this queer romance set in the Ozark mountains was something I was really hopeful I was going to enjoy! unfortunately it fell a bit flat for me. don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad! but it wasn't my favorite. robin and Molly are exes who jointly own a bed and breakfast in the small town of Eureka Springs, Arkansas. I love romances set in small towns, and when I was reading this, I found myself wanting to live in this cutie little small town. but the main part of this book is the romance, and I thought it fell a bit flat and blah to me. I wanted to read about them falling in love again, but I found they never fell out of love, so their relationship in that aspect was already established from years ago. I'm a sucker for second chance romances, but this just didn't do it for me as much as I was hoping it would. thank you to the author and netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed this second chance romance from Dumond! The rebuilding of one's life together mirrored by the rebuilding of their old home/business was a nice landscape for this story! I wish the emotional depth had been explored a bit more, but all in all, I think sapphic romance readers will really enjoy this book!

Thank you so much to Susie Dumond and Dial Press for this E-ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own! 🥰

⭐️⭐️⭐️

I enjoyed this book a lot! I am becoming more and more of a fan of second chance and I especially love it when the main characters have been married before.
I think also because of being married, the time apart, and the forced proximity; we really got to see the character’s growth and how their love evolved from the time apart.

Find more on my IG @kayreads_romance

⚠️ !! Please be sure to check any TWs before diving in !! ⚠️

What to expect:
* Sapphic romance
* Small town
* Second chance
* Artist x Chef
* Forced proximity

This one was cute, I am really not a huge fan of second chances, and the let’s be mean to one another to run the other person out of town is definitely not for me, but once they stopped that and started spending time together and communicating I enjoyed it a lot more.

I really enjoyed this sapphic second chance romance set in a small (red state) town. I thought the characters were a bit immature at first, but I was invested in their journey.

At first, the story seemed a bit immature to me, like the protagonists weren't fully adults. However, as the plot progressed, I found myself becoming more and more invested, ironically, it was just when the jokes started (so mature of me). I loved the second-chance romance and the found family trope. The description of Eureka Springs was so vivid and beautiful that I wanted to go visit and It even made me want to make a list of places to travel to!
I felt very connected to Molly and, at first, I thought Robin was like the villain of this love story, the one who was wrong. But as the story progressed, I understood why she made the decisions she did, even if they weren't always handled well. It's essential to remember that they were young and when we are young sometimes we make wrong decisions hoping for different outcomes. Luckily, our protagonists were able to learn and grow from their experiences, which is a valuable life lesson.

3 stars
2 for spice

Bed and Breakup is a contemporary, sapphic, second chance romance following Molly and Robin. I really liked a number of things in this book. The setting was a big one, this charming and famous bed and breakfast in a fun and vibrant town full of fun, talented and diverse individuals was just fascinating, never dull and made me really want to live there. The second thing that really drew me in was all the characters were so unique. I loved reading both Robin and Molly’s perspectives. Robin with all the food and cooking, made me hungry and she was so passionate about it and really finding her love of it again and the town. Molly was so talented and secure with how amazing her art is and sounded so beautiful and bright when described. Her struggle and growth really focused on emotions and things from her past. This book did a good job of showing their past together and history how it was affecting them now that they have come back together after seven years, as the reader you can definitely tell that they still care about each other. That being said, the relationship development to one being more than friends was just ok for me. I was just looking for something more from them during that transition to romantic one. Also, the spicy scenes were very quick and glossed over. It was a good book, and I had a good time.
I received an advanced ebook, via Netgalley. This review is my own honest opinion.

One of my favorite romance sub-genres is the small town romance. Unfortunately we don't often see many queer small town romance stories, especially set in the south. But Susie Dumond has created such a wonderful story that celebrated second chances, reconnecting with community, and queer joy. This book is also incredibly funny and hit all the comedic moments that I want in a rom-com. Like I kept picturing this as a early 2000's rom-com and it's everything I would want in a movie. I think it's important too that the characters acknowledge that this small town is not the norm for everywhere in the south, but gives hope that maybe someday it could be. So if you're looking for a funny and heartwarming sapphic romance, this is the book for you!

Thank you Dial Press for the review copy!

I’m not usually one for second chance romances, but I figured if it was ever going to be done right, it would be in the form of a sapphic small-town romance.
This was my first book by this author, and I really enjoyed it. The chemistry between the main characters was really good and while they’re both flawed in ways that led to the initial breakup, nothing was ever so over the top in the way that a lot of second chance romances are where I was skeptical about them getting back together being the "right move". I like that the author gave them a few years apart to really grow and mature as people and the openness and willingness to grow that both characters showed as the book went on.
A great romcom, lots of rom and also plenty of com. The setting was engaging, and the side characters really rounded everything out and made the whole thing so much more immersive. It was super entertaining, just a touch of spice, and overall a great low-stakes summer read. I'd definitely recommend it if you're looking for a nice sapphic beach read.

