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The Break-Up Artist
Don’t miss this stunning debut rom-com that asks: Is love enough to win over a stone-cold heartbreaker?
Zelda Reynolds has a secret identity as “The Break-Up Artist,” the infamous ender of relationships. Don’t want to end your relationship yourself? Just tell Zelda through her website and she’ll get the job done like a pro. Her online business isn’t paying the bills yet, but at least it’s an escape from her real life, where her boss steals her best ideas, her dates are all duds, and her dad just married someone her own age.
When Zelda starts falling for the recipient of one of her snarkiest letters yet—a guy who is challenging her to let go of past hurts and reach for her dreams—will she have the courage to tell him the truth? Or will her undercover identity as the breaker of hearts come back to haunt her?
Zelda Reynolds has a secret identity as “The Break-Up Artist,” the infamous ender of relationships. Don’t want to end your relationship yourself? Just tell Zelda through her website and she’ll get the job done like a pro. Her online business isn’t paying the bills yet, but at least it’s an escape from her real life, where her boss steals her best ideas, her dates are all duds, and her dad just married someone her own age.
When Zelda starts falling for the recipient of one of her snarkiest letters yet—a guy who is challenging her to let go of past hurts and reach for her dreams—will she have the courage to tell him the truth? Or will her undercover identity as the breaker of hearts come back to haunt her?
Audible Audio
Published June 9, 2022
23 people are currently reading
598 people want to read
About the author
Erin Clark
2 books13 followersErin Clark is an award winning non-fiction writer, world traveller, paragliding pilot and world record holder for wheelchair parapole. She ignites the disabled narrative in glamorous vignettes as an International Sex Icon on instagram (erinunleashes).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 332 reviews
July 28, 2022
I think this one might be a DNF. I like the main character, and the set-up, but at the half-way point there's a scene with her father where he is so completely without empathy and it's framed as something she should apologize for, "because family," and... nope.
When your mother dies and six months later your father marries one of your former class-mates, he doesn't get to say "you don't know her" or "it has nothing to do with you." Like, your daughter knew this woman longer than you have, mister. And you being "so lonely" doesn't mean your family has to just shut-up and put-up at all your actions thereafter. And then he's all "are you sure this isn't you being jealous of her?" and WOW. Nope. No no no. If the trajectory is going to be the main character having to apologize because but he's her da-a-a-ad, I know better than to keep reading. So not for me.
Edit to add: Made it through by the skin of my teeth. The father plot (not to mention her having to apologize to step-mother) did, in fact, completely ruin this for me. I was just too angry at that plot thread to care about the rest. I just couldn't like anything else.
When your mother dies and six months later your father marries one of your former class-mates, he doesn't get to say "you don't know her" or "it has nothing to do with you." Like, your daughter knew this woman longer than you have, mister. And you being "so lonely" doesn't mean your family has to just shut-up and put-up at all your actions thereafter. And then he's all "are you sure this isn't you being jealous of her?" and WOW. Nope. No no no. If the trajectory is going to be the main character having to apologize because but he's her da-a-a-ad, I know better than to keep reading. So not for me.
Edit to add: Made it through by the skin of my teeth. The father plot (not to mention her having to apologize to step-mother) did, in fact, completely ruin this for me. I was just too angry at that plot thread to care about the rest. I just couldn't like anything else.
April 3, 2023
3 stars
I liked this audiobook. One of the best things about it was the disability rep. It flowed so naturally in the story and wasn’t used as this huge plot device which I found refreshing. I also really liked the hero. I wish it would have been a bit longer and there would have been more romance, but overall this was good.
I liked this audiobook. One of the best things about it was the disability rep. It flowed so naturally in the story and wasn’t used as this huge plot device which I found refreshing. I also really liked the hero. I wish it would have been a bit longer and there would have been more romance, but overall this was good.
Audio book source: Audible Plus
Story Rating: 3 stars
Narrators: Regan Linton
Narration Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Length: 5h 36m
October 15, 2022
The Break-Up Artist – 4 stars; Audible Original
So new, that Goodreads doesn’t even have it on its list yet, though it has four other titles listed of the same name. It was about 5 ½ hours, and I loved every second of it. It was fun and witty and had some surprise depth. The male hero is a dream. The female hero is a strong sassy sexy smart independent lady, who happens to use a wheelchair. The story is really around her vulnerabilities, and what she needs to do to finally move forward and open herself up to love and life. It’s about a woman just starting to truly find herself, and a man who also needs to realize he was just perfect, just as he was. The Break-Up Artist is ultimately about the beauty of love and loss interwined. And somehow about the aroma and sense of coffee. Perfect as an audible original. I truly just loved it. The entire thing.
So new, that Goodreads doesn’t even have it on its list yet, though it has four other titles listed of the same name. It was about 5 ½ hours, and I loved every second of it. It was fun and witty and had some surprise depth. The male hero is a dream. The female hero is a strong sassy sexy smart independent lady, who happens to use a wheelchair. The story is really around her vulnerabilities, and what she needs to do to finally move forward and open herself up to love and life. It’s about a woman just starting to truly find herself, and a man who also needs to realize he was just perfect, just as he was. The Break-Up Artist is ultimately about the beauty of love and loss interwined. And somehow about the aroma and sense of coffee. Perfect as an audible original. I truly just loved it. The entire thing.
