Admittedly, I spent a few weeks circling this book and hesitated whether or not I should check it out. The cover is eye catching, but the blurb and mixed reviews were a hard sell for me. I'm glad I read it - this is a fun one.

This is a great beach read or rainy day read with a fast paced, singular POV. It's a fresh concept set in a surreal world - where else would a company where you can pay for revenge exist? - with larger than life characters and plenty of humor, all three qualities akin to a Lucy Score rom-com, so those looking for realism might not dig this. The morality/ethics of the H4H company and its founder's blatant gaslighting and emotional manipulation of her workers is adequately discussed.

Brinkley's unapologetic and brash personality might turn readers off, but her struggle with self-worth, life/career aspirations and complicated relationship with her mother will (hopefully) have readers invested in her transformation/growth by the end. If readers don't like Brinkley, they'll stay for Mark. I loved Mark the moment he was introduced - he's the classic cinnamon roll hero, an ultra nerd who solely wears sweater vests and loves metal detecting but somehow also has the chiseled body of a Greek god. He's an absolute sweetheart battling his own demons and doesn't belong in a cutthroat environment like H4H or, weirdly, academia.

Besides the predictability of the "twists" at the end, my qualm with this book is the chemistry between Brinkley and Mark. It felt forced and stranger than the notion of H4H itself. They felt like best friends at most. As much as I love a good HEA, this would've worked well without one and for a moment towards the end, felt like it wasn't set up for one.

Listen, this book isn't gonna be for everyone. It's not a polarizing read, but its eccentric concept with an arguably unlikeable heroine will dissuade some readers from progressing past the 25% mark. If you can suspend disbelief and settle into the world Sonia Hartl has excellently crafted, you'll definitely enjoy the ride and find a new favorite book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery books for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Here’s the most frustrating thing about Heartbreak for Hire: it could have been so good. The premise is great—woman works avenging wronged women by setting up schemes to get back at the men who wronged them. The beginning of the book, and the meet cute with the love interest, made me excited. There are four women working. Oh! It’ll be a series.

But then, two of the women disappear and the book seemed to peter out until the last 10% which had so many plot twists! Inconsistent plotting isn’t fatal, but there were so many key elements that were completely ludicrous, and I kept stopping reading and noting, “oh, another plot contrivance.” People with phones write their boss’s phone number out on a note card, and then lose it. Anthropological research is stolen! Someone else writes an anthropological journal article and gets it placed in mere weeks. Someone gives up a tenure-track job as though academia is the real evil. All this ridiculousness meant I just wanted to finish it to finish it. I didn’t get love chemistry between the main characters. I figured the main character would still be miserable after the book plot ended, but I just wanted it done.

I received a ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an obviously honest review. All thoughts and opinions are mine.

This book, I will say right up front, was hard to rate. There are certain aspects of it where I laughed out loud and others where I physically and mentally cringed. The laughter outweighed the cringing, case in point a flying fake breast in a cowboy bar, so I’m just going to go with those moments and see what happens here.

I love a good revenge story. I really do. H4H is a revenge business. Women are employed to take revenge out on men who have done other women wrong. To humiliate them in public, discredit them, whatever it takes. Brinkley in one of the H4H operatives with a backstory that makes you really understand why she is doing this as an occupation. The pay is great and she is saving to own her own art gallery.

Enter Mark, one of her, well, marks.
For the first time ever, since starting this job, Brinkley is attracted to the man she is supposed to humiliate. What ensues forms the rest of the book.

I have to say I wasn’t a fan of Brinkleys in the first fifty or so pages. After that, I felt a great deal of compassion for her.

Of course, I adored Mark from the get go.

Some of the reviews of this book have stated the storyline is a mean and dysfunctional one. While that may be true, we live in a mean and dysfunctional world, so it’s really just a reflection of how we treat one another. A sad reflection, but one, nonetheless. I hate spoilers so I won’t tell what happens in the book. Suffice it to say, this isn’t your mama’s Romcom.

Not even close.
Thanks to Netgalley and Gallery books for a sneak peak
4 stars.

This was such a fun, sweet story. I’d definitely recommend to others.. I think people will definitely enjoy the banter and story of this one. I can’t wait to see what the author does next

I really wanted to love this book, but I kind of struggled. Aspects of this book were exactly what I hoped for a romantic comedy with cringe inducing moments, funny moments, and an amusing plot. Where I struggled was the believability that the guy Brinkley is tasked with breaking down at the beginning and who has a stable and demanding job, somehow winds up working at the same agency as her. I think this book could have worked just as well if the conflict came from her falling for, and breaking the rules around her job when it came to Markus and the added layer of him working with her wasn't needed, but I get why it was done, and it did result in some humorous moments though in my opinion not enough of them. I wish this book had focused more on the assignments they had together, because those were the moments that the humor and levity could really shine through. Overall I did like this book, it was light and enjoyable, I just hoped I would like it more. Thanks Gallery Books and NetGalley for letting me read this ARC.

