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The Heartbreak Rule
He’s her friend’s hot ex, Satan’s apprentice, and the last guy she’d ever fall for. A slow burn standalone enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy.
Gemma’s a rising comedian with dreams of sold-out tours and Netflix specials. Nothing will get in her way—especially not the cocky asshole at the comedy club bar every night. He broke her friend’s heart and she hates him for it.
Reid’s a secret romantic who loves his dog, his old theatre, and sparring with a certain commitment-phobe comedian. When the comedy club closes without notice, he opens his theatre to the comics, including the witty, charismatic Gemma. She’ll rip his heart out, so he should keep his distance… but he can’t help but provoke her.
They need to work together without bloodshed so call a truce, but the tension builds and sparks fly. He’s off limits, so why is she fooling around with him? She’ll leave him in the dust, so why is he finding reasons to spend time with her? This hilarious romance features a grand old theatre, sharp banter, stand-up comedy and an all-night variety show.
Gemma’s a rising comedian with dreams of sold-out tours and Netflix specials. Nothing will get in her way—especially not the cocky asshole at the comedy club bar every night. He broke her friend’s heart and she hates him for it.
Reid’s a secret romantic who loves his dog, his old theatre, and sparring with a certain commitment-phobe comedian. When the comedy club closes without notice, he opens his theatre to the comics, including the witty, charismatic Gemma. She’ll rip his heart out, so he should keep his distance… but he can’t help but provoke her.
They need to work together without bloodshed so call a truce, but the tension builds and sparks fly. He’s off limits, so why is she fooling around with him? She’ll leave him in the dust, so why is he finding reasons to spend time with her? This hilarious romance features a grand old theatre, sharp banter, stand-up comedy and an all-night variety show.
302 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 23, 2022
621 people are currently reading
9158 people want to read
About the author
Stephanie Archer
14 books12.1k followersStephanie writes spicy, hilarious rom-coms. Her books feature sharp banter, stubborn women, lots of laughs, and guaranteed HEA’s. She lives in Vancouver, Canada.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 401 reviews
Currently reading
February 3, 2026pre-read:
first book for the month of february!! quite ironic because february is mostly known for valentines day and i’m reading a book with “heartbreak” on its title 🫣 i have enjoyed reading stephanie archer’s book and i’m really looking forward to this one before the last book of vancouver storm comes out 🥰💗
first book for the month of february!! quite ironic because february is mostly known for valentines day and i’m reading a book with “heartbreak” on its title 🫣 i have enjoyed reading stephanie archer’s book and i’m really looking forward to this one before the last book of vancouver storm comes out 🥰💗
May 29, 2022
WHY IS THIS BOOK SO UNDERRATED??? I LOVE IT SO MUCH
June 3, 2022
FMC’s like this need to be stopped 😩🖐🏼
September 16, 2023
I sorry ti say that The Heartbreak Rule is a major disappointment. I had a high hope for it since Miss Archer is a romance author on my radar.
The thing is, I can not connect with the comedy nor the writing. It seems very confusing jumping back and forth. I feel like I am missing a big chunk.
2 stars
The thing is, I can not connect with the comedy nor the writing. It seems very confusing jumping back and forth. I feel like I am missing a big chunk.
2 stars
June 9, 2022
how is no one talking about this book. the chemistry between reid and gemma, the banter, the tension, omg the TENSION. i was smiling, giggling, kicking my feet, crying, and laughing. and i’m half convinced reid came out of a mariana zapata book, maybe that’s why i like him so much.
now here’s what i didn’t like:
- their nicknames for each other… i mean ice queen and beardo fuckface?? 😭
- gemma’s stand up jokes were not hitting i was hearing crickets the entire time sorry girl
- that third act breakup was so last minute and unnecessary, i don’t get why romance authors think it’s an essential part of a plot. ITS NOT. ITS ANNOYING.
overall this book was cute and i enjoyed it a lot more than i expected, it would’ve been a 4 star if it weren’t for the last 15%
now here’s what i didn’t like:
- their nicknames for each other… i mean ice queen and beardo fuckface?? 😭
- gemma’s stand up jokes were not hitting i was hearing crickets the entire time sorry girl
- that third act breakup was so last minute and unnecessary, i don’t get why romance authors think it’s an essential part of a plot. ITS NOT. ITS ANNOYING.
