I was really disappointed by Sonia Hartl's adult debut. This hate-to-love romance was not the fun romcom I was hoping for. It made me feel icky and uncomfortable with the portrayal of both men and women. This book made women seem like they are only out to get revenge and that a man could cause such an upheaval of a woman's life. I really wanted to love this.

Heartbreak for Hire blended a popular enemies to lovers trope with a unique and different storyline. I really enjoyed how it flowed together.

Our main character, Brinkley experienced what I would call an emotionally abusive relationship with her ex-boyfriend who then decided to cheat on her and leave her. When she came out of that relationship, she hated men with such a vengeance.that she fell into a job working for a company known as Heartbreak for Hire. At the time, it was all women employed who were hired to "break" men who treated a woman/women poorly. They were usually hired by a jilted, injured or damaged party to take on this task. Brinkley found that she was good at it and even found the job to be somewhat therapeutic for a while. However, at some point, she hits a wall and starts to question if what she does really helps anyone. It's about this same time that she meets Mark.

Mark and Brinkley have an "interesting" and unusual meet cute. Things only get crazier from there. They are an unlikely couple that fight their feelings for a while....until they both realize there is no denying their chemistry. I was really fond of Mark initially. However, he does end up doing some things later in the book that make me question him and hope he can be redeemed.

Overall, this is a cute rom-com, enemies to lovers book that also blends some serious topics into the story. In addition, there were a few plot twists thrown in to keep the reader on their toes.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

This was a fun, super quick read! I really liked it. The premise of a hired heartbreaker was new and different and it was interesting to watch Brinkley struggle with the ethics behind it, as the book progressed. Her relationship with Mark was sweet and steamy. I thought her longstanding issues with her mother resolved a little too neatly and quickly, but it's a romance after all.

In Heartbreak For Hire by Sonia Hartl, Brinkley Saunders secretly works for a service that specializes in revenge against men. When the head of H4H decides to hire male heartbreakers, Brinkley is paired up with a coworker who she had recently been paid to take down as a target.

This was a really quick, fun read. I love the enemies to lovers trope, and Heartbreak for Hire didn't disappoint! I loved the tension and chemistry between Mark and Brinkley. There was the perfect amount of spice and banter that kept me turning the pages. I also really loved that this book was about more than just the relationship between those characters but also involved some secrets, familial pressure and relationships, and friendship bonds among the heartbreakers. I really enjoyed this read, and I'd recommend it for fans of enemies to lovers romance. I will definitely be looking up Sonia Hartl's backlist!

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the ARC of this title which did not affect the contents of my voluntary review. All opinions are honest and my own.

I tried hard to like this book. I thought the premise was interesting and clever and unusual to say the least. But ultimately, it broke down in the execution and by the end of the book, I was truly appalled by the actions of the MMC and could no longer support or even care about whether these people ended up together. In the course of reading a romance, if the reader stops being invested in the HEA, that’s pretty much the death knell for the book.

But lets start at the very beginning. Brinkley Saunders is a bit of a mess. After her serious relationship imploded in her face, she dropped out of her graduate program, lost all of her fellow graduate student friends, her apartment, and basically found herself at loose ends. Then came an unexpected job offer, working for a company called Heartbreak for Hire, which according to the blurb, specializes in revenge for jilted lovers, frenemies, and co-workers. Struggling to move on after the breakup with her (emotionally and verbally abusive) boyfriend, Brinkley finds herself seeking revenge in the name of others to find some semblance of peace and catharsis from her own emotional wounds. The trouble begins when her boss decides to add men to the all women business and the man hired to work directly under her happens to be her most recent target. Not only that, she also broke the biggest rule of her profession by going home with him and almost sleeping with him.

Professor Mark Cavanaugh, at first glance, is the kind of soft, sweet, nerdy, sweater-vest clad wearing MMC I typically love. He’s the typical academic, complete with a love for metal detecting. While he’s initially her target, Brinkley doesn’t love the client who hired her to humiliate him and when she meets him, she quickly realizes that he’s not as bad as her client made him out to be. However, I have to pause here and say, part of this is also due to the fact that Brinkley finds him extremely attractive at their first meeting and that really informs her first interaction with him.

Part of Brinkley’s problem with Mark stems from the fact that he’s an academic and Brinkley, whose mom is a professor, has a severe bias against the world of academia. I’m not saying her feelings are not rooted in reality but, some of the things that happen in this world of academia are really far-fetched and hard to fathom. The book is a very obvious commentary on feminism and sexual discrimination and it’s so heavy-handed at times, it feels almost like a cliché. Brinkely spends her days and nights planning sometimes elaborate revenge fantasies on behalf of her clients and then actually carrying them out. I’m not going to say these men don’t deserve what’s coming to them. They’re awful, self-centered, misogynistic jerks and absolutely deserve to be taken down a peg or two. But the whole concept seems so mean and negative at times, it truly does make me wonder how Brinkley has any joy at all in her life.

