I really enjoyed this book and am thankful to the publisher and NetGalley for providing the arc! The main characters have the second chance, enemies to lovers, brother’s best friend tropes all covered, and what’s not to like about that?

More like a 3.5 for me, but it was a solid read for me.

Going into reading this, I wanted a fun and light hearted, easy romance read and I am a lover of enemies to lovers trope so this was an easy “yes”. The banter and tension in this was fun and Aston is hot while also a little too possessive at points but that’s what we want in a hot book boyfriend anyways.

I definitely think the next in the series will be Maddy and Elliot, and I will definitely be checking it out once it comes out.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced read! Love finding new romance authors

The dialogue in this story felt a little clunky. I didn't care for any of the main characters of the story. It says enemies to lovers but I didn't get those vibes. The only interaction of their past was one kiss. Just a little hard to make it believable. I am interested to see how the series continues though.

I was really excited to read this, but unfortunately, it didn’t quite live up to my expectations. Eva was a challenging character for me to connect with. She held onto a grudge against Aston from a single childhood kiss, and it felt hard to believe that such a small moment would have such a lasting impact. Eight years later, she still blamed him for breaking her heart? I just needed more depth in her feelings or a glimpse of their past together to make this conflict feel more valid.

Aston, unfortunately, didn’t win me over either. He came across as more possessive than charming, which made their dynamic feel more frustrating than romantic. Considering their history (or lack thereof), I was expecting more of a gradual, emotional build between them, but instead, it just felt forced and off-putting. It made it difficult to feel invested in their relationship, which is a huge part of why I didn’t connect with the story.

Overall, the book had an interesting concept, but I think it fell short in its execution.

Thank you to NetGalley & Atria Books for a copy of this ARC! ❀

I love Kat's books and was so looking forward to something new connected to Lex Edwards. This one did not disappoint! If you love following Lex's family, immediate and extended, you'll love this one!

Thanks to NetGalley, Atria Books and Kat T. Masen for the early read on this one, in exchange for an honest review!

I highly suggest all of my small town romance readers add this to their tbr immediately! Kat writes so beautifully she has a way with making her books so visual for us readers!

I enjoyed how this book made me feel, I instantly wanted more! It started off with a bang right from the first kiss. These characters just like others written by Kat are so swoon worthy. The tension, the backstory.. it’s all so amazing. This was definitely a five star read for me!

How To Break My Heart
Publish Date: September 23, 2025.

Eva Woods owns the local bakery in the town she grew up (Chestnut Springs - how cute!). Aston is Eva’s best friends older brother. Billionaire, perpetual bachelor and unattached.

They come together to help Eva’s best friend, Aston’s sister (Maddy) throw a quick wedding together in a month! They liked each other in highschool, kissed once and then didn’t see each other for years. Will the tension resume ?

What I liked about this book:
- [ ] The tension was well built. They continued to do the will they/wont they very well.
- [ ] Eva as a character. She’s figuring it out, and I find it relatable.
- [ ] The villian was well written. Hate the guy, but the character was well done.

What fell short for me while reading:
- [ ] They’re not really enemies to lovers though it’s pitched that way.
- [ ] To love someone for years because of one kiss… seems a little far fetched.
- [ ] Her friend Maddy was a rude brat, and Eva just took the snarky attitude like a doormat.
- [ ] Aston “owning” her before they even did anything. I’m a big fan of touch her and die… but there’s got to be some substance before it.

Overall I liked it. It was a fun romance and great for this time of year. Thank you Atria and NetGalley for the ARC.

I loved this swooney romance - enemies to lovers, best friend’s brother, small town, charming banter and characters you instantly fall in love with!

I just finished reading this book. The plot was absolutely fantastic! It was quite the page turner, and I could not put the book down once I began reading it. I can't wait for it to be released. I will recommend it to everyone I know!

I really struggled with how to rate this one because there were definitely moments I enjoyed, but quite a few scenes felt awkward and just… off.

I feel like I’m writing this same paragraph over and over, but seriously—where was the enemies-to-lovers tension? Both Eva and Aston were clearly attracted to each other from the start, and Aston openly showed it, while Eva mostly acted like a teenage girl instead of a grown woman. It just didn’t feel like the slow-build enemies-to-lovers trope I was hoping for.

Eva was honestly the most frustrating part for me. Her being “so bothered” by Aston was hard to buy. She says he broke her heart, but did he really? They kissed once as kids, then moved on. And here she is, an adult, still holding a grudge over that one moment? I wish there was a deeper reason behind her anger because it mostly felt like teenage drama stretched out.

So yeah, parts of it worked, but overall I couldn’t fully get into the story or the characters.

The description for this book had me so intrigued and excited, but it wasn't the book for me. If you like brother's best friend and insta-lust/attraction, and you prefer to keep the back-story at a high level, you could give this book a try.

Unfortunately, I couldn't quite understand the depth of why Eva's big heartbreak in the prologue was so monumental. Eva didn't seem to have a crush on Aston, Aston didn't give any signs he was interested in her previously, and they shared a single kiss where he didn't want to go further because he was leaving. Does that really warrant 8 years of hatred on her side? I can't seem to empathize in this situation. A deeper dive into Eva's state of mind such as months/years of having a crush on Aston, being heartbroken just because she was rejected and not necessarily because it was Aston, or something like that would go a long way to making the book more realistic.

