My Epic Spring Break

by Kristin Rockaway

A fun and upbeat paperback original romance about a girl who finds a cheat sheet for love.

Spring break . . . heartache?

For coder extraordinaire Ashley, high school is all about prepping for college. Her love life? Virtually nonexistent. She's never been on a date. Never been kissed. Never been in love.

When her plans veer off course, Ashley realizes she might be missing out on her high school experience. Now that spring break is finally here, Ashley vows to have fun . . . and, for the first time, follow her heart.

Starting with Walker Beech, her gorgeous, maybe-not-so-unrequited crush. But with Jason Eisler--her childhood friend turned prankster--in the picture, trouble is bound to follow. Will Ashley's epic spring break lead her to love, or will her heart crash and burn?

"Smart, fun, fast-paced." --USA Today bestselling author of The Kiss Quotient Helen Hoang on Kristin Rockaway's How to Hack a Heartbreak

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Young Adult, Audiobook, Fiction, Young Adult Romance, Coming Of Age

252 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 6, 2021

About the author

Kristin Rockaway is a native New Yorker and recovering corporate software engineer. After working in the IT industry for far too many years, she finally traded the city for the surf and chased her dreams out to Southern California, where she spends her days happily writing stories instead of code. When she’s not working, she enjoys spending time with her husband and son, browsing the aisles of her neighborhood bookstores, and trying to catch up on sleep.

Be sure to follow Kristin on BookBub for the latest sales! https://www.bookbub.com/profile/krist...

Reviews

[Nilufer Ozmekik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another sweet, soft, feel good, coming of age is story fresh from the oven, ready to be served immediately! I read author’s previous adult romance novels which were also good! As like her occupation as software engineer she created a new genius coder character! ( a little younger and inexperienced version of How to hack a heartbreak’s Melanie)

This time she targeted younger readers with Say yes summer meets I heart series ( just a little Booksmart vibes) kind of a young girl’s experiencing different things, self discovery story !

Ashley is a planner: she’s very at maths, prodigy at coding, planning to move to Silicon Valley from NY as soon as she gets accepted by internship program from Zig-Zag company ( YouTube meets Instagram kind of tech app.) But nothing goes as it’s planned. She gets rejected! After her big shock Ashley starts questioning everything about the choices she’s made!

She never had fun for a long time! She has never been kissed. She has never had a proper relationship with a boy! She hasn’t gone to Taylor Swift ( I could tease this decision but I enjoyed Folklore a lot! Who am I kidding? I also went to her concerts! Yeah Ashley, you gotta do something about it ASAP! ) She hasn’t had any tattoo! She has to learn living fulfilled life!

But when it comes to romance, saying yes to new things make things more complicated! Because her long time crush Walker seems like interested with her. They start to date but why she isn’t chanting, jumping up and down to show her true happiness. Isn’t he the one?

What about her longtime friend Jason? Why does she have complex feelings about him ? He is immature prankster but isn’t he always there for her when she is in trouble?

Quick confession: Jason is my favorite character of this book! His back story is developed so much better. He’s lovely, interesting, easy to connect! If he wasn’t in this book, I could give this story solid three stars but I loved the dynamics between him and Ashley and added half more star! ( as a silly romantic I loved to read about unresolved feelings- childhood sweethearts- friends to lovers premises)

Overall: it was soft, easy to read, exhilarating feel good, quick paced, entertaining, clever spring break read I truly recommend!

For my love to Jason, I’m rounding up 3.5 stars to 4 self discovery, seizing the life, having more fun stars!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

[Irena BookDustMagic · Rating 3 out of 5]

I made a mistake and didn't write my review as soon as I finished the book, and now when I finally sit down to express my thoughts, I realized that I forgot most of the story.

So I guess first thing that I will say about the book will be that although it was easy to read and entertaining, it was also forgettable.

Ashley, our protagonist was not the most likeable person, but at the same time it was easy to understand her.
I love how her interest into STEM was present through the whole story and how it sort of had it's own role.
The other thing I appreciate was the friendship between Ashley and her friends.

I love to read ya contemporary novels from time to time. My Epic Spring Break (Up) was typical ya contemporary novel, perfect to read in one sitting, but didn't stand out in the sea of contemporaries.

