Where do I begin? I’m not a professional critic or literary expert, but I can confidently say this book had me hooked from start to finish. Being selected to read the ARC was truly an honor, and once again, Kat T. Masen delivered with her signature top-tier writing.

From the very first chapter, the story drew me in and never let go. It had everything I love in a great read—drama, unforgettable twists, and a beautifully written love story that unfolded at just the right pace. One of the standout elements for me was the emotional journey of characters striving to meet parental expectations, only to eventually find their own voices—with the help of loyal and devoted friends. Eva’s role in pushing both Madelina and Ashton toward self-discovery was powerful and relatable. We all need someone like Eva in our lives.

I’m a sucker for a good enemies-to-lovers, and this one absolutely delivered. The banter, teasing, and chemistry between the characters felt genuine and easy to imagine happening in real life. I often turn to books to escape from everyday stress, but with this story, the characters and emotions felt so real that I found myself completely immersed in their world.

One of my favorite surprises was the connection to Masen’s Dark Love and Forbidden Love series. It felt like discovering hidden Easter eggs—an unexpected treat for long-time fans.

And the best part? This is only book one (at least, I hope I wasn’t misinformed!). The possibility of diving deeper into the stories of Madelina, Billie, Elliott, and Myles is incredibly exciting. I can’t wait to see where this series goes next.

(Random little things I noticed that are grammar mistakes)
> Chapter 4 (on net gallery page 52) “my eyes dart up and down this the list followed by a sudden wave of panic” - should either be this list or the list??

> Chapter 14 (on net gallery page 115) “as I open my mouth to question her, but she quickly interrupts.” - should take out but??

> Chapter 16 (on net gallery page 130) “inside, I wash my hands before resting my hands them on the countertop to gather my thoughts.” -should remove them??

Thank you all so very much for picking me to read this ARC. I waited a couple of weeks to begin it because of my own happily ever after and honeymoon. While I am only a reader for sport, I did really enjoy this book. I am a big fan of Kat Masen’s writing in general and have been since her Dark Love and Forbidden Love series.

overall i enjoyed reading this book. i think the background on the characters leave something to be desired.

Admittedly a cliche premise, but also a very well written story. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this story in exchange for an honest review. I am currently working through my ARC backlog and will be posting full reviews momentarily for books that have been completed!

How to Break My Heart by Kat T. Masen is a steamy enemies to lovers romance following a small-town café owner and her best friend’s billionaire brother as they’re forced to work together to plan a wedding.

Cinnamon Springs gives you all the cozy vibes that a small town brings with everyone growing up with one another and not knowing when to mind their own business.

Ava’s close knit friendship with Maddy was so sweet and wholesome - add on Billie and it’s a party. I admired Ava’s strength and determination as a businesswoman and wanting to further herself in her career. Her cutesy café was so fun and added just the right amount of coziness to the setting.

When Ava’s tasked with the whirlwind of planning her best friends wedding in only one month, things get even more interesting when she’s forced to work with the one man who broke her heart years ago.

The tension, forced proximity and banter was so intense and constantly left me wanting more. The chemistry between Ava and Aston was always there, slowly brewing for years and just ready to explode. I loved each of their jealousy streaks and seeing their claws come out to claim dominance when anyone got too close.

How to Break my Heart has all of our favorite tropes including just the right amount of drama and twists. The plot is easy to follow along and reels you in perfectly. I especially loved seeing past characters from Kat’s Dark Love Series make a cameo.

Thank you to Kat T. Masen, NetGalley, and the team at Atria books for a copy of both the e-ARC and physical copy to read and review before release.

Based on the description, I thought this was going to be somewhat of a cutesy story, but to me, the way it was written felt detached and didn’t feel right. Sadly, this one was not for me.

The prologue was extremely awkward and cringy. Unfortunately, that feeling didn’t change. I can understand at the beginning, they’re teenagers so it’s to be expected but it just wasn’t great.

Maddy is an asshole to not only her friend, but her brother, Aston. Their father is worse and clearly is on a power trip to control everyone and everything around him so it all goes his way. I get that Aston has had it hard with these people in his life, but to have a friend who he cleared supposed to be close to and not really remember much about his family was a little sad. Also not being a relationship person, fine, but clearly a player. 100% stand up guy I’m supposed to be rooting for. I’ve read plenty of books with morally gray main characters, but no to this one.

All of Aston’s POV chapters come off a little creepy to me, if not a lot at times. He’s a workaholic and clearly does’t seem to respect women, or really anyone in general I guess. At the beginning with his whole personality, he seems like the guy who doesn’t understand “No” is an answer, and keep pushing.

Maddy’s wedding also feels like it’s going downhill fro the start. Myles doesn’t actually feel all that in love with her and vice versa. It sounds more like a commitment to make other people happy and fulfill whatever dreams they want.

We do see some change in Aston or ay least a change in perspective, but I feel like that was needed a lot earlier. Not only did I not like Aston as a character, but I didn’t really like Eva either. Neither of them seemed like people I should be rooting for in life.

