This Betty was incredibly disappointed in The Pursuit of Miss Heartbreak Hotel. Word. (Believe me, I'm SUPER sad about it.)



Two teen girls, once best friends but now estranged, share an electric connection that is rekindled—and tested—in their common struggle with identity, sexuality, and the undeniable necessity to confront their emerging selves head-on.

It’s senior year and Lucy Butler has fallen into a comfortable rhythm; she’s captain of the track team, a sarcastic introvert, and the second favorite child at home. She has her life completely planned out: she knows her friends, her future college major, and her crush, the unattainable Ms. Hayes.

But when Lu reconnects with her childhood best friend, Eve, in the girls’ bathroom and comforts her after a pregnancy scare, all attachments to Ms. Hayes fall off. Lu and Eve have a chemistry that’s fierce and undeniable, and pretty soon they’re closer than they have been in years. But is this what former best friends reconnecting feels like, or is it more?

In the chaotic aftermath of graduation, Lu and Eve will have to let everything they knew about love and life go... or risk missing out on their last chance to be carefree teens. 



An ARC of this book was won during a giveaway. This does not effect my opinion in any way.

The Pursuit of Miss Heartbreak Hotel was one of my most anticipated reads of 2019. Not only is the cover art simply gorgeous, the premise was just as eye-catching. I'm always here for LGBTQIA+ representation and will forever advocate the necessity of having more books in this category. 2019 has given us quite a few releases that fit the bill for representation and I'm so stoked to see these releases to continue to grow.

Unfortunately, The Pursuit of Miss Heartbreak Hotel wasn't my cup of tea and there were many moments where I almost DNF the whole thing. Moe Bonneau has this unique tone to the novel's prose, but for the most part it just didn't connect with me in any way. Which is incredibly disappointing because this had the potential to be EVERYTHING and make it into the top ten of 2019, but it just doesn't.

For starters the slang in this book is overdone and sloppy throughout The Pursuit of Miss Heartbreak Hotel. I was a mix of not quite understanding what was said (I NEED A GUIDE TO UNDERSTAND THESE PEOPLE) and then felt myself drowning in a hefty dose of secondhand embarrassment. I don't want to know how many times the characters used this specific brand of slang but it was a lot and I couldn't stand it.

If I ever hear the word "WORD" again, it'll be too soon. Or the phrase aces. Or betty/betties. You get the idea. I'm all for slang being used in novels. It's part of being a teen, using specific words. This felt like it was trying very hard to be cool and it showed. Nothing about it felt natural or fun or youthful.

Listen, I hate ragging on author's for the story they set out to tell. Just because The Pursuit of Miss Heartbreak Hotel wasn't for me, doesn't mean it isn't going to work for you. Simply put? Bonneau's writing wasn't my cup of tea and I only barely made it through the novel. I wanted to like this one but I just didn't and there's no going around that fact. That doesn't mean it won't work for you.