I enjoyed this book so much! Molly and Robin were both compelling, interesting characters, and I was rooting for them to get (back) together from the start. I tend to be a little skeptical of second chance romance because it often seems like something frivolous that split them up in the first place or like they are glossing over a serious issue. That wasn't the case here at all. The more we learned about why they split up, the more it seemed clear that they didn't want the same things in life at that time and needed that time apart. But time and distance allowed them to grow into the people they needed to be to make the relationship work for real. I also loved the side characters and the setting. A small-town queer haven in the US South is ripe with history and funny characters, but I never felt like the eccentric townsfolk crossed the line from entertaining to caricatures. Truly well done all around and I have recommended it to multiple friends already.

Thank you Random House and NetGalley for the ARC!

I loved this cozy queer romance! One thing I really appreciated about this book was the setting - I loved that this was in a small town in a red state and the queer romance was center stage. I also really enjoyed the story of how these two main characters found their way back to each other. Lovely!

Thank you again for the ARC!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 stars

Second chance romance right after love triangles is probably my least favorite trope. There’s always so much drama and miscommunication, which can be fun but often frustrating. In Bed and Breakup, these weren’t as overdone, which I appreciated.

I just tend to prefer books where I get the full story, instead of being dropped in after the first breakup. But there were plenty of other elements here that made up for that. The town, the characters, and the storyline all felt cozy and genuinely enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dial Press Trade for the ARC!

Bed and Breakup hooked me instantly with the two different character’s perspectives and storytelling of Eureka Springs. Although I wouldn’t claim romance to be my favorite category, Susie perfectly captured some what I love most about love. The characters were likable and I was so enchanted by the Hummingbird Inn. Thank you Susie for sharing this ARC! Looking forward to recommending this to my people.

At first I thought this was going to be a cute queer read but it got kind of repetitive and I was over it half way through.

Molly and Robin opened a bed and breakfast when they were newly married.

They’ve been separated for seven years and have returned to the hummingbird inn but for different reasons. Both are stubborn and both think they deserve the property but don’t want to share it.

Overall, this was decent enough but I didn’t love it.

Thanks netgalley for the chance to read this book for free in return for my honest opinion.

very cute fixer upper sapphic novel. this was the perfect read and made me really happy. the yearning and the tension were my favorite part

I would give this a 3.5. It took about halfway through to really pick up.

With one less character maybe there would’ve been more space to give to the others? I wanted more shape and arc for Key.

Personally I don’t think I’ve read second chance romances and I’m not sure I would again. I didn’t lower my rating for this.

Overall it was a good romance, loved the food elements very The Bear and very hot right now.

It also made me want to visit Eureka Springs.

When Molly returns to Eureka Springs she is expecting to visit some old friends, complete a few jobs, relax and figure out her next step in life. What she doesn’t expect is to find her ex also staying in the Inn they used to run together. For the first time in several years they are both in the same place, at the same time. Neither wants anything to do with the other and both aren’t budging.. Will pranks and other silly antics get the other to leave, or will they both find the closure they have been looking for since they were last at the Hummingbird Inn?

A fun loving and sweet story that will have you laughing and hoping for a new beginning for Molly and Robin!

They've been apart for years, each blames the other for the failure of their marriage.

They have baggage to work through - abandonment, self worth, priorities. Can they work back to each other?

This book is the queer second-chance romance of your Home Renovation Show Host AU dreams—with extra paint splatters, petty revenge pranks, and enough chemistry to burn the whole B&B down.

Molly and Robin’s love story is like the Hummingbird Inn itself: a little dusty, a lot complicated, and absolutely worth restoring. Seven years post-breakup, they’re back under the same roof with hammers, old wounds, and unresolved everything. What starts as “I cannot stand you” quickly morphs into “I know exactly how you take your coffee and I’m still mad about it.”

The enemies-to-lovers (again) tension? Off the charts. The forced proximity? Delightfully chaotic. The shared history? Tender and painful in equal measure. And when you throw in an inn full of memories, town gossip, and the soft magic of found family and good food, you get a romance that feels like coming home and setting it on fire.

But what makes this book sing is how it handles love that’s been broken—not discarded, not erased, but weathered. It’s about owning your mistakes, fighting for the things that still matter, and realizing that some dreams—like some love stories—just need a second coat of paint.

Perfect for fans of steamy sapphic romance, emotional renovation arcs (literal and metaphorical), and characters who prank each other out of spite and love. Bring tissues, a toolbelt, and maybe a fire extinguisher.

As a native Arkansan, I swooned over this Arkansas-based slowburn second chance romance. The town of Eureka is an Arkansas gem, and Susie Dumond captures the hippy charm and cozy feel perfectly. The main characters are loveable, and I was cheering for their love story.