The Break-Up Artist (Harlequin Teen)

Becca is single and has no plans to change. Love only causes problems. It’s been years since her best friend, Huxley, ditched her for a new boyfriend and the social status that comes from coupledom. Her big sister Diane is still moping over the boy who broke her heart just hours before their wedding. New BFF, Val, thinks that a boyfriend will solve all her problems. To fight back against that evil “L” word, and to make some extra cash, Becca has become the Break-Up Artist—breaking up couples before they get in too deep. Can she keep things just business when someone hires her to break up the most popular couple in school—Steve and Huxley?

This book took me back to a place I was happy to leave—a place where who you sit with at lunch will make or break you. I understand the dilemma of an uneven female to male ratio, though that was college for me. It led to a lot of women either becoming jaded (Becca) or desperate (Val), and only a few happy in love (Huxley). This book brings up important considerations about friend and family relationships, but the anti-romance themes are surprising for a Harlequin title.