I started and finished this gem in one day. H4H was my first Sonia Hartl book and she had me hooked and engaged the entire read. Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the arc! I’m a new fan of Hartl and I’m crossing my fingers that there will be a sequel continuing the stories of the other H4H girls. 4 stars!

This was a fine romance, and a quick read. I enjoyed the idea of Heartbreak for Hire, a company that is used to combat men who do women wrong, and I thought that Brinkley was a well-developed main character. But the story just didn't flow well. It jumped around in the interest of comedic storylines with no real sense of pacing or timing. The love story lacked development, I felt - there was lust, and attraction, certainly, but the LOVE aspect of it really did not make sense to me.

I’m a sucker for enemies to lovers. I do feel like some points were a little extreme but over all a solid read. I look forward to more from this author

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book! A cute rom-com that will made me feel like I was watching a movie! Our MC Brinkley, just got out of a relationship and is trying to get over it by becoming a hired heartbreaker as the title gives away! It really made me smile and I can't wait to read more from this author :) Enemies to lovers is one of my favorite tropes and this did not disappoint!! Brinkley and Mark were adorable and made for such a good storyline, I could picture Mark by the way that Brinkley described him! It was a light read that made me laugh and will be the perfect summer read!

Wow, I absolutely loved this book. Great quippy humor, a strong independent main character, and some romance. I love how everything played out!

This was such a fun and unique read! If you enjoyed "The Soulmate Equation" you'll enjoy "Heartbreak for Hire"

Fun, fun, fun. This is such a delightful rom-com. With characters that you care about and a story that you haven't read before.

This was a really fun, light read—a solid contemporary romance!

Brinkley is 27 and her life has kind of stalled. She isn’t following in her mother’s academic footsteps —she dropped out of her masters program and studied art instead. After a bad breakup she takes a job as a heartbreaker. Women hire her to get revenge on men who’ve jilted them—lovers, jerky bosses or colleagues—Brinkley swoops in a breaks them down. Her life is fine until she meets Mark, one of her targets, and makes a mistake with him. A few days later she finds out Mark had been hired as one of the first heartbreakers and they have to work together.

Although it was generally predictable, it was fun to read and kept me turning the pages. And, the romance is definitely steamy.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

I love how this book was an original idea, and not the same storyline as the next book. It was a great read and makes you wish the heartbreakers were a real company. This was a great beach book!

This book was just so FUN!! I couldn’t put it down. I am a sucker for a fun romance with characters that I like, even with crazy circumstances. The idea of two people determined to drive each other crazy makes for a good time and good laughs. Instead of watching a romantic comedy, pick
Up this instead.

This was a quick, fun read to pass the time. I’d take this book to the beach for a girls’ trip and thought it was a cute romance.

Enemies to loves trope, which I am always a sucker for, gives this book an edge that makes up for the overly mean-spiritedness of the entire Heartbreak 4 Hire premise. Women taking men down a peg or two can cross the line pretty easily and this book tip toes it. There is witty dialogue and sexy scenes that make up for any shortcomings. Overall I really enjoyed the book.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

What can I say - I'm a sucker for a light hearted romantic book. This was a cute read. I couldn't put it down. It's the perfect beach read!

This book was okay.. it started out interesting but i grew bothered by the portrayal that all men were scum who either cheated on or screwed over women and needed to be taught a lesson. And dont forget that on top of that anyone in "academia " is also a backstabbing enemy.
I didnt really care about or feel for the characters. Some of the other employees at H4H worked longer "jobs" .. does that mean they were banging their targets for months as part of their job??? How else are they working months to "annihilate " someone for being a cheater?
I'm still giving it 3 stars though as it was an easy, light read

Brinkley Saunder's job is to seek revenge for jilted lovers, co-workers who need someone taken down a notch,, and those that have done women wrong. It's not her dream job but, it pays well and is helping her save for the art gallery. It has also helped her deal with the demons of her ex-boyfriend. But, when her boss announces that for the first time ever she will hire male heartbreakers and the one she was assigned to work with is one of her former marks whose name happens to be Mark, she is not happy. Will Mark get her to trust again?

Be warned the book has some steamy parts so it you are not looking for that then this might not be the book for you. I enjoyed reading it and there were some very fun moments.