing" against each other to begin with. The fact that Annika couldn't recognize that she was so extremely far behind in comparison and own up to it was angering more than anything and the fact that she blamed Hudson directly for her own lack of success was even moreso.

At the end of the day, the focus was so strongly on Annika's misplaced hatred for Hudson that the reader never got a fair shot at connecting with Hudson and his background was not nearly as fleshed out as it should've been. Instead, Annika traded examining her own self and her shortcomings for whining and coming up with excuses as to why her own business was failing. Even her friend, June, calls her out on it but it goes nowhere. June, by the way, was a fun character but, again, not enough time was spent with her.

I don't dislike main characters very often but this feeling was overwhelming in this case.. I was BEGGING for some sort of other narrator to come in the picture simply so I didn't have to deal with Annika's spoiled and skewed point of view any longer but it never came. This was a flop for me for sure.

2.5 rounded up

I loved the idea of rival app developers, and yay for more POC heroines!

I also really love enemies to lovers romances, but there needs to be a balance between the main characters, each giving as good as they get. I don't care for bickering (repeating the same insults over and over) instead of sitting down for one adult conversation to clear the air. Instead, we keep getting repeated descriptions of how hot Hudson is, while gets old, especially when he keeps winning intellectually--until he gives in at last and lets her win. No, not the ending I wanted to read.

Of course other readers will disagree.

Thank you netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I found this novel to be light hearted and heart wrenching. Annika designs the Make Up app designed to bring exes together while her one time hook up drives the competition with a Break Up app. Things get hilariously heated when he moves into the same business building and they attempt to outsmart the other with childish pranks. Annika struggles to understand her compulsion to get a rise out of Hudson while Hudson intensifies his need to be around her. The novel has explosive sexual tension and emotional angst. Hudson and Annika have so much to unpack as they attempt to figure out what's truly important to them.

Overall, a well written and well paced novel with two likeable characters in search of a second chance at love.

The premise of the plot was *promising* with the rival apps that stand for opposite ideologies. One brings people together, and the other pushes them apart. It didn’t execute well.

First the romance element: I read way more about June and Annika on the page than Hudson and Annika. I wasn’t even remotely interested in the romance because the buildup wasn’t there. It felt contrived. It was also the classic misunderstanding that could have been solved by having *one conversation.*

I don’t know how I felt that the white hero tried to undermine the POC heroine. I understand office pranks a la The Hating Game, but Hudson letting the laptop die on purpose at the conference where she was presenting was over the line. Now on the other side, when he *is* being nice like with the Times interview, Annika actions are not mature while in an interview.

There was also inconsistent narration on Annika’s part. She thinks he stole her app idea so whenever she confronts hims about it, he says no he didn’t steal it and she genuinely believes him, But then two pages later we’re back to square one when she thinks he stole her app.

Hudson is a one dimensional character. His characterization left more to be desired. They were only so many times I could read his husky smile or confident smile, Annika seemed more determined to best Hudson rather than make her app the best it can be which felt juvenile. ***Spoiler*** Although he is the one to withdraw from their professional war, I didn’t like that he *let* her win. The win was on the basis of the man withdrawing rather than merit of the stronger app.

All in all, I think both characters needed a bit more depth to make me feel for them.

*ARC from Netgalley in exchange for honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley books, St. Martin’s Griffin Publishing, and Lily Menon for giving me such a sweet read in exchange for an honest review! I loved this take on enemies to lovers. Annika is a go-getter entrepreneur with a whole lot of heart, which feels like the foil to Hudson’s soulless millionaire persona, made to match with a company that focuses on depersonalizing break-ups. But more than being a slow-burn romance, the heart of Make Up Break Up comes through in other love stories, between Annika’s parents, between her best-friend-who’s-like-a-sister, between Annika and her father.

Mechanically, the pacing of the plot was really nice, there were several dramatic parts (either interpersonal tension or competition or suspenseful medical scares). This copy was still an uncorrected proof, so there were a few slightly strange word choices and transitions I’d change, and will mention to the publisher.

But overall, this was a fun read, with all the lighthearted love of a good romance with the meaningful, deeper connections promised by Annika’s own app. A debut novel I’d love to see turn into a series! Where do June and Ziggy go next…?

Ok! I had no clue this was Sandhya Menon until I did a bit of research, but I really should have picked up on it! Reminded me a bit of the premise of Beach Read but it turned out to be so much lighter and more fun. Authors of color have such a wonderful touch that I always end up enjoying.

What's that quote? "Talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular"? Yeah, that one. That's how I feel about this book. I loved it sooo much. Let's be real though, it's a haters to lovers trope, so it had me written all over it.

This book is more lovers to enemies back to lovers, for a little bit of a switch up. This started off as two tech developers who hooked up and then realized that the core of their careers could not be more opposite. I loved the progression of this book and it made it so quick and easy to read. You could definitely feel their connection and spark even through them haring each other.

I loved the strong female protagonist and her motivation for her professional career and how she wouldn't settle. I loved how the characters were on equal playing fields as well and how that affected their relationship.

This book gave me all the warm and fuzzies. I started it at 11pm and legitimately could not put it down. Highly recommend!!

This ARC was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

OMG! I loved this book so much! The passion and smoking chemistry between the characters, their sassy, hot, smart banters, the high tension enemies to lovers premise stole my heart!

I couldn’t put it down. It was so much better than so many romantic comedies that I’ve lately read. There is reasonable angst parts, lots of misunderstandings, clever pranks both of MCs pull on each other. It’s emotional, funny, passionate, intriguing.

What if your worst enemy who ruined your career and stole your idea would be your office neighbor next door? The very same enemy you’ve spent one week with in Vegas ( the passionate one week reminds you of Basinger and Rourke’s 9 and 1/2 weeks)! Yes, let the hating games begin!!!

Annika is smart, determined, hard worker, proud. She believes true love, happy endings and second chances. That’s why she created “Make Up” to fix the failing relationships and give them a new chance.

And Hudson Craft, ambitious, playful, visionary, charismatic who designs “ Break Up” to end the failing relationships to get rid of emotional burdens easily. He sees relationships as business deals. Time is essence: no need to deal with relationship therapists or additional heartbreaking dramas. Just the agents they hire inform the other party that: things are over so both parties can move on without fights and getting things uglier. So robotic, logical, emotionless , cutthroat solution!

You keep chanting to the characters stop playing games and kiss each till they get out of breath! Their sizzling, pant melting, drooling chemistry may be the best thing about the book. Especially the part about their accidental yoga seance was hotter than hell! Okay, I’m stopping, no more spoilers!

There is upcoming EPIC Investment Pitch Contest and as you may imagine: both of them needs to win: Annika needs to prove her father she can chase her dreams without bankruptcy and eviction ( if she cannot win the prize of the contest, she will suffer from these situations) and she needs to prove Hudson, everything is not about money and power. She wants to change people’s lives by bringing back happiness they need.

I loved both of the characters and they were both strong, powerful but when it comes to face their own feelings, both of them are vulnerable.

Normally I would give four stars to this story because there are still some foreseeable cliches and immature attitudes of characters but I loved the dynamics of characters’ relationship and their fantastic chemistry melted my heart. So I’m giving extra half stars and rounding up my 4.5 stars to 5!

Well, another fastest romcom devouring just ended! I truly had wonderful time!

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/ St. Martin’s Griffin for sharing this incredible ARC with me in exchange my honest review.

I would like to first say thank you to Lily Menon, Netgalley, and St. Martins Press for allowing me to read an early ARC of Make UP, Break Up in exchange for my honest review.

Why did you have to break my heart the way you did? Once again! It was in a very good way though. Lily Menon coming in WAY HOT with her debut adult romance about 2 app developers.

Annika is the founder of a new app that she believes is the best way to give couples the second chance they might not have otherwise called Make Up.
Hudson Craft is the very successful founder of a very heartbreaking app called Break Up.

From the beginning I felt for Annika and hated everything about Hudson and his app, it's so hurtful and then his sexiness....man that just really grows on you.
Every step of the way though while Break Up is a very successful running app in the world, Annika is doing everything in her power to make sure that Make Up and the system it runs on is perfection. Mr. Hudson was always their what felt like he was being very rude and trying to ruin her start up. Many parties and he always had some kind of successful write up about his app.
I can tell you, after reading this book, I wanted to say I saw it coming but, I truly didn't my emotions were 1000% invested and it sucked me in. I couldn't put this book down to save my life.
The character development not only between Annika and Hudson but with June and her new friend was always such a thrill.

Make Up Break Up is a sweet, office enemies-to-lovers romance in the setting of the tech world and two rival app companies. I was intrigued by this book because it is Lily Menon’s (pen name for Sandhya Menon) first debut into the adult romance genre. I’ve never read any of her other books, but When Dimple Met Rishi is on my TBR and seems to be a beloved book in the book community!

I have been a huge fan of romances lately and I am quickly learning that office enemies-to-lovers romances are some of my favorites. This book was okay, but I wish it could have been better. I enjoyed it and would still recommend if you are interested in a sweet romance but it honestly paled in comparison to other romances I’ve read like The Hating Game.

The premise is two rival app companies, Make Up and Break Up, led by Annika Dev and Hudson Craft, are early-stage start up companies that are both competing for funding. We learn that Annika and Hudson have an unresolved history together and this adds to their sexual tension. While I love good banter, quips and pranks with some underlying sexual tension, there is a line between fun banter and being cruel. Annika walked that line often and it honestly bothered me as I was reading. I understand that she thought Hudson stole her idea but she never really took the time to talk to him about it. That being said, I did enjoy their banter interspersed with their moments of attraction.

While I appreciated the interactions between Hudson and Annika, I wish there was more romance. I was waiting for the entire book for good things to happen and when it finally does, the book is over! This may appeal to some, but I was hoping for more moments throughout. The ending also took me by surprise. I won’t spoil, but I was surprised what Annika asked of Hudson and wasn’t sure how I felt about it.

I did really enjoy the office romance and the premise of two tech start ups. I like when authors incorporate modern technology into their stories and I personally love reading about it! Make Up Break Up is an enjoyable, clever romance and a solid debut in the adult romance world. While it’s not my favorite romance I’ve read, I still enjoyed watching the relationship grow between Annika and Hudson.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

OH !! I loved this book. It was a lovers > enemies > lovers story that kept me engaged on every page. The writing was solid. I appreciated the business challenges the strong heroine faced and thought the relationship with her father was very special. Overall, this book had all the feels and made me smile.