The Love That Broke Us

by Maya Hughes

Hating her never stopped me from wanting her.

Lilah

Hawthorne Prep hockey reigned on and off the ice. I watched from afar. None of them even knew I existed, especially not Mason Shaw.

Moving into the gardener’s cottage on his family estate changed that. So did finding him bruised and bleeding after a brutal game where he needed my help.

We met night after night. Our time lit me up brighter than any star we watched on the grass while our fingers brushed. Every kindling hot look, touch of my lips, or second in his arms felt like a dream.

And then school started and my nightmare began. The Mason I knew was gone, replaced with a hockey god. Heartless. Brutal. Cruel.

Mason

After a summer where I bared my soul, Lilah betrayed me.

So I vowed to ruin her life like she’d tried to ruin mine. I wanted her out of my school, out of my mind and most of all out of my heart.

Then with a vicious punch, I discovered the truth. And there’s only one choice. Play hard for her forgiveness, even if my future goes up in flames.

Because I’ll do anything, but let her go.

Genres: Sports Romance

490 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication September 10, 2026

About the author

Maya Hughes is an Amazon Top 20 author of swoon worthy, laugh out loud, and emotional new adult and contemporary romances.

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Reviews

[Rand · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my most anticipated release of the year as soon as it was announced, and I’m happy to report it lived up to all the expectations. I’ve always been a huge fan of Maya’s books because her stories and her characters always grab my attention, and this one was no difference.
I really loved both characters so much and I liked that we got to see so much of both their childhoods, because it puts many things that come later during their relationship into a better perspective.
I was a bit hesitant about us as readers already knowing the reason for their “break up” from the start, but I think it worked really well for the story and for the characters. It shifted the main point from being the breakup to the main point being their relationship.
This book was everything I always look forward to when reading: a smart badass FMC, a whipped MMC who will do anything for the girl he loves, lots of yearning and groveling, and just enough sadness to make me tear up a few times.
I look forward to reading the 2nd book and seeing where Lilah and Mason will take us next in their story.

[aimil · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Review of advanced readers copy received from netgalley)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Heart wrenching stars!!!

Maya Hughes you have done it again. This was genuinely so interesting to read like I just could not stop???

Okay, first of all about the characters:

LILA: I loved her! I genuinely think she might be one of my favourite fms of maya and overall too. I love her ambition and the way she does not let anything stop her even her family and financial circumstances. It’s very difficult to keep going when you have no one in your corner but she persevered especially with Mason’s antics. The part where Mason signed up for her in that fashion scholarship thingy I was so glad she stood her ground. It really showed that she had goals outside of her relationship with Mason even if she loved him and I am so happy she did not waver. She literally kept him on his toes when he realised his mistake lol. I really appreciate that she didn’t back down easily on the first sight of Mason apologising and made him work for it. Even when her friend Paige was like you should forgive him so early on when he apologised she didn’t listen to her thank god! Lilah is a beautiful, smart and strong willed character and I truly hope she stays the same throughout the trilogy in this aspect.

MASON: Prince of the world literally?? Out of all the mmcs written by maya he really stands out. The book started out with him being a bully of sorts to lilah just because his stupid guy brain didn’t think to confirm with lilah if she was dating rye or not. But when he did he regretted it so much and the thing about this is that mostly when you read books with mmc who does the fmc wrong, the grovelling parts never really make the mmc fully apologise for the right reasons. But Mason was different. In one paragraph he said something about being so insecure in himself that he would’ve rather believed what his father showed him on the recordings than communicate with lilah. All those apology stunts he did he realised he was doing them for the wrong reasons and I’m glad he rectified it. I would love for the trilogy to explore his relationship with his brother and alena more as well. His brother and him are after all the only people who can get eachothers struggle with the same father constantly pushing them. Anyways, Mason is a really well written character because even though he is passionate in expressing his love for especially Lilah, I’m glad he does realise he cannot control what she wants and does not want to do and simply respects her boundaries.

THE PLOT: Okay so right off the bat this was giving me major dare and bay vibes from mayas other trilogy, but in a good way. Even though the storyline was reminiscent of bay & dare’s plot, It still manages to be different. But regardless you can tell it was inspired by the falling trilogy especially some scenes. Not complaining tho! I loved baydare and now I love masonlilah they are like distant cousins to me. There were so many miscommunications in the book that made me want to rip my hair out but I couldn’t stop reading. The beads on her dress breaking and falling were the equivalent of dare breaking bay’s guitar and I was sick when I realised this😭!And don’t even get me started on that cliffhanger.….i am LITERALLY on the edge of my seat I cannot wait for the next book.

Thank you for coming back and blessing us with another heart-strings pulling masterpiece!

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mason and Lilah had the best summer ever, but one huge misunderstanding tears them apart, and suddenly Mason sees Lilah as the enemy. Even though their love is stronger than one misunderstanding, more problems are coming their way that could tear them apart for good.

What I love about Lilah is how strong and determined she is. She knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to fight for it. She’s basically a modern day Cinderella, which makes her character even more interesting because she has to deal with so much at home and at school. And honestly, it was kinda frustrating to see how much everyone expected from her when she’s literally just a teenager and shouldn’t have to carry that much on her shoulders. She’s such a great FML, and you can’t help but hurt for her throughout the whole book.
As for Mason, I liked his character, but I also wanted to shake him half the time. He chose to become a bully or hide things instead of just having an honest conversation with Lilah, and that was definitely hard for me to get past. At the same time, just like Lilah, he’s dealing with the pressure of living up to his dad's expectations at such a young age, on top of carrying some serious childhood trauma.
Both characters have similarly dark backstories, and I really liked how those experiences added depth to their personalities and their relationship. It made the story that much more compelling.

And the chemistry between Mason and Lilah? You can feel it even when they’re avoiding each other. There are also so many sweet moments between them that had me absolutely swooning!

One thing I will say is that this book gave me way more university vibes than high school vibes, and sometimes I even forgot they're high school students. But I understand why the author chose to keep them in high school, it makes certain parts of the story make more sense.
The one thing that made me uncomfortable while reading was the spicy scenes involving teenagers. Personally, if a book is going to have spicy scenes, I prefer them to involve adult characters only.

When I first started this book, it wasn’t what I expected at all, and I honestly wasn’t sure I was going to like it. But it ended up being so much better than I expected! It’s such a page turner and gave me Maxton Hall vibes. I had such a good time reading it, and I literally cannot wait for the next book. And that ending? Omg! I just need to read the next book!

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

First things first. This is the first book in A Havoc Hockey Trilogy, and when I picked it up, I had no idea it was a trilogy. So let me just save you from my surprise and tell you now: this one will leave you hanging. And because it’s a high school romance, you should probably prepare yourself for ALL the teenage angst, questionable decisions, and bingeable drama.

Honestly, I’m not even sure how I ended up on Maya Hughes’ mailing list, but I did, and the teasers in her newsletter hooked me before I ever picked up this book. I’m really glad I did because The Love That Broke Us was an emotional roller coaster, just like high school. 😉 It has plenty of teenage antics to keep things interesting, but there’s also a real emotional core underneath it all.

Lilah “Little Byrd” Byrd and Mason Shaw are both flawed, messy, and definitely not perfect, but I think that’s what made them interesting. They felt real. Young love has its own special flavor, and this one gave us first love, heartbreak, yearning, jealousy, and two people trying to figure out who they are and what they want their futures to look like.

Mason was blinded by jealousy and let it turn him into someone he didn't really want to be. A lot of that was fueled by his piece-of-work dad getting in his head, but Mason still made his own choices. He was basically the king of his school, but so much of that was a mask for a guy who was insecure and struggling underneath it all. He made mistakes, but I appreciated that he tried to own them. And when he realized what he'd lost? This boy was willing to GROVEL. So. Much. Groveling. And honestly? I was here for it.

