Margo has built a podcast based upon 7 rules of hooking up along with her friend and partner Jo. However, Jo is getting married and Margo wrestles with the future and also her old high school nemesis.
I thought Margo was a bit tiresome for most of the book and also hypocritical. She wasn’t being altruistic when she agreed to hang out with Declan. When the stuff hits the fan, it’s too late to be indignant.
It was an ok read but I didn’t really care for the main characters.

Margo and her best friend, Jo, are co-hosts of a viral podcast that they made famous for seven rules for hooking up without getting feelings involved. So, the internet freaked out when Jo announced she was getting married and using a sponsor’s offer for an all-expenses paid wedding trip to Catalina Island. Also upset was Margo. She was left dealing with the fallout from Jo’s announcement. So, she devised a plan. She’s going to break her own dating rules to prove that it is a bad idea. Her victim: Declan Walsh, the groom’s best man and Margo’s arch nemesis from high school. But, as Margo spends time with Declan, he isn’t who she remembered, and she does something that she vowed never to do: She caught feelings for him. But, when a vengeful fan reveals her plan, Margo might just have lost the best thing that has happened to her. Will Margo prove to Declan that what she feels is real? Or has she blown it?

Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts was a medium to fast-paced book that made me laugh in places and want to cry in others. It is mainly set on Catalina Island, centering on the resort and the town of Avalon. Having always wanted to go to Catalina Island, I enjoyed the brief forays into the water and one memorable hike to see bison. On a side note, I was surprised when that came up in this book and did a Google search of it. Seeing that it is real, I want to go there even more.

The main storyline of Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts centers around Margo, Declan, Margo’s plans to do damage control, Jo’s wedding, and the various trips the wedding party takes. I wasn’t a massive fan of Margo’s plan and felt it would end badly. I did think that the author did a great job of weaving all of these details together to make a great story. Because I feel that if she had just based this book on Margo and Declan, it would have fallen flat.

I didn’t like Margo at first. She seemed immature and needy. Even though high school was ten years behind them, she was still focused on how Declan treated her. There were points when she talked crap about Declan to Jo, and that’s when I wanted to stuff a gag in her mouth and tell her to get over it. Her plan to use him for her damage control plan was pretty low. But then something happened that usually doesn’t happen if I had made up my mind about a character. I started to like her. She was acting the way she was because she wasn’t sure what her future held, which scared her. And when her phone was stolen, and everything leaked, I felt awful for her. I wish that storyline had been closure because I was heated. But the author left it as that person did it and got caught, but nothing happened. Margo, of course, got the short end of the stick there. I won’t say how, but it made me very teary-eyed.

I loved Declan. He was the complete package: gorgeous, intelligent, and built. His confession to Margo about why he acted the way to her in high school was sweet. He also dealt with everything that Jo and Margo did (for the podcast and their sponsors) in stride. There were points in the book where I thought he was a little too laid back, but that didn’t last long. But, when everything was leaked, he jetted. I didn’t blame him; it was just too much. Plus, his feelings were shattered. So, no, I didn’t blame him for what he said to Margo and how he took off.

For a romance, there weren’t a ton of sex scenes. Margo and Declan fooled around a ton, but sex was only a few times. The author did include Margo getting serviced by Declan in a dressing room and Margo returning the favor to Declan in the shower. The sex wasn’t graphic either, and honestly, I could have cared less. For me, it was the chemistry that they had and the build-up. Other people might disagree, but I stand my ground in this case. Declan and Margo had great sexual chemistry.

As for trigger warnings in this book, I can only think of two. They are:

Drinking: The drinks flowed freely in this book. Margo and the rest of the wedding party were drunk up to the wedding.
Drugs: One of the bridesmaids owns a high-profile cannabis store. During the bachelorette party, she brings cannabis-laced brownies and gummies to help celebrate.
The end of Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts was super sad. I hated seeing Margo acting the way that she was. She was depressed and knew she had mucked it up between her and Declan. Of course, this is a romance, and you know they end up together. That scene stole my breath. And the epilogue was fantastic!!!!

I would recommend Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts to anyone over 21. There is language, mild violence, and sexual situations. Also, see my trigger warning list.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Griffin, NetGalley, and Kristyn J. Miller for allowing me to read and review Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

Thank you Kristyn J. Miller and St. Martin’s Griffin Publishing for the advanced reader copy of Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts.

Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts followed the story of two women Jo and Go who started a Podcast to support women during the dating game and how to "not catch feelings" through a list of seven rules. However, once Jo breaks those rules and is engaged to be married to Peter, Go feels she has to pick up the pieces of their newfound backlash of their podcast.