[human · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and Underlined Publishing for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Considering how much I hyped myself up with that excellent premise and wonderful cover, having read the entire book, I feel vaguely lied to.

This is not a good feeling.

'My Epic Spring Break (Up)' follows Ashley, an aspiring computer scientist, and all the mishaps that follow when she decides that she's going to go off-script this spring break and follow her heart, to have fun.

The best part of this book, hands down, was Ashley's representation as a woman in STEM. I loved that she had a passion for this subject and that it was consistently written into her character. It wasn't something that was simply stated at the beginning and then brushed aside for the rest of the book; it was consistent, and that made me really happy.

That being said, there were a lot of things about this book that I really didn't enjoy.

The very first being, of course, the love triangle. It won't come as any surprise but I'm not the biggest fan of love triangles, especially when they're written in a way where you know exactly who the main character is going to end up with at the end of the book. This book's love triangle was exactly that: obvious and a sad attempt to create drama in the book.

Speaking of the romance, it felt that as soon as Ashley fell for either boy, she seemed to ignore her prior commitments to the hackathon, as well as her life goal in general? It was strange to read about, and honestly, quite unrealistic.

There's also the matter of just how naive and prone to peer pressure Ashley was. I can't even begin to count the number of times I had to shut my laptop and attempt to calm down as I was reading about Ashley making a decision she would no doubt end up regretting, and gave entirely too much trust and benefit-of-the-doubt to Walker.

The secondhand embarrassment was so strong with this one, but somehow I was able to make my way through it with my braincells (mostly) intact. I was expecting character growth and development in Ashely as she made mistakes and hopefully learned from them, but I'm sad to say that she doesn't really "change" until the end. It felt sudden compared to how she was behaving earlier in the book, and didn't feel like solid character growth for me.

To add to that, there was a fair amount of girl-on-girl hate, mostly between Ashley and Jason's ex-girlfriend whose name I can't remember at the moment. I abhor girl-on-girl hate in contemporary novels especially, because they make the main character out to be some sort of angel, while the other female character is slut-shamed or something to a similar effect. It's annoying and reminiscient of bad 2010s fanfiction.

A certain romantic revelation at the end was described in such dramatic detail that I was struggling not to laugh in public. This whole book, in fact, can be extremely over the top with a flair for the dramatic that I haven't seen since 'Loveboat, Taipei' . Sometimes, that was a good thing. Other times, well, not so much.

All of that being said, however, I really liked the relationships that Ashley had with her closest friends. They were supportive of her and her actions, although I felt that they were barely in the spotlight to have any lasting impression on the reader.

Overall, this book definitely wasn't for me. While I certainly can see where some might enjoy it, some parts of this book just didn't work for me, and I wasn't able to enjoy it as much as I hoped I would. Some coming-of-age themes as well as themes of resilliance attempt to shine through, but are ultimately covered up and pushed aside by the sheer amount of love triangle drama present in this book. There was a lot of potential, but I don't think that it was used to its fullest, which made for an overall unsatisfying read.

[aly ☆彡 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Another miss from best friend to lovers trope.

I couldn't connect to any of the characters. The main love interest is insensitive. The second love interest radiates big white guy energy, with all the fame-seeking and pulling pranks. Lack personality with very short cameo despite being the endgame. Meanwhile, the female MC is so dense and never ceased to amaze me with her gullibility for repeating the same mistakes over and over.

I believe this is supposed to be a coming of age kind of book, which I understand all these underdevelop characters that may not have everything figure out yet. I wasn’t entirely intelligent at such an age but I don’t think I’m this imbecile either. I've come to enjoy a fair share of coming of age books, but this one seems to lack in lots of department; from the characters to the premise.

Thankfully the story is super short for a contemporary book. I started this book because I saw Afi and Dayana reading it and they both seem to enjoy it. Ergo, this book could be your next fav, but not for me. Almost DNF.

[eli ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

*.·:·.☽✧ 5 stars ✧☾.·:·.*

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Random House Children's for an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

Just when I thought I couldn't find a book made for me, I found this novel. By the way, there are spoilers in this review about a lot of things in this novel. I'm sorry to the people who haven't read this before, but it would be so hard to write this review without spoilers.