June 13, 2022
4 Stars
I love these audible exclusive books and I really enjoyed this one! I also love a disability rep and our female character is a wheelchair user. And for one, the disability wasn’t used as a plot device!
I love these audible exclusive books and I really enjoyed this one! I also love a disability rep and our female character is a wheelchair user. And for one, the disability wasn’t used as a plot device!
September 2, 2022
THE BREAK-UP ARTIST
● Zelda (24ish) & Jake
● executive assistant / barista
● Z - side hustle: “Break Up Artist” paid to pen break-up letter
● Z - dad marries her former classmate (Amanda)
● Z - mom died less than a year ago
● disability rep
● Z - in a wheelchair
● Z - one of the letters she was commissioned to write was a break-up letter to Jake. Who she later ended up dating
● J - in a band
● Zelda (24ish) & Jake
● executive assistant / barista
● Z - side hustle: “Break Up Artist” paid to pen break-up letter
● Z - dad marries her former classmate (Amanda)
● Z - mom died less than a year ago
● disability rep
● Z - in a wheelchair
● Z - one of the letters she was commissioned to write was a break-up letter to Jake. Who she later ended up dating
● J - in a band
Audiobook source: Audible Plus
Narrator: Regan Linton
Length: 5H 36M
June 19, 2022
DNF @ chapter 17
The only thing I liked about this book is the cover. Actually I liked the narrator too, but that's it.
I had about 5 chapters left, but I had to stop because I was getting really annoyed. I was getting annoyed even before, but then I started wondering why would I keep doing this to myself when I can just stop.
Her love interest is a really good guy. He's always thoughtful and considerate, he seemed to really care about her, but she was lying to him the whole time. She hid the truth, but it's as bad as lying here. Their whole relationship was built on lies. After everything he did for her, she didn't have the decency to tell him the truth. And they even slept together, and she didn't say anything, and the morning after, he had a family emergency, and of course, the truth reveal was delayed once again, and I stopped reading. He deserved more.
The other thing that bothered me was her father. Her parents supposedly had this long, happy marriage based on true love. Yet 6 months after her death he married another woman. A woman the same age as his daughter. Everybody grieves differently, but he lost the supposed love of his life, and 6 months later he's marrying someone else, making out with her everywhere and going on vacations. He even removed all her photos and wanted to move out of their house. I know how painful is to lose someone you love and how painful even the slightest reminder of them can be, especially in the beginning. But I could never try to forget and erase that person, because they made me happy while they were alive and they deserve to be remembered no matter what. As I've said, we all grieve differently, but this guy seemed to move on awfully quickly, and it seems to me like he didn't love his late wife as much as it was described. And after marrying his daughter's ex classmate, he had the audacity to accuse the heroine of being jealous of his new wife, because they're the same age and one of them is married. I think almost anyone in her place would be upset it they father married a girl half his age, 6 moths after their mother died. And the craziest thing is that she did some introspection and she accepted that. What?? It just made me really mad. He said that it's not about her, and he's right, but it still affects her and I think she has a right to be upset that someone's trying to replace her mother and remove all traces of her. Oh, and he also said that if she wants to be a part of his life, she'll have to accept his new wife. The guy was ready to cut off his daughter, the woman he's raised, for a woman he's known for 6 months. Not to mention that they never really had a conversation about everything. If I was the heroine, I'd tell him to go fuck himself. He was ready to give up on her for someone else, without really even talking or trying to resolve things. If someone's ready to throw me away and doesn't fight for me even a little, I don't need them in my life. No matter if were blood related or not.
I listened to more than half of the book, and I have strong feelings (annoyance and dislike mostly) about what I heard, so I feel comfortable rating it.
The only thing I liked about this book is the cover. Actually I liked the narrator too, but that's it.
I had about 5 chapters left, but I had to stop because I was getting really annoyed. I was getting annoyed even before, but then I started wondering why would I keep doing this to myself when I can just stop.
Her love interest is a really good guy. He's always thoughtful and considerate, he seemed to really care about her, but she was lying to him the whole time. She hid the truth, but it's as bad as lying here. Their whole relationship was built on lies. After everything he did for her, she didn't have the decency to tell him the truth. And they even slept together, and she didn't say anything, and the morning after, he had a family emergency, and of course, the truth reveal was delayed once again, and I stopped reading. He deserved more.
The other thing that bothered me was her father. Her parents supposedly had this long, happy marriage based on true love. Yet 6 months after her death he married another woman. A woman the same age as his daughter. Everybody grieves differently, but he lost the supposed love of his life, and 6 months later he's marrying someone else, making out with her everywhere and going on vacations. He even removed all her photos and wanted to move out of their house. I know how painful is to lose someone you love and how painful even the slightest reminder of them can be, especially in the beginning. But I could never try to forget and erase that person, because they made me happy while they were alive and they deserve to be remembered no matter what. As I've said, we all grieve differently, but this guy seemed to move on awfully quickly, and it seems to me like he didn't love his late wife as much as it was described. And after marrying his daughter's ex classmate, he had the audacity to accuse the heroine of being jealous of his new wife, because they're the same age and one of them is married. I think almost anyone in her place would be upset it they father married a girl half his age, 6 moths after their mother died. And the craziest thing is that she did some introspection and she accepted that. What?? It just made me really mad. He said that it's not about her, and he's right, but it still affects her and I think she has a right to be upset that someone's trying to replace her mother and remove all traces of her. Oh, and he also said that if she wants to be a part of his life, she'll have to accept his new wife. The guy was ready to cut off his daughter, the woman he's raised, for a woman he's known for 6 months. Not to mention that they never really had a conversation about everything. If I was the heroine, I'd tell him to go fuck himself. He was ready to give up on her for someone else, without really even talking or trying to resolve things. If someone's ready to throw me away and doesn't fight for me even a little, I don't need them in my life. No matter if were blood related or not.