Billie I like. She’s clearly should be Eva’s best friend, NOT Maddy. I enjoyed her character and I think Eva should have been there more for her. We’re introduced learning that they were roommates in high school and got so close they decided to go into business together, or at least so I thought. I guess Billie works for Eva instead of being partners and they don’t seem all that close.

So far, everyone but Billie is who I run from in real life. I would have loved more of Billie in this book.

I received an ARC from Atria Marketing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was not for me. The premise was interesting, but there wasn’t lot of character development. There’s also no build up to Eva’s and Aster’s relationship that would justify their animosity eight years later.

Actual rating: 2.5 stars

Sadly, I did not like this one as much as I though I would.

A lot of stuff just seemed very rushed to me, like the pacing was off.

It didn't seem like any of the characters had any character growth.
I was not a fan of Aston's character or Eva's best friend, Maddy. I wasn't a fan of Eva's very much either. Maddy seemed very selfish throughout the whole book, even though Eva was going out of her way to do everything for her. Aston was way to possessive, especially for all of a sudden wanting Eva again.

Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing the e-ARC of this book.
Tropes: Childhood crush, jealous MMC, jealous MFC, billionaire MMC, working class MFC, tortured-hero.

This is my first book by Kat Masen, so I wasn't sure what to expect.

Premise: Everleigh (tragedeigh, anyone?) is best friends with Maddy (not Madeline, but Madelina) and sorta/kinda loves her older brother Aston. They never end up connecting ( almost, but not quite). It's about 10 years later and Aston is now a billionaire, works as CEO for his father's company and the story goes from there. Maddy is getting married and Everleigh and Aston are planning the wedding ( I mean a billionaire can't delegate a staff to do this?)

Good things:
- the writing style.
- it is open door explicit. Scenes are full of tension.
- plot twists

My questions:
- How did Everleigh (nickname Eva, which is NEVER used by anyone!) and Maddy connect? Like, how? When? Since Maddy's dad is so elitist, how did he let his (supposed) kids slum with the working class?
- There is literally no information about the MFC's parents or how she came to open a seemingly profitable shop that ONLY sells donuts and coffee. It irked me because: NOT IN THIS ECONOMY!
- The MFC also doesn't have many other friends, even though she grew up in this 'small' town near NYC. Like, how? Where's your support system, girl?
- The MMC is a billionaire at like 28? I can't tell because their ages are never explicitly stated.

If you can suspend your belief over these, it's a very enjoyable read. I really wish there were more day-to-day interactions between the lead. As it turns out, it was mostly about them hooking up. There were only a couple of times they actually helped each other out. We all know that chemistry doesn't make relationships last. But. Oh, well.

Apparently it is part of a series, but can be read stand-alone.

4.5
Oh how I loved this!!
Small town enemies to lovers romance of my dream!!
The author completely sold me with the perfectly accurate description of the cozy setting, which oftentimes is something authors put into a trope list but don’t necessarily incorporate it into the story much or show the reader. With “How to break my heart” the setting was always subtly present and the atmosphere of the cafe was just chef kiss in my opinion. The characters!!! The fmc was very likable and the mmc extremely swoony and NOT CRINGY!!
I found myself rooting for them to be together which again, is not always a given.
THEIR BANTER!!! I laughed out loud more than once and let’s just say the tension was tensioning.
The pace of the book was also really great because I kept saying “just one more chapter” and suddenly found myself at 70% of the way through. I love when that happens.
Safe to say I devoured this and am very happy after finishing it.
Definitely will recommend, definitely will buy the paperback when it comes out officially.
Thank you NetGalley for the arc!!

Masen did it again! And with one of my favorite tropes - best friend’.s brother. A phenomenal enemies to lovers story with plenty of spice! I can’t wait to read more from this author.

I’ll admit—I picked this one up for the title and the promise of an emotional, swoony romance that would tug at my heartstrings. Sometimes you just want that kind of story: angsty, romantic, full of feels. Unfortunately, How to Break My Heart didn’t deliver what I was hoping for.

The premise had potential: a second-chance romance between two people who shared a single kiss as teenagers, only for the MMC to disappear for eight years and reappear to help plan his sister’s wedding (alongside the FMC, of course). But the execution fell flat. The plot felt scattered, with major pacing issues and a late-stage twist that introduced a death at around 80%—a move that felt more jarring than impactful.

The characters didn’t win me over. The male lead came off as a jerk with little emotional depth or growth, and the female lead, while kind, lacked the spark or personality to carry the story. Their connection felt surface-level and underdeveloped—definitely not the kind of chemistry I look for in a romance. There was little banter, no swoon, and not much in the way of emotional payoff.

On top of that, the writing could have benefited from tighter editing. Some scenes dragged, while others jumped ahead abruptly. And can we please retire the billionaire trope in 2025? It feels out of touch and overdone.

