Love Getting Even: A hilarious slow-burn rom com about heartbreak, payback, and falling in love

by Laura Ives

Katie is happy with Ryan. It’s been five years, and marriage and kids seem like their next steps.

Tom and Melissa are in a good place. So good, he’s starting to think they should move in together.

Until Katie and Tom catch Ryan and Melissa cheating on them…

In the midst of the heartbreak and humiliation, Katie suggests they make life difficult for their cheating exes, and Tom is all in. But plans for petty payback soon lead Katie and Tom to realise that love gets even in all sorts of unexpected ways…

Read Love Getting Even today, a hilarious and heart-warming story about heartache, payback, and finding love when you least expect it.

Genres: Romantic Comedy

356 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 24, 2024

About the author

Laura lives in North Wales in an old house that she will probably never quite finish doing up. She’ll never quite finish the house, because she’s too busy cooking up stories, building up the courage to go on social media to promote her books, and being walked by her dog, Milo.

Laura’s family and friends assume that writing involves her sitting at her computer and cheerfully churning out chapters, when it mainly involves lying awake in the middle of the night worrying about plot, and looking for the Post-it note she scribbled that great piece of dialogue on…

The longest love affair of Laura's life has been with romance novels - firstly reading them (she knows parts of Pride and Prejudice off by heart and read some very instructive Jackie Collins at a young age...) and now, finally, writing them. She found such joy, hope and laughter in those stories of love - she hopes her books can offer the same to you.

Reviews

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute rom-com that had the following tropes:
❤️ Rom-Com ( cute and full of quip British style humor)
❤️ Fake Dating ( the fmc smd mmc go to eachothers planned retreats that they had previously planned to go with their significant other , which drives their exes wild with jealousy)
❤️ Cheating exes ( the fmc and mmc meet on a stake put to bust their cheating exes)
❤️ Forced Proximity: The main characters became clise staying with eachother on their several retreats and outings they planned to be wachothers plus ones)
❤️ Friends to lovers: The main characters become friends before they decide to take their relationship to the next level.

This was a quick read and I enjoyed the banter between the main characters. I liked their push and pull relationship.

[Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐

I was recommended this book by a friend and after reading the blurb i knew that it was going to be hilarious.

The book started of strong and ended strong.
The middle was the issue for me.

The humour was top notch. The "boob" jokes were everything. I had to stop reading to message my friend about it!
It was so good 😂

The not talking and misunderstandings became annoying the longer it went on. For 2 people out of a cheating relationship, you would think that they would talk and be open with each other.

I loved that Katie stood up for herself and didn't just forgive Tom.
The manual was everything 😍
Now that's a grovel!

My main issues were that each chapter always ended on a "cliffhanger" and we as readers never get to see/feel what happend. We are just told sometime during the next chapter. And that made it hard for me to connect with our MC's and the story.
The scenes and chapters didn't flow together because of this. We were just thrown from scene to scene with no completion to a previous scene.

Wish the book hadn't ended so abruptly and we had received an epilogue.

All in all, it was an enjoyable book. I did laugh, get angry, feel sad, hope and joy. And if a book can take me through all the emotions then it is worth a read.

[Jill Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

So few can nail a rom com.

[Skye Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy Read

A really easy read. Katie and Tom meet in unusual circumstances but the journey to healing and moving on felt seamless, were believable and hilarious. A lot of funny banter between them, both characters were extremely likeable and grew as the book went on. Supporting characters were just the right amount! A little angst. Would definitely read again! Will be adding Laura Ives to the TBR list.

[Desiree Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it

Great fun read, i loved the grovel at the end.
Tom really seems to understand Katie which was something i really enjoyed reading about even if he did fluff up there for a moment.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

actual rating 3.75⭐

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the jokes and banter. They were the epitome of friends to lovers. The karma to the exes was also spot on.

I found myself getting annoyed with the miscommunication (who doesn't??) But more so because they communicated well about literally everything else. So it was more "fear of putting myself out there" on both their parts that made the book draaaaag.

Would definitely read more by this author.

[Miss M 🌻 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was cute little rom-com. This did take me a while to read but I did love the storyline and was excited to keep reading it.
Starred; fake dating, cheating spouses, revenge pacts, friends to lovers.

[Diana Sofia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved it!

I don't usually enjoy the cheating trope but this book handled it pretty well. From the jokes to the sad moments I couldn't put it down and adored it all!

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

An easy reading romance that keeps you turning the pages as you want to know how it turns out at the end.

[Ruby · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Carys Rees · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was light hearted and funny. I enjoyed this one and enjoyed the authors writing style!

[Tash Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

6/5 stars!
ARC review: Love Getting Even by Laura Ives

I can’t recall when last I laughed so hard and ugly cried at the same time… my boyfriend even looked concerned about my wellbeing and asked if I’m okay.

The user manual absolutely killed me.

But when you find your partner cheating you, the obvious choice is to get revenge and who better to help you than the other ex?

I fully enjoyed how Tom and Katie met (the wig and all) and his enthusiasm of finding her again. That’s where it all started and I couldn’t imagine it going any other way. They were there to support each other through their heartbreaks and became so much more than just supportive. I love it.

This book was such a fun read I would recommend it to everyone and anyone (over 18)
It’s not a super spicy book on accounts of some other readers but I personally enjoyed the whole story line and how the events played out.

Thank you to Laura for the great opportunity to read this book and give my honest review.

[Louise Gould · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book!
Proper 90s/00s romcom/chick flick vibes! 🩷
Really made me chuckle, broke my heart & warmed my heart at the same time 🩷🩷

The Kintsugi references 🥹

Thank you for allowing me to preview this!!!
Highly recommend! 🩷📖

[Rebecca Speakman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a delightful romantic comedy that had me laughing and rooting for the characters from start to finish. The witty banter and hilarious situations create a perfect backdrop for a charming love story filled with unexpected twists. Ives expertly balances humor and heart, making this an enjoyable escape. If you're looking for a fun, feel-good read, this book is a must!

[Michelle Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's such a fantastic book. I've whizzed through the book in one day and couldn't put it down. The storyline is fantastic, and the chemistry and slowburn in this book were divine!!!! The banter had me lol so many times it was great. Tom is a total book boyfriend 😍 and the Tom and Katie manual at the end had me in tears. Absolutely fantastic read, and I would definitely recommend 💜

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely amazing....the relationship between Katie and tom was everything....I smiled the whole way thro this book.....Absolutely loved it 😀

[ink and inspiration · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5
Loved this book! I found Katie so relatable and Tom was the perfect counter piece to her. I found it so fitting that all of their “dates” ended up being the total opposite of what was supposed to happen but they enjoyed their time together anyway. It also showed their willingness to go out of their comfort zones for each other. I thought that their making up situation, with the pottery and manual, was the cutest thing and couldn’t stop reading. It was also interesting to see the contrast between Tom’s heartbreak, because he and Melissa hadn’t been together all that long, and the heartbreak that Katie felt and soon realized that it was only because it was easy and comfortable with Ryan, that she stayed with him. I think lots of readers would be able to relate to these two character.

[Jenny See · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute book where two people get together when they find out their significant others are cheating on them with each other. They make a pact to do things together to get even with their exes.

[Lucie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great read. Catching your boyfriend cheating and then getting revenge by being happy with someone else is my favorite trope. The Pact was so good . And The MANUAL!!!!! Omg!!!!!