Name: Melissa Railey's review of Make Up Break Up by Lily Menon
Item: Make Up Break Up
Rating: 4
Author: Melissa Railey

Lily Menon

Make Up Break Up, the sparkling and heartfelt romantic comedy debut from Lily Menon 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?

A Novel

Make Up Break Up

SANDHYA. MENON

Make Up, Break Up

joy-lynn

McKenna Odom

The sparkling and heartfelt romantic comedy debut from Lily Menon, Make Up Break Up.... 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?

Melissa Railey

The first time I started this book, I sat it down and didn't pick it back up for over a week. That didn't speak well for it. Then when I picked it up again, I read it all in one day. So maybe it just took me a while to get in to the story. I loved the characters even though they frustrated me by not just talking to each other. But then they did and everything was good. I'm excited to see where Lily Menon goes with her next story - maybe June and Ziggy (cause June definitely feels like a kindred spirit).

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley.

Jule

Okay also .... nur weil Mister Charming nach 7 Tagen dating keine Zukunftspläne vorgelegt hat, sind wir in der Situation?!? Please. Miss Thang hatte also keinen einzigen Grund warum sie so hart zu Ihrer love interest war. Aber ein konsistentes Thema ist, dass sie bei nix ne Peilung hat - weder Business noch Privatleben. 

Für eine adult Romance war das alles ganz schön an den Haaren herbei gezogen und mal gar nicht grown up.

Nathalie Wong

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Make Up Break Up by Lily Menon is about relationship apps, love, second chances.

Annika Dev is smart, innovative, and hard working. Nothing stops her from trying to accomplish her goals in making her app successful. This particular app involves a second chance for relationships and finding one’s true love.

Her rival, Hudson Craft, is successful, ambitious, and charismatic. His app does the complete opposite of what Annika’s for which a third party person helps end failing relationships to save on time and potential blow out if it was done in person.

Before there was such animosity and rivalry between each other, Annika and Hudson spent one week together in Vegas in the past. Though their time with one another was passionate, nothing happened after that. Where one has since gained all the success, the other is barely staying afloat. An upcoming pitch contest is Annika’s last chance to make it.

The banter which is seen with Annika and Hudson is amusing yet also frustrating. There wasn’t real any real surprises in the storyline. If you are in the mood for some light, romantic comedy, this is the book to read.

For more of my reviews, please visit my blog at https://ilovereading2016.wordpress.com

Hannah

Make Up Break Up is a steamy romance novel about two app developers who have a love/hate/love relationship. After meeting in Vegas at a conference, and having a week-long love affair, Annika and Hudson go their separate ways. Until Hudson and his incredibly successful app (an app that Annika swears he stole her idea for) show up next door to Annika's office. 

t took me about 25% of the book before I was really hooked. The beginning of the book really focused on Annikas hate for Hudson and felt slightly repetitive. But, once I was further into the story, and was able to see the connection grow, I couldn't stop flipping the pages and rooting for these two. I found myself screaming JUST KISS ALREADY. 

Overall, this book is a cute romcom story that I would recommend to anyone who loves a good romance story, or who is looking for a light read!

Thanks to NetGalley & St.Martins Press for sharing this ARC with me in exchange for my honest review.

"The sparkling and heartfelt romantic comedy debut from Lily Menon, Make Up Break Up.... 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?"--

Sofie

"Detest" was a strong word. So were "abhor" and "despise" and "loathe". Annika, being a pacifist, preferred a different term - something her yoga teacher had said that struck a much more civil cord.

"I am elementally unaligned with you, Hudson Craft,"


Make Up Break Up Follows Annika Dev, a young female app developer as she competes with her arch enemy, Hudson Craft, at a pitch competition for a massive investment. The catch? Hudson Craft and his business, Break Up, have moved into the office next to hers. Oh, and they also had sex last summer at a conference. And... he may have stolen her app idea.

As a romance, this was a fairly straightforward book. Very predictable. Nothing butterfly-inducing (for me), which is one of my main criteria when rating a romance, especially the god-tier trope of enemies-to-lovers. Hudson was at least a little cheeky and we saw a bit of his many sides, but Annika felt verrryyy flat. This is clearly a new adult book but if it weren't for the swearing and the sex, I would think Annika was 16. She was petty, stubborn, and most of the time, immature. I didn't really understand her motivations for messing with Hudson, particularly after it's made clear that he (view spoiler)[didn't steal her app idea (hide spoiler)]. 

