The writing is so info-dumpy and stilted; I was very bored and irritated while reading this. I just cannot conjure any emotion to care about Sam and her problems.

I typically stay away from stories set in high school because they often veer towards too dramatic with a really annoying group of characters. 'How to Win a Breakup' was so hilarious that the annoying characters didn't really feel all that annoying.

'How to Win a Breakup' is a quick and chaotic read! Having teens at the peak of their hormones and romantic relationships is bound to be wild from start to finish.

The main character, Samaya's, ex-boyfriend Devin randomly breaks up with her right before summer break and totally derails her emotion and life plans. There's a Gossip Girl-esque account going around spreading hurtful commentary about Samaya post-breakup. Samaya is a gamer girl and decides to post an edited picture of her and the anonymous gamer buddy. She starts volunteering at a family shelter and meets the human sunshine, Daniel, who also just happens to be the guy in the photo she sent into this story's Gossip Girl. Daniel and Samaya start up a fake dating situation so Samaya can take control of the rumours spreading about her and in return she tutors him in math.

All the choices made by any of the teens in this book gave me so much secondhand embarrassment. When you're reading it as an adult, it's easy to think the characters are doing the most but just tape into your cringe teen memories and you'll realize it's not that far from reality.

Samaya and Daniel started fake dating so quickly and fell in love just as quick. They get into a lot of shenanigans along the way and have to think on their feet to make sure everyone believes they're actually dating. There's entirely too many people scrutinizing their every move.

Samaya's ex-boyfriend Devin was such a pathetic menace. He shows up so often and every time I'm like "please get off the page right now". Also most of her friends are so mean and sometimes I was left thinking "why on Earth are you being like this right now?"

My main issue with this story was that ultimately no choices or consequences held any gravity. Everyone kind of just moves on and the story wraps up quick. While this isn't fully unrealistic, it just feels a little strange to have so much chaos to have such little time spent on the resolution.

Overall, 'How to Win A Breakup' was an entertaining read with a really dramatic, cast of teenage characters. I'm excited to read more of Farah Heron's work!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Skyscape for the eARC!

I have a lot of issues about this book and some of them I'm gonna keep to myself, but it was mentioned in the book that samaya and her family were Muslim but they didn't act anything like being a Muslim and all the characters were so immature and Daniel was so sunshiney which is so much for me.

This was an entertaining book. I don't always enjoy a high-school-based tale(given my current age), but I tend to give it a shot here and there and end up liking some of them.
This was one such book, and I ended up reading this in almost a single sitting. The writing was good, and the diverse cast was all introduced with proper background information, providing a complete picture of everything that was going on.
Our almost-over-achieving leading lady is in a fix. She had a bad ending to the previous year and is now short of a few things on her resume that she thought she would have by now. This is a direct impact of a very public breakup at the end of the previous year. There is a subtle mix of childish tantrums as well as calm ruminations of those on the brink of independence and adulthood by the time we see the entire story through.
Samaya has a finger in a lot of pies. She wants to get a game app up and running as well as add something different to her resume. The latter leads her to help cook (since she cannot cook at all) at a community centre. The former means life in school is hard.
Samaya is also playing a game with an anonymous person online who is someone she is getting quite close to. She uses that person's profile picture to announce to her school that she has moved on. This complicates matters even further, adding chaos to an extremely chaotic year.
I thought that the book could have been shorter (even as it felt like a quick read) because once the chaos piles up, things seem to drag. This is probably the only negative I have for the entire book. We meet different kinds of students with differing priorities who all end up showing their true colours by the time the end rolls around.
Each individual character felt like their own person. This is the story's strongest part. I would recommend it to readers of this genre.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

This one is such a great ride. A villain that you love to hate and a FMC you really root for. The secondhand embarrassment of how the breakup plays out made me cringe a little but I really enjoyed the budding romance. Revenge romance typically isn't my favorite (it feels a bit manipulative) but I think I enjoyed them together so much it didn't even cross my mind reading this one.

Samaya and her friends brought me right back to the high school years as we navigate exes, friends and preparing for college with them. When Samaya begins to volunteer for a local shelter, she meets Daniel and the connection between them two is quick! I found myself having a hard time connecting with Samaya, at first, but by the end of the story I was rooting for her and glad to see her growth and self-discovery! Thank you to NetGalley and Skyscape! All thoughts and opinions are my own

This is my first Farah Heron book and I am on my way to read all of her others.

Samaya is going through it, she was dumped at the beginning of the summer, lost a job because of her ex-boyfriend and her frenemy is now dating her ex. So after losing an opportunity that would look good on her college applications, she is given a volunteer opportunity where she meets hockey playing, baking, Daniel.