"My Epic Spring Break (up)" follows Ashley, a 17-year-old junior who prioritizes college readiness. And while she's a part of various clubs at her school; Coding Club, Mathletes, and a math tutoring program, she's never been on a date or had a boyfriend. So after a step back with her spring break internship, Ashley realizes she might be missing out on her high school experience. Then she decides to have more fun and just follow her heart by going on a date with Walker Beech, a guy in her American History class she has a crush on, and tutoring him as well to get to know him better. But things get complicated when Ashley acknowledges the problems she has with her father, views Walker from a different perspective, and may see her long-time best friend Jason as something more.

I felt so fulfilled when I finished this book. Even though I got frustrated so many times throughout the story, I truly respect a story that can evoke so many of my emotions through the storytelling, plot, characters. While reading this, I sometimes wanted to rip the hair off my head, but at other times, I wanted to cry just because a character was crying (or doing something foolish).

Ashley seemed like the stereotypical Good Student Who Does Everything Right, Is Intelligent, and Joins Various Clubs So They Can Get Into A Prestigious College. But she really had somewhat of a complexity to her character that always drew my attention. While Ashley could fit into that stereotype from an outsider's perspective, on the inside, I think she always wanted to feel understood and welcomed. Ashley genuinely had a passion for computer science and math, so she excelled in school and joined those clubs to put her skill into good use. Yet she also loved Taylor Swift and just wanted her father to understand who she is.

Jason Eisler may have seemed like the high school prankster, but the moment his character was first introduced, I knew that he was using his humor as a cover to his true feelings, and I was correct. He loves to make pranks and joke around, but he's a really caring and supportive person. Jason always helps Ashley and believes in her dreams unlike a jerk bag we'll talk about next, which made me thoroughly enjoy his character. I loved when he started getting interested in coding and decided to show other people how to code on YouTube. Jason probably had the most development out of all the other characters because we can easily see his character change and evolve throughout the book.

speaking of annoying and insensitive jerk bags, I now introduce Walker Beech who is a "good student" not really, but we'll get into that and has daddy issues the author doesn't expand on. He also has two secret tattoos and uses fake IDs to buy beer, so he's a rEal BAd bOy. Ashley thought that Walker was such a good student because she saw him "taking notes" in class and teachers love him. But he was just making little doodles in his journal for funsies, and I have no idea why teachers liked him because it's never really explained. Walker was a flat character who didn't have any development, and he never cared about Ashley at all. He just wanted her to do all his work for him and be his love-buddy, which didn't happen because Ashley was an intelligent girlie who knew better than that.

so while we're talking about trash characters, let's welcome Annoying Character #2: Rachel, who I cannot stand. She was a supporting character, but that didn't mean I couldn't develop a strong dislike for her. At first, I kinda respected her for having such a large following on ZigZag (a fictional social media networking site in this novel), but then she scrutinized Ashley for not having a large following on ZigZag like her. But that wasn't even the worst part. She continues to act like she's better than Ashley because Ashley was denied for an internship program ZigZag had. That's when I wanted to ignore Rachel's existence.

now Heaven and Christine are Ashley's best friends who are also in Coding Club, but they play small roles, so I'll discuss them together. I liked them both because they were always supportive of Ashley and were compassionate, but I loved how their personalities weren't clouded with Ashley's. Again, we don't learn too much about them, but I'll try and distinguish their personalities. Heaven is pretty sassy and confident, so she always helped Ashley in those areas. But Christine seems like more of the chill and academic friend that always has some wise advice, but also knows how to have fun. Also, Christine was interested in epidemiology, so we're twins. It's official everyone, don't question it. Maybe I'm just making claims about their personalities without evidence, but those are the vibes they gave me.

and the parents are messy. Ashley's mother lives in an apartment building with Ashley since Ashley's mother and father separated while Ashley was at a young age. And Ashley's mother has a curfew at 10:00pm and demands that Ashley has her GPS on while out, which is understandable because the world can be cruel. Now I did like Ashley's mother for most of the story, but I didn't like some of her decisions because they affected Ashley negatively and could've been avoided. Ashley's father has a girlfriend who has two tween sons, and it seems to Ashley that he cares more about his new family than Ashley, but I can totally understand why she thinks that. Ashley's father isn't consistent with his visits, and never really asks about how Ashley's doing or how she's feeling. But towards the ending, I could see their relationship somewhat develop, which made me really happy because I want Ashley to have a good relationship with her parents.

