An enjoyable enemies to lovers rom-com. It was gripping enough for me to finish sit but it was a little confusing in places and very predictable at other points.

This is one of those books that’s like enemies to lovers but in a roundabout kind of way. I found it more than a little predictable and to be honest it just wasn’t for me!

The Break-Up Clause by Niamh Hargan is a romantic comedy that takes place at a law firm in New York. Fia and Benjamin despise each other. Eight years previously, they worked at a summer camp together. They endlessly teased each other, however, for reasons that are still unknown to me, they did have a random cabin hook-up that ended in disaster. As summer comes to a close, a wild night out in Vegas ends with the two daring each other say 'I do' in a casino chapel.

After almost a decade of ghosting her, Fia finds out the summer associate she's mentoring is none other than her secret husband and if anyone finds out she's sure to lose her promotion.

The miscommunication that occurs in this book had me tearing my hair out. These are supposed to be two intelligent people but they were so incredibly juvenile and, dare I say it, dislikeable. If they had just went to HR at the start or even had an honest conversation the whole situation could have been wrapped up within minutes. I just didn't feel any genuine connection between Fia and Benjamin and as a result wasn't very invested in the outcome

Such a cute, fun read. Had me hooked from the first page, there were a few things that i was fond of in the storyline an was at times confusing but overall I really enjoyed and it was a quick read.

I absolutely loved Niamh’s duet novel, 12 days in May, so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this. What a wonderful read. I really felt I was part of Fiadh’s world and loved her story with Benjamin. I also really enjoyed the female friendships in this story too. I would absolutely love a part 2.. Niamh is definitely on my favourites list

A love story gone a bit off the track. I wanted to love this book as it had a lot of potential, but there were too many sideplots that didn't add up and unneccessary scenes. Funny and cute at times but just not for me.

I quickly realised when starting this book, that this particular book is not for me. I can see why a range of people would enjoy this book and rate it highly, however I don't think I can do that today. I personally think that the failed marriage trope might not just be for me.

I feel so guilty for dnfing an arc, but I just couldn’t get into it at all. I struggle to read books in third person. For a short romance book, you need to have us rooting for the love interest, and I get it’s only because they got married as a game of chicken went wrong, but Ben is so unlikable!

3.5 stars.
Would have been 4 if it wasn’t in third person I just can’t stop my brain from itching when I read third person 😂.

The story though is cute, well paced, a little inevitable but a fun ride nonetheless.

Fiadh and Benjamin give me strong Lucy and Josh from The Hating Game vibes-in fact the whole book feels like the less spicy cousin of The Hating Game-with the addition of a What Happens in Vegas backbone.

I did enjoy it even though it’s a lot less spicy than the books I usually read-and it would make a great Netflix movie!

A real fun and cute read that will leave you hooked!
From the very beginning you get drawn into the story and you just will not want to put the book down until you are at the end

New favourite rom-com alert! I've read a lot of rom-coms and, not gonna lie, they're mostly shit. I really really liked Niamh Hargan's debut Twelve Days in May and I am happy to report that The Break-Up Clause is just as good! I was so mad that I was too busy to read it in one sitting, because it deserves it: it's a fun read about Fia and Ben, who got drunkenly married in Vegas when they were 22, and accidentally end up working together eight years later. Enemies to lovers is my least favourite trope because it rarely makes any sense – there's never any legitimate reason as to why the love interest was behaving like an arsehole in my opinion – but I think it definitely worked in this case. Although it definitely delivers on the tropes, like Twelve Days in May it's a bit more nuanced and thoughtful and less clichéd than a lot of rom-coms, not to mention better written. Plus, Ben is an excellent book boyfriend, Fia's continual surprise that she lives in New York is so relatable (I'm sure I'd feel the exact same), and it was genuinely such a highlight of my week, I always looked forward to picking it up again. It definitely wasn't perfect, but it's been added to my extremely selective roster of fave rom-coms and you can bet I'll be rereading it whenever I'm hungover!! Niamh Hargan is an auto-read author for me now and dare I say secondary only to Emily Henry??

This was a silly, fun read. There isn’t much in here that readers won’t have seen elsewhere, but it’s no less enjoyable for that. I enjoyed the section that took place in Ireland, and the supporting characters felt well rounded. I enjoyed the exploration of friendship as well.

Thank you for my eARC! I really enjoyed this. It was lighthearted and fun without being superficial.
The enemies to lovers/2nd chance trope was done well and nothing felt drawn out.

Fiadh (Fia for those that can't read/speak Gaelic) is an Irish family lawyer who transferred to her firm's New York office several years ago. She's angling for promotion so jumps at the chance to be a mentor to one of the firm's summer interns. Imagine her horror when the intern assigned to her is none other than her husband, who she hasn't seen (or heard from) in eight years.

Fia and Benjamin were counsellors at Summer Camp together. They were like oil and water, always arguing: she hated his privileged, wealthy, frat boy, life-and-soul-of-the-party persona, and he hated her uptight, follow-the-rules, rigidity. An end of camp trip to Vegas ends in the inevitable drunken marriage. Benjamin promised to divorce Fia once his mother's election was over, but when she contacted him time and time again he didn't respond.

Now sharing a tiny office is beyond awkward, but they both have too much to lose to either confess to the partners or leave. Fia is also incensed to find that Benjamin is treating her with contempt - what has she ever done to him?

Eight years may have passed but Fia and Benjamin still disagree about everything, from how to organise their desks to how to approach their client's divorce petition, but as they learn to work together it seems their marriage might not just be in name only.

As is only to be expected, this relies on a series of misunderstandings and unfortunate events, in which respect it reminds me of Niamh Hargan's previous novel Twelve Days in May, although the rest of the plot is wildly different. Stepping back, I believe there was more than one way for Benjamin to resolve the issue (I'll say no more because ... spoilers), but that's in hindsight.

Overall, an enjoyable, well thought-out, second chance, enemies to lovers, Vegas wedding romance.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Fiadh and Benjamin met over 8 years ago and a summer camp in America, working as camp counsellors, and ended up getting married due to a game of chicken gone wrong. Fast forward to the present and Ben is introduced to Fia as her mentee for a summer internship at her law firm. What ensues is a lot of secrets, hatred, miscommunication and of course, love.

The book is written from Fia’s point of view, and makes Ben very unlikeable. So unlikeable that I did not start rooting for them until the final quarter of the book.

However, I did like Fia’s internal monologue of what she wants her life to look like, why she does what she does and how’s she torn between her love for New York and her love for her home in Dublin. On the outside, she’s living the dream of hot shot lawyer who made it on New York, but on the inside, she’s not as sure of herself as she lets people believe.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC.

Similar to Niamh's debut Twelve Days in May, The Break-Up Clause is a chemistry-filled, fun and romantic read.

Fia hasn't heard from Ben since their hasty (drunk) Las Vegas wedding almost ten years ago, after spending the a season working at a summer camp. Much to her surprise, after trying and failing to contact him for a divorce, he turns up as one of the summer associates at the law firm where she works. Even worse, she's assigned to him as a mentor.

Niamh has once again created realistic characters and dropped them into a wildly entertaining plot. I loved the tension and slow-burn between Fia and Ben, working in very close proximity and being forced to hide this massive secret they share. Both are flawed characters, constantly judging and misunderstanding each other, but come together in a really sweet and satisfying way. I'm really looking forward to reading more from this author!

A sweet enemies to lovers romance novel set in New York City amid the legal world. I struggled with the first half a little - Benjamin’s character was a little too unlikeable and I felt like we didn’t get enough on the George storyline.

That said, the story flowed well and it was entertaining. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher!