I thought this was so fun and cute! I am always happen to come across a good queer book and this one didn’t disappoint. It was cute and I was rooting for them to get together the entire time!

Thank you Random House and Dial Press for the review copy! this was a fun read, a plot that was engaging and filled with tropes and themes I love to see in a romance... and that I love to see in a queer inclusive romance. I am always here for enemies to lovers, nicely blended with second chance romance, and I love small town settings for a romance, they just feel more charming that way. :) What didn't quite come together was full lift off, at times the plot/writing felt a little heavier, slower than I want in a romance read... which is not a bad thing at all but at times the pace/style didn't quite reflect the romcom lightness I was looking for.


Read if you love:
🏘️ Queer small-town settings
💅 Petty exes with tools and tension
🍳 Celebrity chef meets rising artist vibes
❤️‍🔥 Second chances that feel earned

Great setting. I love the town and all its characters. I was surprised to discover that Eureka Springs, a queer-friendly hippy town in red state Arkansas is a real place!The side characters were memorable. I’d love to see more of them. The inn that is being restored seems amazing. I want to stay there. And the descriptions of the various vegan meals that Robin created made me hungry and I’m not even vegan!

I did sometimes struggle to tell which character was which, even with the dual narrators. The narrators did an excellent job. It wasn’t their fault. But sometimes I couldn’t remember which backstory went with which character.

The second chance storyline was well done. There’s not often that level of animosity between the lovers in a SCR. All that anger and hurt led to some very passionate spice. But it also lent itself to excellent personal and relationship growth.

Thank you to @Netgalley @thedialpress @randomhouse and @prhaudio for the chance to review this ARC.

Bed and Breakup by Susie Dumond
Genre: Sapphic Romance
Pages:368
Published: 6/24/2025

Synopis: Questions and old feelings arise when exs Molly & Robin end up staying at their bed & breakfast at the same time.

Thoughts:
*Molly & Robin were so cute together. Their chemistry was apparent early on.
*Clicked more with Molly, Robin seemed a bit immature. But I appreciated their growth & how they talked about what happened.
*The pranks were funny, and you could tell how much they knew about each other.
*It was also funny how everyone was asking if they were back together right from the start.
*Loved the concept of the town of Eureka, a Queer sanctuary in a conservative state, filled with small town charm & a suppotive community.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Thank you, netgalley & randomhouse, for giving me the opportunity to read this sweet book.
#bedandbreakup, #secondchanceromance, #forcedproximity, #sappicromance,#smalltownromance

Full of second chance romance and the change and grow that comes from aging together and apart. I loved how our characters interact with their memorable community and confront their complicated selves to reach where they need to be. All of the side characters were great and painted a vivid community for both the characters and the reader.

I did not enjoy this book and really struggled to finish reading it. The storyline was incredibly predictable and none of the “plot twists” were shocking in any way. I struggled to imagine the characters and overall the book felt very idealistic without much behind it. I really wanted to love this because I LOVE a sapphic love story, but this one just wasn’t it.

Thank you Netgalley and to Random House for providing me with this amazing ARC, in exchange for my honest review.

Second chance romance? In a small town? Sign me up every time! It was a cute, slow build up, romance. The prank war between them had me giggling. The overall vibes were so fun and heartwarming. I also loved the support of the town and everyone rooting for them to get back together.

This was my first book by Susie and I really enjoyed it. This small town 2nd chance romance was a little different than anything I’ve read before, as I typically don’t read same sex novels-I will now though!

Robin and Molly’s marriage ended 7 years ago when they are now forced back at their Hummingbird Inn. They built this inn together and are shocked to see the changes it has gone through and have decide to renovate it to its original charm. My favorite part of the book is just how much everyone in town is rooting for this couple.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I thought this was a really cute second chance romance! Watching the two main characters who have been separated but still married for 7 years be forced to come together in order to end their chapter together and navigate everything was so fun. There was a ton of comedic relief surrounding all of the heavier emotions, and both characters grew so much and it was written on the page so well. I also LOVED the last dinner that Robin hosted at the inn, it was so cozy and wrapped up a lot of the story in such a beautiful way. Thanks to Dial for an early copy!

Bed and Breakup was a cute, fast, and fun read. Molly and Robin being in close proximity after being apart for seven years definitely led to some good tension and funny moments as they tried to drive each other out. Once they started renovating the Inn and growing closer, things really took off, and you could see the feelings that drew them together for the first time.
The setting of Eureka was beautiful, and I loved the Hummingbird Inn. All that, along with the secondary characters really brought the story to life.

A very cute second try romance placed in the deep south - in a small, queer welcomed and thriving community.
The banter was fantastic! A lovely cat of course to add some zest.
Molly and Robin return to their treasured inn - after years apart, and the ending of their love story. Or is the love ended? Working together to fix up the inn for sale, these women can't help but reconnect. Lovely story.

Really enjoyed this! Been a big fan since I read Looking For A Sign, so was eagerly anticipating this. Really warm, cozy, cute and the perfect read for summer and Pride!

There is an inherent beauty to the idea of a second chance romance, however that is not enough in and of itself to carry a story. This one is helped along by the wonderful setting of the Hummingbird Inn and Eureka Springs, but I was still left wanting more depth.

The biggest frustrations I have with this book come from our two protagonists. We start with Molly, who is supposed to be sympathetic but comes off as quite cruel at the start of this book and stays surface level for the majority. Robin was a bit blander in comparison, and interestingly, most of Molly’s growth is seen via Robin’s perspective which is a nice thought but the execution leaves us mostly just being told about it rather than shown it.

