This was an okay for me second chance Sapphic romance set in a small town full of queer owned businesses that has two exes forced to live with one another again when they both find themselves at odds and still own a run-down B&B. There was tons of forced proximity, enemies to lovers vibes but I wasn't a huge fan of the narrators and the chemistry between the leads just didn't grab me. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review.

As newlyweds, Molly and Robin made the Hummingbird Inn into a trendy destination for queer travelers in the quirky mountain town of Eureka Springs, Arkansas. But when their career ambitions drove them apart, the young couple separated, handed over the property’s upkeep to a management firm, and never looked back.

Seven years later, Molly and Robin return to the Hummingbird Inn for very different reasons. Molly is an artist on the rise who’s been commissioned to create pieces in Eureka Springs; Robin is a celebrity chef whose restaurants have gone belly-up. Both feel entitled to their shared property, furious that the other refuses to leave, and each resorts to a series of escalating pranks in the hopes of scaring the other off. When neither woman budges, they resolve to renovate the bed-and-breakfast together, sell it, and at last go their separate ways. But their work to restore the inn’s vintage charm reignites memories—and chemistry—that make it hard to say goodbye.

I thought this was an adorable second-chance romance. It was a new setting for me (Arkansas?) but I really enjoyed getting to know the characters and watching them reunite. Sweet story! 3.5⭐

I received an advanced complimentary digital copy of this book from Netgalley. Opinions expressed are my own.

Seven years ago, Robin and Molly were newlyweds renovating a historic B&B in a charming small town. Now, after seven years apart pursuing their own interests (Robin is a celebrity chef and Molly is a stained glass artist), they both find themselves back at the now-closed B&B that they still jointly own. Animosity and antagonization give way to friendship and a chance for closure. I enjoyed this sweet read about love in all its iterations.

Thanks to NetGalley for early access!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the eARC in exchange for an honest review! Molly and Robin, loving wives turned bitter exes, reunite unexpectedly and decide to fix up the bed and breakfast they used to run together in order to sell it. Sparks fly anew in this second chance romance.

I ended up DNFing this one at 41% unfortunately. I just couldn’t stand how immature the main characters were. They’re supposed to be in their late twenties but act more like teenagers. Instead of avoiding each other, they go out of their way to upset each other - participating in cruel pranks. I also thought they were pretty much indistinguishable from one another. Strongly written characters are always the biggest draw for me in a book and this one was failing to deliver.

ARC REVIEW: Bed and Breakup by Susie Dumond ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75

Thank you to NetGalley and The Dial Press for the opportunity to read this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Bed and Breakup follows ex wives Molly and Robin who they are accidentally reunited when they both return to these Hummingbird Inn - which they previously owned and operated together. In the years since their split Robin developed her career as a celebrity chef, but a few failed projects have caused her to reevaluate her career goals. Molly is a flourishing artist who crafts stained glass windows and is in town to make some pieces for local shops. With both women staking a claim to their old inn, they are forced to cohabitate during their time in town, re-opening old wounds and rekindling old flames.

This is a great read, I enjoyed the setting so much! The town of Eureka Springs, Arkansas was adorable and I want to move there! I enjoyed the romance between Molly and Robin, second chance romances aren’t my favorite type to read, but this was better than most! I’ve become a big fan of Susie Dumond’s writing since reading her last book, Looking For a Sign, and I can’t wait for more from her!

Bed and Breakup releases June 24th 2025!

Happy pride month to (ex) wives Molly and Robin!! As the two somehow find themselves back at the same time in the small town where their love story blossomed…and fell apart, a chance to take a look back at what went wrong all while fixing up their old inn is just too good an opportunity to pass up!

This book was mostly just fine to me! The characters and the town and the renovations were all incredibly cool, but we didn’t get enough time to really sit in it, dig deep, and feel all the feelings our gals were feeling. A lot of the problems felt a bit hand wavey, and months passed in the blink of an eye! All that said, this was a lovely, lighthearted read perfect for pride month!

Thanks so much to Susie Dumond and NetGalley for a chance to read this in exchange for an honest review.

The real star of this book is the setting - the queer, loving, small town Eureka Spring, a hidden gem of natural beauty and found family!

I love a good second- chance sapphic romance and Bed and Breakup did not miss. It was very cute and cozy small town vibes. I loved the journey Molly and Robin took to get back together after then marriage ended 7 years. I liked that the people of the small town were truely rooting for Molly and Robin.

Review posted to StoryGraph and Goodreads on 6/16/25. Review will be posted to Amazon on release date.

When life changes bring Molly and Robin back together at the Hummingbird Inn there’s two things that they both can agree on. First they need to sell the inn that they restored and operated as a young married couple. Second they need to get a divorce. But when an agreement to bring the inn back to its former glory and work together to end their marriage in a kinder way takes root, can either of them walk away?
I am not normally a second chance romance fan but this one slapped so hard. I loved the town that it was set in as well as the town folks and people that Robin and Molly had been friends with before they left. I really appreciated that the reason why they had initially split was complicated for both people so that when they find themselves back together at the inn it doesn’t seem likely that they can make it work. It was great seeing both of them think about what they wanted individually for themselves as a chef and artist. When we got to the moment where they had to decide whether to stay or go, I felt like it was super believable and I didn’t think “wow those two will never make it.”

Bed and Breakup is a second-chance romance with a dash of home and self-improvement.

Molly and Robin bought and renovated the Hummingbird Inn as newlyweds; now, as exes, they're forced back to the inn to remodel, sell, and move on?

In Eureka Springs, a queer haven in the midwest, Susie Dumond takes the pair back through their past. The warts-and-all look at their marriage and who they are now vs. who they were then helps the reader see the growth, just as they see it in themselves, which allows the reader really feel like part of their relationship and part of their growth.

Dumond deftly creates a supporting cast of characters that help immerse the readers into their lives.

It's nostalgic, emotional and a really enjoyable read.

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!