by Ann Dávila Cardinal
ASIN/ISBN: 9780063045309
Publication: January 3, 2023

**I received a copy of the book through NetGalley. I voluntarily read and reviewed it. All opinions are my own.**

Breakup from Hell just about set its talons in me as Mica excused herself from church to read a new book from her favorite author. (Heh…) A main character who loves reading? Count me in (even if that is not an entirely adequate reason to skip out on a sermon). While it might have initially grabbed my attention, it was difficult to stay engaged.

The book is fast-paced and is accompanied by instalove, instabreakup, and instahell breaking loose. I needed it to slow down to build a stronger foundation for this newfound relationship and allow me to connect with the characters before the world was going to come to an end, but it did not happen. It’s a paranormal read so some reality is already suspended; however, it was difficult to get past how unrealistic it is that Mica immediately attributes weird happenings and strange visions to the new guy’s appearance in town. Being YA, I expected a little more from the book.

There were different components I liked. Mica’s overall story is an interesting one. I would not mind reading more about her and her friends if I had connected better with the writing. The ending was one of the more gripping parts of the book, and I easily cruised through it as Mica tried to save the town and the people she loved.

Despite being categorized as YA, the swift storytelling and the dialogue were more fitting of a middle-grade novel, which I normally enjoy (but not so much if I expect a YA novel). With some content changes, I think it would be more successfully geared toward that age range. This might work better as a graphic novel as well.