Secondly, we have the issue of Brinkley’s mom and their very toxic relationship. Listen, I understand about toxic parental relationships but Brinkley’s mother is emotionally manipulative and verbally degrading to her daughter and the fact that Brinkley continues to go to lunch with her every week and then, despite all of the revelations in the book regarding the secrets her mother has been keeping from her all her life, it kind of boggles the mind that they not only continue to have a relationship but that somehow, it’s stronger at the end. Like…how??

Brinkely is an artist. She dropped out of an extremely hard to get into graduate art program when her previous relationship fell apart. She spends the book dreaming of opening her own art gallery but is too scared to take the chance. That it takes Mark to finally propel her forward and take that step is annoying. But also, Brinkley has no experience in business and literally within a few weeks time, buys property and opens an art gallery. Again…how?? I get that sometimes, romance is a fantasy and we have got to suspend our disbelief. But I find that harder to accomplish with a contemporary that’s so rooted in reality but yet, there are so many jarring plot holes that make no sense.

However, my biggest issue comes into play with Mark. Brinkley, understandably, has major trust issues when it comes to men and relationships. However, she truly falls for Mark, believing that he’s a good guy and for the bulk of the book, I find myself rooting for him, despite my myriad issues with the book. However, towards the end of the book, a revelation about his true intentions comes as a gut punch to Brinkley and I have to say, I didn’t see it coming either. There’s some groveling at his end and he ultimately makes a decision about his own professional path that helps prove to Brinkley that he’s a changed man but his deception is pretty bad and the fact that he continues to move his relationship with Brinkley forward while keeping this huge thing a secret isn’t something I can let go of as easily as Brinkley does.

Ultimately, I had high hopes for the book because I thought the premise was really unique and I wanted to see how the author would make it work. Unfortunately, there were too many instances where I found myself questioning the plot choices and finally, I stopped rooting for Mark and Brinkley to be together. I do think this book may still work for a lot of people despite my issues, it’s just a matter of how good you are at suspending your disbelief.

I should add some content notes: Brinkley’s ex-boyfriend is emotionally and verbally abusive, toxic parental relationship, previous mention of drug use and death from an overdose of a parent, past mention of cheating, sexual harassment, gendered essentialism, fatphobic comments;

There is something to be said for morally gray characters. Unlikable characters, those that do ridiculous things in the name of revenge. You know... as humans do?

Heartbreak for Hire is an agency with four women that target the a-hole men of the world in order to serve a dose of just desserts.

Brinkley targets Mark for an assignment and feels like something is off with whatever he supposedly did that landed him as a target.

She ends up feeling all the fire for this man and crosses several scorching lines with him. At the end of the day, she has a job to do. When he shows up to work as her male counterpart, the %$#@ hits the fan.

She vows not to get close, but some things (and some people) are undeniable. The way to each other is paved with good intentions from hell.

This is a book that will make you think. What are you really capable of in the name of revenge? What are you willing to let go of in the name of love? Complicated family dynamics, deeply flawed characters, and searing chemistry make this a perfect, scorching summer romance read!

This is a Love to Hate & Hate to Love Romance/Rom-Com.

This was a interesting story about helping woman who has been wronged by a man. Rather it be job, love, or in general related.

What happens when a mark turns out to be someone you really click with or you get the feeling he didn't do what you were told he did.

Each of the Heartbreakers has also had there hearts broken. When the boss wants to bring in male Heartbreakers how does that change every thing.

This had such cute moments about standing up for woman who gets screwed over. But it also shows the struggle she has gone through and how others people's view of success might not be yours and how if your dreams differ how people treat you different.

I loved the two main characters they weren't your typical cookie cuter main characters and they each pushed each other to get out of there comfort zones and go after there dreams.

I really enjoyed this book and that it was differnt romance.

I was provided an e-arc of this book by the publisher and NetGalley, for a honest review.

Heartbreak for Hire was my first book by Sonia Hartl and it was exactly what I needed. I found the premise of the book to be original and the writing was great as well. Lately books tend to follow the same recipe and that wasn't the case here. The concept of the book is what made me gravitate towards the book. Britney was a character that I think millennial can relate to. The chemistry between the characters was too good. I loved the back and forth of it all. Can't wait to see what Sonia does next!