I listened to more than half of the book, and I have strong feelings (annoyance and dislike mostly) about what I heard, so I feel comfortable rating it.
October 1, 2022
What I expected to happen in Act 1:
1. We meet the FL in the middle of breaking up a couple (like reverse-Hitch).
2. We meet the FL being broken up with (just as she planned mwahahaha).
3. We meet the FL in the middle of breaking up with her partner.
What actually happened in Act 1:
We meet the FL at her normal office job, farting around with her lovable coworkers, complaining about her boss and lamenting her lack of gumption over starting her own business.
I nodded off, and when I opened my ears again, she was on a date with a tactless douchebag who disrespected her and invaded her personal space. Do you think she put him in his place? Nope. She didn't stand up for herself once. She then went home, logged into her website and wrote a BREAK UP EMAIL (I'm sorry, wut?) to a man who's content being a server in a coffee shop while his girlfriend wanted (and DESERVED, according to our FL) Tiffany necklaces. The email basically amounted to her calling this guy a loser who should crawl back under the rock from whence he came because didn't deserve the classy woman he's about to lose. In other words, SHE became the tactless douchebag.
In case it isn't clear, my main problem with "The Breakup Artist" is that in 2022, I'm expected to root for some chick who hides behind email like a troll and when in person, can't assert herself to a man she agreed to date. What an utterly pathetic excuse for a protagonist. And don't dare @me with some "character development" BS, because I don't buy it.
Way to flop on the "promise of your premise," dear authors. Great idea, terrible execution. DNF
1. We meet the FL in the middle of breaking up a couple (like reverse-Hitch).
2. We meet the FL being broken up with (just as she planned mwahahaha).
3. We meet the FL in the middle of breaking up with her partner.
What actually happened in Act 1:
We meet the FL at her normal office job, farting around with her lovable coworkers, complaining about her boss and lamenting her lack of gumption over starting her own business.
I nodded off, and when I opened my ears again, she was on a date with a tactless douchebag who disrespected her and invaded her personal space. Do you think she put him in his place? Nope. She didn't stand up for herself once. She then went home, logged into her website and wrote a BREAK UP EMAIL (I'm sorry, wut?) to a man who's content being a server in a coffee shop while his girlfriend wanted (and DESERVED, according to our FL) Tiffany necklaces. The email basically amounted to her calling this guy a loser who should crawl back under the rock from whence he came because didn't deserve the classy woman he's about to lose. In other words, SHE became the tactless douchebag.
In case it isn't clear, my main problem with "The Breakup Artist" is that in 2022, I'm expected to root for some chick who hides behind email like a troll and when in person, can't assert herself to a man she agreed to date. What an utterly pathetic excuse for a protagonist. And don't dare @me with some "character development" BS, because I don't buy it.
Way to flop on the "promise of your premise," dear authors. Great idea, terrible execution. DNF
June 14, 2022
This was okay. Zelda has a secret job where she’s the “Break Up Artist” and pens breakup letters on behalf of people writing into her. She’s also dealing with complicated feelings about her new stepmother, and rightfully so. Her father starts a relationship up just 6 months after her mom died, and her new stepmom is someone Zelda’s age that she even went to college with and had a bit of professional/school rivalry with. Zelda ends up dating Jake, who was a breakupee that she wrote a breakup letter to on behalf of his ex.
This had some cute, sweet moments…mainly the hero Jake, who has adorable coffee puns, wants to open his own coffee roastery, and reads Immortals After Dark (Kresley Cole). Zelda on the other hand felt very immature and was a bit much at times. I do think her character did grow as the book went on, but I just wasn’t super into her character. This was a quick novella-length audible listen!
This had some cute, sweet moments…mainly the hero Jake, who has adorable coffee puns, wants to open his own coffee roastery, and reads Immortals After Dark (Kresley Cole). Zelda on the other hand felt very immature and was a bit much at times. I do think her character did grow as the book went on, but I just wasn’t super into her character. This was a quick novella-length audible listen!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 1, 2023
I want to say 2.5 because it was a quick read and generally a good story. Sure, the basics of the story are similar to many others but it didn’t detract from the overall feel for me. I also liked that it didn’t drag on and on before the main character turned a corner = refreshing!
