Review: Broken Hearts, Fences and Other Things to Mend

Description from Goodreads

"Summer, boys, and friendships gone sour. This new series has everything that perfect beach reads are made of!

Gemma just got dumped and is devastated. She finds herself back in the Hamptons for the summer—which puts her at risk of bumping into Hallie, her former best friend that she wronged five years earlier. Do people hold grudges that long? 

When a small case of mistaken identity causes everyone, including Hallie and her dreamy brother Josh, to think she’s someone else, Gemma decides to go along with it.

Gemma's plan is working (she's finding it hard to resist Josh), but she's finding herself in embarrassing situations (how could a bathing suit fall apart like that!?). Is it coincidence or is someone trying to expose her true identity? And how will Josh react if he finds out who she is? 

Katie Finn hits all the right notes in this perfect beginning to a new summer series: A Broken Hearts & Revenge novel."

What I Thought

This was a fun summer read for so many reasons. Here are a few:

1. Gemma doesn't undermine what happened with Hallie when they were eleven. Also, Gemma doesn't try to make anyone feel sorry for her. It's refreshing to see a character take responsibility for their actions and try to make amends. BUT! This is not a story about teaching lessons or morals. It's a fun read that is NOT at all preachy or teachy.

You'll love running around the Hamptons with Gemma righting wrongs and talking yourself out of a few embarrassing situations. 

2. I love the summery vibe! WARNING! This book will make you want to eat ice cream and saltwater taffy. Authors should put a list of suggested snacks at the beginning of their books. That way, when the characters make you crave ice cream or popcorn or whatever they're eating, you'll be prepared! 

3. The writing is amazing! Katie Finn does a great job of drawing her readers into the story. At times, I felt like I was Gemma. I cared about what she cared about and felt what she felt. There were a couple of times (one in particular) where Gemma was really annoyed about something really annoying (involving cupcakes) and I was…well…annoyed. It was very odd/interesting how frustrated I was alongside Gemma. 

4. I love the character quirks! It was fun getting to know all the characters and finding out their little quirks. I especially like how Gemma bakes when she's worried or upset. 

5. I love the titles of the books in this trilogy! And I can't wait to read them all!

Broken Hearts, Fences, and Other Things to Mend

Revenge, Ice Cream and Other Thing Best Served Cold

Hearts, Fingers, and Other Things to Cross

If you love this summery read, you should pick up Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson next ;)




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