It was cute.m and people are going to eat this up. Especially Gilmore girl fans. Molly and Robin were just to wishy washy for me and by the end I didn't want them together, just so I could feel something other than blah.

Really enjoyed "Bed and Breakup" by Susie Dumond. Great chemistry between the main characters, and I loved the small-town charm of Eureka Springs. Really fun read. Sad when it ended. Recommended.

I love stories based on bed and breakfasts, especially ones that need repair. I loved the idea of forced proximity between exes, a queer town and of course a second chance romance. However, while I loved all of the characters, including the side ones; the story itself was extremely flat, repetitive and overall boring. I’m glad I read it but I won’t remember it for long

I want to thank Netgalley for providing me with a copy of Bed and Breakup which I read during Pride Month. This book is an easy and light read. The two main characters, Molly and Robin and the many supporting characters are fully developed. You care about them as they struggle through their issues. There is just the right amount of descriptions of sensual interactions, but it is always tasteful and feels real, not overdone! The setting in Eureka Springs adds to the story.
Sidebar: Luckily, I have had the chance to stay in a bed-n-breakfast during my only visit to the Ozarks during fall foliage, almost two decades ago. I had no idea that Eureka Springs was the 'southwest' Provincetown, Massachusetts. I throughly enjoyed the author's book Queerly Beloved and was glad that I could read an advance copy of Bed & Breakup.

The thing I’ve loved most about all of Dumond’s books is the lovely queer communities they create for each story. The side characters and the small towns themselves become one of my favorite parts. Bed and Breakup is a sapphic second chance romance about Robin and Molly who reunite in Eureka Springs, Arkansas to fix up the inn they still own together. Robin is fresh off closing a restaurant and Molly is back in town to pursue her art. Oh, they’re also still married.

I enjoyed this story and felt it was more romance forward than Dumond’s other books. I appreciated the dual POV but found it took me a while to distinguish between Molly and Robin - I wanted each of their stories and voices to be a bit more distinct. The pacing was also a bit off for me. The first few days cover most of the book and then it’s four months later. Overall it was an enjoyable and quick read!

I voluntarily read a gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Second chance romance with a cute quirky b and b.
Yes please.

This is more like 3-3.5 rounded up…
I loved so much of it but also had some miiiixed feelings.
I loved the setting, I loved the passion both ladies had for their craft (one is a chef and one is a stain glass artist), I loved all the art and how everyone including all side characters had a connection to some type of craft (quilting, murals, glass art, acting and food)

I don’t dislike second chance but I do feel like I need to see why they broke up and why it will actually last this time and for so much of the book I was just anxious about how it would unfold that the lusty/piny parts fell flat.
I also didn’t feel like each character had that distinct of a voice… so much so that I kept going back to the chapter head to see who was talking…

I definitely would read more from this author because of the things I liked.

Thanks to netgalley and random house for an eARC

Where to even start with this one? A second chance romance? In an adorable small town? At an inn they have to renovate together?? And it's sapphic????

This gave me all the vibes I was wanting and I literally read this entire book in 24 hours. I loved the small town that forced Robin and Molly back together after their marriage ended 7 years ago. Now, they're both back at the inn they built together for different reasons and are horrified to find it was changed from charming and rustic to modern and boring by the company running it while they were away. They decide to renovate the inn back to its original design, which means being around each other all the time. This definitely had the second chance pining that I love in romances, and they both had to see what would change between them if they tried at a relationship again. I do think this was still missing addressing what ACTUALLY went wrong (why Robin left so abruptly...I still don't know what exactly happened? Which I find weird?), but they do stop when they start going back to bad habits and address how they approach fights and how they need to change.

The people in this town were so fun and I loved how everyone was rooting for them to get back together! And both have to take a hard look at what their futures could potentially look if they got back together, which I always love in a second chance romance. If you want the coziest setting of a small town inn and a second chance romance, definitely pick this up!!

I overall had a really good time reading this. I LOVED the side characters, the queer ass small town, and the inn they were living in. I love that Eureka Springs is real & now I have recs from author (can’t believe I’d have to go to Arkansas for it!), but I just wish we had a little more out of the romance. I felt like in the 7 years they were separated, they didn’t work on themselves in a deep rooted way (hello where was the therapy). Because of that, i had a hard time with their romance in the present day & how they resolved their split from the past. I would still recommend this especially for pride month, and I had a fun time. 🩵🏳️‍🌈


Thank you to NetGalley, the author, & the publishers who sent me this ARC to read & review! <3

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this free ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: June 24, 2025

An open door second chance sapphic romance following Molly and Robin who find themselves back in their small southern town and living under the same roof (of their defunct B&B). These two were married (and still are because apparently neither wanted to do the paperwork!) but have been separated for years and have a lot of animosity towards each other.

