I was really excited about this book the moment I read the blurb, and it was a cute & fun story. I loved the idea of a romance between rival app owners - one whose mission to is to bring couples together, the other to break them up. I really loved the enemies to lovers & rom-com mash-up, although the "enemies" part wasn't exactly what I was expecting.

While I enjoyed the storyline I have a love-hate relationship with Annika. I loved her passion & determination and the fact that she was fighting to make her business a success. What I didn't love was how she perceived her relationship with Hudson and seemed to create conflicts in her head. Her character was a bit indecisive, and I think having the entire story told from her point of view made it a little hard for me to invest in their happiness. I think getting Hudson's POV, even for only a few chapters if not the whole thing, would have developed the story a lot more and made this a complete hit for me. That being said I think it's a fantastic debut novel, and I can't wait to read more from Lily Menon in the future!

3.5 stars.

I love how passionate Annika is about Make Up, and her pettiness (sometimes) and anger that she tries to cover up with anxiety techniques and yoga felt really authentic.

I thought it was a little crazy how often Hudson and Annika butted heads, despite knowing there’s history between them and that we don’t have the full story. Annika consistently makes comments about Hudson having two sides to him, one deep and intense and one super flippant and arrogant and cold, and she struggled with that, as did I. But I also found myself frustrated with her, because Hudson dropped hints all along that things weren’t quite as she seemed to remember them from their past.

The payoff though is worth it, and while I thought it was a little too easy, at the same time Annika didn’t tell or want Hudson to do anything that he wasn’t already marinating on himself. She called him on BS, but I’m glad he called her on hers, too. I wish we had seen them as a couple more.

I loved that there was a focus on Annika and her dad’s relationship as well, and that was super sweet to watch (and painful at times but again, worth it). I love how Menon doesn’t shy away from family topics.

Read to 40%, then skipped around

I had such high hopes for this one and was so very disappointed.

I couldn’t connect to either of these characters. Annika is smart, Hudson is charming, together they have so much potential and yet, it’s all pettiness and ridiculous behavior. There are a few secondary characters, but it didn’t seem like we got to know them.

Plot wise, it’s a lot of back and forth and about a million percent more inner monologue than I would have liked. The story moved slowly and I couldn’t get invested in any part of it. It breaks my heart to say that I could have set this down and never finished.

Overall, the idiots to lovers is my favorite trope, but this one didn’t work for me.

**Huge thanks to St. Martin’s Griffin for providing the arc free of charge**

Annika Dev wants to get her company Make Up off the ground and make it a success. A hunky guy moves into her office building with his new company Break Up. She realizes they had met over the summer in Las Vegas. Her ideas are totally opposite of his and they go round and round. This was a good book and I enjoyed reading it.

Cute enemies-to-lovers contemporary romance. It seemed to start kind of slow, but the ending was sweet.

I received an advanced copy of Make Up Break Up from NetGalley so I could share my review with you!

Annika Dev is passionate about helping reconnect the world with itself. That’s why she created her start-up company, Make Up, an app designed to help struggling relationships survive what could otherwise be devastating conflicts. Annika believes that Make Up has the potential to revolutionize the way couples deal with quarrels if she can keep the company’s financial woes under control for long enough to get the app out into the world. Though things are far from perfect, Annika knows that she’s got what it takes to help couples remember why their relationship is worth fighting for. But when Hudson Craft, Annika’s irritatingly handsome arch-nemesis and founder of Break Up (an app that goes against everything Annika stands for) moves in next door, Annika realizes that her fight for success in the world of tech entrepreneurs has just begun.

You can get your copy of Make Up Break Up on February 2nd from St. Martin’s Griffin!

As you might recall from my earlier reviews, Sandhya Menon is one of my favorite contemporary authors of all time! Every book she releases is an instant must-read for me, and Make Up Break Up was no exception. Make Up Break Up is a bit different from Menon’s previous releases, as it is written for adult romance readers, rather than her usual young adult audience. With this being said, I was blown away by how well Menon’s writing style translated to this new genre! Annika Dev is such a strong and confident lead, who works her hardest to try and make the world a better place. I just want to be her friend! My favorite part of this book was the elements of the world of entrepreneurship integrated throughout that made the whole story feel so real!

My Recommendation-
If you’ve been looking for a steamy romance to push away the winter chill, you need to pick up a copy of Make Up Break Up! This book would be perfect for fans of The Boyfriend Project and Get a Life, Chloe Brown! I would especially recommend Make Up Break Up for folks who enjoy reading books with fierce female protagonists!

2.5 stars

I’ve seen Make Up Break Up by Lily Menon on a bunch of “books we can’t wait to read in 2021!” lists, so I was eager to dig in as soon as I received a review copy in NetGalley! Unfortunately, almost as soon as I started the book my eagerness began to diminish and I just didn’t connect with the characters or their story at all.