Confession time: I usually don’t like fake-dating, I know, I know. I just haven’t found one to convince me of the trope. UNTIL this one, I think I get it now.

I loved the side characters and how unlikeable they were and my brain was constantly trying to play detective with the mystery element.

I loved how true to high school this felt, with the ease of getting caught up in your own life and problems that nothing else existed.

Easy to say that I loved this book a lot.

Thank you to Netgalley for the eArc.

Loved everything about this one! It has gossip girl and lady whistledown drama happening but online and poor Samaya who had been broken up with before the summer is the center of all the tea. Her ex bf/friend is back when school starts up again and now with someone she knows. So her friends help her by posting a pic with her and the guy she's been playing online games with.
This turns into a huge problem as the guy in the picture is a guy at her new volunteer job and not the guy she was talking to online.
This was so sweet and had so many different important topics that are important for teens to hear about organically. Like gossip, toxic relationships, your worth isn't tied to your academic success or relationship partner. Also real life realities such as homelessness and extreme privilege. Also not putting everyone in a box by type and judging by their interests.

Thank you skyscape

Thank you so much to the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Smart girl Samaya is dumped by who she thought was her picture-perfect boyfriend. Her job is sabotaged and her ex starts dating her enemy. Samaya isn’t winning the breakup until she meets Daniel. Daniel offers to fake date her in exchange for tutoring. What could possibly go wrong?

A lot could go wrong. And they did. However, it was handled very well. Elitism was a theme throughout the story and Samaya learning about her own was very well done. Daniel and Samaya had a very cute relationship and I was rooting for them the whole way through. As someone who’s half South Asian, the representation was on point.

Overall, it was a fun read and I’d recommend it to fans of Jennifer Yen and her book A Taste for Love!

An “it” couple’s breakup becomes a sporting event in a deliciously charming novel about the games people play in the name of love. First, math genius and gamer-nerd Samaya gets dumped by her boyfriend. Then he sabotages her job and hooks up with her frenemy. What could be worse? Clearly, her golden-boy ex is winning the breakup. The only way Samaya can get some rebound cred is to find someone new. Even if she has to fake it. At a volunteer bake sale, Samaya meets a sweet opportunity. Daniel is a handsome hockey jock and a whiz when it comes to lemon squares and brownies. And he agrees to play along. Quid pro quo. He’ll pretend to be the boyfriend of her dreams if Samaya helps him pass calculus. This may well be the recipe for the best revenge, but Samaya has no idea how complicated it will get. As they whip up an imitation romance, and a bumbleberry pie, resisting each other’s very real charms proves impossible. Samaya finds herself on an unexpected journey of secrets, self-discovery, and the true meaning of moving on.

I loved this story. Will recommend this to others.

This I think will be one of my favourite YA reads of this year, this story is so much more than just a fake dating romance or a light YA read, the coverage of racism, the way the author tackles homelessness really do give you something to think about. I loved that the gender neutral pronouns were natural and easy and not the main focus. This is a cute read, but with interesting themes, a story that will grip you and keep you reading until the very end.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

How to Win a Breakup by Farah Heron

Samaya and Devin are deemed as the “golden couple” until they weren’t. Devin breaks up with Samaya and sabotages her summer job and runs off to India for a family vacation. Samaya now needs community service hours for school. She volunteers in the kitchen of homeless shelter. This is where she meets hokey jock Daniel. Determined to have the best glow up from the breakup she cohorts Daniel to be her fake boyfriend.

I like this story so much even though some of it is cheesy, but it still is what I expect in a young adult story. I felt for Samaya the pressure of being something particular for her friends and belonging. The complex time for teenagers and sometimes the pressure is so great that a teenager may decide to participate in things that end up hurting someone in the end.

I liked both characters and watching Samaya grow as a person working in the homeless shelter. I also liked Daniel the pressure he received from his uncle and demands was over the top. i hate that he had to choose.

This was also an immigrant story and well worth the read if you like young adult especially a cheesy fake dating romance. I cannot wait to see what Mrs. Heron writes next.

Thank you to Netgalley and Skyscape for a free copy of How to Win a Breakup for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I love YA books about cooking, so when I saw the cover for this one, I knew I wanted to request it!

Samaya is bright and surrounded by the smart "It Crowd" at school. That is, until her boyfriend dumps her and starts dating her "friend". Worse, after he dumps her, his parents make it so Samaya can't work at the summer camp they were both planning to attend. While that may seem minor, it's affecting her community service hours. Determined to not fall behind academically, Samaya decides to volunteer at a local bake sale where proceeds benefit a shelter in an effort to boost her college resume.

What Samaya doesn't expect is to meet the handsome, funny, and incredibly talented baker, Daniel. Samaya realizes Daniel might just be the solution to her problems. If he agrees to fake date her, she can prove to everyone she's fine. Lucky for her, Daniel needs something from her too. His is desperate need to pass his math class and Samaya is the perfect tutor. While these two whip up baked goods, is it possible real romance is brewing under the surface?

Sounds cute, right? This book also touches on serious themes of bullying, homelessness, elitism, cat-fishing, and others. I say this, because it's important to know coming in. Cyber bullying in particular is explored in this book and as an educator, I found it disturbing how accurately the author portrayed what I see happening to teens regularly.

Farah Heron, I was really late to the party when it comes to your novels! I have loved all the books I have read by you so far and am excited to read more! Thank you for how you handle sensitive topics with care that enable reads to widen their perspectives without alienating them!

Samaya, once part of the ultimate nerd couple at an academically focused high school, has discovered she is losing the breakup. Her ex has already moved on, a trendy gossip site is tracking her every move, and the breakup cost her a spot in a required community service project. She needs to find someone new to stop the gossip. Plus, in order to graduate, she is forced to volunteer as a baker at a local community center/shelter. Here enters Daniel, her tutor for all things pastry. Luck has it, Daniel needs a math tutor, and Samaya needs a fake boyfriend. What could go wrong?

Once again, the baking theme got me. I saw the whisk on the cover, and I was doomed. I had to read it.

This was a good time, but it took me about five chapters to become invested. However, I am glad I stuck with this one because Samaya and Daniel are very cute together. There is also a great sense of community and friendship in this.

My issue is that there are just far too many subplots. There is a lot going on, and I wish it would have been a tad more focused.

I was able to listen to the audio. It is read Soneela Nanakani. Who is always fantastic.

Perfect for fans of
Angsty YA
Gamer Tropes
Baking Tropes
Fake Dating
Gossip Girl (sort of)

*3.5 stars*

This was such a fun YA romcom with the most adorable MC. Honestly, Daniel was just plain adorable. Sam was also so much fun and I loved that she had brains and it was not a shown as a defect.

In a nutshell, this is your 'fake dating to get revenge on a bad ex' becomes the real thing with some truly adorable main and side characters. I enjoyed the representation and diversity and Farah's writing just flowed seamlessly.

Recommend for a low-angst, fluffy, romcom.

Thank you to NetGalley and Skyscape for the ARC.

A cute YA book that I read quickly

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book.

I loved everything about this book! Lighthearted amazing read. I recommend this book to everyone, especially gamer girls. I loved the diverse characters, the gaming environment, and the non-binary representation. Tried the recipe and it came out great!

When Samaya is dumped by her boyfriend, the competition is on to see who comes out of the break up as the winner. Her boyfriend is so quick to hook up again that Samaya can't help but create a new fictional guy she is interested in. When she meets Daniel at a bake sale, she is convinced he is the answer to her dilemma. When Daniel agrees to pose as her fake boyfriend in return for calculus tutoring, their fake dating begins.

I loved Tahira in Bloom so I was really looking forward to reading her sister Samaya's story in How to Win a Breakup. This book was so stinking cute. Daniel was the sweetest, always agreeing on Samaya's requests, despite how much she asked of him. I really felt like I was back in high school with a lot of the school talk and being YA, the steam factor was quite minimal. I loved that the nerds and gamers were the stars of this book too!

Thank you to Skyscape (Amazon Publishing) for the ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. This was a fun, quick read that is now available on Kindle Unlimited so if you're a YA fan, I would check it out.
This YA romance involves two of my favorite things, MATH and baked goods! As a high school math teacher, I love pretty much everything that helps math seem more accessible, and Samaya tutoring Daniel in Calculus made me overjoyed! That it was in exchange for his help enacting a fake dating plot was just the icing on the cake 🍰 If you liked that pun, you'll love the chapter titles in this book which have even better puns. There's also hockey and video games, as well as tons of teen drama. I'm so glad we didn't have social media when I was in high school - AOL Instant Messenger was enough for me 🤣🤣
Do you have a favorite recipe to bake?
The lemon squares baked in this book made me crave them, but baking them with the provided recipe would be more effort than I like to put into baking - I typically bake from a boxed mix!

This book was very good, but my only thing was it was very redundant. This book to me could have been shorter. I didn't like the fact they keep drawing out Daniel's secret.. This book maybe for someone else but it wasn't for me