Was this well written? Yes. Was it my favorite? No.

I am admittedly not.a Taylor Swift person but I didn't think that necessarily took away from the book. I just wanted SOOOOO much more romance. There was a lot of internal dialogue, which is fine (sometimes) but I just really needed more yearning with each other.

I didn't realize that this was kind of Taylor Swift fanfic before reading and once I realized that it was it made it hard to unsee it. I like Taylor Swift's music and all that, but I didn't really want to read Tswift fanfic because I spent a lot of my time trying to guess who was who (like the November song about a fake John Mayer). I think the story would've been a bit more interesting if it was a similar plot but without being rooted in Tswift lore. I'm sure there are readers who will love this book, but I was hoping for something a little different from these authors after The Roughest Draft, which I really enjoyed and often recommend. Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for this ARC!

This book is adorable and well-written, and full of conflict that makes us want a happy ending for the main characters.

Title: "The Breakup Tour: A Discordant Romance"

In "The Breakup Tour," the latest offering from the acclaimed authors of "The Roughest Draft," readers are promised a swoony romance between a rising-star musician and her college flame. However, what unfolds is a disappointing melody that falls flat, failing to strike the right chords.

The story follows Riley Wynn, a singer-songwriter who skyrocketed to fame with a breakup song concept album. When her ex-husband claims the hit song is about him, Riley seeks out Max Harcourt, her college boyfriend and the real inspiration behind the music. Max, now managing a retirement home, reluctantly agrees to go public as Riley's muse on one condition: he joins her band on tour.

From the outset, the premise seems promising, with the potential for heartwarming reconciliation and second chances. However, the execution leaves much to be desired. The authors attempt to emulate the success of Taylor Swift's music and persona, but instead, the story feels like a shallow imitation, lacking the depth and authenticity that made Swift's work resonate with so many.

One of the book's major flaws is its inconsistent and illogical plot progression. The sudden decision for Max to join Riley's band on tour feels forced and unrealistic, and their rekindled romance lacks the emotional depth needed to make it convincing. The characters' motivations are unclear, and their actions often feel out of sync with their personalities, leaving readers disconnected from their journey.

Furthermore, the portrayal of the music industry and celebrity life comes across as clichéd and superficial, failing to capture the complexities and challenges faced by real-life musicians. Instead of delving into the nuances of fame and artistic expression, the story relies on tired tropes and predictable plot twists.

In the end, "The Breakup Tour" falls short of its promise, delivering a lackluster romance that fails to resonate. While the premise had potential, the execution feels rushed and uninspired, leaving readers with a sense of disappointment. Overall, this book may leave you wishing for a more authentic and compelling love story.

I was pretty excited to read The Breakup Tour by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka, especially after I heard it was inspired by Taylor Swift. I thought that it was a cute story, about singer/songwriter Riley going out on tour and bringing her college boyfriend Max along for the experience. I really love the second chance trope and thought it was a cute, quick read with lots of song lyrics interspersed throughout the story. I did think that the story dragged a bit in the middle, but overall this was a sweet romance and if you're a Swiftie who loves second chances, you'll enjoy The Breakup Tour.

Thank you to the authors, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This book really wasn’t for me. I think maybe I went into it expecting something else. I did not expect the FMC to be portrayed in a negative light as much as she was.

I had a hard time finishing this one but pushed through. I didn’t feel that there was any chemistry between the FMcC and MMC.

To me, just very underwhelming and not my cup of tea.

Oh great heavens............


This story angered me and was so poorly written. This is my second book by these authors and I really disliked the first one I read. There will definitely not be a third chance given.

I am not sure if this is *actually* a Taylor Swift fanfic. But it certainly felt like it. As a Swiftie myself, I was just not vibing it.
I enjoyed the Roughest Draft by these authors, but this one did not feel the same, it felt a little forced, and I wished that it didn't because I liked the idea of this book so much.
Overall not my favorite, but I will keep an eye out for their upcoming books because I saw some potential in this one, even if I didn't feel the chemistry I was looking for.

Is this novel essentially Taylor Swift fan fiction? Yes. If you go into it knowing that is it a very fun read? 100%. Wibberley and Siegemund-Borka’s adult novels are auto-reads for me and this was no exception. So much of their love story was told through their relationship to music and particularly songs, which is sometimes hard for me to connect to, but I enjoyed the read and the characters. Not quite as fun as the banter in ‘the toughest draft’(and felt less ‘can’t put down-able,’ but I still enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone looking for a second chance romance(or big tswift fans)!

First off, I will adore anything that Emily and Austin write.

