How to Hack a Heartbreak in Freaks Between the Book Sheets Romance Recs

Feb 22, 2019 mrsboomreads rated it really liked it

Shelves: netgalley, books-read-in-2019

I have been on a contemporary romance kick lately and How To Hack a Heartbreak further reinforced my love for the genre! What some romances get wrong, for me, is the weak female/male rescuer trope. Rockaway does the exact opposite here. Mel is a strong, smart woman working in a male dominated profession. She knows how to stand up for herself, take risks and has a fantastic group of female friends who both support and cheer her on. Bravo for a female positive romance! Watching Mel and Alex's rela ...more

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Aug 01, 2019 Lindsay (nerdybooknurse) rated it really liked it

Shelves: romance-recs

{ @harlequinpublicityteam @harlequinbooks #partner } How to Hack a Heartbreak by @kristinrockaway follows programmer and coder Mel. She’s tired of the constant barrage of dick pics and shady guys on all the dating apps so she decides to use her programming skills to create JerkAlert. JerkAlert goes viral overnight and is essentially a database of guys that users can upload information into to warn other women about guys that have ghosted, cheated or lied.

Just as JerkAlert is gaining momentum, Me ...more

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Aug 01, 2019 Kellisa rated it really liked it

How to Hack a Heartbreak was an absolute delight!

To me, this book was a little more women’s fiction than romance. I felt that the romance took second place next to the story of being a woman in a male dominated field, and I was 100% okay with it!

Mel works as a helpdesk tech at a startup incubator, where she is unappreciated and disrespected by the men she has to help daily. After too many instances of dick pics and being stood up by men she swiped right on, she decides to use her coding skills ...more

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Jul 18, 2019 Kailey (kmc_reads) rated it really liked it

3.5 stars rounded up. Thanks to the publisher for my gifted copy.

This was such a great romance! I flew through it - it’s a fun, quick read. In a very tech-driven world, much of this novel was super relatable. I found myself rooting for Mel, and also really liked the supporting cast of characters. A few parts were a little predictable & I was a little annoyed at how naive Mel was at times, but I think that was driving the plot, so I get it. I still found it a charming story. Add this cute rom-co ...more

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Aug 14, 2019 Bookishlor rated it liked it

3.5/5 stars

*Thank you so much to NetGalley, Harlequin and Graydon House for allowing me the opportunity to read this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this was a sweet quick read, techy filled, modern day romance in the workplace tale!

Synopsis
After several horrible incidents with men in real life, Mel is officially over jerks. It's not enough that she has to deal with the frat boy programmer environment while working at a start-up company's help desk, but now she's seeing th 3.5/5 stars

*Thank you so much to NetGalley, Harlequin and Graydon House for allowing me the opportunity to read this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this was a sweet quick read, techy filled, modern day romance in the workplace tale!

Synopsis
After several horrible incidents with men in real life, Mel is officially over jerks. It's not enough that she has to deal with the frat boy programmer environment while working at a start-up company's help desk, but now she's seeing the worst that modern dating has to offer on the popular dating app Fluttr. In an act of frustration, she creates JerkAlert - a site that allows women to log and vent about their horrible experiences with men on Fluttr. The only real light in this dreary tunnel is her new office love interest Alex who appears to be genuinely a good guy and works in one of the start-ups at her job. When JerkAlert becomes an overnight hit and things start to fall apart in Mel's life, she starts to question what she's doing with her life and whether to tell the truth to Alex.

World Building
I really liked that this story was full of techy characters while being told in the modern workplace and dating environment. The workplace environment felt almost uncomfortably real which just goes to show you how realistic the author made it. There were definitely more serious tones in the beginning describing the work environment with customers that felt so real it gave me flashbacks of my own previous experience at a dead end job!

Characters
I liked Mel's character overall, but it was not easy. Her attitude was very much a product of her horrible work and dating environment. She had a tendency to be doubtful and negative especially when it came to people/friends around her that didn't deserve it. However, I believe she worked through most of it by the end of the book so it resolved itself and it showed a bit of character progression. The only main complaint I had were the unbelievable mistakes that an actual techy would never do. I understand a specific thing needed to be there for the sake of the plot, but I saw it coming a mile away (I might have yelled at the book while she was doing it honestly). I enjoyed reading about Alex's character. Mel's friends, Alex and the dating moments were honestly the best parts of the story and the only rays of sunshine in the book. Although, I didn't feel as connected to Alex as I should have been. The story did focus a bit much on Mel's work environment and other aspects of her life so there wasn't a lot of time to explore more depths of Alex's character. I feel like we only saw him working and never truly got to know him other than bits and pieces. The chemistry between Alex and Mel was sweet, light and truly missed when it wasn't on the page! I'd also say that romance scenes were sweet and non-steamy, but more in the tradition of fade to black rom-coms.