so after reading my little comments about the characters, hopefully you have a little insight on the construction of the plot. The plot was well established and kept me very entertained. I truly underestimated this novel's plot because the synopsis sounds very simple, but this novel didn't just recycle a plot and made it unique; Kristin Rockaway flipped the script and made such an enjoyable novel.

there wasn't a dull moment throughout the whole book, and I think the writing/storytelling definitely played a part in this. The writing isn't spectacular, but it definitely exaggerates certain points. I love that the story was told from Ashley's perspective because she's the one making new experiences and learning lessons along the way. It's so refreshing to have a likeable protagonist who acts their age and isn't annoying me by using slang in every sentence.

oh, and I flip flapping loved Jason and Ashley's relationship. I did get very frustrated when they got together with other people instead of recognizing their feelings for each other because they were so obvious, but my spirit was lifted when they confessed their love to each other. Now I can't say if they actually loved each other because they were adolescents, and I know that it's easy to think that you love someone during that time period, but we'll say that they were in love. And I made a ship name for them: ✨Jasley✨. *cue applause* I know, I know, the ship name is perfection. It's just my big brain at work. Modesty? We don't know her here.

okay, I think that's about it. To wrap this long review up, I flipping loved this novel. This story evoked so many of my emotions through the characters, plot, and writing/storytelling. That's never happened to me before with a book, so that's saying a lot. I felt connected to Ashley so much, Jasley is legit, and Walker Beech can go be with Rachel for all I care because they're both bad people. I will most definitely be reading this novel again because it gave me an experience that I would love to experience again.

[Nana · Rating 2 out of 5]

meh, I didn't like this book, it was boring, but hey the main character, she loves Taylor Swift, she's her fan, and only for that I love her, lol, 2 stars, I'm feeling generous. 😂

[Lia Strange · Rating 4 out of 5]

es mas un 3,7o o algo asi.

miren yo no esperaba nada pero lo empecé a leer y en capitulo 1 menciona como 3 veces a taylor y mi corazón swiftie se emociono.
el libro es bastante básico, con cosas que pasan en el momento JUSTO que tiene amigas que saben todo y que siempre estuvieron un paso adelante, personajes sin profundidad pero EY lo disfrute muchísimo, será por que me encanta el cliché principal de este libro y que menciona a taylor al menos 20 veces? nunca lo sabremos.
básico pero entretenido.

[♠ TABI⁷ ♠]

childhood best friends to maybe something more is ALWAYS a weakness of mine in any genre

[brutallyhonestbookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

...sigh
I’m gonna be honest I had higher hopes. But...don’t let this discourage you from reading this book. I still loved many things about it, like Jackson (sucker for friends to lovers right here) and the coding/hackathon element. Women in STEM woo! I liked the main character Ashley, at some points her actions did annoy me...but she is a teenager and it’s kind of realistic. I’m giving this 3/5 stars not because it’s bad, but because I think there are some aspects of the book that could be better. Please give this book a try, maybe you’ll like it more than I did.
Thank you to Netgalley, the author and Underlined Books for sending me this ARC.

My Epic Spring Break(Up) is out now!

[yahaira ✰ · Rating 4 out of 5]

thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

no one:
kristin rockaway: TAYLOR SWIFT-

i've only ever read one other book by this author but what i loved about both of them is the focus on technology and women in STEM. WE NEED MORE WOMEN IN STEM!!!

from the moment i read the synposis, my immediate thought was "POSSIBLE FRIENDS TO LOVERS?" because that is a god tier trope. jason was honestly so pure and wholesome i just want to protect him. i loved how supportive ashley's friends were. despite how predictable things were, the ending was perfect.

one of my favorite things about this book was all the taylor swift references.

[Samantha (WLABB) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ashley was laser focused on her future. She worked to keep her grades up and engaged in activities that would pad her resume. When her plans were slightly derailed, she decided to throw caution to the wind and expand her horizons. After a few questionable decisions, she wondered if this was really what she thought she was missing out.

When I think of spring break, I imagine easy breezy fun, and Rockaway did a fantastic job capturing its essence for me. Here are five things I loved about My Epic Spring Break (Up).