Lilah deserved so much more than she was getting from the people around her. She was sweet, kind, strong, and ambitious, and I really admired that she had a plan for her future and wasn't willing to throw it away just because Mason came back into her life. She may have struggled to trust him, but she knew what she wanted for herself.

Of course, there's the whole Ryker Ferris situation. Rye is Lilah's best friend and Mason's rival, and a misunderstanding involving him is basically the catalyst that turns sweet “Summer Mason” into bully Mason. I’ll be honest, I'm still not entirely sure what to make of Rye or his intentions where Lilah is concerned. I have questions. 🤔

There is also a pretty significant class divide woven into the story, along with messy families and trauma that shaped both Lilah and Mason. Because trauma doesn't leave you the way it found you, and you can definitely see how their pasts influenced the choices they made. It was easier for Lilah to fight Mason than trust him, and Mason had his work cut out for him trying to prove that he was worth trusting again.

And oh, the yearning. 🫠 There was this thread between Lilah and Mason that got thin but never completely broke, and I LOVE those kinds of connections. They had some really sweet moments, a steamy encounter or two, and I loved how clear Mason was about wanting Lilah. She might have been unsure at times, but there was never any confusion on his end (or mine).

That said, the amount of miscommunication in this book will make you want to pull your hair out. Me. I'm the “you” in that sentence. There were definitely moments when I wanted to grab Lilah by the shoulders and tell her to THINK THINGS THROUGH because there was obviously more to the story. But trauma is a powerful thing, and I understood why she struggled.

I also really liked the other HAVOC guys and all the side characters. They weren't just filler, and several of them left me wanting to know more about their stories. I feel like there is still a LOT to uncover here and I hope we get to.

There were a couple of little things that didn't quite hit my personal sweet spot. The chapters felt a little long, and while I enjoyed the writing, there was just something about the style that didn't completely click with me. Nothing major, and definitely not enough to take away from the story. I also need to know what REALLY happened at that party Lilah went to. Seriously. You're going to tease me with that and then not tell me? I have my suspicions, and I'm sure we'll get answers eventually, but patience is not exactly my strong suit.

And then there's that ending.

WHEW.

Friends to enemies to lovers to enemies? These two really took me on a journey. Just when you think you're back together, nope. Not so fast. And now I'm sitting here needing the next book because there is clearly so much more story to tell.

Mason Shaw, when we meet again, you better still be proving how much you love our girl Lilah. If you've been out there living your best life while she's still struggling, we're going to have words. And I'm not entirely sure I'll trust you again, much less let Lilah trust you. 😂

Ultimately, The Love That Broke Us gave me flawed but likable characters, plenty of teenage drama, hockey, academic ambition, first love, heartbreak, groveling, and enough yearning to keep me turning the pages. It broke my heart a little, put it back together, and then apparently decided that wasn't enough because that ending broke it again.

I need the next book. Like, yesterday.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

For one summer, Lilah believed she was the center of his world, only to show up on the first day of their senior year in a living nightmare. Gone was the boy she’d found broken and bleeding, and all their nights laying together under the stars, resisting temptation seemed forgotten. Instead he made it clear that she was less than no one, encouraging other students to make her life miserable. Her summer boy was long gone, leaving a monster in his place.

For the first time in his life, Mason felt that he didn’t have to wear a mask, trying to live up to everyone’s expecations. What he felt for Lilah was unlike anything he’d ever felt before, so when he thought she’d betrayed him, it froze the bit of humanity he had left. When he found out the truth and realized his error, he vowed to earn her forgiveness at any cost. But some sacrifices are too great, and some things can’t be forgotten.

