Heartbreak Incorporated – Alex de Campi
You know a book is good when a friend makes you send it to them before you even manage to review it. Heartbreak Incorporated is such a fun urban fantasy with paranormal romance elements. If you’re into that kind of thing, this is a must read!
Massive thanks to Hanna Waigh and Rebellion for sending me a review copy – all opinions are my own.
RELEASE DATE: 24/06/2021
STAR RATING: 4/5 ✶
SUMMARY: Evie Cross had big dreams of becoming an investigative journalist but at 25 and struggling to make it in New York City, she’s finally starting to admit that her dream is her side hustle and her day job is actually… her job. That is, until she signs on as a temp for a small consultancy whose principal, Misha Meserov, specializes in breaking up relationships. Misha is tall, infuriatingly handsome, and effortlessly charismatic—he can make almost anyone, man or woman, fall into bed with him. And he often does.
But the more Evie is exposed to Misha’s scandalous world, the more she becomes convinced that he’s hiding something… when a wealthy San Francisco tech CEO with a dissolving marriage starts delving into the occult and turns up dead, Evie has to decide between her journalistic desire for the truth and her growing desire for Misha. (from Solaris)
OPINIONS: Remember the urban fantasy/paranormal romance boom of the early 2000s/2010s? Because, I do. And those books are a large part of the reason why I stuck to reading predominately YA for a very long time. Heartbreak Incorporated both is and isn’t like that – it has the fun and irreverent elements of classic books from that genre, but it avoids quite a lot of the more frustrating tropes that put me off them. This is smart and character-driven, and DOES NOT fall into the alpha male trap – even though the love interest could easily serve as one. In short, Heartbreak Incorporated is exactly the kind of fun book to get me enthused about paranormal romance again.
Can we talk about the concept hook? An agency that breaks people up. It sounds so cliché and out there, but it is very well done – Alex de Campi has really managed to turn this into a smart story aimed to entertain.Oh, also, this is queer. It’s not super out-there, but there are a number of different elements that make it so (not going to actually mention them to avoid spoilers). And generally, I really enjoyed the characters. Misha is such a loveable idiot, and Evie is VERY relatable. I mean, how much more relatable does it get than struggling to make ends meet in your twenties, pursuing your dream and somehow working more on other things?
I really enjoyed Heartbreak Incorporated, and have already been yelling at many of my friends about it. It is compelling, fast-paced, and while it doesn’t have the most unique plot, it doesn’t need to. Evie and Misha are strong enough leads to carry it through any weaknesses the book has, ensuring a great reading experience.
Add Heartbreak Incorporated to your Goodreads here, or order a copy via Bookshop here (affiliate link) if you too want to be seduced by Misha.