Reviews

Heart Break For Hire by Sonia Hartl

lindsaypopolizio's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced

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

5.0

booksiedaisy_'s review against another edition

4.25

I LOVED THIS. From chapter 1 I was hooked. Their chemistry was phenomenal, the concept was unique and the writing was superb. While it was definitely a rom-com, the story also tackled familial relationships, and emotionally abusive relationships. There was a lot of character development and even more romance.
Things I Loved:

• I was not expecting the twist at the end where it turns out that Mark has been using her and Heartbreak for Hire to write a research paper.
  It's always fun when romances aren't entirely predictable!
• I loved how Hartl was able to write her mother in a way that was redeemable. While she's clearly a terrible and selfish parent, the reader understands why Brinkley keeps forgiving her. She's flawed, but trying in her own way. This was definitely not an easy task when one considers some of the stuff her mom does.

I 100% recommend!!!

redheadlibrarian979's review against another edition

4.0

To be honest, I started reading this book a couple of months ago, but it just didn't catch my attention quick enough. So, I moved on to something else. Last week, I was looking for something to read, and picked this one up again. I'm glad I did, because I really enjoyed it once I got into it. Thank you, NetGalley, for the eARC!

Brinkley is an artist that works as a heartbreaker, until she can get the money to open her own gallery. Mark is a college professor (and one of Brinkley's targets). She's supposed to get him to fall for her, then leave him broken, but there is real chemistry between them! Brinkley is thrown for a loop when Mark is hired as a heartbreaker, and told that she has to train him. Mark is angry about having been a target. Brinkley is upset about having to work with men (as her coworkers have all been women up to this point). Sparks fly!

There were several laugh-out-loud moments in this book. I absolutely adore Brinkley's cat (and their love/hate relationship). There are a lot of trust issues, due to bad relationships of the past. Overall I enjoyed this book.

nwmlk10's review against another edition

emotional lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.0

ameserole's review against another edition

4.0

Heartbreak for Hire was a pretty fun romcom to jump into. Not exactly sure why I waited so long to jump into this but I'm very happy that I finally did.

In this, you will meet Brinkley. Right from the very beginning, we are jumped into her first job. Well, her first job in the book not in her entire life. She's currently undercover and trying to lure her prey out. Oh, what is her job exactly? Well, she specializes in getting payback on backstabbers. If you need revenge, she's your girl.

On a different assignment, she runs into Mark. Unfortunately, her original plan on taking him down goes out the window. Things get messy and she doesn't know what to do next. The one thing she definitely should not do is kiss the guy. Which, she does and of course other things as well.

I honestly really enjoyed their little romance. The dancing around one another and tension was really good. I just didn't agree with what Mark did some of the time. Or really her own mother. I feel like they should have groveled a bit more before she forgave them.

In the end, I really enjoyed this book. It was fun to listen to and I could totally see it becoming a movie or shoe in the near future.

writingbookscoffee's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

Wow this was cute and funny and sometimes spicy! Like I'll be thinking about one scene in particular for awhile... I also loved all the Chicago details, I could totally picture where they were a lot if the time.

mirrorchaser's review against another edition

4.0

Some suspension of disbelief is required to enjoy reading this novel but if you can find yourself in the brain space to read it as a fun, fluffy, palate cleanser you will like it!

I found the main character to be periodically frustrating, but that's a common occurrence with lots of romance heroines.

andrea_author's review against another edition

5.0

Brinkley is in the revenge business. Sometimes that means bringing injustice to light and righting wrongs. Sometimes, it's a little more murky.

When one of her cases goes sideways, her target ends up working for her as a trainee—the target who charmed her into letting her guard down, along with her panties. Yeah, that guy.

Then she learns he's interviewing for a professorship at the university where her mother teaches. As their lives get more entwined, she finds herself letting him past more and more of her barriers. But is he worthy of her trust?

I'm not a fan of revenge storylines, so I was happy to find that this book doesn't glamorize revenge. It does lead to some awkward and sometimes hilarious situations, though. There were several laugh-out-loud moments for me, and some frankly brilliant word play. Yet this book has more depth than most rom coms, as well as some steamy scenes. It's an insightful and entertaining novel.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

jndy's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted slow-paced

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

2.25

whatshawnareads's review against another edition

4.0

Revenge plots are my catnip so even though this can read like a couple of petty and immature adults to most people, I gobbled it up. They aren't wrong about the immaturity of the MCS; I just found the revenge for hire concept really fun.

Thanks to Gallery Books and Netgalley for my copy to review.