overall this book was cute and i enjoyed it a lot more than i expected, it would’ve been a 4 star if it weren’t for the last 15%
August 18, 2022
I want the 4 hours I spent reading this back. Jesus I thought it was going to be a silly smut-filled pallet cleanser but this was awful. I wanted to DNF nonstop but my neurosis wouldn’t let me.
dnf
May 2, 2023This heroine is so annoying I can't do it
July 10, 2024
meh. didn’t love, didn’t hate
August 16, 2025
Reid & Gemma
May 2, 2022
Stephanie Archer has this magical ability of writing stories and characters that feel completely real and authentic - both tackling deeper issues and including banter that is leagues above the rest. The Heartbreak Rule is filled with quick, witty humor both on stage through comedy routines and through the banter between characters. There is so much chemistry between the characters it is palpable!
As a huge stand up comedy fan, I loved seeing the perspective of the challenges Gemma faced simply for being a woman and how she fought for herself, growing so much throughout the story. And Reid - I cannot hype up how much I loved Reid enough!
Check this book out if you like:
✦ Banter that will actually make you laugh out loud
✦ Enemies-to-lovers
✦ Dual perspective
✦ Slow burn
✦ Spice 🌶️
✦ Cute dogs
✦ Stand up comedy
✦ A friend group you will literally want to be a part of
✦ Characters that feel like actual people
ARC kindly provided by the author in exchange for my honest review.
As a huge stand up comedy fan, I loved seeing the perspective of the challenges Gemma faced simply for being a woman and how she fought for herself, growing so much throughout the story. And Reid - I cannot hype up how much I loved Reid enough!
Check this book out if you like:
✦ Banter that will actually make you laugh out loud
✦ Enemies-to-lovers
✦ Dual perspective
✦ Slow burn
✦ Spice 🌶️
✦ Cute dogs
✦ Stand up comedy
✦ A friend group you will literally want to be a part of
✦ Characters that feel like actual people
ARC kindly provided by the author in exchange for my honest review.
September 6, 2022
I had to DNF at 10% because I literally don’t even know the MMCs actual name. Nicknames are one thing, but like enough with Beardo Fuckface. Enough.
September 22, 2022
Sing movie vibes
Rtc
Kindle unlimited read
Rtc
Kindle unlimited read
June 7, 2025
I have absolutely loved everything from this author and this... was not it.
✨ 2.75
Synopsis:
The story follows Gemma, a stand-up comedian, and Reid, a theatre / cinema owner - and Gemma's best friend's ex.
Gemma has hated Reid ever since he and her best friend broke up and there is nothing he can do that will make her forgive him. When the comedy club Gemma performs at closes abruptly, Reid opens his theatre to help the comics. Tension builds and sparks fly but he is off limits. She promised herself she'd never end up like her mother, wasting away her years and dreams for a man, and Reid has proven he always delay other people's dreams.
Or does he?
Review:
I gotta say: the comedy was atrocious .
I don't remember having laughed once at her comedy sets. Mind you, stand-up comedy is already a hard effort: the joke needs a good story to support, a good build-up and then a good punchline. If it's already hard in real life, I can only imagine how hard it must be to try to land jokes that rely a lot on visual and / or tone.
However, the author could've skipped it. She could've kept the fmc as a comic but never truly explicitly shown her sets. Because it became really hard to see everyone praise her when she didn't make me laugh once.
Mind you, I've laughed out loud for books before.
One of the things that pissed me off from the beginning: their nicknames for each other, particularly her nickname for him. She called him Beardo fuckface so many times in the first 10 chapters I nearly forgot his name was Reid.
If swear, if she had kept going at 50% mark, I would've DNF'd the book.
The reason Gemma hated him SCREAMED immaturity - from her and her best friend.
The third act break-up was unnecessary and annoying. At nearly 90% mark, Gemma ruins their entire relationship because she has mommy issues and does not care about seeing a therapist or even acknowledging how fucking stupid her logic is.
I'm glad Reid called her out on her immaturity and illogical reasoning but, as always, everything is resolved with "grand gestures" instead of the main characters communicating like THIRTY FUCKING YEAR OLDS that they are.
