I am a sucker for YA/NA and this book was such a fun read. The banter is great. It is hard to get the flirty and witty tone just right in the written word and Elizabeth Stevens does this well. The chemistry of the characters sparks off the page and the emotions of the characters feel real. I loved the friendship between Lisa and Norah. Friendships are often under represented or outright discarded for the advancement of the romance and the author kept the friendship relevant throughout. As an FYI, the author is from Australian so there is a few small Aussie-isms that poke through, but done so in such a cute way. This is not my first book by the author. I have read several of hers and have loved all the YA romances she has written. This book has a lot of feels like Keeping Up Appearances and Accidentally Perfect, so if you loved those, give this one a shot and vice versa.

Releasing on June 8th is this wonderfully delightful New Adult Romance that takes you down a walk through memory lane. This story brought back all kinds of emotions that I experienced during High School and even college.

The friendship that we get to experience between Lisa and Norah reminded me of my own best friend through High School. We would at times have the same crush, but I never experienced it to the degree of Lisa and Norah during this novel. I loved the dynamic between Lisa and Norah other than the biggest secret Norah kept from her best friend.

Wade.

Wade is Lisa's ex-boyfriend and someone with who Norah finds herself going head to head and falling for him in the process. . So often, friendships are discarded for the romance in books. So I loved that this book laid such a strong emphasis on friendship and loyalty.

I also really loved the relationship between Norah and Wade. It began with them bashing head and Norah constantly being wicked towards him but throwing comments. The banter was very addictive because I used to act like that in High School. I saw a lot of myself in Norah as we go through the actions of denying herself happiness at the cost of her friendship with Lisa. Although the relationship between Norah and Wade quickly transforms from enemies to lovers, it was addictive to read. I loved how it wasn't all fluff, they discussed and worked through their problems both apart and together.

I'd definitely recommend this to romance fans! It was a quick read filled with some kissing, laughter, jokes, and everyday life problems. I found this book very relatable and the characters were well done.

I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this YA read as it dealt with real life issues that many teenagers experience but often don't know how to talk about. While the book surrounds the love/hate relationship of Norah and Wade, I was more drawn to their experiences with depression and anxiety. The author did a great job of making the characters relatable through a great story of personal growth and love.

This has one of my absolute favourite story lines! Misunderstood friends to enemies to lovers!
The art of breaking up is more than just a story about a boy and a girl. It is a story of family, first loves, friendships. It is a story of growing up, of finding yourself, and looking past the surface. It deals with real life issues and doesn't skirt around them.

Norah finds put her life is about to change forever and, in addiction, she might have a crush on her best friend’s previously hateful ex-boyfriend. Now, Norah mist come to terms with what is about to turn her life upside down and the feelings she might have for the guy who broke her best friend’s heart.

The Art of Breaking Up touches on important subjects such as family, depression and friendship. It is a cute read but a little slow paced for my tasting. I felt like the climax was a little too late but I also get time was needed so Norah could come to terms with what was happening, However, I liked the characters and the way the story was cliché but realistic. Overall, a 3.5 stars for me.

**This is an ARC. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a copy of this title. All opinions are honest and my own.*

I read this book in one sitting. A quick easy read. It flowed well and I actually am a bit of a sucker for an enemy to lover theme!
The banter between the the 2 characters is funny without being silly and the slow romantic build up was great. It had other issues thrown in and although set at high school I felt it had different layers to it.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review; all opinions reflected below are my own!

It’s been a while since I last read a YA book that caught and held my attention like “The Art of Breaking Up” – a book which was remarkably honest and which often made me pause and re-read certain passages so as to re-experience them again. Family, friendship, love, second chances, taking risks, opening up; this book brings all these elements together and more. And it does it well.

I have a soft spot for the characters in this book. They come face-to-face with situations that aren’t pleasant and they do their best to work their way out. Sometimes it’s sad, others there is a bright spot somewhere but I found the progress of events very realistic. These are accurate issues a teenager can experience. Norah and Wade had a wonderful dynamic – dare I say, a swoon-worthy and heart-wrenching dynamic depending on the occasion. It worked so well with the development of the story and the chemistry was amazing to read about. If you are keen on stories with an ‘enemies to lovers’ element or undertone, then this book will do wonders for you. The witty banter and the comebacks had me laughing at various moments. The friendship and family elements hold significance for this book as well and so, you will find them discussed and brought up often in the book. I especially favoured the emphasis on family as we, sadly, do not get that often in YA for some reason.