Brinkley is a professional heartbreaker. She works for a company that is mostly known word of mouth. She and three other women have very specific roles. Basically their job is to help give a male his "just desserts." Typically hired by women who have been wronged by a guy, Brinkley and her co-workers research, plan, and execute actions to give them what they deserve. Brinkley's passion is painting and her dream is to open an art gallery and the one she makes is getting her closer to her dream.

Mostly she feels good about her job because the men act how she expects (like jerks). However, there was this one guy, Mark, who wasn't what she expected, and they had an immediate connection and attraction. She prioritized the job with some regrets.

To her surprise, Mark and three other men are hired by the agency as male heartbreakers. Her job is to train Mark. This creates some forced proximity (one of my favorite tropes) and some uncomfortable togetherness. I really liked both Mark and Brinkley and had my fingers crossed that they'd figure it out. I also thought many scenes were hilarious. There was one scene where I laughed so loud for so long that I was really glad I was alone! Brinkley was particularly endearing and felt real. I also enjoyed that this is based in Chicago. I love reading books in settings that I know.

I both listened to and read this in digital format. I thought the narrator dd a nice job, especially with Brinkley's voice.

Thanks to Gallery Books, Simon and Schuster Audio, and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

So Heartbreak for Hire is a fun little revenge-fueled business where Brinkley works. Their mission is to get back at men who have wronged their clients. It’s not her dream job. She’s an artist. But it pays the bills in the meantime. One evening while working she falls for one of her targets, thinking maybe he’s not such a bad guy after all. This is when it all gets really interesting.

I enjoyed this witty romance. I really felt that Brinkley was a character people could sympathize with. And I would recommend this to all lovers of rom-com type romances.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read this book.

I thought the story sounded interesting but... Too much foul language and descriptive sex, ruined the entire book for me. I also desperately hope there are no businesses, like Heartbreak for Hire, out there. Even though these scenarios take place everyday. I’m happy Brinkley, finally found a better way to deal with the injustice. Integrity, integrity, integrity! Side note-Brinkley thought the first gallery was perfect with it’s big corner windows. Art Galleries usuall do not have many windows, as it fades the art work! I can not in good conscience recommend this book

Brinkley works at Heartbreak for Hire, an agency that specializes in taking down men who have somehow wronged their female friends, coworkers, or lovers. She keeps her job secret from those around her, especially her mom, who is still disappointed that Brinkley dropped out of grad school and didn’t follow in her academic footsteps.

I was immediately sucked into Brinkley’s unorthodox world and loved seeing how she prepared for her work missions and carried them out. It made for a sexy, empowering narrative that immediately made me like Brinkley. Although she knows that there must be more to him than meets the eye, Brinkley finds herself undeniably attracted to one of her targets, and things get awkward when he shows up at her office a few days later.

The romance in this book was steamy and electric. There were a lot of other elements to this book, including Brinkley’s rocky relationship with her mom and former classmates, and the troubling control her boss seems to hold over her. I felt like these elements needed to either be fleshed out a little more, or omitted, because they seemed a little incomplete. The overall plot, however, was generally flirty and captivating.

3 Stars
This had a premise that sounded good...
A revenge agency out to right all the wrongs. Only bad people as targets and then there is a target that doesn't seem so bad. A target who is handsome and causes our agency woman on the job to get sidetracked.

Then a twist happens and our target becomes part of the agency...how and why.

A different type of book. These ladies don't just get even for the men that hurt them, they get even for all the rest of them that can afford to pay the fee. Brinkley has a goal in mind. She will never live up to her mother's expectations. The academia world is not for her. .She wants to own her own gallery to display her art and locals in the community. Marcus/Mark was a man that she was paid to embarrass only she didn't get the vibe that he was a jerk. Now her boss has decided to bring men into the equation. It was either let them or get fired. So Mark and her partner up. You know it's not going to work. Falling in love was not in the picture. When all the secrets are exposed, Brinkley doesn't know who she is anymore. She can rely on her painting and her friends. Eventually Mom earns her place back. Mark/Marcus with a little help from one of her friends and her Mom, he gets there to.

This book just wasn’t what I thought it would be based on the description. I couldn’t relate to the characters. The boss was horrible and didn’t really support her female employees. The romance between Brinkley and Mark was a bit over the top.

This was a fun and quick read told in first person present point of view from the Heroine. Sonia Hartl's writing has a nice ease and accessibility to it, it is light and funny at times as well as meaningful when it needs to be. I was really enchanted by the concept of this novel and the current career the heroine had as a fun and unique way of exploring her growth as an individual and her growth with the hero.