Margo (Go) as our FMC gives an honestly refreshing perspective as to what it means to be a woman in the dating space and how to be manipulate the dating apps and experiences to benefit women to not get hurt. With this being said, there are obvious issues she needs to work through, which creates a strong character development in this story.

Our MMC, Declan is a cute, nerdy used to be "bully" to Margo that seemingly has a different remembrance of their high school experience. Throughout the novel Margo and Declan tackle their history and bring to the surface an undeniable connection that may lead Margo to breaking her own "rules."

Overall, I found this story to be sweet and endearing. I loved our main characters' personalities and their storyline. I, however, felt a lack of connection to the side characters or the main environment of the story, which was a little bit of a let down, making this story a 4 star read.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

So, this was a tough one for me. The story started out very slow with tons of exposition dumps and Margo the MC telling instead of showing everything. Also, Margo came off as very self-absorbed, obnoxious and immature at the beginning but through her character growth became a very likable and vulnerable heroine with whom I could identify.

But Declan! I have a soft spot for redheads and he was adorbs. Yes, he was a little turd back in middle school and high school to Margo with his childish pranks, but grown up Declan can get it.

Overall, I recommend this read if you can tough out the slow start until you actually get to the character growth and the romantic love story.

Margo has seen too many women get burned in bad relationships, so she and her friend Jocelyn created a podcast dedicated to helping women hook up with men and avoiding catching feelings. They grew their podcast through six seasons and gained many sponsors, but then–the beginning of the end–Jocelyn met Peter and fell in love, putting the whole basis of their podcast in jeopardy. Now one of their sponsors is hosting the wedding on beautiful Catalina Island and Margo is the maid of honor. But she has an idea for the show: break all her rules to show how bad an idea that is... and she has the perfect candidate picked out. Declan is the best man and also her high school nemesis. He's just as arrogant as ever and she's guaranteed never to feel anything for him... right? But the more time they spend together, the more Margo doesn't want to follow her plan. Who knew breaking all the rules could feel so right?
This story was sweet and fun with all the feels and some great vacation vibes. Declan appears so condescending and arrogant at first until you realize how shy and sweet he is... and so stuck on Margo for years! I love the description of the Island and all the touristy activities. It sounds like a really fun place to visit!I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a really fun rom-com! It's enemies to lovers, which is one of my favorite tropes, and Margo and Declan had great chemistry and banter. It's the perfect book for summer!

I'm glad I took a chance on reading this book from a new to me author. The book did not disappoint. I love the podcast/influencer aspect of the story for Jo and Margo, the creation of the 7 rules and the premise behind them. But then Jo falls in love and the backlash starts from fans and followers who live by the rules. Not to mention Jo's love is best friends with Margo's nemesis and they have to spend time together for the wedding. At first Declan had no clue why Margo had nothing but animosity for him. But as they spent time together on Catalina Island for the wedding festivities, the animosity seemed to peel away and they were enemies were no longer. Margo being Margo derails the progress they've made. I like that the author didn't have Margo and Declan find their HEA at the end of the wedding festivities. She needed to find her way, to figure out what new path she wanted to forge, to love herself wholeheartedly. I look forward to reading more books by this author in the future.

I received and advance copy of this book at my request and voluntarily left this review.

Thanks to #partner @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the digital ARC of Kristyn J. Miller's Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts. The book is out on Tuesday!

In Kristyn J. Miller’s Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts, main character Margo Anderson’s life centers on her podcast with her best friend Jo. Their focus? Well, it’s encompassed by that title: they began with a vow to live out the principle of a woman’s right to hook up without falling in love (or even like!) with anyone.

And then Jo fell in love.

Now, Go (Margo) is left adrift. Jo is her best friend, her partner, her roommate . . . and Margo isn’t so sure that she still wants to live the rules the way she has been, but she’s also not sure what she wants instead.

Jo’s wedding to her high school crush brings tons of feelings to the surface for Margo, as does the presence of Best Man Declan: the groom’s best friend from high school AND Margo’s high school nemesis.

But as Margo gets to know Declan, really for the first time, she also starts to understand herself a little more.

This was a fun, sweet romance. While it took me a little while to get invested, watching Margo work through her relationships, working through a deep consideration of the expectations she’s set for herself and just where they come from, is incredibly satisfying. I loved the relationship between Margo and Declan, who is such a great character, and I also enjoyed the behind-the-scenes look at Go and Jo’s podcast.

such a cute, light-hearted read with very enjoyable characters! i’m a HUGE enemies to lovers girlie, so i greatly enjoyed this book.

