Romance Review – THE BREAKUP TOUR by Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka @berkleyromance

The Breakup Tour by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka
Also by this author: The Roughest Draft

Published by Berkley Books, Berkley Romance on January 23, 2024
Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Romance
Pages: 352
Source: Netgalley
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop
Goodreads

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

 

 

Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka are one of my favorite author duos.  I really enjoyed the realistic and angsty vibes of their last two adult romances and so was curious to see what they would do with their latest novel, The Breakup Tour, which I’ve seen described several times as being perfect for Swifties. How intriguing is that?

Riley Wynn is a rising star in the music industry, who is catapulted to mega-stardom thanks to her latest album, which chronicles all of her relationships which have ended in breakups, and especially thanks to its unforgettable lead single about the one who got away.  That song was inspired by Max Harcourt, Riley’s college boyfriend and fellow musician.  When Riley’s narcissistic and very toxic ex-husband starts telling everyone that song is about him, Riley approaches Max, even though she hasn’t spoken to him in ten years, and asks if he would be willing to go public as the inspiration behind the song. Max isn’t entirely comfortable with the idea but he eventually agrees to go on tour with her and perform the song at each concert.

I wasn’t entirely convinced that this was a realistic scenario but after watching Riley and Max interact, I decided I didn’t care, haha. I’m a huge fan of second chance romances and it was clear from the moment, Riley and Max first reconnect after a decade apart, that they still have major chemistry.  I enjoyed watching them reconnect against the backdrop of the concert tour, and I especially enjoyed watching them interact as they learned to play together once again.

Now, this was definitely a slow burn romance as both Riley and Max have some personal baggage that they need to work through before they could even begin to consider a future together, but I was definitely invested enough in their journey to wait for them to figure everything out, especially since the authors write those angsty, emotional scenes so well.

When I read this, I alternated between the e-arc and the ALC (thank you Berkley Romance and PRH Audio).  The writing flows smoothly, making the e-arc a read that I breezed right through, while the ALC, which was narrated by Dan Bittner and Brittany Pressley, was a great choice too. Bittner and Pressley beautifully capture both the chemistry between the characters as well as those angsty, emotional moments, really drawing me into the story.

I think whether you’re a Swiftie or not, if you enjoy slow-burn, swoony second chance romances and are interested in a behind-the-scenes look at a concert tour, you’ll definitely want to check out The Breakup Tour.

 

Thanks so much to Kristin Cipolla for the opportunity to take part in the blog tour!