Once I got past the heartbreak setup, and once I got past their somewhat insta-lust attraction to each other after being reunited, I enjoyed the book a bit more.

I loved seeing some of my favorite characters from Kat’s other books. This was a cute small town romance book with a billionaire. The banter was good and it was a fast read. The grudge that Eva held for so long was a bit silly but at least she acknowledged it in the book that she was being silly. I also love a fmc that stands up for herself and others.

loved this romance and how such a good friend helping planning a wedding for her best friend. she has always had a crush on ashton and finally things happen while planning the wedding. loved the ending and hope to see more of cinnamon springs with her brother and her friends finding love . thanks netgalley

Small town, enemy to lovers, billionaire (suit porn), forced proximity. What more do you need to in a book? Ohhh I know! I delicious hot doctor and delicious donuts. This book has it all. Spice level 4! Looking forward to other people to read this book.

This was a fantastic second chance romance for them the whole time. I didn’t think they could come back from that heart break but they did and it was amazing

The plot line for this book was definitely interesting and had the potential to be really good, however for me it fell short. I think I would’ve liked to see a prologue that set up the story and family drama more. I also think some of the dialogue seemed forced and/or unrealistic. I felt like the buildup of the romance peaked to quickly and I wish there could have been more setting and background development as well. The romance peaking too quickly also added to the dialogue feeling forced at times.

Although I felt the romance plot line fell short, I did enjoy the plot regarding the family company and the subsequent issues surrounding that. This plot line was well done and kept me engaged despite not loving the romance plot line. Overall I would give this 2.5 stars!

How to Break my Heart follows Everleigh Woods, small town bakery owner. Her best friend Maddy has just announced she’s getting married to the man she’s been dating for all of 4 months and there’s a month to plan the wedding of her dreams…. But Maddy is sure that won’t be a problem because her bestie Everleigh will take care of it for her, assisted by Maddy’s womanizing billionaire brother from the city, Aston Beaumont. No problem, right? Well…. Everleigh had a huge crush on Aston in high school and hasn’t seen him since the night he kissed her. She spends her time working and writing off every guy she dates by finding whatever deal breaker she can. Aston spends his time having sex with beautiful women and working. That’s pretty much it. But now his little sister is getting married and to pull this wedding off, he has to work with the one woman who has ever truly seen him, Maddy’s best friend Everleigh.

Ok I really wanted to love this book and I’ll start by saying the writing was good and flowed super easily. The premise of this was also good. Second chance, rivals to lovers, forced proximity…. SIGN ME UP. But unfortunately this didn’t really do it for me. There was depth to parts of the story, particularly around Aston and Maddy’s family dynamic but the relationship between Everleigh and Aston felt purely physical and surface level. Also: Holy red flags, Batman! Aston needs therapy. Immediately.

Overall, it was a quick and fun summer read but if you have any sort of aversion to substantial smut or problematic men, this book is not for you.

Huge thank you to Atria books for offering this title for review via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

The tension between these two? Insane. I was on edge the entire time in the best way possible.

Aston was that man. Cocky, relentless, and fully aware of the effect he had on Everleigh. He knew exactly how to get under her skin, and he loved it. Baiting her wasn’t just a game it was his twisted, messed-up way of showing love. He didn’t know how to love the right way, but damn, his growth? Top-tier. He was obsessed, possessive, and completely consumed by her. And I ate. it. up.

Everleigh was everything. Strong, loyal, stubborn as hell but in a way that made you root for her. She tried to fight her feelings, tried to keep her walls up, but Aston? He bulldozed through them. They were fated, chaotic soulmates, and I couldn’t get enough.

Their love story was explosive full of heat, heartbreak, second chances, and raw, messy passion.

The plot was addictive, the characters were layered, and the spice? Chef’s kiss. So well done. I devoured this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for allowing me to ARC read this book!

Be on the lookout for it on September 23, 2025

Eva Woods es una mujer decidida que dirige con éxito su propia cafetería famosa por sus donas, su vida tranquila, da un giro inesperado cuando su mejor amiga Maddy le pide ayuda para organizar su boda… junto a Aston, su hermano multimillonario y el mismo hombre que le rompió el corazón años atrás.

A medida que Eva y Aston se ven obligados a colaborar, viejos resentimientos resurgen junto con una tensión palpable que pronto se convierte en deseo. Lo que empieza como una enemistad teñida de sarcasmo y competencia, evoluciona en una segunda oportunidad inesperada. Pero el pasado entre ellos es complicado, y con la boda acercándose y Aston con un pie en Nueva York, Eva deberá enfrentarse a la pregunta más difícil de todas: ¿puede arriesgar su corazón por segunda vez?

---

Estuvo entretenido.

Por algunos momentos me gusto mas el doctor que Aston.



Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest.

My first ARC and I’m officially hooked! Huge thanks to @netgalley and @authorkattmasen for feeding my enemies-to-lovers obsession—it never fails, and this one definitely delivered. I was so invested I practically speed-dated the entire cast: Billie’s fierce loyalty, Ashton’s father-son drama, Eva and Maddy riding the friendship rollercoaster... I couldn’t put it down. Word on the street is this is just book one? Count me all the way in for whatever’s next. 📚💥