Pacing & Points of View
The overall pacing of this book was average and told entirely from Mel's point of view. I would've liked to see Alex's point of view, but since they worked at the same place, I could see how that might have been overkill.

Overall
Overall, I liked this story and how it ended for the characters. It was definitely a story that focused on Mel's life including self discovery and the light romance. I would definitely recommend this book for the overall modern workplace romance it is and if anyone is looking for a lighter romance read! ...more

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Aug 12, 2019 Brei rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc, rom-com, romance, 2019-bookshelf, contemporary-romance, harlequin

Cute Rom Com with no steam.

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Apr 15, 2019 Chanon rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 5-star-ratings

*Thank you to Netgalley, Kristin Rockaway and Graydon House for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.*

emoji rating scale: 😩🙁😐😀😍
How to Hack a Heartbreak rating: 😍

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read my review: click here
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THIS. BOOK. IS. SO. DAMN. REFRESHING.

I have never read anything by Kirstin Rockaway before, but I have wholeheartedly fallen in love. Guys, this book is must-read!

Melanie — a freaking breath of fresh air — is a girl who’s lived the last few years on autopilot. By day she’s a help desk t ...more

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May 21, 2019 Really Into This rated it it was amazing

Sarah contributed this review for Really Into This

Check out all of our reviews at https://reallyintothis.com
Happy Reading, friends!

Special thanks to Kristin Rockaway, Graydon House, Jessica Watterson & NetGalley for providing my copy in exchange for an honest & fair review.

Book Review: How to Hack a Heartbreak by Kristin Rockaway

These days, I'm all about the romance. How to Hack a Heartbreak is smart, sexy, original & the perfect summer read!

So Original

How to Hack a Heartbreak is so smart. I'm ...more

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Jul 23, 2019 Madison rated it really liked it

Shelves: arcs, books-i-own

This was a cute read. As a single 26 year old girl, the dating app struggles in this book are so relatable. And quite frankly, the JerkAlert website still doesn’t seem like THAT BAD of an idea 😉 Mel was a great main character. She was strong and smart. I loved reading about a protagonist that works in the tech industry. Rockaway did a great job with this one! It’s out now so make sure to pick up your copy today! ⁣

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Aug 04, 2019 Sadie Longren rated it liked it

How To Hack A Heartbreak by @kristinrockaway is a hilarious contemporary romance that I couldn’t recommend more for those who are in the depths of online dating! As a millennial, I had my fair share of dating app horror stories, but THANKFULLY met my future husband (2 months to go, babe!). ⁣⁣
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The first few lines of the book are as follows: “Never trust anything you read in the internet. It’s sound advice, but I’d never really taken it seriously until the night Brandon, 26, from Brooklyn stood m ...more

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Mar 05, 2019 Amy |wheresshereading rated it liked it

How to Hack a Heartbreak was the perfect mix of a girl boss going for her dreams (after failing) and her dating life in this digital age (which is rocky at best). Melanie and her friends, living in NYC, are not having much luck in the dating world. But now with so much technology dating for them has dwindled down to apps and split second decisions about a person you don’t know. Mel was tried of dealing with all the harassment, unsolicited pictures and being stood up the longer she used Fluttr so ...more

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Jun 12, 2019 Noemie | allmybookthoughts rated it liked it

Shelves: 2019-books, 2019-arcs

Thank you to Harlequin Books and Net Galley for a free copy of this book. #partner
3.5 stars - I enjoyed this cute rom-com! It had a little romance in it, but wasn't anything steamy. I enjoyed reading about Mel's wild adventures with online dating … it makes me so thankful that I don't have to experience any of that fun stuff! It was a nice girl-power type of book, and made for a quick read. I wish the end would've had a little more substance (or length) to it, but overall I did enjoy the story a ...more

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Jul 23, 2019 Kate (kate_reads_) rated it really liked it

If you’ve experienced online dating recently - this book will feel very familiar to you. I felt echoes of real life conversations as I read what Mel and her friends were experiencing.

If you’ve wished for a way to weed out men who are the worst - you will understand the impulse behind Mel starting Jerk Alert, the site for women to warn each other about men on the dating app.

This was a quick and enjoyable read. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

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