Thanks to NetGalley for an early copy of this book. Below is my honest review.

This book is about two podcasters, Go (Margo) and Jo, and Jo is getting married. However, their podcast is all about being single and not seeking a relationship while following seven rules. Needless to say, their followers are not thrilled about Jo’s nuptials.

However, this story really focuses on Jo’s podcast partner Go. Without spoilers, Margo is reunited with her high school nemesis (one of the groomsmen) and has no idea he had a crush on her back in the day. Will Go break all of her rules for him?

Pros: I liked the authors writing style and sense of humor. The male MC, Declan, was a great character. There were enough supporting characters without being overwhelming and the setting of the book was wonderful. The snippets of the podcast were a nice touch.

Cons: Margo, the female MC, was very unlikable at first. She was too focused on her brand, her followers, and herself. She didn’t even seem to care about the feelings of her best friend, Jo. It wasn’t until halfway through the book that she becomes likable and actually shows she cares about Jo. After that point, the book really improved.

Overall, I’d give it a shot if you enjoy enemies to lovers and an occasional laugh

I just finished reading Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts, a debut romcom by Kristyn Miller. Although the enemies to lovers is a familiar trope, the novel felt fresh and non-formulaic, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Jo and Go are lifelong best friends who are popular podcasters, promoting not falling in love by following their rules. They are very successful, but Jo falls in love and gets engaged. This will obviously affect both their friendship and their livelihood.

I am always impressed with authors who put a fresh spin on a romance novel. Since the podcasts are such a big part of the novel, I appreciate how Miller did a great job of letting the reader know the ins and outs of social media influencing. The reader sees Margo (Go) grow emotionally and professionally. We learn the back story of her trust issues. Her relationship with Jo, her mother, and Declan comes alive and rings true with the dialogue. I also love the fact so much the story takes place on Catalina Island. Although I have never been there, the descriptions bring the island to life.

This was a fun read and I loved the romance between Margo and Declan. Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars!

This was such a cute, easy read.

Margo and Jo have a podcast for being single. But Jo up and gets married, thereby rendering their podcast a lie. Margo is desperately trying to salvage the final season of it, even going so far as to suggest taking the best man on a test run.

Turns out the best man is Margo's enemy from high school. And Declan did not have any hatred for Margo...just the opposite.

While I liked Margo and Declan's believable timeline for clearing the air, testing the waters, and then diving in (dressing room, anyone?!)...part of me was put off by the third act of the book. For someone who was so adamant on being honest and hearing each other out, Declan's anger seemed a little excessive.

Also, for someone who was a new student and immediately joined the popular crowd, the second half of the book made Declan just seem very self-conscious and unsure of anything in relationships, which are traits I'd associate with the 'nerdy' kid (which was Margo's role...as a band geek). Especially his hatred towards ginger jokes....his personality doesn't give off the vibe that goes with the popular kids.

Either way, I typically steer clear of books that heavily based on social media because I feel like the books will be dated very quickly. However, as we are living in the time of 'everyone has a podcast' and influencers are everywhere, this actually worked for me. So other than the personality transplant of Declan in the last 30%, I thoroughly enjoyed the book.

And thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC!

Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts by Kristyn J. Miller is an instant classic romcom. I was a little skeptical about the podcaster/influencer aspect (there are a few interactions Margo has with bartenders that left a bad taste in my mouth. My day job is bartending so I might be a little biased on that one) but Miller does a great job creating multi-faceted characters, avoiding falling into the trap of stereotypical superficial influencers.

I swear I was put through almost every emotion with this book. It was funny, it was frustrating (in a good way), it was heartwarming, and there were even moments that made me sad (Margo’s reasons for singledom were so relatable it hurt).

Miller’s debut was such a fun read that I found myself screaming (metaphorically), laughing out loud, throwing my kindle, and staying up until 3am just to finish and make sure Margo got her happy ending.

For fans of Emily Henry & How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts is a must-read.

She's a girl who doesnt do relationships - in fact she has a whole podcast centred around how to avoid getting hurt and catching feelings. He is her childhood enemy who's secretly been inlove with her his whole life. When they are reunited for a mutual friends wedding, they reconnect and... yup, she's about to break all her own rules. This debut romance novel was soooo good. I love a good enemies to lovers plot and this had it allll - the bickering, the funny moments, the teasing and just the right amount of spice. And the male lead is an adorable redhead = bonus! I'll definitely be adding a hardcopy of this novel to my library when it releases.

Review:
When a podcaster who is famous for her podcast that talks about rules for hooking up without catching feelings finds herself running into her high school enemy at her best friend’s wedding, she’ll soon find herself breaking all her own rules. Margo Anderson has sworn off commitment, to the point where she and her best friend run a viral podcast that talks about rules for hooking up without catching feelings. Yet to Margo’s surprise Jo has caught feelings and is getting married. Now Margo finds herself as Jo’s maid of honor on an all expense paid wedding trip on Catalina Island, yet this brings up two problems: 1) their audience is questioning if everything they said and stood by was fake and a lie and 2) Margo will have to face Declan, her high school rival, who just happens to be the groom’s best friend and who is also the best man. Margo decides to solve the first problem by making a social experiment: break all her own dating rules to prove that its a bad idea and who better than to be the subject of her experiment than Declan. Yet this new Declan is something she never expected, he’s easy on the eyes, annoying, and somehow Margo has begun to fall for him. Yet the more time they spend together the more Margo begins to question her rules and if she can let him in... and what’s going to happen to her career if it comes out? Unfortunately this one just missed the mark for me. Declan was sweet and a cute love interests but the romance was meh and the whole misunderstanding between them was eh. Margo’s obsession with her podcast and being a podcaster was a lot. The whole drama about creating a social experiment and using a real life person and using their own feelings was not so great from my pov. While this one didn’t work for me, maybe it’ll work for you. If you enjoy enemies to lovers and podcasts on relationships than definitely give this one a go.

*Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

I was asked to review “Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts” by Kristyn J. Miller. I have been reading a lot of rom coms lately. I do not mind formulaic novels as long as the characters are memorable and you enjoy the journey to happily ever after.

As typical in many of these books, Margo, has given up on love. She runs a podcast with her BF, Jo, about hooking up but protecting one’s heart. Yet, when Jo ends up hosting a wedding on Catalina Island, Margo and Jo’s listeners are not happy. So, Margo agrees to break her own rules, and that is when Declan, the best man steps in. Of course, they hate each other, which naturally means they’re going to fall in love if Margo’s cynical heart allows it.

Like I said, the novel is pretty predictable, but I didn’t mind it. I enjoyed the setting, the banter between Margo and Jo, and it’s certainly the perfect book to read during a long flight or while sunning at the beach. It’s like I love chocolate cake, even though I know what it’s going to taste like and that I might have a slight stomach ache afterwards. Yet, I still enjoy every bite. “Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts” is like that.

Three and a half stars.

Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for my advanced copy.

4.5⭐️
I absolutely fell in love with this book! I even read it in less than a day. Could not put it down. It is the debut novel by Kristyn Miller about bff podcasters (Jo and Go “Margo”) who focus their podcast and brand on their rules of ‘not falling in love’…until one of them falls in love and gets engaged. Now what?!
The plot was very enjoyable, enemies to lovers trope, the locale was beautiful and the characters very relatable especially in this time of social media and influencers. Just a fabulous all around romcom. I look forward to reading her next one!! ❤️
Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts sounded interesting to me because the entire premise is about two friends who gain fame from a podcast about not getting attached to the men they date. Since usually this type of scenario is a guy avoiding commitment this caught my attention. As you may suspect they find they cannot play by their own rules and the book explores the development of Margo and Declans chemistry and their differing ideals about relationships and love. This would have been a homerun for me if there had been a little more flirty chemistry between Declan and Margo off the bat. Their interactions for the first half of the book seemed forced and lacking. There first half of this book seemed like it took too long to gain momentum and it felt a little flat. The bones were good though, the characters were likable enough and the setting of Catalina Island was interesting. It just needed more witty banter, flirting or excitement between the two leads. Since this was a debut novel I would read another book by this author in the future. The potential is there.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Griffin Publishers for allowing me to read an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Maybe that this was okay, that we weren’t blurring an already muddled line between wedding hookup and something more.

-enemies to lovers, breaking the rules of the podcast to reinvent themselves 🎙️🎵
-I enjoyed the book and it’s focus on the podcast and how popularity and fame can change so quickly
-wished Declan and Margo had more spark but the ending made it a solid 3.5⭐️
-Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this!

Sometimes I feel like a feral little human. I daydream of running wild, biting ankles and yelling at people to stop interrupting me .

Side note, this is my pet peeve. I hate being interrupted.

I have always had a lot to say in addition to an immense amount of excitement in everything I blurt out, so when someone interrupts me, they are killing my vibe .

Rant over

I’m here to tell you about a peachy little book I read last night that had me ranting and raving over morning coffee with my book bestie this morning .

“Can you believe that butt hole? What was he thinking!”

“And she did what!!!”

Yes! I’m guilty as charged, I have just read two back to back romcoms and I need you to NOT kill my vibe. I’m chasing rainbows and planting trees over here.

Am I starting to believe in happy endings?

Stay tuned .

Did I just become a Thriller Traitor 🤐

Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts

In Kristyn J. Miller's Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts, a sparkling debut rom-com, a perpetually single podcaster has to break all of her own dating rules…

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

⭐⭐⭐.5 /5
Spice level 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

This is a strong romcom debut for Kristyn Miller! I really enjoyed this beachy foray into the lives of Margo and Declan, former (one-sided) rivals who are thrust together to plan a wedding on Catalina Island. While the book follows tried-and-true tropes, Miller leaves some room for surprises with her deft handling of the main character arcs, which touch on universal themes of identity crisis, career uncertainty and self-confidence. However, the ending felt a little rushed (I'm not a fan of the third act breakup), and I wasn't able to connect with Margo as much as other readers seemed to have; I felt that her spunkiness sometimes verged on cruelty, which I realize can be a tricky (and often gendered) balancing act for writers to strike. Declan was SWOONWORTHY though, and the spice was great! Definitely recommend throwing this one in your tote for a beach day.

4 Stars A fun and witty rom com! I read this so quickly because it was so entertaining. I especially loved the up to date references to pop culture, like Bumble, Doja Cat, and Timothee Chalamet. Definitely a rom com meant for young millennials/Gen Zers. Margo and Declan were an adorable couple and had such a fun dynamic. Recommend this one!

This author is definitely one to watch! I loved her writing style.
This was a delightful romcom that I devoured easily. I loved the setting on Catalina Island and the glimpse into the pressures of the social media world. Margo and Declan are complete opposites, but we all know what that means…💗 This one is full of humor, emotion, and character growth.
Also, Declan = Swoon 😍

Thank you for my gifted copy for an honest review

Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts by debut author K. J. Miller, published by St. Martin's Press, is a romantic comedy, witty and fun tells the book Margo, Jo and Declan's story.
Brilliantly written characters that grip your attraction and a story that let the reader turning the pages til the last page.