I think the choice to not have a full flashback to the initial breakup or some sort of final confrontation leaves the reader with a lack of context that makes a lot of the commentary between them about their breakup fall flat. There seems to be an understanding that as the reader, we’re on the same page with the characters when in reality we seem to be missing half the pages.

All in all, this was a cute story and provided an exceptionally picturesque setting with some solid backup characters. Would have loved to see more depth across the board.

I liked this second-chance romance between characters who needed to move apart and grow up before they realized how well they could be together. Molly and Robin never got divorced, which made for a tricky situation when they end up living together to renovate and sell the Hummingbird Inn that they had left behind years prior. (I am not sure how you can just stay married and "move on", but that's neither here nor there.)

I was very amused at the pranks in the beginning of the book that the two main characters pulled on each other as a way to drive the other away. It certainly showed how well they still knew each other, and then made it more believable when they realized they still have chemistry. The pacing of the storyline, which is complimented by the interactions with the other characters in the book (e.g. Molly's best friend Keyana and Robin's cooking mentee Jesse), made the relationship believable. Their chemistry dripped off the page. I wanted to shake the characters for not communicating, but also cheered when they would figure things out.

Overall I enjoyed the book. It was a fun read!

Thank you to Susie Dumond, The Dial Press, and NetGalley for the arc of this book.

📖 Bookish Thoughts
This was one of my most anticipated new releases of the year, and while I was really hoping for a five-star read, it ended up being more of a 3.5 for me.
Bed and Breakup is a cute second-chance romance with solid romcom vibes, but it moved at a much slower pace than I expected. I didn’t really click with either of the FMCs until about 30% in. Even then, both Molly and Robin often came across as pretty immature.

That said, there were some elements I really enjoyed. The chosen family and queer community themes were heartwarming, and I liked how the story explored coming back to a shared past and trying to rebuild something new. The prank war between Robin and Molly had some funny moments, though a few of the pranks were a bit too mean for my taste. That doll prank? That would have sent me over and I would have packed my bags. 😭

The ending was cute, but it felt a little rushed, especially after such a slow build throughout the book. I wanted more and a deeper sense of growth from both main characters by the end. It just felt abrupt.

🩷What You Can Expect
• Second chance romance
• Forced proximity
• Small town charm
• Chosen family
• Prank war
• Queer community

📖 Final Score: ★★★½
📅 Pub Date: June 24, 2025
Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

I absolutely loved this read! This was a first read of this author and I’ll definitely be going back to read her past books. I could fully picture the setting and longed to be there. The feelings and characters felt so realistic!

Thank you to Dial Press and Penguin Random House for the EARC in exchange for an honest review.

Bed and Breakup is a second chance romance that forces two exes into close proximity in the place they fell in love. Along the way they drive each other up a wall and can’t seem to stop bickering, until they decide to sell the Inn. Only problem? First they have to bring back the charm it had when they were running it, which means they’ll have to work together.

Bed and Breakup had a fun storyline that celebrated queer joy and a lovable cast of characters. I loved the idea of a DIY home fixer upper/artist and a celebrity chef coming back to the small town where their romance was born. And it felt at times like I was watching a crossover of a HGTV show and a Food Network show. As someone who grew up watching both networks constantly it was like coming home.

I loved watching both character come to a point where they found joy in the things they loved again after making them their careers. It was a reminder that sometimes we loose sight of why we fell in love with something, especially if we make it our career. I loved watching both characters relearn the things they loved and also have their own realizations about what they want from life in general moving forward.

The main issue I had while reading though was the romance fell flat. Molly and Robin’s relationship just didn’t seem to get off the ground the second time around. I first started getting nervous when both of them decided to prank each other with some of their biggest fears. It just felt wrong because they both knew how deep the fears ran and would know the type of reaction it would induce. If they hadn’t been married and together for so long I maybe wouldn’t have felt as strongly with this, but knowing how well they knew each other made me feel weird about it.

Then there was also the fact we don’t really see them fall in love. It’s more the old feelings stir and so they engage in a physical relationship. And while we get moments where you feel a slight tug towards romance, it doesn’t fully develop. Mix that with we don’t really get much detail on how they fell in love in the first place and it just felt hard to place exactly why they loved each other. Especially when there were signs of possible infidelity (it wasn’t very clear) , abandonment, and the fact they never legally got divorced in 7 years. It just made the whole romantic element of this story feel flat.

I will say there were some amazing moments at the end when they did decide to be together, but it felt like we didn’t get to see that type of love play out on page.

A sweet, second chance romance, Bed and Breakup is my second Susie Dumond read. For fans of cooking shows, HGTV and enemies to friends romance stories.

*I received an advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Bed and Breakup by Susie Dumond
I was hooked from the beginning!
It was amazing and engaging.
I was instantly sucked in by the atmosphere and writing style.
The characters were all very well developed .
The writing is exceptional and I was hooked after the first sentence.

📚: Bed and Breakup by Susie Dumond
⭐️: 3/5

Estranged exes Molly and Robin find themselves back in the town they were married in as each of their lives hit unexpected crossroads. Robin, a tv-famous cook has hit bottom (along with her bank account), as her restaurants have gone under and tv appearances run dry. Molly, an artist, finds herself back in little town Arkansas commissioned for her stained glass art, but has lost herself along the way. As they reunite to renovate the bed and breakfast inn they once shared, they not only find their past but their future too.

This could have been ripped from a Hallmark movie, which I typically love, but found this to have uneven pacing with an ending that feels abrupt. A ton of time is spent on the initial back and forth (the enemies part of the enemies to lovers), and instead of building background, it felt unnecessarily arduous.

That said, a cute story for a palette cleanser read - and the cake recipe at the end of the book is a bonus. (Seriously, I’m going to make it, it sounds delicious.)

Thanks to Random House via @netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. Bed and Breakup is out now.