Brinkley, is an artist and dreams of opening up her own paint gallery but contentious moments with her mother and fears have held her back from taking the ultimate leap. Brinkley is currently working with a company that helps people get revenge on co-workers, cheaters, pretty much anyone who has wronged you. Brinkley is good at her job it has helped her to begin to grow into a strong and confident woman. Mark, the hero, is a victim of Brinkley's and this is how they originally meet. Their chemistry is off the charts from the beginning and Brinkley in a lust filled haze has a couple missteps which lead Mark into learning about this company and what they do. Mark, along with a handful of other men, are hired to work for this originally all female company. And this is the start to their "enemies" to friends to lovers relationship.

This novel is interlaced with delightful funny moments in which Brinkley is training Mark on how she follows through with her contracts at Heartbreak for Hire. It is in these moments that both Brinkley and Mark are able to see what it is like to work together, how they can support each other and where their strengths lie. I loved the moments that lead Brinkley into better understanding Mark and learning to trust and open herself up to him. As their trust grows they are both able to challenge each other to admit what their dreams are as well as go after them. I found their relationship to be very sweet and sexy, their relationship definitely feels like there is lots of potential for them to grow with each other into the people they both need. This book does focus a lot on Brinkley and her relationship with her mother, they both are constantly butting heads with the other and taking digs at each other, while we do see their relationship begin to take a turn this did feel a bit rushed to me and like something that would be an ongoing thing for them to both work on.

Overall I would recommend this novel, especially if you are looking for a quick and delightful read. Brinkley is a fun character and it was nice to watch her journey as she grows and becomes more confident and how she learns to work on her relationship with her mother and learn how to open herself up again to men.

This book is one of my recent favorites for sure, I absolutely adored the concept of H4H and how Mark and Brinkley met. For me Heartbreak for Hire not only saves Brinkley and her friends from their past relationship problems, but becomes a catalyst for personal growth -- the book left me wanting a book about each of the original gals, and to hear more about the boss, Margo and why she created the company as well.

For me the friendship stuck out as fierce and endearing, with layers of protectiveness that made me want to be a part of the group. What I loved most was that while this could've just been a lighthearted romcom with an interesting take on revenge for your exes, instead we got complex characters and emotions -- from Brinkley's pressure from her mother, the twists and turns of their relationship, being forced in close proximity to her past client, her desire to move past the job that's starting to feel uncomfortable -- I felt like I got a sense of Brinkley herself and how life can become complicated quickly.

Mark and Brinkley were SUCH a fun couple to read about, for me they had instant chemistry that stuck out in this book, and made me want to read more. Their enemies to lovers romance story had the perfect amount of steam and quirky banter which I LOVED, I was absolutely here for crushing on Mark myself.

I wish I liked this more but I think maybe it was because I read this right after a book that I adored with all my heart. So I think I’m going to reread this come fall 2021! I wish I could give a better review

I liked the premise for this book and the main characters, Brinkley and Mark. I could understand the push/pull between them due to Mark being a target in revenge, his interest in academia and they had great chemistry. Some of the romantic interactions seemed like they just popped up abruptly and didn’t come across as insta-love but just a scene to plug in.

The owner of the revenge company eventually became very distasteful and not as caring about her female employees as initially thought. I thought some of the revenge plans were helpful to some people but they eventually just seemed cringy and over-the-top.

Brinkley had many issues with her mother and never felt that she was good enough. I didn’t like the mother and it seemed there was a lot of emotional abuse and bullying. When certain details were exposed, I didn’t feel a true apology to make up for all that Brinkley endured her entire life. There were a couple of unexpected twists, but they became less than ideal when details were revealed.

I was surprised to find out that Mark had secrets which really hurt Brinkley. There were a lot of side plots and unexpected relationships between several people.

The ending seemed to happen so quick and the whole story seemed lacking when there had been so much potential when reading the blurb and I was left disappointed.

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this story.

This was a fun rom-com that got quite steamy at times. Brinkley is trying to get over a bad breakup with Aiden who belittled her for years and it finally ended when she caught him in their bed with someone else. Even her mother is not very supportive, always telling her she falls short and wants Brinkley to follow in her footsteps and become a professor at Northwestern. She drops out of school with the idea of pursuing her art career, tells her mother she is an administrative assistant and takes a job at Heartbreak for Hire. Her job is to take on a role so she appeals to a man and then destroy his ego. This is all great and the money is good until one day she runs across a guy she kind of likes. When H4H decides to hire some men Brinkley's partner turns out to be Mark, the guy she was attracted to.

It was all a bit predictable but who cares? It was a fun read and the underlying theme was overcoming what others have said to you and pursuing your own dreams. I thought the characters were well developed and I was really rooting for Mark and Brinkley to find true love and a career that made them happy.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Gallery for providing me with a copy of this book.