I have really enjoyed this authors adult books and was excited to take a step into her YA works! I fully devoured this book in just a few days, but I wasn’t crazily obsessed with the story. I think the plot and the secrets that each character was keeping were very unique and were handled in a very kind way. I didn’t realize there was a book out following Sam’s older sister and will definitely be picking that up next.

I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve read by Farah Heron! This was my first of her YA books and I really enjoyed it! I ended up listening to the audiobook because I love that narrator!

I love how much YA books can cover without feeling like they’re trying to do too much. Cass was facing some ideas with their gender identity, Daniel had experienced homelessness, and Samaya learned a lot about herself and not losing herself in a relationship.

I have to admit I don’t know much about video games, but I loved the strong women in STEM. Daniel and his baking were an absolute delight. I loved seeing Samaya grow as she volunteered at the shelter.

This was a really great listen and made me want to check out her sister’s book!

This book was a great YA high school life read. A nerdy math and game geek falls for a hockey playing baker jock. The story tacked many high school issues, one’s sexual orientation, gossip, catfishing, online bullying and more. The storyline between the two main characters is a sweet storyline that allows both to learn to grow and be who they authentically are and not who everyone else sees them as.
As an adult reading this book I think it’s a great read for the intended audience. It had some great depth to the story and I love that is an all inclusive read. I also love the strong female leads.

I voluntarily received a free advanced copy from NetGalley and all opinions are my own.

I would recommend this book .

This was a classic farah heron book and you won’t be disappointed if you’re a fan. It was cute, funny and cultural and ultimate leaves you with all of the feels!

Fake boyfriend trope for the win, this book was adorable in so many ways. Samaya spent the summer moping because her bf unexpectedly dumped her. Now that school is starting she is going to have to face him, her classmates and the gossip.

First of all, South Asian main character with secondary South Asian characters and the discussion that not everyone from India celebrates the same religion and culture!!! There was tons of character diversity in terms of culture and interests, MC Samaya is a gamer and super amazing at math, her sister is a fashionista and seamtress, her fake BF Daniel is a hockey player and baker of Filipino brackground. They are from different socioeconomic backgrounds, inlcuding non binary representation AND Samaya's friends were ruthless, they kept it real as friends should pointing out Samaya's flaws and helping her improve.

Farah Heron just covered so many topics in this book without making it feel too crowded, it is a really good representation of living in Toronto. So many books are not very diverse in the way that I am used to and that is because Toronto has a very particular brand of diversity and Heron brought that entire feeling into this book. Bravo, sometimes you don't even realize something is missing until you find it!

This is not only my first book by author Farah Heron but also my first young adult. I really wasn’t sure what to expect but this was such an enjoyable read. Samaya Janmohammad is dumped by her boyfriend of 2 years seemingly out of the blue, he doesn’t offer much explanation and to make matters worse it affects her summer volunteer job which she needed to complete her volunteer hour requirement. The only thing that makes the summer bearable is a new friend she meets on an online message board for gamers.

When summer ends and Samaya returns to school she had hoped everyone would have forgotten about her somewhat public breakup but thanks to an Instagram account which posts school rumours she is still very much the topic of conversation.

This was such a refreshing book with lots of representation and busting of stereotypes. Samaya is a driven, hardworking STEM girl who had her heart broken by her boyfriend of 2 years and was publicly humiliated on the school gossip IG account. We follow her as she is just starting her senior year of high school and much to her dismay people are still gossiping about her breakup and to make matter worst she needs to find a volunteer job to meet her requirements to graduate, something she had planned to do over the summer but it was yet another thing complicated by her breakup. This is how she finds herself volunteering at a local shelter where she meets Daniel. I loved Daniel, he is a hockey player but nothing like your stereotypical jock, he is sweet, generous, thoughtful and could go on for hours about the differences between bars and cookies.

