I’ve been a big fan of Menon’s YA books for a while now, so I was so excited to see her adult romance debut! Make Up Break Up is a charming romance about yearning, second chances, and dedication. I will never get enough of STEM heroines, and so Make Up Break Up gave me all the feels! Keep reading this full review if you’re curious about Menon’s adult debut!
Summary
Love, romance, second chances, fairy-tale endings…these are the things Annika Dev believes in. Her app, Make Up, has been called the “Google Translate for failing relationships.”
High efficiency break-ups, flashy start-ups, penthouses, fast cars…these are the things Hudson Craft believes in. His app, Break Up, is known as the “Uber for break-ups.” It’s wildly successful—and anathema to Annika’s life philosophy.
Which wouldn’t be a problem if they’d gone their separate ways after that summer fling in Las Vegas, never to see each other again. Unfortunately for Annika, Hudson’s moving not just into her office building, but into the office right next to hers. And he’ll be competing at the prestigious EPIC investment pitch contest: A contest Annika needs to win if she wants to keep Make Up afloat. As if it’s not bad enough seeing his irritatingly perfect face on magazine covers when her own business is failing. As if knowing he stole her idea and twisted it into something vile—and monumentally more successful—didn’t already make her stomach churn.
As the two rival app developers clash again and again—and again—Annika finds herself drawn into Hudson Craft’s fast-paced, high velocity, utterly shallow world. Only, from up close, he doesn’t seem all that shallow. Could it be that everything she thought about Hudson is completely wrong? Could the creator of Break Up teach her what true love’s really about?
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from Netgalley. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
TW: racism
The chemistry in Make Up Break Up is delightful. It’s that opposites attract with hints of electric sparks and lingering stares. The quick banter and moments where you begin to antagonize someone just to feel their gaze on yours. While the chemistry kept the pages flipping, there were other elements to Make Up Break Up that I loved like the best friend relationship with June and Annika’s struggle with her father to accept her passion.
Stories with women friendships, the ones who have your backs no matter what? I’m here for that. Not to mention, I want a whole book about June because not only is her fashion style stunning, but she is a power house. Another piece of Make Up Break Up is Annika and her father’s relationship, not only dealing with the grief of her mother’s death, but also his disapproval of her career choice. Annika’s passion speaks for itself, but it’s a point of contention between her father and her. She struggles to stand up for herself, to believe in herself (despite the challenges), and fight for her vision.
If you are searching for a good enemies to lovers with intense rivalry and banter, look no further. It’s a story about thinking we are the heroes of our own story, and people who push us to re-frame ourselves. To ask ourselves difficult questions we never could have anticipated. Make Up Break Up asked interesting questions about what people do with technology. How people can influence the products we use for our own purposes.
Find Make Up Break Up on Goodreads, Amazon, Indiebound, Bookshop.org & The Book Depository.