DNF @ 45%. I tried to finish but couldn’t. The characters were just so unlikable and made the story hard to enjoy.

Margo’s best friend Jo is getting married, which calls into question the legitimacy of their dating rules that they’ve talked about on their podcast, “Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts.” So Margo tries to prove their listeners wrong by testing breaking the rules on Declan, her high-school enemies.

The story’s framework was familiar but different enough that I thought it’d be a good romance. I liked the mixed media storytelling and the setting (Catalina Island). And I liked that the main character and her long-time best friend ran a podcast together. I could kind of even relate to some of Margo's feelings. This all being why I gave this story at least two stars.

But this whole situation felt uncomfortable and awkward. The characters…I don’t dislike them, but it was a struggle to keep reading. There were even moments when I questioned whether any of them were friends or just really good acquaintances.

This story just wasn’t doing it for me, but I think others will enjoy it.

CW: mention of past cheating, getting high from special brownies

Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for the eARC to read in exchange for an honest review!

Margo "Go" and Jo are best friends who star in a popular podcast about hooking up without catching feelings. Things change when Jo gets engaged. They travel to Catalina Island for the wedding where Margo becomes reacquainted with someone from High School she'd rather forget. Looking for a new angle for their podcast, Margo wonders what would happen if she doesn't follow the seven rules.

This was so enjoyable! I honestly didn't want to put it down. I absolutely loved the MMC, Declan, and appreciated him being compared to another favorite of mine, James Fraser, from Outlander. The characters were fun and relatable with great chemistry. There was a bit of witty banter (a favorite if mine) with some really vulnerable moments. If you love romance, definitely go check with one out.

A big thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I really had a great time with this book! Margo and her best friend, Jo, are the voices behind a podcast promoting hooking up without dealing with emotions. Jo is getting married and Margo is trying to figure out how to proceed so she thinks maybe she could break all of the rules to feature in the next season. Enter Declan. Margo did not plan to fall for Declan, but they were perfect for each other.

I really wanted to see this pair make things work. I liked both Margo and Declan and thought that the chemistry between them was amazing. The fact that they had some history together because they knew each other in high school added an extra layer to the story. Margo didn’t expect to catch any feelings for Declan but they were so good together that it seemed inevitable.

I listened to the audiobook and thought that Karissa Vacker did a fantastic job with this story. I liked the range of voices that she used to help bring each of the characters to life. I found her voice to be very pleasant and I had no problems listening for hours at a time. I am certain that her narration added to my overall enjoyment of this story.

I would definitely recommend this book to fans of contemporary romance. I thought that this was a fun read featuring a great cast of characters. I look forward to reading more of this author’s work in the future.

I received a review copy of this book from Penguin Random House Audio and St. Martin’s Griffin.

Perfect summer read!

Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts is such a perfect book for your summer relaxation. It has a beautiful setting of Catalina Island, a wedding, fun activities...but wait, there's our heroine's Rules! She (and her roomie/bestie/aka the bride) have made their fame though their podcast, Seven Rules, which address the single woman who wants to have her spicy life on her own terms... So, how does this work with one half of the podcast team getting married and the other, well, there's that best man with a bit of a high school history.... I hope this gives you enough of an idea of the fun of this book to go read it!

Thank you to the publisher who lent me a time-constrained e-arc via Netgalley. This review is optional and my own opinion.

Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts is a popular podcast hosted by two lifelong friends Go & Jo who have sworn off love and commitment. That is until Jo falls for and decides to marry a high school friend. The podcast has to pivot and the wedding is being paid for by a commercial sponsor on Catalina.. Friends with a history gather on this island vacation and there are feelings, romance and misunderstandings.
3.5 stars for this easy fun beach read from this debut author. For once men are shown in a positive light while the women carry more baggage. Enjoy and embrace the romance while waiting for their happy ending. Thank you to Netgalley and St Martins press for this story.

I spent the first half of this book mildly disliking the protagonist. But from about the time she realized she wanted to be more Margo than Go, she started to grow on me. There were some parts of this book that felt kind of contrived (WHY did the wedding party have to be there two weeks before the wedding?) to set up the very specific scenario the author wanted the characters to be in. And also, the catalyst for the final conflict made no sense? We never got any kind of an explanation as to why that character did the thing. But there were some good moments and the overall romance was fine.

