Justin has a curse, and thanks to a Reddit thread, it's now all over the internet. Every woman he dates goes on to find their soul mate the second they break up. When a woman slides into his DMs with the same problem, they come up with a plan: They'll date each other and break up. Their curses will cancel each other’s out, and they’ll both go on to find the love of their lives. It’s a bonkers idea… and it just might work.

By Isabelle

“The best kind of love doesn’t happen on moonlit walks and romantic vacations. It happens in between the folds of everyday life.”

Abby Jimenez truly never misses! I devoured her last two books a couple months ago and knew I had to pick this one up the second it came out.

Emma and Justin meet over a Reddit thread, where Justin writes about his curse: every girl he dates seems to find her soulmate right after they break up. Emma has the same problem. They start talking and eventually agree to put this theory to the test by temporarily dating each other. Their game plan? Four dates, one kiss and a break-up.

This book hit so many of my spots: the silly girl in me got to enjoy some good laughs and a blooming friendship; the romantic in me got to  relish in Emma and Justin’s slow-burning chemistry; while the grown up in me got to enjoy the very real representation of how your past and life in general can be so complicated. There’s so much more to falling in love than the good stuff. I am infinitely grateful for Abby Jimenez’ ability to add so much nuance to a love story.

I also loved the cameo appearances of characters from Jimenez’ previous books, Part of Your World and Yours Truly. It gave the story that additional sense of comfort and familiarity.

If you’re worried about the trigger warnings, I can tell you from my experience that I didn’t find it overpowered the romantic story line. Rather, it added to the depth of the characters and gave me, as a reader, a fuller picture of who they were. I think this book provides an incredibly good example of how to deal with your own history and stop it from dictating your future.

Definitely my favorite romance read so far!

  • The Mimicking of Known Successes
  • Prophet Song
  • Dom Casmurro
  • Days at the Morisaki Bookshop
  • Interior Chinatown
  • The Safekeep
  • To Be Taught, If Fortunate
  • Educated: A Memoir
  • A Deadly Education
  • The Gay Best Friend