I’m a true lover of podcasts, add a little romance and I was sold! Margo and Jo have this successful podcast, and it’s a Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts, pretty much a single woman’s guide to staying single. Well Jo is getting married and it changes everything and Margo is going through it. But when she finds out that her high school nemesis is the best man, she decided that she will have a little fun, and create more content for the podcast, since she’s going to be losing her best friend to marriage.

Well jokes on her, because not only does she break all rules, she also gets a wake up call, and I love to see that in books. Not only does she find out things about Declan that makes her fall for him even more, she’s also realizing that change is a good thing, and to also be true to yourself. I adored this read, it was funny as hell, and so romantic. Thanks NetGalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

I went into the book thinking it would be along then lines of How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and I was not disappointed!!! Super easy, fast, fun read that is PERFECT for reading in the sunshine!
5 stars!

If you know me you know I love a book that contains a podcast. I'm also a sucker for a good enemies to lovers story line, so this one was a must read.

Margo has seven rules when it comes to dating, rules she doesn't break..and rules that doesn't let her get too deep or attached. Margo and her friend Jo even made a podcast out of the rules, Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts. However, Jo broke them when she got engaged. Jo and Go (aka Margo) landed a pretty sweet sponsor for the podcast. An all expense paid trip and wedding to Catalina Island, all they have to do is share some content with their followers. Since Jo is getting married they have to think of something new for their next season of their podcast. Margo decides why not throw out all the rules and find a guy she can hang out with, that would make good content, right? Insert Declan, the best man and someone who Margo didn't necessarily want to see. Margo can hang out with him for 2 weeks. It will be easy to not follow the rules....but will it be easy to not catch feelings in the process?

What can I say? I really enjoyed this book. I liked all the characters. Each one brought something to the story, even if it was a side character. I loved Margo and Jo as individual people and their friendship. Not many friendships can last as long as theirs has. But, I LOVED Declan. He is my new favorite redhead, sorry Ronald (iykyk). I thought their story was sweet. It didn't seem forced. How is this a debut novel?? The author did such a great job. I will be patiently waiting for more books from her.

Thank you to PRH Audio, NetGalley, and St. Martin's Press for my advanced copies.

This book was cute. The characters were cute, the storyline was cute, and I enjoyed reading it. However, at no point was this a "can't put down" kind of book. I never fell in love with the stories or the characters, but I still enjoyed the book. Parts of the story line dragged on a little too much for me, I may have enjoyed it more if it were a shorter read. Honestly, I may have just been too old to enjoy this :) Overall, a cute Contemporary Romance.

Margo and her best friend Jo run a viral podcast about how to hookup without catching feelings. When Jo decides to get married and takes a sponsor up on an all-expense paid wedding trip, the internet has a lot to say. Margo decides that she is going to mix things up for their listeners and break all her dating rules, with the groom's best friend and her high school enemy Declan - someone Margo will never have feelings for, right?

Thank you Netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

"Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts" is an entertaining and well-written debut from Kristyn Miller. The premise is pure millennial / Gen-Z, with the FMC, Margo, being a popular podcaster and reluctant social media influencer. The MMC, Declan, is essentially the opposite, an engineer for NASA who keeps his own social media very low-profile. The two went to high school together where Margo considered practical joker Declan her nemesis. They reunite when his BFF and her BFF, and podcasting partner, get married.

Margo is struggling with her changing future as her podcast was all about being single. She is also not in love with her influencer status, and is essentially struggling with her self-identity. Declan is secure in his self but unsure of his status with Margo. Margo knows only that she doesn't believe in love.

Things change for Margo over the course of the weeks she spends with Declan, but her early insecurities threaten everything. While this is definitely a rom-com, this book is also a sort of coming of age story for Margo as she learns that things she thought definitively true are definitely not.

This book is very readable, the characters well-developed, and the plot points not disingenuous. A solid 4.5 stars rounded to 5. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a complementary ARC of this book. The opinions herein are my own.

Margo and her best friend Jo run a viral podcast featuring rules for hooking up without catching feelings. That is, until Jo falls in love and decides to get married. Scrambling for new content to keep their listeners (and sponsors) hooked and happy proves to be challenging. As does the fact that groom’s best friend and her old high school nemesis, Declan Walsh, is the best man at the wedding. When sparks start to fly, Margo has to decide if she can let go of her rules and let him in.

I loved this book! Margo is such a relatable character. She really had to do a lot of soul searching to figure out what she really wanted in life. It was refreshing to read about a character who didn’t have everything together, even if it looked like she did on the outside. It really shows us that, we are who we are…until we aren’t. It’s always ok to change ourselves when the things we want change as well. When she finally let go and started becoming herself, you could feel how the book changed right along with her. From jaded and pessamistic to full of hope and promise.