I received an early copy of this book from @Netgalley and it kept me hooked almost from the very beginning. While the cover makes it seem like it could be a sweet romance with a redemption story, it was anything but, and I was not ready for how deeply this one would sink its teeth into me. Lilah has spent the past several years pretty much on her own, even living with her father, and more recently, her half-sisters, so having Mason’s attention was a surprise. Which is what made the whiplash so strong when he turned into her biggest tormentor. Given Mason’s relationship with his father, it wasn’t surprising how quick he was to distrust Lilah, and my heart broke when he realized he might have lost something real. I loved watching him try to redeem himself, as epic failures as most of his attempts were. Watching them find their piece of heaven, making plans for the future gave me so much hope, even when it was clear Mason’s father wouldn’t back down so easily. This book had more ups and downs than most rollercoasters, and just when you think you know how this ends, the author makes it clear their story is far from over.

[Josephine Larkspur · Rating 2 out of 5]

It wasn’t amazing, but it wasn’t bad; it was just kind of there. I finished this book, and I thought, this whole book didn’t need to be written. I know you could make that argument for a lot of books, but this story doesn’t need three books; there is no way that these characters are worthy of three books. The story, as a backstory, is strong enough, but as a novel I’m just not particularly interested. I also think having sex scenes when you are dealing with high school students always makes me feel a little uncomfortable while reading them, and so I often flick through them. I feel like this is very much the type of book you write when you have written the next book and people are asking for a prequel, to me this isn’t the first book in a series it reads like a prequel and I didn’t have those thoughts and feelings reading it, I did think the blurb gave a little bit too much away as I kept waiting for the fall out, and then they were broken up and you had barely anything left and I was confused and then it just kind of ends.
I also understand they are young, but even then they are a little too juvenile for me to read, both of them. At the start of the book, we are thrown into the world and then basically told everything, and I feel like I received an overload of information that I never fully processed or understood, and I was constantly trying to figure out who everyone was.
I liked the story. I don’t think this is a strong enough book for the first book in a series. I would be much more interested in reading the second book – but I worry because I don’t see how you can have two more books in this series. I also don’t think the character development is strong enough. I feel like the potential of the second book would keep me wanting to read it, but I just worry that this might be a series that has too many words and should have been one book that took over five years, rather than a new book that took place over a small part of those years and jumping massively between each book.

[Bia · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC kindly provided by the author in exchange for an honest review

WELCOME BACK MAYA HUGHES!!!!!!

It genuinely feels like I have waited AGES for Maya to be back with a new book and oh my god was it worth the wait!! When I first got the email about this book I screeched and knew it would be an instant fav, and honestly it did not disappoint. This book revolves around Mason Shaw, a high school hockey player that lives and breathes the game, and Lilah Byrd, a scholarship student who also happens to live in a cottage on Mason's estate. While we only see glimpses of their relationship before the summer everything went wrong, we get the idea that they both started finding comfort in each other when their personal life get too much. Their relationship starts developing before a misunderstanding makes Mason cold towards Lilah, hurting her in the process. Once he realizes his mistake, he spends every page yearning and correcting his wrongs. I loved how this book didn't focus so much on the breakup and the misunderstanding, but rather focused more their love story. Seeing Mason grovel and yearn after Lilah was definitely my favourite part about this book. I absolutely loved their dynamic and found it extremely cute and fun to read. Their chemistry, along with cute little moments and stolen kisses made their relationship all the more adorable. One thing I will say is that I had no idea that this was going to be trilogy going in so I felt a little thrown off by the pacing of this book. However, towards the end it felt like the perfect set up for the remainder of Lilah and Masons story and I absolutely cant wait to read it!!

[Nene Niall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3.5/5
Spice: 3.5/5

Synopsis: After a magical summer romance, Lilah and Mason's world shatters when school starts. Believing Lilah betrayed him, hockey star Mason turns into a cruel enemy intent on ruining her life. But when a single punch uncovers the truth, a devastated Mason must do whatever it takes to win back the girl he mistakenly hated.

My Thoughts: I loved the heavy, emotional contrast between their sweet summer love and the harsh reality of the school year. The angst is intense! Mason’s cruelty went a bit too far at times, making me want to shake them both. However, his desperate, all-out groveling completely redeemed the story and gave a highly

The physical chemistry is explosive. The enemies to lovers(my fav trope!!!) creates massive tension that builds up to highly descriptive, passionate, The heat perfectly matches their emotional chaos. Overall, a fantastic, addictive start to the Havoc Hockey series!