I'll continue to read from this author because one mediocre book doesn't ruin my fantastic experience with her. However, do not start with this book if you want to give this author a chance. It's a bad rep for such a great writer.
✨ 2.75
“Jaw dropping. Breathtaking. Heart stopping. I was a dead man. I never stood a chance.”
Synopsis:
The story follows Gemma, a stand-up comedian, and Reid, a theatre / cinema owner - and Gemma's best friend's ex.
Gemma has hated Reid ever since he and her best friend broke up and there is nothing he can do that will make her forgive him. When the comedy club Gemma performs at closes abruptly, Reid opens his theatre to help the comics. Tension builds and sparks fly but he is off limits. She promised herself she'd never end up like her mother, wasting away her years and dreams for a man, and Reid has proven he always delay other people's dreams.
Or does he?
Review:
I gotta say: the comedy was atrocious .
I don't remember having laughed once at her comedy sets. Mind you, stand-up comedy is already a hard effort: the joke needs a good story to support, a good build-up and then a good punchline. If it's already hard in real life, I can only imagine how hard it must be to try to land jokes that rely a lot on visual and / or tone.
However, the author could've skipped it. She could've kept the fmc as a comic but never truly explicitly shown her sets. Because it became really hard to see everyone praise her when she didn't make me laugh once.
Mind you, I've laughed out loud for books before.
One of the things that pissed me off from the beginning: their nicknames for each other, particularly her nickname for him. She called him Beardo fuckface so many times in the first 10 chapters I nearly forgot his name was Reid.
If swear, if she had kept going at 50% mark, I would've DNF'd the book.
The reason Gemma hated him SCREAMED immaturity - from her and her best friend.
The third act break-up was unnecessary and annoying. At nearly 90% mark, Gemma ruins their entire relationship because she has mommy issues and does not care about seeing a therapist or even acknowledging how fucking stupid her logic is.
I'm glad Reid called her out on her immaturity and illogical reasoning but, as always, everything is resolved with "grand gestures" instead of the main characters communicating like THIRTY FUCKING YEAR OLDS that they are.
I'll continue to read from this author because one mediocre book doesn't ruin my fantastic experience with her. However, do not start with this book if you want to give this author a chance. It's a bad rep for such a great writer.
May 6, 2022
I loved this book. The banter between the characters was effortless. And THE SEXUAL TENSION/CHEMISTRY *chefs kiss*. I fell in love with Gemma and Reid and became invested in their story very quickly.
The pacing of the story was great, and really easy to read. A spicy, enemies-to-lovers slow burn that I will definitely be thinking about for a while!
ARC kindly provided by the author in exchange for my honest review
The pacing of the story was great, and really easy to read. A spicy, enemies-to-lovers slow burn that I will definitely be thinking about for a while!
ARC kindly provided by the author in exchange for my honest review
August 10, 2024
Didn’t blow me away but it was cute. The one liners between mc’s were funny and spice was nice n spicy. My least favourite part was whenever the female mc did stand up comedy…bad
February 1, 2024
4.5 stars!
An underrated read I don’t hear enough about!!!
This is a black cat x golden retriever read that has banter that will keep you laughing every single chapter.
Gemma has one rule in life, love will only distract her from her dream of being a full time stand up comedian. She is focused, she wants it, and nothing will get in her way. But when the club she normally performs at is shut down for renovations, she has no other choice but to start performing at Reid’s theater…. And she hates Reid. He broke her best friends heart back in college, and all they do around each other is throw barbs back and forth. But, the forced proximity of them working together, shows her a different side to Reid. How he’s a secret romantic at heart, how he shows support for her comedy career, how he protects those around him. She should definitely not be falling for Reid, it’s her golden rule. But when hate turns to friendship, turns to love, can she break her rule for him?
I am so mad at myself for pushing this book further back on my TBR! This is a book that will have you laughing the entire time. Reid is the most supportive boyfriend, even when Gemma friendzoned him. He was willing to patiently wait for her, and support her from the sidelines.
Gemma is a queen. Strong, confident, empowered. She knew what she wanted and went after it unapologetically. I loved her.
Read this if you love black cat x golden retriever, he falls first, and enemies to friends to lovers!