I found their actions against each other so toxic and childish that I struggled to find their reconciliation and rekindling believable. Instead of rebuilding their chemistry in the book, they just fall together again and we’re supposed to assume they had chemistry years ago and therefore believe it exists now even though it’s not in this book?

They were not my fav MCs and I honestly still feel like they’ll end up divorced, but the town and everyone in it was super charming. Loved the cake recipe at the end!

Cute queer romance. I liked that it was second chance and kind of enemies to lovers. Would recommend!

Second chance romance with War of the Roses vibes that bought down to earth and love by the small town of my dreams. Susie Dumond excels at writing characters who are their own worse enemies at times. But deserve a HEA just like we all do. Thoroughly enjoyed.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Random House | Dial Press Trade Paperback and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

Bed and Breakup is a tender and charming read for fans of second-chance romances and small-town settings. While the pranks may be divisive for some readers, the emotional depth and character development offer a rewarding experience. It's a heartfelt journey of rediscovery and the possibility of new beginnings.

I DNF this book at 25% not for the writing. The writing is quite lovely. I wouldn't go so far as to call it purple prose, but it is leaning in that direction. Yet, it moves the story forward really well while giving you a look into the heads of the our main characters. I also liked how in the first few chapters she peppered in the past of our couple and why they broke up.

I found the description of the town the couple has come back to very charming. I loved how we learned about it from both of characters., as this is a dual POV story.

I DNF because I do not like when a previous couple who has a bad breakup start messing with each other. Especially when they try to hurt each other using the intimate knowledge they learned during the relationship. That is some very toxic behavior, that I don't think leads to a happy ever after.

Our couple did have an epic breakup that keeps them from speaking for several years. I understand that there would be built up resentment and frustration, but that doesn't mean they should start hurting each other in new ways. Neither wants the other in the house the both have come back to for there own reasons. They start trying to run off the other in very hurtful ways. I just don't want to read that type of story.

If they had just been bickering that lead to some explaining and maybe even apologizing, I would be all in.

i had the eARC and really wanted to love it, but it just didn’t fully click for me. the premise was cute and had a lot of potential, and there were some sweet moments and good lines, but overall it felt a little flat. i didn’t fully connect with the main characters or their chemistry, and some of the pacing dragged. not a bad read, just one that didn’t quite hit like i hoped.

This was not my favorite. I generally enjoy a dual POV, but in this book the POVs were so similar it was hard to feel better character had a distinct voice. I also really disliked robin’s internal monologue for the first like 60 percent of the story. The pacing was off for me, how long it took them to discuss the problems in their relationship and discuss the past. I loved the setting, I have actually been to Eureka Springs multiple times before and it is a small queer paradise in a deep red state. The setting and backdrop made the story fun, but overall it juts didn’t really jive with me

Thank you to NetGalley and dial press for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review

I was so intrigued by the premise and was instantly hooked however I didn’t feel the chemistry amongst the characters and it made it difficult to root for them throughout the book.

However I do love second chance romance especially in small town settings and there was enjoyment in that aspect! Still a cute and quick read I just didn’t love this sapphic romance as much as I hoped .

This one is going to be a DNF at 50%. I can't root for either of these two to be together, and I'm struggling with a lack of chemistry.

I wanted to like this but I didn't. It's a good concept for unfortunately they don't have chemistry. The book also ended really suddenly and it just felt weird.

I received an arc through netgalley.

SO! CUTE! I expect nothing less from Susie Dumond and know that I can always expect a feel good, queer romcom set in the south (so important to have southern queer rep!) when I pick up one of her books. Bed and Breakup had the perfect amount of drama, small town charm, will-they-won't-they vibes, and second chance romance. I appreciate how throughout the book we get more of the backstory. I cackled at their pranks, I yelled at them for being dumb, I shed a few tears, I kicked my feet in delight. I also really enjoyed that these are grown women who have lived life! As someone who is in their 30s and queer it's always refreshing to read a book where they're not just in their 20s. Molly and Robin are everything. As is my girl Marmalade.

Robin and Molly have been separated and not speaking for years, so it’s a shock when both turn up at their old B&B in Arkansas intending to live there. Both women are at a crossroads in their professional lives and were hoping for a reset at the place they used to love. When there’s an opportunity to rehab the property to sell, can the two look past all their arguments and resentment to get the job done and go their separate ways? Or will it bring them back together for good?

I love a good second-chance romance in a small town. This story was really cute and I loved the pranks the women played on each other. I did have a hard time knowing who was narrating each chapter - I wish the two women had more distinct voices. Overall, a cute read!

Thank you NetGalley and The Dial Press for a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.