June 20, 2022
In many ways this is a completely traditional and predictable romance. Woman meets man, they get interested, they grow romantic, a secret causes a rift, but loves wins out in the end. And on that level, it is really nothing to write home about. But the twist that makes this novel more interesting is that the sideline of the heroine, Zelda, as an anonymous internet personality who helps people who don’t know how to get out of their relationships. She’s “The Break Up Artist." Desperately unhappy people write to her with a list of everything that is wrong with the person they want to kick out of their lives, and Zelda writes a snappy email back that they can put their name on to sever the relationship. Many people, it turns out, just forward her letter complete with her signature, “The Break Up Artist,” so she is becoming a little bit infamous. There is also the impression that she is making money off of this, which is strange, since it’s basically a word-of-mouth business that started with a few flyers and she doesn’t charge.
Zelda seems to do this because she finds writing the letters cathartic and believes she is helping people. In a life that is basically falling apart, writing a break up letter or two each night reenergizes her. Her mother has just died and within a year her father married a former classmate of Zelda’s and unfortunately, there is lot of evidence that they have sex all the time. (And isn’t that a little creepy to think your parent is having sex with someone your age.) Her work situation for a marketing firm is unrewarding with her boss taking her ideas but refusing to give her any credit. And apparently the first thing every guy who takes her on a date wants to know is can she still have sex since she needs a wheelchair to get around.
So, her life sucks, and then she meets a wonderful guy whom she learns was the recipient of one of her breakup letters. I never really understood why this was a potential problem. After all, she only put into words what the ex-girlfriend told her. I think that on date number two, if I was Zelda I would have brought a printout of both the ex-girlfriend’s email and the breakup response and given them to Jake with a little explanation of how she got into doing this and then I think they would have quickly moved on. But there is no drama in my solution so of course she holds off until the ex-girlfriend decides she wants her ex-boyfriend back so she can spend his recent inheritance money. (That’s not really a spoiler. It was obvious it was going to happen right from the beginning.)
But Zelda isn’t me and she can’t solve things that easily (although she does solve her problems with her new “stepmom” pretty easily—and I think unrealistically). So we get a little drama which frankly makes the book more fun even if I think the idea embraced by so many in the book that the Break Up Artist is somehow evil was more than a little crazy.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
Zelda seems to do this because she finds writing the letters cathartic and believes she is helping people. In a life that is basically falling apart, writing a break up letter or two each night reenergizes her. Her mother has just died and within a year her father married a former classmate of Zelda’s and unfortunately, there is lot of evidence that they have sex all the time. (And isn’t that a little creepy to think your parent is having sex with someone your age.) Her work situation for a marketing firm is unrewarding with her boss taking her ideas but refusing to give her any credit. And apparently the first thing every guy who takes her on a date wants to know is can she still have sex since she needs a wheelchair to get around.
So, her life sucks, and then she meets a wonderful guy whom she learns was the recipient of one of her breakup letters. I never really understood why this was a potential problem. After all, she only put into words what the ex-girlfriend told her. I think that on date number two, if I was Zelda I would have brought a printout of both the ex-girlfriend’s email and the breakup response and given them to Jake with a little explanation of how she got into doing this and then I think they would have quickly moved on. But there is no drama in my solution so of course she holds off until the ex-girlfriend decides she wants her ex-boyfriend back so she can spend his recent inheritance money. (That’s not really a spoiler. It was obvious it was going to happen right from the beginning.)
But Zelda isn’t me and she can’t solve things that easily (although she does solve her problems with her new “stepmom” pretty easily—and I think unrealistically). So we get a little drama which frankly makes the book more fun even if I think the idea embraced by so many in the book that the Break Up Artist is somehow evil was more than a little crazy.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 27, 2022
I loved this book! Talking about ableism. Pronouns. MC in a wheelchair and not seen as "oh poor you".
But if you've read any reviews of it, you know why I LOATHE this book. Because EVERYONE who loathes this book talks about the same thing.
The Dad, a professor, starts dating someone in our MCs class right after the Mom dies. They elope less than a year after the Mom died. They erase the Mom from the house. Take down all the family pictures. Then the Dad yells at MC and her 17yo sister. MC then APOLOGIZES to the heartless asshole father who is also a predator.
Hell no. Abusive people don't get a redemption arc because they are family. NONONONONO
Sloppy writing and truly a dangerous concept. Most abuse is done within the family. So no. You don't need to forgive. Screw that. In my head the teen sister moves in with our MC and they never talk to the dad again.
It's too bad. It was such a promising read.
But if you've read any reviews of it, you know why I LOATHE this book. Because EVERYONE who loathes this book talks about the same thing.
The Dad, a professor, starts dating someone in our MCs class right after the Mom dies. They elope less than a year after the Mom died. They erase the Mom from the house. Take down all the family pictures. Then the Dad yells at MC and her 17yo sister. MC then APOLOGIZES to the heartless asshole father who is also a predator.
Hell no. Abusive people don't get a redemption arc because they are family. NONONONONO
Sloppy writing and truly a dangerous concept. Most abuse is done within the family. So no. You don't need to forgive. Screw that. In my head the teen sister moves in with our MC and they never talk to the dad again.
It's too bad. It was such a promising read.
September 16, 2022
I LOVED this book!
Zelda is a fabulous character and I had a blast following her through her day to day.
The other characters in the book were well fleshed out, but Zelda stole the show.
Lady is a badass with a fabulous witt!
Zelda is a fabulous character and I had a blast following her through her day to day.
The other characters in the book were well fleshed out, but Zelda stole the show.
Lady is a badass with a fabulous witt!