An underrated read I don’t hear enough about!!!
This is a black cat x golden retriever read that has banter that will keep you laughing every single chapter.
Gemma has one rule in life, love will only distract her from her dream of being a full time stand up comedian. She is focused, she wants it, and nothing will get in her way. But when the club she normally performs at is shut down for renovations, she has no other choice but to start performing at Reid’s theater…. And she hates Reid. He broke her best friends heart back in college, and all they do around each other is throw barbs back and forth. But, the forced proximity of them working together, shows her a different side to Reid. How he’s a secret romantic at heart, how he shows support for her comedy career, how he protects those around him. She should definitely not be falling for Reid, it’s her golden rule. But when hate turns to friendship, turns to love, can she break her rule for him?
I am so mad at myself for pushing this book further back on my TBR! This is a book that will have you laughing the entire time. Reid is the most supportive boyfriend, even when Gemma friendzoned him. He was willing to patiently wait for her, and support her from the sidelines.
Gemma is a queen. Strong, confident, empowered. She knew what she wanted and went after it unapologetically. I loved her.
Read this if you love black cat x golden retriever, he falls first, and enemies to friends to lovers!
July 16, 2025
4⭐️
The stand-up comedy theme isn’t really my thing, but I love Stephanie Archer’s books too much to skip this one. I’d actually read another book with a similar vibe before, so I couldn’t help comparing the two in my head.
Stephanie’s books is just so easy to get lost in — it’s light, funny, and full of real emotion. I got attached to the story and the characters so quickly. I’m usually not a huge fan of the enemies-to-lovers trope, but their banter here was genuinely funny and added so much spark to every scene. I loved seeing them slowly drop their guards and show their true feelings behind all the sarcasm and jokes.
I also loved how Reid’s ex and Gemma’s friend handled the whole situation — no unnecessary drama, just quiet understanding. It felt so mature and refreshing.
In the end, this turned out to be such a cozy, fun story — the kind that reminds me exactly why I keep picking up Stephanie Archer’s books. I also really liked that Gemma and Reid had that breakup period — they really needed that time apart to realize they still wanted each other, no matter their different views or life paces.
The stand-up comedy theme isn’t really my thing, but I love Stephanie Archer’s books too much to skip this one. I’d actually read another book with a similar vibe before, so I couldn’t help comparing the two in my head.
Stephanie’s books is just so easy to get lost in — it’s light, funny, and full of real emotion. I got attached to the story and the characters so quickly. I’m usually not a huge fan of the enemies-to-lovers trope, but their banter here was genuinely funny and added so much spark to every scene. I loved seeing them slowly drop their guards and show their true feelings behind all the sarcasm and jokes.
I also loved how Reid’s ex and Gemma’s friend handled the whole situation — no unnecessary drama, just quiet understanding. It felt so mature and refreshing.
In the end, this turned out to be such a cozy, fun story — the kind that reminds me exactly why I keep picking up Stephanie Archer’s books. I also really liked that Gemma and Reid had that breakup period — they really needed that time apart to realize they still wanted each other, no matter their different views or life paces.
December 12, 2023
4.5 stars ✨
GemmaReid 🎤🪩🥂
╰┈➤ “You’re going to break me into a thousand pieces.”
This one is going to be a short because I have so much to say!
I love this book so much; the vibe was so cool and I love the characters (except Trevor ofc). The whole book was entertaining and thoughtful and sweet and spicy ;)
Will recommend this to literally anyone who loves a man with a beard 🫦
GemmaReid 🎤🪩🥂
╰┈➤ “You’re going to break me into a thousand pieces.”
This one is going to be a short because I have so much to say!
I love this book so much; the vibe was so cool and I love the characters (except Trevor ofc). The whole book was entertaining and thoughtful and sweet and spicy ;)
Will recommend this to literally anyone who loves a man with a beard 🫦
July 29, 2024
this was good, it just wasn’t one of my fav stephanie archer books.