I will admit I was worried a fake dating YA would seem unrealistic and immature but I loved it from cover to cover. You have all the high school drama you would expect and the way Farah Heron delivered the story was perfect. This is mainly set at an academic high school so many of the students are working hard to achieve their academic goals, they are competitive as naturally there are honors that look great on a resume and college applications. Mix in teenage hormones and dating you get a fun and very relatable book. Samaya has it all planned out – or so she thinks. When it all comes crashing down and she has to make new paths to make it to her goal we see her really develop as a person and reevaluate what truly matters, she recognizes she has had a bit off tunnel vision but if you broaden your views the world opens up a whole new set of opportunities.

I am so glad to already have another book by this author lined up as I thoroughly enjoyed her writing and storytelling.

Thank you to Skyscape and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Such a cute YA story about a math/gamer nerd who has an epic breakup for her whole high school to witness. 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 break up she cohorts daniel to be her fake boyfriend.

I loved the the fact that Samaya volunteered at a homeless shelter. Not a topic that is touched on in many books let alone YA. I’m a sucker for foodie books and loved that Daniel was a phenomenal baker. The way the author depicted the homeless shelter with such care. The shelter wasn’t this drab scary place but a vibrant location that gave a sense of comfort and comradely.

Samaya annoyed me the majority of the book. So she was sooooo self absorbed. I absolutely loved how Daniel was a 24/7 ball of sunshine and optimistic. I loved how opposite Daniel and Samaya were but fit together so well.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for an advanced release copy for an exchange of my honest review/ opinion of the book.

My all time favorite troupe is fake dating, but add in fake dating along with a revenge plot AND teenage issues? I’m sold. Samaya was dumped out of the blue by her long term boyfriend, in a very public way. After spending the entire summer locked away aside from her summer job (not the one she wanted either) and her beloved video game where she makes a connection with a mysterious gamer. Samaya’s ex, Devin spent the summer away and comes back with a glow up and a new girlfriend. An anonymous gossip girl-esque account makes it known that Devin is winning the breakup. With a little photoshop magic, Samaya lies. Until her lies come very true.
What I loved: This book reminded me of Never Have I Ever, in such the main character becomes a little self obsessed and forgets to check in on her friends and their issues, while constantly talking about hers. But her friends do not want to put up with it. I also enjoyed the touch on family shelters and being unhoused. A great way to bring awareness to teens who maybe don’t care or think about anything of that nature. I also loved the entire nerd aspect of this book, as in almost every single person was a genius. I don’t have any coding or game development skills, but in another life, I’d be a part of the game dev club. This was a fun, quick read, mostly easy. The heavier topics were heavy in a YA way. I have no notes on how this could improved. Looking forward to reading more YA from Farah

I really adored this book. I did not know that it was YA going into it, and was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed the characters. I loved Daniel; I was so happy with the way everything played it. This book has equal parts teen drama and real life hardship. Equal parts funny and sweet.

I received an advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

I adore Farah Heron - who doesn’t love great Canadian authors! I love supporting my local authors, and especially those who write books set here and for minority communities. I’ve read several of her books, and love them all. This is the first of her YA titles I’ve picked up, though I have purchased the first book (Tahira in Bloom, about main character Samaya’s older sister). I own all her titles and just 2 left to read them all!

I really, really enjoyed this one - though it’s definitely very much for a young audience, set in high school. Characters are 17, but self-proclaimed gaming nerds and the smartest kids in the school. Samaya has been enjoying some RPG gaming with a new partner, someone she plays well with and can enjoy the game away from her normal friends and gaming guild… who were mostly friends with her recent ex, anyway.

As the school year gets going again, Samaya begins her volunteer hours at a family shelter and meets a new friend from a different school, a hockey player named Daniel. They become fast friends and make a pact, that she’ll tutor him in calculus if he poses as her new gaming friend and boyfriend, so she can get past a gossip Instagram account at the school that is making life difficult.

This is a great story of moving on, getting through high school in the current, modern world (of cyber bullying), dealing with catfishing, gossip, and friends backstabbing… and having to be around an ex and his friends constantly.