July 1, 2022
3.5 rounded up.
A charming rom-com debut with great disability rep that felt totally natural and well represented! Zelda secretly has an online service where she writes break up letters on behalf of other people (I swear this is a plot I've read recently but can't recall which book - please comment if you know!).
Unfortunately for Zelda, one of the guys she meets happens to be a receipient of one of her latest break up letters and she has to deal with how to let him know she was behind it and also come to terms with her father's new, much younger wife.
Great on audio and a fun quick listen. Recommended for fans of Evie Mitchell's All Access series.
A charming rom-com debut with great disability rep that felt totally natural and well represented! Zelda secretly has an online service where she writes break up letters on behalf of other people (I swear this is a plot I've read recently but can't recall which book - please comment if you know!).
Unfortunately for Zelda, one of the guys she meets happens to be a receipient of one of her latest break up letters and she has to deal with how to let him know she was behind it and also come to terms with her father's new, much younger wife.
Great on audio and a fun quick listen. Recommended for fans of Evie Mitchell's All Access series.
February 9, 2023
I seriously love this book and it’s a quick fun and funny read! This is a contemporary romance rom com lovers with a disabled FMC which is a dream for my fellow disabled folks, because we are the fmc not the side character, not the person who dies so their partner can find love again. There is zero ableism, ZERO! Bonus points for it being co-written by a disabled wheelchair user because it shows! It is written so realistically to life as a disabled person, it’s everything I have been looking for in representation for myself as a wheelchair user. This is also a great opportunity to read if you are abled and want to read a book that isn’t riddled with ablest tropes about disabled people and to support disabled authors! I want my abled friends to read this to understand me better! 10/10 recommend!
June 13, 2022
Cute but at the same time I would have like more maturity in her romantic relationship and a bit less in her family one. I mean your dad starts boning a girl your age 6 months after your mom dies and you are supposed to just be okay with that? Naw, not me. I'm 100% making sure everyone knows he's trash. Then of course that affects your view on love and you are pretty sure it's not real anymore and then you meet a guy but you refuse to properly communicate with him. Like either go for it or not, it became a bit exhausting even for a short story
July 5, 2025
★★★★✩ 4.0
This one was such a fun surprise. It plays with the idea of a breakup-for-hire business, and somehow manages to keep things light, messy, and weirdly touching all at once. The audiobook format worked especially well, the narration brought out the humor and made the main character feel even more relatable.
The FMC basically ghostwrites breakups for people who don’t want to do the dirty work themselves. Which, obviously, invites chaos. She’s sarcastic, guarded, and really good at pretending she’s fine, even when she’s very much not. There’s romantic tension (of course), a solid slow-burn, and plenty of emotional growth packed into what could’ve just been a quirky premise. Just overall a cute little audio story.
This one was such a fun surprise. It plays with the idea of a breakup-for-hire business, and somehow manages to keep things light, messy, and weirdly touching all at once. The audiobook format worked especially well, the narration brought out the humor and made the main character feel even more relatable.
The FMC basically ghostwrites breakups for people who don’t want to do the dirty work themselves. Which, obviously, invites chaos. She’s sarcastic, guarded, and really good at pretending she’s fine, even when she’s very much not. There’s romantic tension (of course), a solid slow-burn, and plenty of emotional growth packed into what could’ve just been a quirky premise. Just overall a cute little audio story.
June 15, 2022
No hot, tattooed, straight, single man who is TOTALLY into you reads paranormal romance books, likes the same art as you, learns obscure theme songs to play for you with their band that is actually good, shares his thoughts and feelings openly, encourages your dreams, is great in bed after which he makes you breakfast with artisan coffee he roasted himself. And then suddenly comes into a whole bunch of money. I understand that this is romance. This is fantasy. But there really needs to be a line.
June 28, 2022
Unique characters that are well developed and believable, witty dialogue, much needed emotional growth and so much more to entertain and delight for a few hours! I will definitely be looking for more books from these authors in the future!
August 10, 2022
DNF! absolutely could not make it through the family subplot
February 23, 2023
The Break-Up Artist by Erin Clark starts with a girl named Zelda who is in a job she hates, being an executive assistant for Georgina, her terrible boss. Zelda is in a wheelchair, and she has been her entire life. Her mom recently died, and she's struggling romantically. She only keeps the job she hates so much because her medical expenses are much easier covered this way. Her alter ego is "The Break-Up Artist." People email her their reasons for wanting to break up with their partner, and she writes a break-up letter for them. This started as a thing she did for her friend who found out her boyfriend was cheating on her, but it turned into a release for Zelda's frustration in her own love life. At her favorite coffee shop, Zelda starts to notice the cute barista more and more. Recently having gone through a break-up himself, Jake takes an interest in Zelda. They've always been friendly, but now it seems like he wants more. He's every hipster's dream. He's a barista and in a band, and he is just so damn nice.
