Reviews with content warning for Sexism - Heartbreak for Hire

okay tbh!! i had very big expectations for this book. it was. like. okay? so it wasn’t ALL bad. the book had a rlly good concept that could have been executed real good! but it wasn’t. idk man. it just felt like it was being dragged out? and when u got to the ending like what was that ending. everything seemed to turn on its head, and everything was positive for brinkley!! like? what? also what was that name… genuinely. anyway we won’t ponder too much on names bc girl. i genuinely thought i was reading a wattpad book w the whole execution. the only rlly likeable character was mark and then what did sonia do at the end??? ruined him. like. the relationship to me honestly made little sense? like i was rooting for mark in the beginning but then he just turned up out of nowhere which made. no sense. let him live his life. and the whole PLOT lord. there was drama but it was "drama". like. one min they hating each other n the next they kissing? like huh? it was very confusing n tried to move way too fast.

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kimiichanga's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

im fluctuating between 3.75 and a 4

i obv liked the premise, im all for the man eating gigs. i also loved how that path panned out for everyone involved.

im kinda iffy about the parts towards the end bec it was going too fast?? BUT the conclusion was solid for a standalone. u cant possibly tie up every loose end if it's just one book

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optimisticcautiously's review against another edition

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lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

This book never answers the pivotal questions:

(a) Did Mark do the awful thing his colleague said he did, therefore was deserving of Brinkley's services, or did she do this to sabotage him? (b) Is the owner of Heartbreak for Hire creative or crazy? (c) Can people be redeemed?

The premise is a little gross, but it is at least unique. I figured that a talented author can overcome a little cringe, make you sympathetic through point-of-view, and sometimes it is good to start there to move on to another space. I do not want to say Hartl is a bad author - there's solid skills in her work - but someone who has the character questioning the ethics of years of her life should be capable of recognizing that she needs to work harder to make us sympathetic towards the characters. All she did was use Brinkley's (her heroine's) point-of-view, and make Mark hot. She didn't win me over, and I fail to see where she was even trying.

I really like the gloss of romance books (not everything needs to be gritty). However, you need to think of that gloss like icing glaze. Glaze on a cake is pretty awesome: it makes it all shiny and presentable, while bringing out the inherent sweetness. Glaze is generally good. However, no one is going to sit there and eat glaze; glaze is cloying, needing to be tempered with the substance of the cake, and not at all satisfying. Nor would you eat glaze on a turd - it doesn't matter how good the glaze, I'm not eating shit.

Hartl acknowledged the existence of the issue, but never addressed the issue. She didn't truly address any reservations about Mark;

I guess because he's hot and happens to have family, one showy gesture of putting clothes on her cat (for which his hatred was established but not felt) is suppose to undo this notion that he may be a sabotaging misogynist?

She mentions Brinkley's guilt over her position, but it is so fleeting and easily forgotten

the moment she quits the agency

, that it does not seem genuine and does not come across as having character. Yeah, we've all done things that are actually against our morals (I don't like who I become when I wasn't watching, was pushed, etc.) but, if she's really a grown-up - a heroine - there's needs to make amends, prove her worth to herself, residual guilt, more conscious efforts to be different, something! I hate this trope of I acknowledged it and put it into words, so now it's okay and I get to do the horrible thing. *sarcasm* After all, just saying it puts an end to prejudice, misogyny, and every other evil-will.

And the sex just made Brinkley look like a slut. It's not that she would have sex early in a relationship, enjoy it, whatever. It's that it is not erotica; sex in romance is fine (heck, healthy sex where the woman gets to orgasm too? I encourage it!), but the genre necessitates emotional bond, usually before the sex but sometimes after. Sure, there's chemistry, there's lust, but little real between the characters. Yet, she lies to herself that this is a relationship. No, Brinkley, you are just lonely and wanted sex with the hot guy. You're allowed, but own it like a grown woman.

All-in-all, don't bother.

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lonelyheartsbooks's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Heartbreak for Hire is an undercover company dedicated to give men, who do wrong or are jerks, a taste of their own medicine. Main character, Brinkley works there. Everyone thinks that she works as an administrative assistant, but that's only to cover the fact that she works undercover to bring down men. Little does she know that one of her targets would turn into her co-worker, this is after her boss decided to hire male heartbreakers (name that the company gave to their employees).

Through the book we see Brinkley realize that maybe what she's doing isn't the correct thing and she starts to question everything thanks to Mark's point of view. She also struggles with the academic environment where she grew up in, facing all her problems with her mom and not meeting her expectation while trying to pursue an art career.

She then realizes that the main problem isn't her surrounding, but within herself. She eventually looks for solutions to her problems (although she can still be a little stubborn about it) and faces every challenge she put in her way. This book was good, it was a quick romance read. I enjoyed reading it and seeing a different side of things. Although, the company Brinkley work at didn't give me good vibes, I'm glad she eventually grew as a person and picked what was best for her.

The idea of Heartbreak for Hire being a company to bring down men in the ways they did was new and interesting , but it seemed controversial at the same time. From the start you could tell that the boss, was in it for the money. She used the excuse of it being a safe space for women and that she would help them feel empowered and take revenge on the men who did them wrong through other men. But then she brings male heartbreakers? Honestly I wouldn't like to have a boss like that.At some point its felt like a cultish thing. I did like that the main character realized, that what she was doing wasn't right. In this world there's a lot of things and yes there's men who are complete assholes, but they're women who are vicious and would do anything to get what they want (aka the boss and the one who hired Brinkley to bring Mark down). I would of loved to see Mark's and Brinkley's relationship grow more. Their story was good, but I felt like something was missing. I'm glad that Brinkley and her mother talked things through, it was driving me crazy how much was unspoken between them.

Overall it's a nice story and I recommend it, if you're looking for a romance book that is a fast read.

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nitya's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Note: Thank you to the author for the ARC!!

Not gonna lie I inhaled the last 100 pages, this was the enemies to lovers/forced proximity story I wanted and a lot more. The Chicago references!! And the sex scenes are unbelievable, that elevator scene especially!

Also, I am not excusing Mark's actions at ALL, because what he did was horrible and deceitful. I only wish Brinkley had actually apologized for her mistakes; it's not the same level as Mark's betrayal but still very fucked up (and he was an easy albeit innocent target).

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