Name: Sarah Kessler's review of Breaking Up with Barrett by Katy Regnery
Item: Breaking Up with Barrett
Rating: 3
Author: Sarah Kessler

Katy Regnery

Breaking Up with Barrett is the first book about the Philadelphia-based, wildly-handsome English brothers who are all on the look-out for love. (Except Alex. He's a womanizing manwhore. And maybe Stratton, because he's wicked hot, but super awkward around girls.) Barrett English, aka "the Shark," is the fair-haired, first-born of the English brothers, and the CEO of the oldest, most prestigious investment banking firm in Philadelphia. He rules the boardroom with an iron fist, refusing to take no for an answer and always getting his way. Emily Edwards, a first-year doctoral student at the University of Pennsylvania, grew up in the gatehouse on the outskirts of Barrett's childhood estate. The daughter of his family's gardener and housekeeper, she was always looking through the window of privilege, but forced to remember her place at the very periphery of the kingdom. When business partners suggest that afiancéemight soften Barrett's image over business dinners, he approachesEmily for the "job" offiancée. And while love wasn't necessarily on Barrett's radar, he begins to realize thatEmily always has been. But will his take-no-prisoners boardroom tactics work on the heart of the woman he loves?

The English Brothers #1

Breaking Up with Barrett

Janna Niemi

Sarah Kessler

Yes, it's generally fun - the comparisons to Sabrina meets Pretty Woman definitely fit. But it just didn't keep me hooked - the overall tone feels very dated at times (some "not our kind, dear" kind of classism - is this an East Coast thing?), the MCs were hard to connect with, and an editor - at least a copy editor - is desperately needed. Other little things (e.g., the FMC's dissertation is described as covering the English (colonial?) shift from ale to beer, a signal of the shift from an agrarian economy to an industrial economy. That would be incredibly interesting, to me at least, if not for the fact that ale is one of two categories of beer (the other is lager, perhaps this is what she meant?)- and a simple glance at the dictionary or Wikipedia would clarify that) pulled me out of the story. Authors, if you want to speak like an expert, you have two options: be an expert or do the research and fact-check yourself.

Samantha Emery

★Book Basics★ 


  Genre
: - Contemporary Romance

  Series
: - First in the series

  Writing
: -Third person Dual POV (Barrett and Emily) 

  Love triangle?
 - (view spoiler)[No (hide spoiler)]

  Cheating?
 - (view spoiler)[No (hide spoiler)]

  HEA? -
 (view spoiler)[Yes (hide spoiler)]

  Would I read more by this author? 
- Maybe 

  Rating 
- 3


★Review★

While I did enjoy this, there was something about it, that I cannot put my finger on that stopped me really liking or loving it.

It felt quite dated, even though it is very recent, indeed mentions of iPhones (and do not get me started on Emily having herself an iPhone, yet she can hardly afford her rent but whatever), but, it felt like it could have been an 80's Mills and Boon almost.

And for some reason I found Emily almost unlikeable. Again, I cannot give a solid reason, just something about her. I did like Barrett once we started getting his POV however. 

Mild "drama" was built up, then never really causes any issues and just fizzles out, then it ended very abruptly. But given this is to be an ongoing series about the English Brothers, I assume we see previous couples and the continuation of their story as secondary characters.

A nice enough read that passed a couple of hours, but I would not be all fired up to continue the series.

Janna Niemi &
Breaking Up with Barrett by Katy Regnery

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Breaking Up with Barrett by Katy Regnery