We LOVE to see women thriving in tech... but Make Up Break Up falls a bit short of any truly meaningful commentary on the barriers women face in the tech world. We get a snippet of it when Annika and Hudson go talk about their businesses at a school, but even then, we only get one line saying ~You can do it! Don't let anyone tell you you can't!~. It didn't go into any detail about the casual sexism women in tech face - especially a character like Annika, being a woman of colour. There is a much deeper story that could have been told here - Annika, a young Indian American woman struggling to find investors for her revolutionary dating app, while her white, male counterpart coasts in on an idea she thinks he stole, gets all the funding he needs, millions of downloads and users and dollars. It was really a missed opportunity.

Still, a quick read that had some cute chapters. Didn't end the way I thought it would - (view spoiler)[Of course the romance did, but I though Annika and Hudson would join their apps together. Think of it: Make Up helps couples communicate, see a future together through innovative tech, and when all those options run out, there's an amicable break-up tool. Hudson deciding to shut down his app didn't feel like the most satisfying option - I would have liked to see how their very different approaches could have worked together instead to make something neither of them could have made on their own. (hide spoiler)]

3 stars. It's was okay, not the best book I've ever written, but not so unenjoyable that it warrants a 2 star. 

(though that cover needs a revamp, bad. This came out in Feb 2021 and it looks like a teen book circa 2014).

Sahi K

I was quite excited when the author announced that she was writing an adult romcom because despite adoring her YA novels, I seem to prefer the adult books more these days. So I was very happy when I got the arc very early. 

The writing is very easy to breeze through, it’s fast paced and so easy to find myself lost in the story. The signature Sandhya’s charm and banter is all over in the dialogue, which I really enjoyed. I liked both the main characters Annika and Hudson too, though I would have preferred a dual POV. Only seeing everything through Annika’s eyes felt a little dissatisfying, especially when she got on my nerves a little. Hudson seemed to have lot of shades to himself and it was interesting getting to know him better. I also adored the side characters June and Mr. Dev who were so supportive and just there for Annika at all times. The romance could probably be called a slow burn but there is also a yearning aspect throughout, which kept me on my toes. I never could guess how the next scene would go - if it would be more flirty banter or aggressive rivalry - and that helped me finish the book very quickly. 

To conclude, the book was definitely enjoyable with a good set of characters but it just wasn’t very special. I also didn’t like the way the issues between the main characters got resolved towards the end - it felt like a cop out and I was quite frustrated. But it’s also not a bad book, just something that is entertaining enough to read once.

cossette

Jessica Williamson

4.5 Stars

Wow. This book was more than I was expecting. 

I know that this is Lily's first Adult book (Lily being a pen name for YA phenom Sandhya Menon) but this book escapes all of the typical pitfalls of debut novels.

The character work was great. I loved our leading couple, Annika and Hudson, but I also adored June and Ziggy. And Annika's father. Such great characters. They felt realistic, flawed, and fully fleshed out in a way that I love. 

The pacing of this was fantastic. I love the mental acrobatics you have to do to go from crying about these overly emotional things that are happening to laughing so hard you're still crying. There were so many amazingly heartfelt moments in this book, I just want more of them.

If you are a lover of a good hate to love romance, especially when it's a miscommunication, this book is for you!

I will say I did struggle a bit with some of the scene changes. As I read an eARC of this book, I don't know if it's just a formatting issue or if it's the way the book is actually printed, but there's no real division between scenes and its a little jolting to just hop around from one to the next.

Speaking of the eARC, I did receive the ARC of this book via NetGalley and the publisher in an exchange for an honest review.

This book was just amazing and I can't wait to own my own copy. And I will definitely be picking up more from Lily in the future!

Linda Quintanilla

Enemies to lover trope alert. We have two characters battle each other when they both enter the same competition. 
I do not know why I did not connect with Make Up Break Up but the plot felt too familiar to me. That's the problem with enemies to lover tropes. It's either the same plot or something wicked. I already knew what was going to happen that I was doozy off mid-read. It's a cute story but it's the same plot as the typical enemies to lover tropes. I know someone else will anticipate the book than I do.

Alexis 

3/5 Stars 

** I received this as an E-ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review, Thank you!** 

I'm putting this on the low side of 3 stars. This book was just okay for me. Nothing really stuck out. I feel like maybe I went in with too high expectations. The romance felt a little flat to me and the writing just wasn't it for me. I will say it was a quick and easy read.

Anika | @chaptersofmay

Make Up Break Up is a feel-good romantic comedy with a mix of tropes to make a good and light read. Sadly, the plot, the romance, and the personalities fell too flat for me to really enjoy it.