1. Ashely was a great character. I love a girl with goals and determination, and Ashley had it in spades. She was a hard worker, a good daughter, and a great friend, but she wasn't perfect. She made some ill advised decisions over the course of this book, but she paid the price and learned from them.

2. STEM for the win! This is the first time in my life where I am NOT science-ing, but my love for all that is STEM runs deep. Ashley's adoration of math and coding endeared her to me, and it was a delight attending the Hackathon.

3. Jason won my heart. My first impression of him was not that stellar. He seemed like a trouble-making prankster, who didn't always take time and place into consideration. Over the course of the book, he showed there was a whole other side to him, and I loved getting to know him better.

4. Friendships were important in this book. Ashley was part of a fantastic programming girl gang. Her friends shared her zeal for coding and were her staunchest fans and supporters. It was also wonderful seeing the once strong relationship between Jason and Ashley revived. I loved hearing about their past and watching them slip back into their familiar friendship.

5. This book was fun and feel-good. I read for entertainment and feels, and Rockaway delivered both. There was lots of whip-smart dialog, witty banter, and amusing bits throughout the story which made me happy. I also relished those sweet and tender moments, as well as the events that had me cheering Ashley on.

Ashley's break may have only been two weeks, but they were two really meaningful weeks in her life. She worked though some issues regarding her father, made big decisions about her future, and even fell in love for the first time. Overall, I enjoyed this epic spring break.


*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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[Afi (WhatAfiReads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, I would like to thank Times Reads for providing me a review copy of the book.

Disclaimers: All my reviews are my thoughts of the book and according to my personal preferences. Even though I had received a review copy, it does not affect my review and honest thoughts for the book.

Personal Ratings: 4/5🌟

A Cute and Easy Read that Warms Your Heart and Makes You Smile

This book made me grin, made me roll around and took me back to my youth again. Relatable, nerdy and also a book that you can pick up on a whim and read it over a stressful day.

Short Summary
Ashley is your typical STRAIGHT-A-HIGH-ACHIEVER-ALL-ROUNDER. She has perfect grades, codes, smart and pretty, a BIG SWIFTIE (plus points), and someone who has a specific set of goals for her future. When an internship that she was looking forward to during summer break was blatantly rejected, her plans were disrupted and she suddenly had an epiphany moment-of-sorts, and she realizes that she never went out of her plans and just let loose. When an encounter her all-time-crush Walker Beech resulted in them being "friends", she finally let loose. Alas, comes along her pranskter childhood neighbour, Jason Eisler who's somehow always there when she needed someone.

This is a an coming-of-age story, about a a plan that was gone astray, of the love of childhood neighbour friends and a fun spring break story and that life does not always go according to plan.

This is the kind of book that is very Cliché but gives you all the ✨FEELS✨ This is the kind of book that is perfect for you to pick up on a solemn day for a very quick read. And if you're a ✨SWIFTIE✨this books rocks af.



There are a few things that made my heart swoon for this book and I'll highlight some of the points that made this book just a comfort read.

✨Character Growth✨
Its an age-of-coming story so , you'll bound to see the main character do mistakes, and whilst she can come of as a bit petty, I somehow relate to her. Ashley is the kind of character that lives by the rules, the girl who gets the good grades and plans everything in her life. For some people, if one thing goes wrong, literally is not the end of the world. But people like Ashley (and me) , I get her. I get how not getting that one thing that you've been aiming for seems like a disruption in your plan and you'll feel your whole world fall apart with one change in your life. I love how even in less than 300 pages, her growth in the book was good enough that she knows that not everything in life will go according to your plan.

"I always thought that I had control over my future, but it turns out, my future is completely out of my hands."

The author had shown that sometimes, the things in your life need not go everything by plan. Sometimes its by chance and sometimes, the things that you want may not be necessarily the things that you need.

✨Romance Arc✨
The romance arc in here was cute and subtle. I like how the author is somehow showing the readers that the person that you're in love with does not necessarily be that Hot Boy in Class with Dark Hair, Brooding and hates the world. Its sometimes in a form of someone that you're close with and someone that you're used to their presence. This book does not have the BIG romance gestures in other YA books. I like how subtle it is and how the author shows the two VERY DISTINCT differences of the boy that you THINK you like and the boy you KNOW is right for you.