I definitely recommend this one to everybody - so many great lessons and reminders contained within the beautiful pages!

I received an advance review copy from NetGalley and Skyscape, and this is my honest feedback.

This was such a fun #ownvoices YA fake dating romance between a nerdy STEM girl and a hockey jock baker. Where do I even start with this one?? I'm a huge Farah Heron fan and this latest YA love story was a pure delight!

From the Toronto setting, the math-smart, gamer girl protagonist, the great baking adventures and the diverse cast of characters. I really enjoyed Samaya and her fake boyfriend Daniel's opposites attract romance as she tries to move on from her ex and prove she's 'winning' their breakup.

Perfect for fans of books like Love, decoded by Jennifer Yen or My mechanical romance by Alexene Farol Follmuth and great on audio narrated by one of my favs, Soneela Nankani. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

What a cute and sweet rom-com!

I really loved this book. I had so much fun reading it. I know it took me forever to read it (three months), but every time I sat down to read it I had the time of my life, because this book is really fun!

The writing is great and very immersive. The characters had great development and the writer wrote/described teenagers almost flawlessly.

The diversity was everything to me. I loved it!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Get ready to fall in love with Farah Heron’s latest ya romance How to Win a Breakup.

Bring on the teenage drama and angst! Farah has done it again. She has created a warm, fun, and realistic YA contemporary romance story. It was easy to just sink into this book and watch all this high school drama unfold. I loved all the big emotions, the food talk, the characters, and the Bridgerton feel of this book. She weaves together themes of family, friends, relationships, technology, and cliquism and creates a fun story with excellent banter and a lot of depth.

I loved, loved, loved this modern take on Lady Whistledown’s gossip pamphlets. In this book, there is a mysterious Instagram account called Earl’s Whispers, which keeps its followers up on the latest gossip at Earl’s Jones Secondary School (Samaya’s school). No one knows who runs this account, but whoever it is seems to have it in for Samaya. I just thought this was such a clever story element to include, and I loved how Farah modernized a part of the Bridgerton world. It showed readers how toxic and dangerous social media can be and its impact on people’s lives. I enjoyed this mystery around who was running this page and found myself trying to guess who was the “Earl.”

Samaya has a lot going on in her life. Her break-up with her boyfriend was unexpected and did a number on her mental well-being. At the start of school, Samaya wants to step away from all this drama linked to her break-up and focus on school and volunteering. Unfortunately, escaping the limelight is harder, and she finds herself the target of Earl’s Whispers posts. I liked Samaya; she is smart and driven, and underneath that prickly exterior is a nice person. In this book, we watch as she tries to figure out how to deal with all the rumours going around, and tries to show the school that she has moved on from her ex. Her character makes mistakes and stumbles, but she picks herself up and grows. I liked spending time with her.

Daniel is a big old sweetheart, and I loved his passion for baking. Farah could have easily made his character one-dimensional and very stereotypical, but she didn’t. Daniel’s character comes across as this carefree jock with a glass-half-full attitude. It looks like he doesn’t have a care in the world. But in reality, Daniel is dealing with some tough problems and has been through a lot. I loved peeling away those layers and learning more about Daniel and his life.

The romance in this book has so much drama in it. You won’t enjoy this story if you are not a fan of teenage angst and big emotions. The main catalyst in this story is Samaya trying to show her fellow peers that she is over her ex and that she is living her best life. And that’s where Daniel comes in. Samaya and Daniel agree to help each other out; Daniel will pretend to be Samaya’s boyfriend until geek prom, and in exchange, Samaya has to help Daniel with his math homework. But of course, as they spend more time together, they fall in love. These two are sweet and have this lovely reverse grumpy sunshine feel to their relationship. I liked their chemistry, and they were perfect for each other.

How to Win a Break-up is a fun, drama-filled teenage romance that you cannot put down.