There are two main reasons I picked up this book:
1) The main character's name is almost identical to mine, too good to miss.
2) Enemies-to-lovers is always fun.

But sadly there are also two main reasons I didn't absolutely love this book:
1) The heroine is painfully stubborn, one-dimensional, and frustrating as a narrator. 
2) The enemies-to-lovers narrative was missing the entertaining banter. 

The story Indian-American, Annika Dev, as she goes head-to-head with her arch-nemesis and ex-fling, Hudson Craft, at a tech conference in order to save her failing dating app. And it starts off really strong. The dynamic between Hudson and Annika is immediately set, and there's plenty of humour surrounding their initial conversation. But then it slowly turns into a tiresome battle with lacklustre romance. I actually took more interest in the app development and tech world that the primary narrative. 

The biggest struggle for me, is that it’s hard to love a story when you don't love the character telling it. And I found Annika to be frustratingly pessimistic. She switched from understandably cynical to so critical she was blinding herself. She only ever saw the worst in Hudson, so the enemies-to-lovers spark died out. Make Up Break Up has the qualities of a second chance romance, but I stopped rooting for the characters too early to enjoy it.

Still, I think Make Up Break Up would make a great film. It would be more balanced in terms of POV, meaning there could be more development for Hudson as his personality is pretty one-dimensional in the book. The secondary characters bring relief from the protagonists, and I liked the witty but ambitious tone of Menon’s writing. 

Ultimately, this book disappointed me. There were way too many times I wanted to DNF for it to earn more than 2 stars. While I thoroughly enjoyed Menon’s writing and charm, it wasn’t enough to save the exasperating heroine and awkward chemistry.

Becca Futrell

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC of Make Up Break Up in exchange for an honest review!

We have another case of this was fine, but I really don't have that much of an opinion on it. I love the idea of two individuals from conflicting apps having the enemies-to-lovers thing & found some of the scenes to be very cute and steamy; however, this isn't a book that really sticks out for me.

Max 

Just a cut quick read for me. I’m not quite sure why so many people seem to have disliked the book, if I’m being honest.

While it’s nothing to write home about, it was cute, and I think the concept was rather interesting.

Of course, if there had been more depth to the story and characters this could have been a 4 or 5 star read, but there’s nothing wrong with this per se. It’s a cheesy, cute little book, and it did its job!

Geneviève Rouleau

Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book had a lot of potential and I thought I was going to LOVE it. I've always loved Menon's writing style. I'm also super into stories about apps/gaming lately, and adding some enemies-to-lovers romance in the mix? I was SOLD.

First off. I loved the fact that the main character, Annika, is the (young) CEO of a women-run business. She's in her early twenties and career wise, she really has her shit together. She's ambitious and unapologetic. And even though she is struggling to get her app off the ground due to her lack of funds, she refuses to accept money from her entourage. 

Throughout the story, there were some heart-warming parts (yay to family love and strong friendships!) buuuuut I can't say more without spoiling ahaha! Oh, and June, Annika's BFF and business partner is pretty awesome and she was a great addition to the story.

However. Yes, Annika has her shit together business wise, but on a relationship/emotional level she is very immature and susceptible. The main characters kept undermining each other. Halfway through the book, I thought this was going to be a 3-stars, but by the end I felt so aggravated by the constant nagging, it's more of a 2.5⭐

P.S. I HATE giving such a negative review, I always feel like Menon's work is underappreciated and I want EVERYONE to love her work

Lacey

As excited as I was to read an adult romance debut by a YA author, the romance here didn’t work too well for me. If we had the hero’s POV, I feel like it would’ve helped and made my connection with the romance stronger. I did enjoy the writing and appreciated seeing female characters working in tech - but the story/romance itself I just felt a bit bored with and found myself skimming. I wish I could’ve loved this more! 2.5-3 stars.

Isabella Stocka

Every book Menon writes is a joy to read. Given the opportunity to read her first adult rom-com is a privilege. To be honest, I was a bit scared because I didn't know what I should expect. The story unwrapped itself in a steady rhythm and focused on the two characters in the spotlight as individuals before they became entangled. Putting their dreams and hopes first and focusing on the evolving relationship as a second, was a great choice and something I want to see more about in storytelling. 
Annika and Hudson are such different personalities, but that makes them kind of interesting - for each other as well as for the readers. You have two people who build their business from scratches by themselves, while being stuck in their lives as well, not knowing that the answers are in hands length. 
Modern, sweet, heartbreaking. Thank you.

McKenna Odom &
Make Up Break Up by Lily Menon

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