Exhibit A: When She's with The Brooding Guy

"He doesn't need to see ME. He needs ME to do something for him. There's a huge difference between those two needs"

Exhibit B: Second Red Flag of Broody Guy when he dismisses her feelings when she's telling about the things she likes

"You sound more like you're obsessed"

Me at this time with all ma girl fams


Now let's see the guy that basically is right for her in all sorts of ways.

Exhibit A: When he remembers the significance of your favourite song

"Of course he would choose this song. He knows its the title track to my favourite Taylor Swift album. When it first came out, I played it on repeat for hours. He listened to me warble every word and analyze the meaning of every lyric, and NOT ONCE did he complain about it or make fun of me."

Me reading this part


Exhibit B: Childish and cheesy things but who am i kidding i was smiling like an idiot

"Every stupid thing I've ever done has been to get your attention. To make you laugh or to make you smile or to think I was cool. To tell you how I feel without really telling you:.

Its the perfect amount of cheesiness. It didn't really go with the big WOW impact, its a romance that has been developed with a person that you're comfortable with. He may not appear much, but I somehow prefer it like this as the author focused more on Ashley and her relationship with the people around her.

✨Geeky stuffs✨
I kid you not, geeky stuffs are my kryptonite. This girl exudes BIG NERD ENERGY and I'm living for it. I love when a book puts out a geeky and nerdy protagonist. She may come of as sheltered at times but its sometimes the way she functions. I would prefer if there are more references of it in this book but overall i pretty much like it.

✨Overall✨
If you're coming into this book looking for a major serious plot with grand gestures, you definitely won't get it. Ashley is a character that you'll either hate or love, no in between. Do I understand her? Yes. She's the epitome of a people pleaser and I like how she will know gradually that the things that she do is wrong.

Is it cliche? Definitely. Do I like it? Yes. Its a book that I finished in less than a few hours. It made me smile. It comforted me in some ways and the way I STAN ALL THE TAYLOR SWIFT SONGS AND REFERENCES? Dang. I was listening to the whole 1989 album on repeat while reading this.

You might love or hate this book, but I personally like it. If you're a swiftie, this is one that you can put in your list, it'll definitely make you smile.

[Alexa (Alexa Loves Books) · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. This YA contemporary was a likable enough read, and I particularly liked the nods to New York, Taylor Swift and the fact that the main character is into coding. But it’s ultimately one of those stories that will end up getting lost in the mix of others in the genre for me.

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm very much in a contemporary mood right now so my friend handed this one over to read. A very quick read that was cute but did fall flat a few times for me.

Ashley has her entire life planned out - internship over the summer at a leading social media company, head off to Stanford or Berkeley, become a leading software engineer. But all of that comes crashing down when her spring break plans don't turn out the way she wanted. Deciding to stop thinking about her future, Ashley decides to start having more fun. Enter hottie Walker Beech and say bye bye to Ashley's heart - and sometimes, common sense. Why would you let someone borrow your school owned laptop??

What I liked about this book was the female focus on the sciences and coding. Coding is one that is mostly looked at as a male field and I love that we are seeing more and more females stepping in. It's nice to see the focus on STEM showing up more and more.

The romance was predictable but what I was sad about was I didn't get the fuzzy feelings when the big scenes happened. It was just more like, yeah okay they finally got there. What I look forward to most in romances is the swoons and that was definitely missing here.

Overall, a quick cute read set against a Brooklyn backdrop.

[Tori · Rating 2 out of 5]

Excessive Taylor Swift references
STEM loving FMC

Ashley is a coder with a love for the STEM field. Her childhood friend Jason is known for his ZigZag account, where he posts all his pranks. After Jason reminds Ashley about how overly focused she is on her studies and college, she decides to venture towards experiencing more things while they are still in high school. Once Ashley sees Walker Beach, she knows he is her dream guy. What began as a fun and exciting experience led Ashley to question her choices and to start following her heart.

Despite listening to the audiobook, it felt like a struggle to finish it. While the blurb makes Ashley sound relatable, it did not feel like she was while listening to this audiobook. Because of this issue, the character development fell flat, leaving me unsatisfied with how predictable the ending was.

[Elvina Zafril · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was a sweet and fun contemporary romance. But couldn't bring myself to love it.