I might be too old for it? (I’m 38.) Annika and Hudson both struck me as so immature, yet the amount of life experience and professional standing both are supposed to have would be more appropriate if they were at least five years older. And not that I demand absolute realism from my romance reads, but the whole app development/tech plot felt both dated and superficial. All I kept thinking is, “sure, they might hit it big for a year, but the whole thing will be a bust before they hit thirty.”

Because the book is written in third-person and only follows Annika’s point of view, I never really got to know Hudson. That was a shame, because what we do learn of his story is more compelling than Annika’s. I think this book shows potential and many other readers might like it, but it just wasn’t for me.

Annika's devoted to her idea for a new relationship app, dedicated to helping people resolve conflicts in their relationship. This is why she is so angry when she finds out that after their brief summer fling, Hudson has come up with his own app that helps people end relationships. His entire outlook on life seems to be the opposite of hers, and yet she can't deny the attraction between them.

As much chemistry as there is between the two protagonists, I actually found them fairly interesting characters individually. Their work sounded fascinating, and honestly, I could have read a whole novel about the apps' development and success. The conflicts between them seemed a little more obvious and it was a little hard to believe these two intelligent people couldn't resolve it more quickly, but it was satisfying when they eventually did. I came to appreciate the message Menon was sending with this story, to believe in optimism and second chances.

I loved Annika as a MC. She was a multi cultural, headstrong badass who thought quickly on her feet! I thought her relationship with her father was truly unique, as she lost her mother from cancer early on and he raised her alone. His Incessant pushing her to try to become a doctor because he wants what is best for her (or really what is secure and safe) is something I understand coming from an immigrant background. Passion doesn’t pay the bills, a job does. 🙃 We’ll show them, right? 😂 i was not expecting to shed a tear, but when Dr. Dev visited Make Up, whew, someone must have cut onions at the exact same time!

June. June girl. If my best friend in the ENTIRE world was ever in a book, her name was June. My god. The hype woman, the girl always in your corner, the baddest of the bad. I love her. These female empowering friendships, along with empowering the future females in tech was AMAZING. I loved that spotlight.

This book is very sensual. There was a lot of pearl clutching happening, but it was all very sensual. There’s definitely the steam in this book, so skip this if you need a clean and closed door romance. The sexual tension between the two is very palpable and when it comes to a head, oh it goes.

Overall, I really enjoyed this. It’s a very catty enemies to lovers, but also has a second chance (which is my new kick) trope in a sense. I found myself enjoying Annika’s peeling back of Hudson’s layers to figure out what really happened in Vegas.

Thank you a million times St. Martin’s Press & Net Galley for the gifted copy. Make Up, Break Up is out Feb 2nd!

Make Up Break Up is Lily Menon’s first adult novel but you can tell instantly that it will not be her last. Not only is the cast diverse but the main character is a strong women who has thrown her hat into the technology world where women are normally outnumbered. Annika Dev is a character that doesn’t cower but instead stands up for herself and is not afraid of a little competition.

The book begins with us being introduced to not only Annika but her best friend and colleague June Stewart. We learn that the two are working on creating and launching an app called Make Up with the purpose of giving couples a second chance. We also quickly learn about Hudson Craft whose app Break Up allows users to hire them to break up with their significant other without doing it face to face. Annika assumes that Hudson stole her idea and twisted it into his own project. It isn’t long before the two of them battle head to head with mind games to try to outwit each other to become the better company but in the process will these two find a connection with each other?

Only time will tell!

💕Passionate competition between opposing relationship apps📱: what a couple of CEOs!

4-4.5🌟stars
I really found this romance based in the start-up tech world a compelling read. No, the subject of rival techies who fight mutual attraction is not new. But the idea that their companies were so diametrically opposed and the owners knew each other in an earlier time was intriguing. And, strung in bits and pieces throughout the story, we learn just how they connected and lost touch.

Hudson, the male lead, seemed to keep both Annika, the female lead, and me constantly confused about his true character. He first appears as a bragging, pretty insensitive jerk and then we are left to speculate if that's the real Hudson, especially when Annika remembers a guy with such a different attitude and ambition when they first met. Annika, on the other hand, could not be more vocal about her goals and her strong views about the Break Up app Hudson created.

I loved the realistic, conflicted relationship between Annika and her dad: mutual love, yes, but major disconnects on how Annika should be molding her future. I was glad that a key plot thread focused on Dr. Dev. I am also a fan of stories like this that highlight successful women in STEM professions, especially ones ready to mentor other girls and young women. Author Lily Menon also supplied a healthy dose of realism by showing the difficulties, financial most obvious, that come with building a new business.

Thanks to publishers St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for providing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.

Make Up Break Up follows in the footsteps of many other recent rom coms where a main character has created an app and is looking for funding. Unfortunately, it didn't provide me with much of a new story and fell short of my expectations.

I had trouble liking Annika because I didn't feel she made good business decisions and her partner seemed to just go along with whatever Annika wanted to do. Hudson, the love interest, didn't have much substance to him. I never rooted for their relationship.

In addition to not liking the characters much, I didn't find the timeline all that plausible and I didn't feel the chemistry.

I did enjoy that Annika had sweet father that raised her.