Jo is an amazing best friend. Not only does she support Margo, but she also pushes her. She show her it’s ok to climb out of her comfort zone and go for what she wants, even if outsiders won’t agree with her. Declan was everything a girl could ask for. I appreciated the fact that his character was completely upfront. What we saw was who he is. No skeletons in the close, wives on the side, or drama filled exes.

This book was such a cute read. It’s perfect for summer! I now need to go to Catalina Island immediately, even though the author painted such a thorough picture that I feel as if I have already been there!

Thank you to Net Galley, St. Martin’s Griffin, and the author for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC. The book comes out May 16th!

This was so good! I loved the characters and the story line was great! The friendship was relatable. The FMC struggled with feelings alot of us do and it was enjoyable watching her work through it all. I think the chemistry with the FMC and MMC was well written and nothing felt rushed or lacking everything came together perfect.

Thank you netgalley and the publishers for this arc!

Honestly what a cute, quick summer read. Really enjoyed the growth of Declan and Margo’s relationship. It didn’t seem fake or obnoxious.

The podcast aspect got a little bit annoying and the end with the stolen phone as well, but it finished nicely.

Can’t wait to recommend this one to my friends.

SEVEN RULES FOR BREAKING HEARTS – Kristyn J. Miller
St. Martin’s Griffin
ISBN: 978-1250861825
May 16, 2023
Contemporary Romance

Catalina Island, California – Present Day

Margo Anderson and her best friend Jo are popular podcasters about women taking control of their dating life. Their podcast is called Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts and is meant to appeal to women that remain single as they navigate the dating market. But Jo has broken the rules and is getting married. The wedding will happen on Catalina Island and Margo is her maid of honor. As a tie-in to their podcast, the wedding party will be staying at the resort hotel where the wedding will take place as they make wedding preparations. Jo’s fiancé also attended school with them, so it shouldn’t be a surprise to Margo that his best man will be none other than the man who made her high school experience miserable.

Declan Walsh works for NASA and isn’t into dating much. He’s a bit of a nerd and doesn’t know how to navigate social media, but he’s aware of the podcast that Margo and Jo have made popular. While Margo thinks that Declan tormented her while they were in school, the truth is that he was secretly attracted to her. No matter how much Margo tries to avoid Declan, they can’t as their hotel rooms are across from each other. But the more they’re around each other, the more they learn about each other—and soon become attracted. Margo lives by the rules as stated in the podcast but with Jo getting married, it’s time to test out the rules. Will Declan be the test subject for Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts?

Things don’t go the way Margo wants in the cute and funny SEVEN RULES FOR BREAKING HEARTS. While she’s happy that Jo found the guy that she wants to spend the rest of her life with, it’s played havoc with their podcast motto. As they ponder the future, Margo realizes she needs to prove that she has control of her love life. Declan seems like the perfect test subject since she has never liked him and has no plans to spend the rest of her life with him. But by the end of this tale, Margo is changing her mind…and bending the rules.

Meanwhile, Margo and Declan are thrown together, and she makes it clear that she’s not a fan of his. When he explains about high school, she is wondering how she missed the signals that he liked her. He had a funny way of showing it! As part of the wedding party group getting their accommodations comped, Margo must upload photographs about the activities on the island onto their social media pages. But most of her shots end up with Declan in them. Will the podcast followers think Margo is betraying them, or can she hide the fact that she’s beginning to like him…a lot? Things are not going smoothly for Margo, and it soon turns worse. How will things end for Margo…and Declan? Will someone end up with a broken heart?

A deliciously funny tale about a modern woman thinking she can control her love life, but love has its own plans. Don’t miss SEVEN RULES FOR BREAKING HEARTS.

Patti Fischer
Romance Reviews Today

Thank you so much for an advanced copy of this book!

This book is cute, fun, and it is a very quick read. The characters are relatable, and I enjoyed reading it. I do feel like the story lacks substance, though, and it is definitely light on the depth re: the overall story. It was. a fun read, but albeit a forgettable one as well. I think if you like cute, fun romances, you should pick this one up. If you aren't a romance girlie or you like your romances to have a little more angst or depth, you should probably skip this one.

I honestly feel like this book doesn't pretend to be anything it's not, though! The cover gives the impression of. a light, fun, and airy romance...and that's what you get! I enjoyed reading it, but I probably won't buy a copy for my shelves unfortunately!

Rating: 3⭐️

*4.5

I had a good time with this. I really liked Margo as a character and seeing her development. Watching her slowly open up to Declan was really cute. His awkwardness was adorable.

I received an arc through netgalley.