This review is going to be brutal. So, if you're not ready for me to ruin this for you, or if you're Erin Clark, please stop reading now. Alright, on to the good stuff. Zelda is probably one of my least favorite female leads I have ever read or listened to. I like that there is more representation in the story, especially because the author is also in a wheelchair. However, given that this is a debut, I will give her a pass for how horrible this book was for me. Zelda is like a whiny baby the whole time. It felt like the first half of the book was just backstory and setting it up. There was so much monologue that I was getting bored. Of course, you need to set up a scene. But the first half of the book could have been summed up in like a paragraph. The story dragged on, and I didn't even enjoy the plot that much. There were so many things going on at once that it was hard to follow. Was this story about Zelda's horrible love life, her side gig as a break-up artist, her terrible job where she is undervalued, or her family problems? I honestly couldn't tell at some points.
I'll break up each major plot point and explain why I actually hated every part of this book. Zelda's love life was horrible. From the name and the blurb of the book, I expected this book to have a lot more romance. Of course, she has the Tinder date in the beginning of the book that ended horribly after he asked her if she can have sex. Seriously, I'm sure this happens all the time, but it gives me the ick that people actually ask this. Like, it's none of your business really. But then she has Jake. He's sweet and is a complete and total SIMP. I'm not going to pretend like I'm not partial towards morally gray characters, but he was just making me cringe the whole time. Some of them can be seen as sweet, but for the love of God PLEASE PUT MORE ENERGY IN YOUR BUSINESS YOU WANT TO START. The whole time it felt like Zelda was taking advantage of him because of how nice he was. Not to mention, in the beginning of the book, Jake breaks up with his girlfriend. So it's been like a day and now he's all over Zelda? Red. Flag. There wasn't enough romance in this book, and the romance that was there made me cringe.
Her side gig as The Break-Up Artist is so stupid. She's doing this for fun? Is she psycho? Not a joke, I really questioned her sanity at some points. This is so immature, especially since she's doing it for free. It would be one thing if she was going to charge for this and pocket the money so she can leave her dead-end job, but she just writes as a release because she can't write anything for herself. Gosh, Zelda is just such a frustrating character. I really don't understand why the issues with her job are included in the book either. Is the book about her career freedom or is it about the infamous heartbreaker finding love? That's the other thing, it's not like she was having trouble finding love, it's that she was so picky!!! Beggars can't be choosers. Speaking of beggars, I think it speaks for itself that she was still an assistant and never once got moved over to a creative position. Zelda is so naive to think that her boss would let her move. She was clearly undervalued, and even if she didn't want to form her own company, she could at least have found a job that didn't demean her because she was in a wheelchair.
Like I said before, Zelda's mom recently died. As in like less than a year ago. And her dad is already remarried, to not only a girl her age, BUT HER ACTUAL CLASSMATE. That is disgusting. In addition, her dad acts like it's a sin to not want to be around the girl that replaced her mom when she's still grieving. He literally says "it's not about you," which I agree, who he loves is not about her. But she's an adult, and she doesn't have to like her dad's new wife just because her dad does. Apparently, her parents were so in love and he moved on so quickly. He blames it on the fact that he can't be alone? He has two daughters, one who is still in high school and lives with him, who are also grieving and going through the exact same thing. I think it's rude that he forces Zelda to apologize for not liking her for the sake of family. Her dad admits to changing the house around to erase all memories of her mother. If he really was through the grieving process, she would still remain as a memory in their house. I think it's stupid to force someone to like someone else. Her dad asks if Zelda is just jealous of her because of their careers, and I just thought that was so out of pocket. This family dynamic is screwed up, and I don't think it should have had a happy ending.
I think it's pretty clear that I didn't like this book. If I wasn't listening to the audiobook, I would have DNFed so hard. This book was frustrating and not at all entertaining. I don't recommend this book because the whole time I had this nasty look on my face waiting for it to redeem itself. It never did. If I could give this zero stars, I would.
This review is going to be brutal. So, if you're not ready for me to ruin this for you, or if you're Erin Clark, please stop reading now. Alright, on to the good stuff. Zelda is probably one of my least favorite female leads I have ever read or listened to. I like that there is more representation in the story, especially because the author is also in a wheelchair. However, given that this is a debut, I will give her a pass for how horrible this book was for me. Zelda is like a whiny baby the whole time. It felt like the first half of the book was just backstory and setting it up. There was so much monologue that I was getting bored. Of course, you need to set up a scene. But the first half of the book could have been summed up in like a paragraph. The story dragged on, and I didn't even enjoy the plot that much. There were so many things going on at once that it was hard to follow. Was this story about Zelda's horrible love life, her side gig as a break-up artist, her terrible job where she is undervalued, or her family problems? I honestly couldn't tell at some points.
I'll break up each major plot point and explain why I actually hated every part of this book. Zelda's love life was horrible. From the name and the blurb of the book, I expected this book to have a lot more romance. Of course, she has the Tinder date in the beginning of the book that ended horribly after he asked her if she can have sex. Seriously, I'm sure this happens all the time, but it gives me the ick that people actually ask this. Like, it's none of your business really. But then she has Jake. He's sweet and is a complete and total SIMP. I'm not going to pretend like I'm not partial towards morally gray characters, but he was just making me cringe the whole time. Some of them can be seen as sweet, but for the love of God PLEASE PUT MORE ENERGY IN YOUR BUSINESS YOU WANT TO START. The whole time it felt like Zelda was taking advantage of him because of how nice he was. Not to mention, in the beginning of the book, Jake breaks up with his girlfriend. So it's been like a day and now he's all over Zelda? Red. Flag. There wasn't enough romance in this book, and the romance that was there made me cringe.