[The Reading Raccoon · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Epic Spring Break(up) by Kristin Rockaway is a young adult contemporary novel about a teenage girl who is determined to make the most of her Spring break. As Ashley tries to get out of her comfort zone by dating a mysterious fellow student she gets further away from her mother’s rules, alienating her childhood friend Jason and not prioritizing what she needs to do to win Hackathon, a 24 hour coding contest with a huge prize.

I really enjoyed reading about Ashley’s Brooklyn neighborhood and what it takes to be an ambitious student with dreams of working in Silicon Valley. Her interactions with Walker are instant nostalgia for anyone that suffered through dates with someone they put on a pedestal only to discover that they were seriously flawed and not a good fit. Her difficult relationship with her dad and feeling alienated from his new family is a topic that readers from separated parents can relate to and sympathize with. But the parts that brought a smile to my face were any of the conversations with friend-zoned Jason and the angsty and confusing feelings a girl can have when she starts to see a childhood friend in a romantic way.

I really loved this cute contemporary YA romance and recommend it to anyone looking for a lighter read that still tackles some important topics, has a sweet love story and a hopeful message about pivoting after plans fall through.

4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My copy of My Epic Spring Break(Up) by Kristin Rockaway was provided by Netgalley and the publisher for review purposes

[Lanchen]

Set in New York over spring break, we follow Ashley, who has a STEM background, on a sweet coming of age story that realistically depicts young love and navigating failure.

A few moments that stood out to me were Walker's lack of awareness and fickle emotions which reminded me of typical high school boys and Ashley's impulsive decision to get a tattoo to impress a boy she liked. The characters behaviors felt all too familiar.

[caitlyn (brekker's version) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good quick light read

4 stars bc I've never seen a romance book during spring break and that was nice for me to read during spring break + Jason is cute + Taylor Swift references

-1 star bc the mc was dislikeable

I was going to give it 3 stars bc it was not the greatest writing with the romance and just in general but it's a ya romance book so that's understandable

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found Ashley a bit of a hard sell. She just seemed like such a doormat, content to be treated like dirt over and over again. I wanted her to stand up for herself MUCH earlier than she actually did. I wasn’t a fan of either guy. Walker was a total tool pretty much from the getgo and Ashley came off as super desperate, doing pretty much anything to keep his attention, including doing his homework for him, letting him borrow a laptop that wasn’t hers to lend out, sneaking out to see him, etc. I liked Jason more, but honestly I’ve never been super into pranks or pranking people so he came off as immature rather than funny. Ashley realizing that she was in love with Jason came out of nowhere - AND she still went out with Walker which I found irritating. Overall I liked the coding aspects, and the message of the book, but I was hoping for a lot more from the romance, and it was a cute, quick read that I mostly enjoyed.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing, and Kristin Rockaway for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This was a cute book and it felt exactly as advertised, it was a great coming of age story. I really didn't like Ashley's character, especially initially, though I began to respect her more towards the end.

The story felt all over at a few points, but I will say that I'm happy with how things wrapped up, it just kept me a little disconnected from the story at times.

This was a good book and I felt like it held a really good message for those in a similar situation.

[Alex (The Scribe Owl) · Rating 3 out of 5]

See this review and more at my blog, The Scribe Owl!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

3/5 stars

My Epic Spring Break (Up) was a cute, though unmemorable, coming of age story.

My Epic Spring Break (Up) was more or less exactly what I thought it would be: entertaining, but unmemorable. I did like it more than I expected, but that's not saying much. To be fair, that's more of my expectations for contemporary books, not this one in particular.

For Ashley, the only point of high school is to prepare for college. Romance has never even been something she considered. When her plans start to fall apart, Ashley realizes she may be missing out on part of the high school experience. When spring break rolls around, she decides to have more fun. Starting with her crush, Walker Beech. But with her childhood friend Jason Eisler in the picture, things aren't as simple as she'd like.

The main issue I had with this novel was just how cheesy it was. I know some people who like a good amount of cheese, but this was excessive cheese. I could barely get through the first two chapters because the main character used the time to ogle Walker and describe him in painful detail.