This book just didn't do it for me. I appreciate the opportunity to read and give my honest opinion.

Thanks to St. Martin's Griffin for an advanced copy of Make Up Break Up.

Make Up Break Up was cute and while I usually love enemies to lovers, this unfortunately didn't hit the mark for me.

I wanted to love this one I really, really did but I started it and it just has not grabbed my attention yet. Which is disappointing because I love Sandhya's other books and I was so excited for her first contemporary romance.

I will definitely give this a try at a later date, but for now it's going back on the to read pile!

Thank you for the opportunity to give it a try!

Who doesn't love an enemy to lovers novel?! And this one coming from typical YA romance writer, Sandhya Menon!

Annika Dev is developing an app, "Make Up" that will save failing relationships. She also falls quickly but her relationships are short-lived and normally don't go further than the first date. So when she has a week-long romantic endeavor with Hudson Craft, she expects this relationship to be the same as the others. This relationship seems to go as expected (no contact) except almost a year after their time together she realizes Hudson has stolen her idea for an app, "Break Up" that helps people break up with their partner with seemingly zero repercussions. And he's gaining all the fame, money, and attention she deserves. When he moves into the office right next to hers and they're both vying for the same investors into their newly developed apps, all bets are off.

Such an easy-flowing, fast-paced novel! The chemistry between the two characters is fantastic. However, it did fall short for me in two areas. One, I didn't connect with the main character Annika as much as I would have liked to. It was hard to warm up to her and she seemed judgmental and kind of bratty. It was obvious that Hudson was into Annika and I just wanted to shake her and tell her to quit fighting it!! Two, I think the book ended sort of abruptly. I wanted an epilogue at least to know how it all ended up!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for sharing this ARC with me in exchange for my honest opinion!

This was a bit cliched, predictable and there were times when both the lead characters were being immature, but I still really enjoyed it. I could honestly give it 5 stars for the gut-wrenching familial drama and fantastic chemistry.

The story revolves around two app rivals, Annika and Hudson. Annika is the founder of Make Up, which aims to bring exes back together or fix broken relationships and give couples their happily-ever-afters. Hudson, on the other hand, is the CEO of Break Up, which is known as the "Uber for break-ups". Two young developers that once shared seven intimate nights in Vegas, starting up two totally opposing dating apps, about to constantly outsmart one another in this delicious hate-to-lovers romance.

I gotta admit, I wasn't a big fan of Sandhya Menon's YA books. But this one worked wonders for me. I thought she did a great job writing both Annika's and Hudson's characters, and even the secondary characters were amazing. I loved that this wasn't just about the back and forth competition, but also about a father-daughter relationship and two women trying to make a name for themselves in the tech industry. The only things I didn't like were the many times Annika couldn't seem to control herself whenever she's in Hudson's presence (especially during very inappropriate moments) and the rather abrupt ending.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the earc! This book comes out on February 2nd!

A cute romance to snuggle up with on your weekend. I especially loved the Indian American connection and the dad who keeps pressurizing Annika to get a "real" job. That's so, so real :) But that said, Annika could have been a touch nicer as a person...

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

I really wanted to like this book! I loved a good enemies-to-lovers, as well as a workplace (or in this instance, work competitors) romance, but this book was honestly a mess. Like so many other reviewers have said, the plot is full of holes, assumptions, missed opportunities - the narrative just didn't really make sense. I also felt a real lack of connection or tension between the two main characters, which is a shame, because I think the set-up could have lent itself to some great banter. I liked the woman in STEM/development angle, but also thought it was a little underdeveloped. The whole time I found myself wishing I was reading The Hating Game or The Right Swipe instead.

This book truly had some flavor to it. Sometimes one sided enemies to lovers can be hit or miss, but this one was definitely a hit for me. I thought it was hilarious how right Annika thought she was, and I enjoyed how Hudson could be petty in return.

There was definitely some cringing and second hand embarrassment reading what Annika did sometimes, but the humor and tech part of the story really made it interesting and well worth it. The sexual tension and pining between them was just *chef's kiss*. Two words. The bath.

Overall, I had a fun time reading this one, and think it's a good book for those who like their romances to have a solid plot outside of the romance.

First off—I love this cover! Unfortunately that's kind of all I really loved. The dialogue was very cliche and redundant. A few times it felt like the characters were having the same conversations over and over again, down to the exact same sentence phrasing. So many major cheeseball moments—the ending being especially a big eye roller.

Annika only has a few weeks until a major presentation that can make or break her funding for her app, Make Up. The app was in dire need of money, however Annika insisted on having an office in downtown LA for her and her and her business partner, where all their work was being done on the computer. The amount of money that they could have saved would have probably helped them get out of some of their loan debt. Instances like this that felt like common sense really annoyed me.

The main characters were stubborn, and not in an endearing way. I thought the best friend/business partner was pretty one-note. She agreed with every Annika said and never challenged her to see another perspective. I did enjoy the relationship Annika had with her dad, who raised her alone for most of her life.

I really wanted to enjoy this, but it lacked a lot of substance.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.