Second, I adored this.

It was super cute and angsty and everything I needed. This gave such Taylor Swift vibes and it made my Swifty heart so happy. I loved Riley and Max together. It was amazing to go on Riley's adventure of self-discovery and tapping back in on who she is. This was such a great love story about two musicians, and I loved every second.

This book was a solid 3⭐️ read for me.

In The Breakup Tour, we follow along the story of Riley and Max. Riley is a recently divorced superstar that is going on tour and just wrote a whole album of breakup songs. One of those songs just so happens to be about her old flame from college, Max.

Max and Riley dated for 9 months and they both love music. In the past, when they dated, they made a lot of songs together and had this whole vision of rising to fame as one. Their relationship didn’t work in the past but when Max joins Riley on tour in the present day, will things change?

The first few chapters hooked me but the further I read into the book, I did get a little bored. I absolutely loved the FMC, Riley, but I struggled with the MMC, Max, a lot as he felt very “flat” to me. I feel as though there was no chemistry between the two MCs, spice was a bit awkward, and the romance was all towards the end and seemed a bit rushed. The pacing was a little off for me as well.

Overall, the idea and vibe is fun.

-superstar x ex bf
-second chance
-slow burn
-tour

This was such a slow book, and I gave it a real try because the premise was really interesting considering everything happening in pop culture at the time, but this was a miss, I ended up DNF'ing this title at 84%. If you're going to use Taylor Swift as a muse for the book, at least make the characters interesting.

When will I learn that I just DON'T LIKE THESE AUTHORS??? I keep coming back because every synopsis sounds so good, but they just never work.

Emily and Austin have found the formula for the perfect celebrity second chance romance. Paired with their immaculate and harmonious writing styles, this book was a hands down stunner. I loved Riley and Max and their undeniable chemistry. The tenderness through distance and proximity that they had for each other and the way they grew together. Love!!!

This was my first book from the author duo Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka. I think this book was supposed to be about Taylor Swift (I've heard her music, but I don;t know anything about the personal life). Anyway - the story revolves around Riley and Max. They both need to work on their communication, but if they would have been better at that, the book could have been cut in half.

Wibberly and Siegemund-Broka's previous books are amongst some of my all time favorites, and while I really liked this one, I felt like I was missing some of the connection to the characters that I felt in their other works. I loved both Max and Riley, but Riley felt distant to the story and I wanted to get more of her. All of the really emotional scenes seemed to be from Max's point of view. Maybe that was a device to make us understand their personalities better, but Riley's character just felt a little flat sometimes. I loved the addition of the side characters in this story- especially Frank. As always, the writing was superb, crisp and fresh with a depth of emotionality and prose that makes you feel like you are reading a classic. The authors did a great job of incorporating music into the books. Overall, a very enjoyable read- just wish Riley had been a little more fleshed out.

i don't how to describe this one except to say it's very much t. swift-inspired, with notes (lol, get it) of the show nashville, or the movie begin again, or music and lyrics, or daisy jones and the six sorta. but like, in a watered down way? where the MMC has essentially no personality and their spark is... hardly there. it just felt flat to me, and didn't even really SCREAM swiftie magic in the way it could have (and tbh would have been better if it had). sorry to all the girlies!

This author duo never misses for me! I really enjoyed this unique take on music themed romances/ the fame trope. If you love books about second chances, I highly recommend this lighthearted and emotional story that will tug on your heartstrings!

This is a good book. The two main characters are Riley and Max. They meet in college, dated, and broke up. Ten years later Riley is a singer, who writes really good songs. Max runs his family’s assisted living center. She asks him to join her on tour. He states her will. There is still an attraction. They find that they are stil in love with each other.

I loved the themes in Do I Know You? so was excited to dive into this one. This didn't suck me in the same way. I think the theme was about the cost of following your passion. Does your passion (Riley's stardom in this case) make you sacrifice everything? Or is it possible to also have love? A lot of the book is the inner monologue of both of the main characters. And it's angst and sometimes self-indulgent. While this might be realistic (sometimes it takes a lot of discomfort and rumination to make a shift in behavior/belief), it went a little long for me. I think this is because I didn't find either character particularly relatable. Maybe someone with a passion for music or the arts might have a different experience.

Audio Review: The dual narration suited the dual POV chapters and the narrators were able to capture the feel of multiple characters. I'll listen to more audiobooks by these two; they were easy to listen to. It was a bit dramatic and over the top at times, but, honestly, they were capturing how it was written.

Thanks to the publisher for sharing a copy. All opinions are my own.