3.5/5⭐️
3.5/5⭐️
Read
January 14, 2024DNFing at 100ish pages. I love Stephanie Archer, so I went back to this one as the only one of hers I hadn’t read - and it’s just not doing it for me. I’m not connected to the characters, and they’re supposed to be age 31/32 and the maturity level is not matching. I’m not buying the enemies to lovers. I’m sorryyyy
April 25, 2023
I'm at 87% and haven't decided if I'm dnf-ing or just taking a break to get my thoughts down. All the way through, to this point in the book, This was a 3-star for me. I was basically enjoying myself. I thought the reason we didn't like the MMC at the beginning was contrived and immature. Okay, so that situation resolves and at 87% she blows up their relationship because she's finally gotten her big break but she was still riding the high from the literal previous night's big break. Give me a, well, break. She totally over-reacts in that moment and I'm not even sure I care to see how it resolves.
Reid is a good guy. He doesn't deserve the shit she slings at him in the beginning and he definitely doesn't deserve her hot and cold act. Anyway. Yeah. I think I'm bugging out of this one now. I'm glad this wasn't my intro to Archer. I enjoyed the Queen's Cove series.
Reid is a good guy. He doesn't deserve the shit she slings at him in the beginning and he definitely doesn't deserve her hot and cold act. Anyway. Yeah. I think I'm bugging out of this one now. I'm glad this wasn't my intro to Archer. I enjoyed the Queen's Cove series.
May 21, 2022
4.5
Thank you to Stephanie Archer for an e-ARC of this book to read and review! Heartbreak Rule was so cute! Gemma and Reid make the perfect enemies to lovers and the banter between them is everything. They worked so well together and I was laughing out loud several times throughout the story. The spice was also so good! There was a bit of found family here and I thought that was so sweet and wholesome. The comic background was great and I loved how hard Gemma wanted to fight for herself. There was a third act breakup which I thought was done really well since there was a time period where the characters were able to really think and determine the next steps for themselves and potentially with each other. I loved this book so much and I can't wait for more Stephanie Archer books!
Thank you to Stephanie Archer for an e-ARC of this book to read and review! Heartbreak Rule was so cute! Gemma and Reid make the perfect enemies to lovers and the banter between them is everything. They worked so well together and I was laughing out loud several times throughout the story. The spice was also so good! There was a bit of found family here and I thought that was so sweet and wholesome. The comic background was great and I loved how hard Gemma wanted to fight for herself. There was a third act breakup which I thought was done really well since there was a time period where the characters were able to really think and determine the next steps for themselves and potentially with each other. I loved this book so much and I can't wait for more Stephanie Archer books!
March 21, 2025
2.5✨️
Um Taylor Swift zu zitieren:
It isn't love, it isn't hate, it's just indifference.
Ich bin mir bei der Bewertung unsicher, aber 2.5 ist die Hälfte von 5, deswegen ja.
Irgendwie hat mir hier einfach was gefehlt. Ich kann nicht genau sagen, was gefehlt hat. Zum einen habe ich die Witze leider nicht gefühlt und von ein paar Nebencharakteren wusste ich einfach die Namen, aber sonst nicht wirklich was.
Gemma und Reid waren süss, aber irgendwie konnten sie mich nicht so ganz überzeugen.
Alles in allem war es leider nicht wirklich mein Buch🥲
Um Taylor Swift zu zitieren:
It isn't love, it isn't hate, it's just indifference.
Ich bin mir bei der Bewertung unsicher, aber 2.5 ist die Hälfte von 5, deswegen ja.
Irgendwie hat mir hier einfach was gefehlt. Ich kann nicht genau sagen, was gefehlt hat. Zum einen habe ich die Witze leider nicht gefühlt und von ein paar Nebencharakteren wusste ich einfach die Namen, aber sonst nicht wirklich was.
Gemma und Reid waren süss, aber irgendwie konnten sie mich nicht so ganz überzeugen.
Alles in allem war es leider nicht wirklich mein Buch🥲
August 2, 2024
{3.25⭐️} This was pretty good, considering the main character is a comedian. It’s fairly difficult to write comedy like this in books that doesn’t become less funny with time—and I don’t this this book is immune to that.