Her side gig as The Break-Up Artist is so stupid. She's doing this for fun? Is she psycho? Not a joke, I really questioned her sanity at some points. This is so immature, especially since she's doing it for free. It would be one thing if she was going to charge for this and pocket the money so she can leave her dead-end job, but she just writes as a release because she can't write anything for herself. Gosh, Zelda is just such a frustrating character. I really don't understand why the issues with her job are included in the book either. Is the book about her career freedom or is it about the infamous heartbreaker finding love? That's the other thing, it's not like she was having trouble finding love, it's that she was so picky!!! Beggars can't be choosers. Speaking of beggars, I think it speaks for itself that she was still an assistant and never once got moved over to a creative position. Zelda is so naive to think that her boss would let her move. She was clearly undervalued, and even if she didn't want to form her own company, she could at least have found a job that didn't demean her because she was in a wheelchair.
Like I said before, Zelda's mom recently died. As in like less than a year ago. And her dad is already remarried, to not only a girl her age, BUT HER ACTUAL CLASSMATE. That is disgusting. In addition, her dad acts like it's a sin to not want to be around the girl that replaced her mom when she's still grieving. He literally says "it's not about you," which I agree, who he loves is not about her. But she's an adult, and she doesn't have to like her dad's new wife just because her dad does. Apparently, her parents were so in love and he moved on so quickly. He blames it on the fact that he can't be alone? He has two daughters, one who is still in high school and lives with him, who are also grieving and going through the exact same thing. I think it's rude that he forces Zelda to apologize for not liking her for the sake of family. Her dad admits to changing the house around to erase all memories of her mother. If he really was through the grieving process, she would still remain as a memory in their house. I think it's stupid to force someone to like someone else. Her dad asks if Zelda is just jealous of her because of their careers, and I just thought that was so out of pocket. This family dynamic is screwed up, and I don't think it should have had a happy ending.
I think it's pretty clear that I didn't like this book. If I wasn't listening to the audiobook, I would have DNFed so hard. This book was frustrating and not at all entertaining. I don't recommend this book because the whole time I had this nasty look on my face waiting for it to redeem itself. It never did. If I could give this zero stars, I would.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 12, 2022
I have audible Plus membership, so this was part of the Plus catalogue. I really love how they are diversifying the romance genres. I also love how many of those are in the Plus catalogue. It really allows me to hear new voices in the romance genres, and try new things.
I found it a little hard to connect with the main character, mostly because of how much anger she was carrying around with her. It made her a little unlikable at first. But it did give her plenty of room to grow.
When she wrote that break up letter, and then when she went to her favorite coffee shop, I just knew it was him before she did.
I appreciate that she took ownership of her own anger, and apologized to those around her who needed it and gave them a second chance, and her in return got a second chance, because they could have just been like, girl no.
I loved the diverse cast of characters. I like that it was a disability romance. Everyone deserves love, and I like to see that represented more.
I also love to see that she got out from under a horrible manager, and the solution to that was great.
I found it a little hard to connect with the main character, mostly because of how much anger she was carrying around with her. It made her a little unlikable at first. But it did give her plenty of room to grow.
When she wrote that break up letter, and then when she went to her favorite coffee shop, I just knew it was him before she did.
I appreciate that she took ownership of her own anger, and apologized to those around her who needed it and gave them a second chance, and her in return got a second chance, because they could have just been like, girl no.
I loved the diverse cast of characters. I like that it was a disability romance. Everyone deserves love, and I like to see that represented more.
I also love to see that she got out from under a horrible manager, and the solution to that was great.
February 26, 2023
The subplot (and defacto title) of this novella - the break-up artist - was actually meh. You see, the goal was to showcase Zelda as this incredible writer - but, friends, it felt forced. It wasn't well intertwined. It was rather surface-level. And it honestly took away from Zelda's character development. I mean, there are HUNDREDS of other ways to highlight that she's exquisitely talented. Just this one was so triteeeee.
I loved the disability rep. I loved the sex scenes dispelling ableist perceptions.
Truly, this could have been a 4 to 5-star read/listen if it weren't for the namesake. Merp. 😐
I loved the disability rep. I loved the sex scenes dispelling ableist perceptions.
Truly, this could have been a 4 to 5-star read/listen if it weren't for the namesake. Merp. 😐
December 19, 2022
oh it just wasnt for me…
writing and dialogue was fine but hmmm… the premise of the story really rubbed me the wrong way and i just felt really bad about how everything happened and what happened to those people. the synopsis was interesting but i just could not get on board as the story went on. it kind of felt like a “sierra burgess is a loser” moment. really rooting for the fall of the main lead tbh…
oh she was also just such a mean person to her dad and stepmom like ur an adult… act like it. i dget complicated feelings around all the stuff but like roling in your 17 yr old sister like… what… she’s a child and ur literally supposed to be an adult with a fully developed brain. like cmon be serious.
also the fact that this took place in minnesota where i am from like i am not taking the blame for this!!! i am fully living in the christina lauren minnesota universe!!!
writing and dialogue was fine but hmmm… the premise of the story really rubbed me the wrong way and i just felt really bad about how everything happened and what happened to those people. the synopsis was interesting but i just could not get on board as the story went on. it kind of felt like a “sierra burgess is a loser” moment. really rooting for the fall of the main lead tbh…
oh she was also just such a mean person to her dad and stepmom like ur an adult… act like it. i dget complicated feelings around all the stuff but like roling in your 17 yr old sister like… what… she’s a child and ur literally supposed to be an adult with a fully developed brain. like cmon be serious.
also the fact that this took place in minnesota where i am from like i am not taking the blame for this!!! i am fully living in the christina lauren minnesota universe!!!
