Make Up Break Up

I was quite excited when the author announced that she was writing an adult romcom because despite adoring her YA novels, I seem to prefer the adult books more these days. So I was very happy when I got the arc very early.

The writing is very easy to breeze through, it's fast paced and so easy to find myself lost in the story. The signature Sandhya's charm and banter is all over in the dialogue, which I really enjoyed. I liked both the main characters Annika and Hudson too, though I would have preferred a dual POV. Only seeing everything through Annika's eyes felt a little dissatisfying, especially when she got on my nerves a little. Hudson seemed to have lot of shades to himself and it was interesting getting to know him better. I also adored the side characters June and Mr. Dev who were so supportive and just there for Annika at all times. The romance could probably be called a slow burn but there is also a yearning aspect throughout, which kept me on my toes. I never could guess how the next scene would go - if it would be more flirty banter or aggressive rivalry - and that helped me finish the book very quickly.

To conclude, the book was definitely enjoyable with a good set of characters but it just wasn't very special. I also didn't like the way the issues between the main characters got resolved towards the end - it felt like a cop out and I was quite frustrated. But it's also not a bad book, just something that is entertaining enough to read once.

Oh my god, just talk to each otherUpdated review 3/16/21: I really wanted to enjoy this book, because I've loved the author's YA romances, but this felt like a rehash of [b:When Dimple Met Rishi 28458598 When Dimple Met Rishi (Dimple and Rishi, #1) Sandhya Menon https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1475687488l/28458598.SX50.jpg 48593860], but somehow with even less maturity from the characters. Annika was just kind of a brat all the way around - she finds out pretty early on that Hudson didn't steal the idea for his app from her (and honestly, the two aren't very similar anyway), but she continues to accuse him of doing that and really behaves lihe she's the victim throughout, when it's pretty clear that she ghosted him after their earlier hookup. Anyway. There's even a big competition for funding of their various apps, like the contest in Dimple, and I just couldn't bring myself to be all that invested in any of it, which was disappointing. I'll probably stick with the YA from now on.

I've been in a weird funk lately, the last books I've picked in the romance genre have not been winners for me and I was a little scared of starting this book. Fortunately, I enjoyed Make Up Break Up. I wouldn't say this is an enemies to lovers romance, I think about it more as a rivals to lovers romance.
First of all, I loved Annika! She was fiercely independent, very determined, totally in love with her job and her app, super smart and I loved how she fiercely disliked Hudson. Annika wasn't the easiest of characters. The fact that she was super focused on getting investors made her seem a little self centered sometimes, but I think it made perfect sense considering how passionate she was about her app and how she saw Hudson's app. Honestly, that just made me loved her character more.
Hudson was much more than a hot guy. He was definitely a visionary and a workaholic, very funny, charismatic, loyal to his family and very determined to remain successful. I loved the way we could see that he was also sweet and had a vulnerable side. It would've been perfect if we got interactions with his family in the story.
The tension and the chemistry between Annika and Hudson was freaking amazing and I couldn't put my kindle down so I read it in one sitting. There were a lot of funny moments (the pranks were hilarious), a lot of will they/won't they moments and I enjoyed every single part of their story. Even though they had a fling in the past, the slow burn through the book was so well done.
I really liked the tech setting too: the development of the Make Up app, the PR surrounding the tech world, the struggle to get investors, the financial issues and the fact that sometimes apps aren't exactly used how the app creator thought it would be. The secondary characters were also great and added different layers to their story: June, Annika's best friend and developer; Ziggy, Hudson's VP and Annika's dad. I hope we get June and Ziggy's story too.
I wasn't exactly a fan of the direction that the story went regarding the EPIC investment pitch contest, I was expecting something else entirely. I still loved how this book ended, even though it felt a little rushed. It would have ended smoother with an epilogue. Overall, a cute, entertaining, sweet, funny, charming, refreshing romance in a tech setting.