May 20, 2022
STATS:
OVERALL RATING - 3.5 / 5
CHARACTERS - 4 / 5
WRITING - 4 / 5
PLOT - 4 / 5
SPICE - 🌶️🌶️
GENRE - Rom-Com
"Telling myself not to love her was useless and futile. It was biochemical, coursing through my veins and ingrained in each piece of DNA"
- Reid, The Heartbreak Rule by Stephanie Archer
An absolutely wonderful read. The banter was elite and the characters are definitely ones you're bound to fall for. The chemistry between Gemma and Reid are undeniable; it's just always there and so the moment they finally decide to just go for it, you can't help but whoop in celebration. The story follows a comic and a theatre owner (I love this dynamic btw) the former being one to stand against love while the latter, an adorable romantic. So what happens when tensions are high and you just can't go against what you feel?
Reid is wonderful. This man's sarcasm is definitely the most attractive feature he has. It's the way he carries himself and just screams perfection. The way he tries to woo and support Gemma in her career struck my heart in the best way. Relationships between the main characters and their friend groups were so heart-warming AND THE DOG?? My absolute favourite. This book does have a third-act break up BUT the ending was so sweet <3
Thank you to the author, Stephanie Archer, for providing me with this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!
OVERALL RATING - 3.5 / 5
CHARACTERS - 4 / 5
WRITING - 4 / 5
PLOT - 4 / 5
SPICE - 🌶️🌶️
GENRE - Rom-Com
"Telling myself not to love her was useless and futile. It was biochemical, coursing through my veins and ingrained in each piece of DNA"
- Reid, The Heartbreak Rule by Stephanie Archer
An absolutely wonderful read. The banter was elite and the characters are definitely ones you're bound to fall for. The chemistry between Gemma and Reid are undeniable; it's just always there and so the moment they finally decide to just go for it, you can't help but whoop in celebration. The story follows a comic and a theatre owner (I love this dynamic btw) the former being one to stand against love while the latter, an adorable romantic. So what happens when tensions are high and you just can't go against what you feel?
Reid is wonderful. This man's sarcasm is definitely the most attractive feature he has. It's the way he carries himself and just screams perfection. The way he tries to woo and support Gemma in her career struck my heart in the best way. Relationships between the main characters and their friend groups were so heart-warming AND THE DOG?? My absolute favourite. This book does have a third-act break up BUT the ending was so sweet <3
Thank you to the author, Stephanie Archer, for providing me with this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!
August 19, 2023
La trama è quella dei film che mandano in onda la domenica pomeriggio su canale 5 e, nonostante tu prenda in giro tua madre che se li guarda, vuoi conoscerne il finale. Peccato solo che la Archer ci dia poche descrizioni dei propri personaggi, perché io mi sono immaginata lui un boscaiolo a lei come la Mannino. Lettura estiva molto veloce e leggera.
March 31, 2024
At first I didn't know what to expect from this book. Gemma is a comedian and I had to get used to this scenes. But after a few chapters I was totally in the story. I read this book in one day and really loved the story.
Enemies to lovers always gets me 💫
Enemies to lovers always gets me 💫
January 2, 2025
3,5 stars
If Stephanie Archer has zero fans, I'm dead.
I can normally trust her not to hit me with a third act breakup and if this hadn't had one it would easily be 4 stars. I just hate that trope... Still loved the writing and the characters though
If Stephanie Archer has zero fans, I'm dead.
I can normally trust her not to hit me with a third act breakup and if this hadn't had one it would easily be 4 stars. I just hate that trope... Still loved the writing and the characters though
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 28, 2024
4.5 stars because this was so cute and fun and what i needed it to be
August 3, 2023
So here’s the thing…I have loved everything else I’ve read by this author. And truthfully, there wasn’t anything wrong with the book or the writing, I just couldn’t stick with it. At about 50%, I just started skimming through the rest of the book to get a general gist of what happened.
Maybe it’s just me, but I didn’t find Gemma’s standup to be all that funny. Now, her banter with Reid? Fantastic. I just had a hard time connecting with the heroine and I just kinda gave up.
I still love Stephanie Archer’s books and plan to keep reading, this book just wasn’t it for me.
Maybe it’s just me, but I didn’t find Gemma’s standup to be all that funny. Now, her banter with Reid? Fantastic. I just had a hard time connecting with the heroine and I just kinda gave up.
I still love Stephanie Archer’s books and plan to keep reading, this book just wasn’t it for me.
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