March 19, 2023
This was cute, and it’s always fun to read a book set in MInnesota where the author gets it right. I had a big problem with one specific plot point, but otherwise really enjoyed this. Zelda was a strong yet relatable heroine, and Jake was such a sweetheart. Low steam/closed door.
April 10, 2023
this audio book was so cute but i felt like there was so much going on for the length of the book? the resolution of things felt a bit rushed but i still had a good time
April 7, 2023
3.25
This book is super cute, if you like a little drama but not too much this is the book for you. Just remember if you lose what was yours.. it'll always come back if it was actually yours.
This book is super cute, if you like a little drama but not too much this is the book for you. Just remember if you lose what was yours.. it'll always come back if it was actually yours.
May 21, 2023
I expected more from this.
Sure, it had good aspects, like the disability rep and everything, and I really did like Jake. But Zelda seemed so immature and childish in the way she thought and acted, I don't know. I just could not connect with her.
Sure, it had good aspects, like the disability rep and everything, and I really did like Jake. But Zelda seemed so immature and childish in the way she thought and acted, I don't know. I just could not connect with her.
June 11, 2022
2.5 stars
This started out cute but I got increasingly tired of Zelda's immaturity and the lack of communication between many of the MCs.
This started out cute but I got increasingly tired of Zelda's immaturity and the lack of communication between many of the MCs.
July 24, 2022
This was an enjoyable audio— like with the majority of audible plus titles, the narration and production was excellent, and i enjoy the cover! I felt like some of the stuff with Zelda's family was....complicated. IMO i think it would've been better w/out the added issue of the dad's new wife? Like her grieving her mom's passing was a lot (understandably) and there was quite a bit of narrative time spent there. But since this is a novella, i felt like the resolution of the stuff with her dad's new wife was kind of glossed over/tied with a nice lil bow in a way that felt unrealistic? idk i think in my opinion, there was just too many plotlines to do a real justice to any of them? Like you've got the "my dad married to soon and i hate his new wife PLUS i went to school with her and I'm secretly jealous of her success" plotline, the "my work sucks so i'm trying to start my own business" plotline, AND the "oops the new guy im crushing on (falling for?) is someone who i, under my anonymous online persona, wrote a scathing breakup letter to" main romantic plotline, and I think it would've been a better book if some of that^^ had been trimmed
Content notes: Zelda is a straight cis white disabled woman has impaired mobility and uses a wheelchair. She works for an ad company but wants to start her own ad company, and she moonlights as "the Breakup Artist" in her free time. Jake is a straight cis white man who works as a barista at Zelda's favorite coffee shop and wants to start his own coffee roasting company. He's also the frontman of a band! This book contains depictions of ableism (countered & condemned on page) homophobia (also countered & condemned on page) on-page sex (i think? mightve been FTB but i cant remember lol) a heroine grieving the loss of her mother, some classist comments from the hero's ex-girlfriend, death of a grandparent and grief of that loss.
Content notes: Zelda is a straight cis white disabled woman has impaired mobility and uses a wheelchair. She works for an ad company but wants to start her own ad company, and she moonlights as "the Breakup Artist" in her free time. Jake is a straight cis white man who works as a barista at Zelda's favorite coffee shop and wants to start his own coffee roasting company. He's also the frontman of a band! This book contains depictions of ableism (countered & condemned on page) homophobia (also countered & condemned on page) on-page sex (i think? mightve been FTB but i cant remember lol) a heroine grieving the loss of her mother, some classist comments from the hero's ex-girlfriend, death of a grandparent and grief of that loss.
June 22, 2022
I had the opportunity to listen to The Break-Up Artist by Erin Clark and Laura Lovely and I had so much fun listening to it. This debut rom com was narrated by Regan Linton and she just brought Zelda and her journey to life for me. This was such a delightful story that was fun, touching and I could not stop listening. Zelda is going through a difficult time. She is stuck at her job, her dating life is almost non-existing and her dad threw her for life for a loop. The one bright spot for her is her secret identity of The Break-Up Artist. Want to break up with your significant other, tell her why and she will do it for you. But what happens when her secrets affect her real life?
Zelda is beautiful, feisty, smart and independent. She had a disability, but that disability does not define her. She is who she is and I loved that about her. When she finds a connection with Jake, she never imagined how one action could shatter a relationship she never saw coming. Will her life blow up or will she find the path she was always looking for? I loved this story so much and am excited to read more from this writing duo!
Happy listening!
Zelda is beautiful, feisty, smart and independent. She had a disability, but that disability does not define her. She is who she is and I loved that about her. When she finds a connection with Jake, she never imagined how one action could shatter a relationship she never saw coming. Will her life blow up or will she find the path she was always looking for? I loved this story so much and am excited to read more from this writing duo!
Happy listening!
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