RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
SPICE: 🔥🔥
Margo Anderson's best friend has put her in a difficult position. They are a popular podcasting duo who give tips on how to avoid feelings while dating. When Jo decides to get married at a destination wedding at Catalina Island, Margo is left holding the bag in dealing with their rather peeved audience. To pacify them, Margo comes up with a plan: She is going to break all of her own rules.
Best man Declan Walsh may be the bane of Margo's existence, but he is also the perfect candidate for her experiment. But the more she spends time with him, the more she realizes there is more to the smug engineer than she bargained for.
I really enjoyed this well-paced read. The main characters were very charming. While Declan was flirty and swoony, I especially love Margo and her masked vulnerability. Kristyn J. Miller did a fantastic job of striking a balance between Margo's charisma and flaws to create an easily relatable character.
Miller also finds a great pace, even with the integration of podcast snippets and text conversations. Sometimes those can take the reader out of the story, but it is seamless with the plot in this read.
I love a good enemies-to-lover banter, and this book is on par with that. I found Declan and Margo's exchanges cute, and while I wished for more spice, their connection is so fun and organic.
I highly recommend this standalone read for those who love low-angst enemies-to-lover banter.
** I am voluntarily reviewing an advance copy of this book. Thank you to Kristyn J. Miller, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for providing an ARC. **
ABOUT THE BOOK
Love breaks all the rules.
Margo Anderson is sworn off commitment. Alongside her best friend, Jo, she runs a viral podcast featuring rules for hooking up without catching feelings. So when Jo surprises her by deciding to get married and taking up a sponsor’s offer to host an all-expenses-paid wedding trip on Catalina Island, they have the whole internet to answer to.
In a scramble for content to appease their disappointed listeners, Margo cooks up a social experiment: Break all her own dating rules, just to prove that it’s a bad idea. And she’s found the best man for the job in the groom’s best friend and her old high school nemesis, Declan Walsh. He may be easier on the eyes than Margo remembered, but he’s sure to be as smug and annoying as he was before—there is no chance Margo will ever catch feelings for him . . . until she does.
The more time they spend together through cake tastings and wedding party activities, the more Margo can’t ignore their obvious spark, and she may actually be enjoying getting to know Declan. But can she let go of the rules to let him in?
MEET KRISTYN J. MILLER
Hi! I’m Kristyn.
I write romantic comedies with a broader women’s fiction slant as well as the occasional horror or thriller. My debut novel, SEVEN RULES FOR BREAKING HEARTS, will be released May 16, 2023 and is available for pre-order now.
Outside of fiction writing, I’m a grad student in history and museum studies specializing in the Germanic Iron Age. My thesis is focused on the ethical and logistical challenges of preserving and displaying bog bodies and other human remains in museums. I’ve also worked as a marketing consultant for a number of museums, archives, and other educational non-profits.
I grew up in Southern California but these days I’m restoring an old center-chimney colonial in Maine with my husband. Big fan of birds, fuzzy sweaters, artichokes, and antique books. Willing to trade my pinky toe for good beer (I stub my toes often enough that I’m pretty sure I won’t miss it).
