Breakup From Hell by Ann Davila Cardinal Book Review!

 

Title: Breakup From Hell
Author: Ann Davila Cardinal
Publish Date: January 3rd, 2023
Publisher: HarperCollins
Source: Huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a review copy!

Miguela Angeles is tired. Tired of her abuela keeping secrets, especially about her heritage. Tired of her small Vermont town and hanging out at the same places with the same friends she’s known forever. So when another boring Sunday trip to church turns into a run-in with Sam, a mysterious hottie in town on vacation, Mica seizes the opportunity to get closer to him.

It’s not long before she is under Sam’s spell and doing things she’s never done before, like winning all her martial arts sparring matches—and lying to her favorite people. The more time Mica spends with Sam, the more weird things start to happen, too. Like terrifying-visions-of-the-world-ending weird.

Mica’s gut instincts keep telling her something is off, yet Sam is the most exciting guy she’s ever met. But when Mica discovers his family’s roots, she realizes that instead of being in the typical high school relationship, she’s living in a horror novel.

She has to leave Sam, but will ending their relationship also bring an end to everything she knows and everyone she loves?

Clever, hilarious, and steeped in supernatural suspense, Breakup From Hell will keep you hooked until the last page.

Penelope's Review

I love the idea behind this book, but unfortunately it just didn't live up to my expectations. While the plot itself is decent, I had some issues with pacing and characters. The book starts out pretty fast paced, but I felt like some parts later on started to drag a bit. I didn't love the romance aspect, unfortunately. I felt like there was a lack of chemistry between Mica and her love interests, and I wasn't really excited to delve deeper into her relationships because I wasn't able to form any attachments to the characters. Everyone around Mica was secretive and manipulative, and while I understand it was to protect her, I still would have liked to see some solidarity from her best friends. 

The writing style itself was ok, but could use a bit of work in my opinion. It felt very juvenile (and that's not just because it's a YA book, as I've ready plenty of YA with a more developed writing style). The ending wasn't my favorite - it's a bit rushed and kind of thrown together.

Overall, I think the book was ok, and there are definitely those who will love it, it just wasn't really for me. 

Rating: 2.5/5 Devils!