Note: I received an ARC free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this enemies to lovers romance! this was such a quick cute read! once i started i couldnt put it down! their relationship was amazing🫶🏼 loved the podcast and the texts😍reading this book just made me so happy!

A fun first book from a new author. What happens when everything you've been working takes a turn in the opposite direction. The book had a lot scenes that caused me to laugh out loud. There were a few really sweet moments between Declan and Margo. The characters are a little immature, but they felt real. I enjoyed this book and how Margo seemed to grow up through the story. I look forward to seeing more from this author. I received an advance copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Margo and Jo are best friends who have a viral dating podcast based on the seven rules of dating. Jo surprises everyone including her best friend by getting married.

The wedding will be fully expensed by the podcast sponsors. Jo, her fiancé, and the bridal party will spend two weeks on Catalina Island. Ending their trip with the wedding.

The podcast is now under fire due to Jo’s wedding. Sponsors are dropping them and they are losing followers. They try to brainstorm a way to spin the seventh season of the podcast. Margo comes up with an idea to break all the rules that the podcast is based on. She decides to break the rules with the best man Declan. She has known Declan since high school and she did not like him much back then. She thought he did not like her either but it turns out that Declan actually had a massive crush on her.

I enjoyed the humor in this book. The dates that Margo and Declan tried to go on were fun and something would always go wrong.

I did like the use of social media and the podcast in this book. It didn’t feel in your face and I loved that we got to read some of the podcast episodes at the end of most chapters.

I loved that in the end Margo decided to not let the podcast overtake her thoughts on love. She followed her heart and I love where it took her.

This is a really cute romantic comedy. I would add this to your summer reading list!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is going to be short and sweet, unlike this book. First of all, the fact that influencers were the focus made me cringe from the get go. I liked the idea of having a podcast, but I really thought it was going to be a lowkey thing. Spoiler alert : it wasn’t. Other than that, Margo, the main character, was childish. Also, the rules she made and follow are simply way to harsh. I especially hated when she thought it was funny to ghost people. The romance part was weird also. I wish we had some comedic relief to lighten the story and give it a nice pace. One thing I like though was the fact that we were following the story backwards in a sense. We knew from the first page that it was going to be the end of the podcast and the book tells us why. I endend up skimming for a great part of the book because I was so annoyed by the characters and could not care for any of them. However, I do think there is some potentiel for the author because her writing style was nice.

Margo and her best friend Jo host a popular podcast where they give advice, based on their own experiences, on how to hook up with men without developing feelings. So when Jo announces she’s engaged, Margo and their podcast, need to change course. Margo decides to take on a new challenge, breaking all her old rules just to prove she still catch catch feelings. Enter Declan, her old nemesis and best man in Jo’s wedding. Will he be able to break her down and will she allow herself to catch feelings for him?

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for sending me this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

If you, like me, loves the movie ‘How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days’, you will adore this book as the premise is totally reminiscent of the movie. It was super adorable, fun to read and had just the right amount of spice. I sped through it in literally two days.

This is Kristyn J. Miller’s debut novel, I can’t wait to read her next

This book got me in the mood for summer! It will be a great beach read for anyone who loves second chances, enemies to lovers romance. Let me set the scene for you… Your best friend is getting married at a resort whose sponsoring the wedding in exchange for some social media exposure. Obviously, you’re the maid of honor and who's the best man? None other than your arch nemesis from high school. You were on the tail end of multiple jokes and pranks of his and while you haven’t seen him in years, you hate his guts but man he looks hot and you get the hotel room right next to his for 2 weeks.

While it had a slow start, I was really into it once it started to pick up. There are a few scenes that are total teases but the slow burn is worth the wait!

Thank you NetGalley and @kristynjmiller for the advanced copy!

Social media influencers Go and Jo weren’t supposed to find love. But Jo does and Go (Margo) attends the wedding happily but promises to continue guarding her heart. She runs into an old high school friend/enemy. Declan and Margo rekindle during this vacation.

There is banter and a lot of high’s and low’s. This is a New Adult type book from an up and coming author.

Loved this book!

Enemies to lovers at its finest (I love this trope!).

Margo and Declan are the cutest and this was the easiest read. The tension was there. The chemistry was there. Well written.

Perfect start to summer read!

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read and review.

