Riley Wynn becomes an overnight sensation when her breakup album shoots to the top of the charts. But when her ex-husband claims that her hit single off that album is about him, she can’t let the lie stand and reaches out to her college boyfriend, Max Harcourt—the actual muse behind the song. They haven’t spoken in ten years, but when Riley asks Max to allow her to reveal the song is about him, he agrees—with one condition: Max will come on tour with her. He will get to see if his choice not to pursue music was right and she will get to prevent her ex-husband from raising his status by using her hard work.
This. Book. Blew. Me. Away.
I know it usually feels like an exaggeration when someone says that something takes their breath away, but I literally had to stop after almost every chapter in order to take a DEEP BREATH because this book literally took my breath away and I needed time to digest after each chapter (and also to kick my feet and giggle sometimes). Both Riley and Max’s emotions sprang off the pages, reaching deep into my soul and making me feel everything as well. There is over a decade of history between the pair and that creates a tension that is so incredibly delicious.
The way in which Riley and Max talk about playing and making music is beautiful and inspirational. It’s exactly the kind of thing a creative with a block needs to see so that they can be reminded of what joy and relief can come from being creative—it definitely inspired me to pick up my proverbial pen and start writing again!
This “Taylor Swift romance” absolutely hits the nail on the head, sprinkling in references that made me giggle like a schoolgirl. Wibbroka have a masterful way of tugging on all the heartstrings one moment and causing a laughing fit the next. This story, especially the ending, played out in my head like an IMAX movie inside my brain. The story beats are very “romance novel” standard, but the way in which Wibbroka writes it elevated it to cinematic levels for me.
Bonus: The full lyrics to three of the fictional songs talked about in the book are included at the end! I haven’t done any digging to see if it’s already been done, but man do I hope that some kind of collab happens to put music to those lyrics.
This was the first book I read in 2024 and I could not have asked for a better way to start my year.
THE BREAKUP TOUR by powerhouse duo Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka hits shelves on January 23rd and you can preorder a your copy here.
Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher for free and have voluntarily written this review. If you purchase a copy using my Bookshop affiliate link above, not only will I receive a small commission (which will fuel my coffee and tea addiction and help to keep me up all night reading more books to recommend to you), but you will be supporting indie bookstores as well! If you prefer Amazon, visit my Amazon storefront and click on the list titled "2024 Book Recommendations."