The pacing was alright – it might feel a bit slow after the middle of the book but I also do think what Norah has to come to terms with requires time. Without spoiling anything, the topics of this book resonated with me a lot and I appreciated the openness and frankness in the discussions about family issues and mental health. Also the acknowledgement of how complex and scary it is to let someone in your life and your mind and how utterly terrifying life changes can be was extremely appreciated.

A refreshing YA contemporary with important messages to relay without making the story extremely heavy or difficult to read. Interesting characters and amazing dynamic. I would 100% recommend this book so make sure to pick it up when it comes out!

Being the only one who knows her parents secret is killing Norah. Being in her final year of high school is stressful enough, now pretending she knows nothing is killing her. The only person she can trust to talk about it with is the boy who broke her best friends heart. Now she seems to be falling for him too, breaking the best friend code, this is one too many secrets for Norah to keep.

This was a great Australian YA book.

Before I start, I did enjoy this book. I was able to finish it in one sitting and found the characters and their dynamics extremely intriguing. I was able to feel what the characters felt, and overall truly enjoyed the book. The friendships, the banter, the relationships between all of the characters, is what made this book as good as it was.
However, I found the writing to be a bit slow at times and I struggled to keep with it. It wasn’t the easiest to stick with, but it was worth it for the characters. Particularly, it was worth it for Wade, but I’m a bit biased as he was my favourite character. .
Overall, I enjoyed the book and would recommend people read it. It’s an easy, light hearted, and fluffy type of read. Perfect for those who are character motivated.

This was such a fun but emotional read, it even made me cry, though in fairness I cry easily. And I cried more at the friendship stuff than the big emotional stuff, but I just really loved Norah's and Lisa's connection and I loved that the author spent time on that.

First things first, though. I really appreciated that the author clarified that this book was in Aussie English, which may seem like either a small or obvious thing to some, but I found it helpful. Then I was prepared to Google things like "Matric jumper" and I could heartily laugh at a debate between the characters whether it should be called a "twiggy stick" or a "bierstick" because I had no idea what they were talking about and the discussion tickled me (I've since looked it up and for my lingual preference, sorry Norah and Wade - and Elizabeth Stevens -, but I'll have to go with bierstick).

Secondly, the scathing banter is great. It is difficult to write something that must balance attraction and argument and I've read plenty of books where this failed miserably. Here I was drawn into the arguments and often felt the chemistry in the air and really *felt* what the characters were going through.

I loved the "SOILED" thing the auhtor came up with, very clever and I may have to steal this line for whatever future arguments I may have; "There is ALL the bullshit, Norah. So much that your arse has to be jealous over the amount of shit coming out of your mouth." LOL:

In general though, as someone who volunteers as a youth counselor in my spare time, there were parts of this book that I felt very important from a YA perspective. As in, as an adult there were some issues that I didn't relate to in the sense that I didn't think they were such "a big deal", and I had to remind myself that I was coming at it from a very adult perspective and that there are a lot of problems younger people hesitate to talk about because they don't feel it is "big" enough to warrant attention. And as a result a lot of them feel really bad but don't have a healthy outlet for their feelings because their problems can't compare to someone who maybe has it worse...
Hence, for me this book is important in the way that it doesn't minimize anyone's problems or feelings, there is perspective to be had for sure and the characters interactions reveal that, but there is still an underlying acknowledgement that the thing that is causing you distress matters and you have a right to feel that it matters. I can definitely see myself recommending this title.

Overall, much like Wade has his comfort movies that he re-watches over and over, I have comfort books that I re-read over and over when I feel a certain way and this one may qualify for that list. There were a few rough edges to the text, some repetitious word use e.g., but as I was lucky enough to get to read an advanced copy those are probably kinks that will be hammered out before publication. I look forward to getting the paperback edition and putting it on my bookshelf for those days when I need a pick-me-up.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Sleeping Dragon Books for letting me read this advanced copy and helping me find a new author to love.

This book is all about first love, mental health, best friends, and being a high school senior. In this story, our teenagers live in Australia and it's not that different from American high school seniors. I loved Lisa and Norah's relationship. Their friendship is mature and honest despite the big secret between them. The hate banter/arguing between Wade and Norah was surprisingly enjoyable and full of fun banter. I honestly wasn't expecting them to have such a deep connection or for Wade to be such a complex character. I hate everything he went through, but he was so self-aware and that is all too rare in YA books. I enjoyed reading The Art of Breaking Up, and need to check out more of Elizabeth Stevens books.