Sometimes you come across characters that break the mold. You never have to yell at them, you never feel second-hand embarrassment. Well, that wasn't Ashley. It wasn't that I didn't like her, but she kept making choices that were obviously wrong. It was so annoying to be the reader just watching her!

Although I had issues with My Spring Break (Up), I liked the romance that we got at the end. I love friends to lovers, and this was a great example of it. Jason was great too, probably better than Ashley.

All in all, I wasn't the biggest fan of this book. It was fine, but I'm not going to buy a physical copy or read it again.

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Pre-read rating estimate: 2.5
Final rating: 3

[Natalie - FerryGoodBooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I saw the cover of this book, I knew I had to get my hands on it as soon as possible. Though the cover and plot had all the elements I look for in a YA book, once I started reading, I could tell it would be an uphill battle. In the beginning Ashley felt a bit robotic. She was driven and intelligent, but she came off as cold. I couldn’t connect with her because it felt like she was just a one dimensional character. When Ashley decides to add more adventures and rebels, she really goes for it. Her defiance is laced with stereotypical teen antics. At times I enjoyed them, but the mother inside of me was screaming for the lack of maturity she exhibited.

There were characters that drove me absolutely nuts and situations that physically irritated me. I wanted more for Ashley. She was completely naive and let others walk all over her because she was too blind to see the truth in them. I think because there was a clear difference in Ashley’s situations, it was hard for me to feel empathy towards her when things would go wrong.

The writing is really dry and monotoned. I craved for layers of emotion or good character development, but I felt the only character who possessed this was Jason. You get to see the different aspects of his personality and watch him grow from when he started in the book.

What I loved was the coding aspect of this story. I found it interesting how well the author was able to fluidly include binary code description and API meaning into the book while making it easy to understand the technicalities.

Overall I wanted more from this book. I wanted more complex characters with substance. However there were moments where Ashley felt likeable and real when she was talking about code or just being herself around Jason. I felt like this book had all the elements for a great story but the execution fell flat. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's for this ARC

[Aly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a pretty cute high school romance and an easy read if you're looking for something quick. It does have some ya tropes, like a love triangle, and a predictable plot. I was also sad that we didn't get much resolution of Ashley's issues with her dad. I would have liked to see them work things out a bit more than what we saw.

Although Ashley frustrated me by making some poor decisions, she's only sixteen and has never had a boy like her before. She's crushing on Walker and is a bit blinded by his attention so she doesn't see what's really going on. I feel like the author did a good job of showing an average teenager instead of making Ashley wise beyond her years and unrealistic. I was happy that Ashley had good friends who helped her and kept her in reality.

I liked that Ashley is good at math and coding and wants a career in STEM. It's nice to see young girls pursuing interests like that and I appreciated the book showing a fun application of math. I hope to see more books with girls in the math and science fields and kicking butt!

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. Thank you to Underlined and NetGalley for the copy.

[Morris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was a cute and easy read, though ultimately forgettable. It’s good if you need something to cleanse your reading palate or that you can finish in one sitting at the beach. If a light romance is what you’re looking for this will work.

This unbiased review is based on a complimentary copy provided by the publisher.

[Mia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fast read but I didn't connect with characters or romance.

[tellacnders · Rating 4 out of 5]

as a swiftie, this book left me quaking bc THE TAYLOR REFERENCES HELP

[(• ֊ •)੭ amyfish ~ 404NewEra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was sooo good! It was a simple and super-easy but fun read and I loved it so much.
11/10 recommend.

[Sarah Seelbaugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect ending. It was a good book. I'm glad I kept reading it. It was so YA romance. It's so cute. 🥰

[Veronica Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a super cute, and easy read.
I appreciate that it’s such a relatable situation. Ashley only cares about the future, and making sure she’s prepped for college. The last thing on her mind is boys, until she decides to have some fun during Spring Break.



*massive spoilers ahead*


Since this is a friends to lovers type of book, it’s always exciting to read how the other person is going to find out. Jason and Ashley’s friendship wasn’t what I expected, especially since they’ve been friends forever. They weren’t too close, but can still connect on a different level than most friendships. I love how concerned he was when she started seeing Walker. That boy was definitely trouble from the start, but honestly, I’d go see a free concert with him too!

I love that Jason ended up helping Ashley and Christine at the Hackathon. It shows he truly cares about her and her interests. This was a great, little story.