Thank you, Skyscape, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book went deeper than just a fake dating romance. It touched on racism in ways that were effective but not in-your-face or obviously added to check a box. The LGBTQIA+ characters had substance and depth and didn’t serve as just a character trope - Cass is the friend we should all strive to be! And the conversations around homelessness and Samaya’s reflection on what it means to be housed should give readers something to think about.

I Received an e-copy of this book from NetGalley in turn for an honest review!

I loved this one! I could not put it down! Farah gave us a refreshing YA with memorable characters. I was here for the pettiness, the character growth, the connection, the cooking, the gamer vibes and friendship representation that was found throughout this book.
You could say the odds were in Samaya's favour after her break up with Devin the way life unfolded in this delicious dilemma of relationship and friendship in a high school setting. Some would call it fate but Samaya was poised to come out on top of this break up unknown to her with a healed heart, stronger friendship, a sense of self much stronger that where she started and perhaps some cooking skills too.
This was a fresh twist on a fake dating/relationship of convenience that was meant to be!
Loved it!

Happy Reading!

This was a really cute YA book!! The writing was accessible and easy, so it's perfect book to read if you want something light and fun to read in one sitting.

This is my first time reading a book by Farah Heron and it will most definitely not be my last time reading any of her books. First of all, the cover was a quick win for me I am so loving it. I thought this book was about adults but after reading the synopsis I was hooked line and sinker reading his young adult book. I don’t usually read young adult romance but I truly enjoyed reading this one. Secondly fake relationship tropes are one of my favorites to read. Samaya is a high school senior who is a math genius and gamer who gets dumped by her boyfriend Devin and if that wasn’t enough he hooks up with her frenemy. He also sabotages her chances of working as volunteer counselor at a math camp. Samaya now finds herself behind with her community service hours. Devin wants Samaya back but of course Samaya is not having any of that. Daniel who is a pastry chef hockey jock who is also volunteering at the camp. Samaya comes up with a plan to get back at her ex-Devin by asking Daniel to be her fake boyfriend. Daniel agrees to help Samaya but he wants something out of the deal. He needs Samaya to help him pass calculus.

Will things work out for Samaya in her plan to get at Devin with her fake relationship with Daniel, how will things work out for Samaya and Daniel, will Daniel pass his calculus class?

I received an ARC via NetGalley and Skyscape and I am leaving my review voluntarily.

This book is all the high school drama in one story.

Break ups.

Enemies.

A little mystery.

Gossip.

Gaming.

Fake boyfriends.

Cute book that is completely YA. The main character is a little hard to care about at first but if you stick with it all changes.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read and review.

This was a fun, cute YA read. I enjoyed the focus on gaming and the connection through that. It's always fun to see in books being a gamer myself. I didn't like the element of catfishing, but that is just my personal taste. Overall, it was an enjoyable read.

Thank you, NetGalley and Skyscape for this this eARC. All opinions are my own.

This was a really fun read! Full of high school drama and gaming culture, it was really easy and quick to read.

There are a few little mysteries in here, such as who is Samaya's gaming friend and who is running the Instagram gossip account. I thought that it was pretty predictable how the mysteries were going to turn out, except for who was running the gossip account, where I thought the reveal ended up being pretty anticlimactic considering some of the stuff they were putting out there.

I did really enjoy the depiction of volunteer work and shelters; I thought it was handled really gently and with care, and I loved seeing that especially in YA as homelessness is not a topic often touched upon in that age range.

I struggled with the main character to begin with, as she was pretty self-centred most of the time to the detriment of her friendships, but I loved seeing her character growth throughout the book and being held accountable by her friends. This is where the side characters really shone as feeling well fleshed out and real, especially Samaya's best friend Cass, whom I loved. The romance between Samaya and Daniel is also really cute and I actually didn't mind when the classic third-act breakup happened, because you could actually understand the reasons behind it. Daniel was a lovely character and I really enjoyed whenever he was on page.

I do think the writing could be a little stilted at times, especially in the beginning where we were getting long paragraphs describing the exact outfits everyone was wearing, but that faded off towards the middle and from then on it was a lot more flowing.