[Brooke Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. This is a first read by this particular author.

I had absolutely no idea what I was getting into when I opened my Kindle. I was not prepared for the rollercoaster I was sent on.

This is a high school prep school, friends to enemies to lovers back to enemies, full of angst, hockey romance that ends on a one word CLIFFHANGER....

So we meet Mason, the hockey player, and Lilah, the quiet girl who has been made the social outcast. The book follows them through their senior year of high school. The flashbacks to the summer before their senior year gives the context needed for why Lilah is treated the way she is at school.

The book has a balanced amount of hockey games and practice that is described well and spice for the ages on page.

This book brought up many emotions- the angst of young love, heart break and the one you'll have to discover at the end of the last chapter

NO HEA, yet.

Can't wait for the next book

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for this advanced copy. I was interested in this book after reading the blurb. I knew it was going to hurt me emotionally, and it did. This book can best be described as a mix between Off Campus and Maxton Hall.

My heart hurt for Lilah. Her home life is absolutely awful and Mason’s bullying made her school life just as bad. It was really hard to forgive and forget what he put her through but once I saw his own struggles and hardships, it was easier to move on. I loved their relationship and was not at all prepared for the ending.

While this book did have a lot of miscommunication, and the characters were in high school (I didn’t realize that until I started reading), which accounted for a lot of the immaturity and lack of ability to properly communicate, I did really enjoy this and am very much looking forward to reading book 2.

[Pía · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ranking: 4/5
Spice: 3.5/5

First, thank you to NetGalley and the author for letting me get an advance copy. I would describe this book as perfect for fans of Off-Campus. It’s a bit of a bully romance, but I feel like he makes up for it at the end. There is also a lot of miscommunication (I don’t mind it; I actually think it’s something that happens a lot in real couples and find it realistic), so that’s something to take into consideration in case you don’t like it.

I binged it, and I loved it! I love Mason and Lilah. Love their names also (I like when the names aren’t the repeated one you see in almost every book) The only reason I took one star off is because of the spice. I have a hard time reading spice involving teenagers.

This is the first instalment and I can’t way for the next two.

[B ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

i really am obsessed with maya’s writing and this was just another amazing book from her. going into it, i was surprised to see how long it was, but every page kept me going until i felt like it actually was not enough. i could keep reading as long as it was maya’s writing. i truly loved this book so much. lilah was such a sweetheart who despite had such a sad backstory, was still very sweet and resilient. mason was a surprise to me, i didn’t expect to really like his character but i did. even though he could be so mean to lilah, he still always felt that guilt. and when it all turned out to be a big miscommunication, he did what he did to get his girl back. they were truly so fun to read about and i loved seeing the growth of these characters.

[M Letzer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Read! This book has it all: friends to enemies to lovers back to enemies to.....emotional turmoil, family drama, academic setting, yearning, slow burn and some nice spice. I cannot wait for the next book in the Havoc Hockey Series and the ending was such a great set up for continuing Mason and Lilah's story 🔥

This was the first book I've read by Maya Hughes but will definitely not be my last!

Thank you to NetGalley and Maya for this eARC

[Book Addict · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Love That Broke Us blends high‑school drama with a class‑divide romance, using familiar YA tropes to drive the tension between its characters. The bullying and rich‑vs‑poor dynamic play a major role in the story’s conflict, shaping how the relationships unfold. Readers who enjoy emotionally charged teen narratives may appreciate its intensity, while others might find the themes challenging or heavy‑handed.

[Katie 📚🩷]

Unfortunately I decided to DNF this at 20%. I found it to be repetitive with lengthy chapters, lacking dialogue, and I felt like I was missing something. To me, it read like the second book in a series. I think the plot is interesting but ultimately I just really struggled to come back to it. Thank you Netgalley and publisher for early access.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to come ...