In the end, How to Break My Heart wasn’t the heart-wrenching, slow-burn love story I’d hoped for. If you’re looking for something with emotional depth, banter, and romantic tension, this one might leave you wanting more. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC for my honest review.

How to Break My Heart was a five-star delight from start to finish. The author perfectly blended cozy charm and sizzling chemistry in this enemies-to-lovers romance that tugged at every heartstring. Eva was a relatable, strong heroine with a soft side, and her tension-filled reunion with Aston—the arrogant, emotionally guarded billionaire who once broke her heart—was pure gold.
Their banter was sharp, the slow-burn buildup was delicious, and the emotional payoff was more than worth the wait. The author nailed the small-town atmosphere of Cinnamon Springs, with its cozy café vibes, meddling locals, and heartfelt friendships, giving the story depth beyond the romance.
Watching Eva and Aston fight, flirt, and fumble their way toward forgiveness and love—against the backdrop of wedding chaos—made this a deeply satisfying read. It was steamy, emotional, and surprisingly tender, proving that sometimes, second chances really are the sweetest.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I am a big lover of Kat T Masen books. How to Break My Heart is another great one.

Eva falls in love with her best friend Maddie’s brother Ashton in high school. Ashton is drawn to her but decides to push her away after having a moment at a party.

Flash forward to years later and Maddie begs Ashton and Eva to help plan her to wedding in one month. The forced proximity makes these two enemies revisit deep feelings that have been buried for a long time.

How to Break Your Heart brings lots tension, spice and some pretty big secrets. In addition, cameos from our favorite Kat T Masen characters. Lex and Charlotte Edward & Will and Amelia Romano. Sooo good!

*arc review*
Im not usually for a slow burn but y’all the tension!!
I adored this couple and they were just so mature (which alot of times you dont see anymore) and just well deserving of each other. My only issue I had with the book was I would’ve liked to see more of the twists along the way and not all just shoved to the very end of the book. Thank you for the ARC!

Thanks to NetGalley for my gifted copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

How to Break my Heart is a cute story about a small town doughnut shop owner who is helping her best friend plan her wedding. She is forced to work with the best friends brother, Aston. She and Aston had a moment back in high school but he acted like a jerk and they have been nemeses ever since.
Cute story, relatable. A little on the spicier side. A quick and easy read.

I have been a huge fan of Kat T. Masen for years and was excited to hear she had a small town romance book in the works! Blend small town romance in with second chance, best friends brother, billionaire and enemies to lovers and you have the perfect mix for How to Break My Heart!

This story about Eva, a bakery shop owner falling in love with her high school crush (her best friends brother!) all over again. Set in Cinnamon Springs, a quaint small town near New York City we are introduced into a whole new cast of characters. As Eva's best friend Maddy is getting married and Eva must work with Maddy's brother Aston, her former crush who broke her heart, to plan the wedding. Not only will you fall in love with Cinnamon Springs, but you will also fall in love with the characters who live in the town as well. The quick wit of Eva throughout the book was hilarious and I loved the banter between Eva and Aston as they fell in love with each all over again. This book has plot twists, evil villains, and even some cameo's from Kat's other books!

We are introduced to the wonderful world of Cinnamon Springs with a new cast of characters for Kat to write about! I can't wait to see more about Maddy, Billie, Elliott and Marco!

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for my ARC!

Masen’s How to Break My Heart had potential - the hunky billionaire comes back to the small town baker and they reignite their secret high school crush.

However, interactions between the Everleigh and Aston are toxic and sex centric from the beginning. In fact, the only relationship that is at all functional is that between Maddy and Everleigh. There is no character development to justify (not that controlling, obsessive behavior is ever justified) the actions of the characters.

Unfortunately, this book just wasn’t for me.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I loved this romance book!!! This was so cute and fun! I love this author, and I can’t wait to read more from this author! I loved this book

How to Break My Heart by Kat T. Masen is a charming and engaging small-town romance that blends second-chance love, best friend’s older brother tension, and just the right amount of steam. Set in cozy Cinnamon Springs, the story follows Everleigh and Aston as they reconnect years after a pivotal kiss that went unanswered—until now. The emotional arc is framed beautifully by a curated playlist that adds depth and atmosphere, and the story’s pacing makes it hard to put down. While I found Aston’s jealousy a bit over the top at times, and wished for more insight into his past feelings and motivations, the chemistry between him and Everleigh still shines. Some side plots, like Marco’s role and Maddy’s decision not to marry, felt underdeveloped, but they add intrigue for future installments. Overall, this was a sweet, steamy read with heart, and I’m excited to see where the series goes next.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for this advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was not my cup of tea at all. I wanted to like it, but I did not.. the reason I wanted to let this book because it was an ARC and wanted to give the book a good review. I am so sad that I did not like this book because of some of my favorite tropes. But the way that it was paced plus how short it was just not it.. I wanted to love this book so much but I just could not do it. I would like to think the author and the publishing company for allowing me of opportunity to be able to read this book. Thank you.