The Break-Up Agency by Sheila McClure #Review

 

Today's romcom, The Break-Up Agency by Sheila McClure was published on October 4th by Lake Union Publishing. 

 
Ellie Shaw loves love. Unfortunately, she’s also an expert in break-ups. When a friend needs help with her ‘too nice to dump’ boyfriend, Ellie agrees to help. What she doesn’t expect is for American Dan to be kind, caring, to love dogs and look like a Disney hero. In other words, completely too good to be true.

She lets him down with grace and, encouraged by her friends, sets up Softer Landings, offering kinder, gentler break-ups.

A year later American Dan reappears in her life. With a new girlfriend. One who also decides he’s not the one for her.

The team hatch a plan to let Dan down easy, but while Ellie attempts to lead him gently away, real sparks start to fly. There’s just one big problem she can’t ignore. Can Ellie reveal that their romance is the result of an elaborate con without it feeling like a huge betrayal? Or is she about to star in the most awful dumping of all time?

 My Thoughts

This is an entertaining premise for this story and one which I enjoyed very much. Ellie Shaw is a likeable, well-meaning character and her friends and colleagues add such a lot of humour to the story. That is not to say that they do not have some serious issues at home, but rather that they are drawn as lively  and interesting characters. Of course, Gus the dog actually steals the show and he fills such a void in both Ellie and American Dan's lives. 

    Ellie is motivated by the desire to stop people suffering from heartbreak and rejection. She sets up her solution to this through her agency. I loved the answers she got to her initial questionnaires and the reasons people gave for wanting to break up with their other half. There are some poignant moments but the overwhelming feeling of the book is one of warmth and humour. I loved the final chapters of the story,. They are perfectly judged.

In short: a romcom full of warmth and fun 

About the Author

Sheila McClure lives in the English countryside with her Scottish husband, their dogs, Harris and Skye, and a small herd of delightfully striped Belted Galloway cattle. Prior to rural life in the UK, she was a camerawoman and news producer for Associated Press. As she’s originally from Seattle, she began her working life as a barista. She will never refuse a quality dill pickle.

You can follow Sheila here: Facebook |  Instagram   |  Twitter

Book Link: Amazon UK   |  Amazon US

Thanks to Sheila McClure,Lake Union Publishing and Rachel of Rachel's Random Resources  for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.