This book is a really fun enjoyable read. I really enjoyed the setting on the island for the two weeks celebration leading up to the wedding. It is a very modern Rom-com involving social influencers and podcasters. Margo and Jo run a very successful podcast the past few years. It’s been based on their 7 rules to ensure they do not catch feeling switch any hookups. Jo suddenly finds herself in love and has broken their own rules. Margo in effort to keep the podcast popular decides she will also break the rules. This seems to be a harder task than what she envision. A great enemies to lovers book. Loved the setting and the character development. Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the digital review copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

What happens when half of a famous podcasting duo decides to get married? Well, a lot, if said podcast is literally called “Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts.” And what happens when the un-engaged half of the duo has to play nice with her former nemesis? Well, let’s just say, that’s what makes this book so great.

Author Kristyn J. Miller puts a fresh take on enemies-to-lovers in this delightful rom com, featuring a closed off heroine and a hero who just might have been crazy about her the whole time.

This is a premise that I could see being easily adapted to the screen. The slow burning chemistry and the internal conflicts are well done, and the setting is so vivid you feel like you’re there. I would have loved for there to have been some better communication between the two protagonists, but it wasn’t enough to turn me off from the plot.

If you’re looking for a book that will make you feel like you’re on vacation, this is the one for you.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for generously providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

What's it about (in a nutshell):
Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts by Kristyn J. Miller is an entertaining vacation with an enemies-to-lovers romance, a destination wedding, and many influencer shenanigans.
My Reading Experience:
I thoroughly enjoyed Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts. It has a bit of everything current in it. The main character, Margo, and her best friend, Jo, run a wildly popular podcast that has elevated them to Influencer status. I loved the deep dive into that world and how precarious it is.

The characters are just exceptional. There is an authenticity to them that also carries over to the romance. And the romance gave me all the feels. Margot and Declan are perfect together, and I loved them as a couple as much as I did each separately.

I also enjoyed the self-discovery Margot goes through as her world unravels fully. Jo and Margot initially fell into their podcast and never expected it to be the hit it became. But it's about being and staying single, and Jo is now getting married. Their viewers feel betrayed, and sponsors abandon the ship. So what can Margot do now? Because she has to figure out what's next, she deeply digs into what she wants in life and career. I loved watching her figure it out and come out as a fully realized adult on the other side.
Characters:
Margot is the main character and one-half of Go and Jo, podcasters on Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts. She is creative and colorful, full of spunk and spirit. But when it comes to love, Margot wants no part of it. When she lets go of her rules for staying single, as an experiment for the podcast, she learns that they were standing in her way of finding someone special.

Narration & Pacing:
Margot tells this story in first-person narration, which I loved. Seeing the world through her eyes is essential for feeling authenticity and emotional highs and lows. First-person narration also works towards keeping the pace fast, and this story did have a swift pace.
Setting:
The setting is Catalina Island. I've never been there, but I love any location on the water, and this is no exception. I had a lot of fun learning more about the island and being able to experience the bookish vacation it offered.

Read if you like:
Enemies to Lovers romances
Island settings
Character-driven stories

This is a great read for fans of fake dating kind of enemies to lovers tropes, which are always fun for me and ones I enjoy in a good light summer read. I admit, as a rule kind of person, I liked that this book leaned into some of the controlling my life when life can't be controlled vibes, that was a fun part of the plot and character development. And a wedding themed setting always works for me too as I like to lean into some of the ridiculousness of wedding stuff but also the romance and happiness of those settings as well.
Thank you to St Martin's for the review copy, this was a most welcome end of semester read for me. Recommended for rom com fans and for readers wanting a light summer vacation read.

4.5 stars!!!

Another beach read that I highly recommend! Grab this if you are a fan of high school crush, second chance romance, enemies to loves, and cute best friends.

I love that the book has a unique storyline and isn't predictable (though you always know it's a HEA ending). Margo is a fun, relatable MC facing the painful dilemma of choosing between her declining podcast and her beloved friend's wedding.

Miller takes us on a heartwarming journey as we see Margo put her life back together and discover that she can finally have it all.

I especially loved the crazy climax I hadn't seen coming, and all the drama that came with it (who doesn't like drama, confessions, and realizations?)

So to conclude, I am a fan of this book and the author. You should read this book ASAP!!!

This was a cute, quick read. Witty, romancey, love story with a happy ending. A great weekend read. The chemistry was warming.