I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of The Heartbreak Rule. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to the author for this free copy.
- Title: The Heartbreak Rule
- Author: Stephanie Archer
- Publisher: self-published
- Pub. date: 24 May 2022
- Series: standalone
- Page count: 302
- Source: the author
- Genres: adult, contemporary, romance
He’s her friend’s hot ex, Satan’s apprentice, and the last guy she’d ever fall for. A slow burn standalone enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy.
Gemma’s a rising comedian with dreams of sold-out tours and Netflix specials. Nothing will get in her way—especially not the cocky asshole at the comedy club bar every night. He broke her friend’s heart and she hates him for it.
Reid’s a secret romantic who loves his dog, his old theatre, and sparring with a certain commitment-phobe comedian. When the comedy club closes without notice, he opens his theatre to the comics, including the witty, charismatic Gemma. She’ll rip his heart out, so he should keep his distance… but he can’t help but provoke her.
They need to work together without bloodshed so call a truce, but the tension builds and sparks fly. He’s off limits, so why is she fooling around with him? She’ll leave him in the dust, so why is he finding reasons to spend time with her? This hilarious romance features a grand old theatre, sharp banter, stand-up comedy and an all-night variety show.
Content warnings: bullying, explicit sexual scenes, sexism
I very enthusiastically said “yes!” when the author approached me with an advanced copy of her latest release! I loved reading Stephanie’s That Kind of Guy, so I already knew I was in for a fun, steamy ride with this one!
Gemma is a rising stand-up comedian who regularly haunts her friend Oscar’s bar, The Indigo, during nights. Gemma has her regular shows and her post-show insult wars with Beardo Fuckface, Oscar’s handsome best friend Reid. That is until The Indigo’s water-logged ceiling almost crumbled on her. Gemma and Reid start seeing a lot more of each other when Oscar decides to temporarily move the bar to Reid’s beautiful old-timey cinema. Night after night, Reid and Gemma start to warm up to each but can Gemma really let go of what Reid did to her best friend?
Gemma is a strong, driven and beautiful heroine. She shines with the drive and determination that I would love to see in myself. I loved her style and how confident she is in herself. There was a moment later on in book where her stubbornness really grated on my nerves, but I still loved her as a character.
Reid was a great guy and I found it so attractive that he had already found his passion and put that into his cinema! I loved that he knew what he wanted and was so patient with breaking down Gemma’s walls.
Gemma and Reid had some of the funnest friends that I would love to meet in real life, and spend brunches and days out with. They really made me nostalgic for the old uni days with my friends and regular hangouts.
I already knew I would like Stephanie’s writing! I loved how she focuses on the conversations and moves the plot that way. Her writing has the lighthearted quality that I love seeing in my rom-coms, so no complaints at all from me here!
I really liked the elements of stand-up comedy and old-timey vintage cinema in this story. I loved the idea of stand-up comedy shows in a beautiful, velvet carpet-lined cinema. What more, I really loved the slow-burn romance and how it beautifully morphed from enemies to friends to lovers.
The one bit that irked me a bit about the plot was when the predictable hiccup popped up. I expected it and even Reid expected it, and I am not sure if it was just a me thing because I have noticed myself getting irked by similar situations in the past few months.
The Heartbreak Rule is a lighthearted, steamy slow-burn enemies-to-lovers that is a great follow-up to Archer’s That Kind of Guy. I loved the characters, and the elements of stand-up comedy and cinema vibes in this story. Though the plot was a bit predictable, I still liked the escape this great read provided me on my exhausting workdays.
More The Heartbreak Rule content: feature on Nick’s Bookish Fashion Show 2022
Stephanie is an author of spicy romantic comedies from Vancouver, Canada. Her books feature sharp banter, stubborn women, lots of laughs, and guaranteed HEA’s. You can find her on Tiktok at @stephaniearcherbooks or Instagram at @stephaniearcherauthor.
Have you read The Heartbreak Rule or will you be picking it up?