What Makes This Book A Good Book ??
Nothing Really
This Is Just A Cute And Fluffy Quick Novel To Pick Up

“There went that look in his eyes again. The one that was a little dark. A little sad.” (Quote from ARC)

A sweet story of young love and friendship,“The Art of Breaking Up”, by Elizabeth Stevens (Sleeping Dragon Books), features a charmer with a lot of baggage and a strong heroine going through family trouble.
Wade was so intriguing in the beginning; he has an aura that makes him an enticing hero. The fact this incorrigible flirt is dealing with some serious issues is interesting and gives the character an attractive dark side.
I really enjoyed reading about Norah’s dilemma between the lover and the close friend - it’s such a wonderful portrayal about what can happen at this age. I also liked the romance development in general, the secondary characters and how the author depicted the young people’s feelings and emotions

Do you believe in girl code? Could you date a best friends ex? What if you fall for or start falling for a best friends ex no matter how hard you try? Elizabeth Stevens mastered the art of breaking up and I loved every second of this book.

Wade and Norah have been enemies ever since Wade broke up with Norahs best friend two years ago. Ever sense then Wade has been dating his way through the school and Norah can't stand him. But are her feelings for him really hate or is there something more to it? As things in her life are falling apart Norah finds herself reaching out to the last person she ever expected to reach out to.

This book not only deals with teenage romance and relationship but it has so much more. Mental health is a big topic in this book and you dive into what are healthy and unhealthy coping practices are. There are a few more things that are discussed but I don't want to give too much away, just know there are some pretty big changes happening in the Norah's and Wade's lives!

Do you love enemies to lovers? Second chances? Forbidden dating? Well make sure to read this! You will fall in love with Norah and Wade. This was such a cute, fun and fast read.

The Art Of Breaking Up was a great coming of age story and I really enjoyed it. When Norah and Wade bond over a tragic event she realizes what a great guy he is. As the two grow closer Norah hides the relationship because Wade's ex is Norah's best friend. This was the first book I read by Elizabeth Stevens and it won't be my last.

This is a super cute book that is a quick and easy read. It’s a great book to curl up with and distract you from the day-to-day stressors. I loved the way Norah and Wade grew as their own people.

Although, I so called it with Lisa :)

I really loved this one! I needed something cute and fluffy to binge, and this worked perfectly. I finished it in one sitting, this was that good.

My favorite thing about this was definitely the friendship between Lisa and Norah. So often, friendships are discarded for the romance in books. I hate that. So I loved that this book layed such a strong emphasis on friendship and loyalty.

I also really loved the relationship between Norah and Wade. It did fall into place super fast, but it was addictive to read. I loved how it wasn't all fluff, they discussed and worked through their problems both apart and together.

Id definitely recommend this to romance fans! It was a super fun romance, and I loved reading it

Thanks to Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review
1 like

3.5 stars
I've been saying since forever that if you want to read good high school YA (I'm not sure this is actually a genre but you get the feel for what I'm talking about) that's not too shallow but can also be enterteinment reading you should pick any of Elizabeth Stevens books. This one is no exception.

Funny dialogues, real characters dealing with high school problems and also more serious ones (like mental health or divorce), good friendships, funny moments, serious moments, cute moments. You get the all experience and even finish the book with a smile on your face. It's a very good story without being equal to all the others you have read before.

This one just had a few things that didn't work that well for me. But this is a serious question of It's not you, it's me. The way divorce was dealt with didn't sit well with me and my experience and that removed that half star that's missing from my usual ratings. Besides, I think I just really wasn't in my usual mood and that changed my reading experience.

All in all, a great read that I would have enjoyed more if I wasn't so stressed with school and such.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this book in return for an honest review.
The Art Of Breaking Up is a YA book based in Australia. It features Norah and Wade- Norah detests Wade after he broke up with her best friend, Lisa, two years ago but after they keep bumping into each other, they find that they can sort of rely on each other when needed. While I found the relationship a little codependent at first, I liked how open Norah and Wade were about mental health and struggles in life. The mental health stuff wasn't shown in a really sad way like it can be in some books which was nice as it shows the importance of it but also how it is normalised.
Rating: 3⭐