From bestselling author Ella Fields comes an all-new, turbulent, new adult romance.Dashiell Thane wasn’t a nice guy.He was an abrasive, demanding, conniving, intolerable brat. Yet somehow, we’d been best friends our whole lives. Until our senior year when I finally decided to dip my toes into the dating pool. All it took was one kiss for jealousy, lies, and betrayal to sweep in and propel us … to sweep in and propel us heart first into dizzying, hostile depths.
You’re not supposed to kiss your best friend.
You’re definitely not supposed to kiss your best friend while you’re dating someone else.
And the absolute worst thing you could do is fall for your best friend.
Unless, of course, you want to ruin everything.
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Senior year of high school. The final year of ‘childhood’, and for some, it’s the year that they throw caution to the wind. Peggy is a quiet girl, living with her mom. She loves scrapbooking with her friends and playing video games with her best friend Dash. Dash is your resident bad boy. He has zero cares in the world and does what he wants when he wants. There’s an unwritten rule at their high school, boys steer clear of Peggy unless they want the wrath of Dash. When a boy named Byron decides he’s done with the rule Dash has laid down, it’s game on. Dash and Peggy try to figure out what they both want, and the question is, when it’s all said and done, can the two forgive the past and actually be together?
This book was, to describe it in one word, captivating. From the first chapter I was pulled in and couldn’t put it down because I absolutely had to know what was going to happen next for each of these characters. Ella Fields is a new author to me, and I must say, I’ll be going back through her books because this book was seriously phenomenal. The banter between Dash and Peggy was both hysterical and heartbreaking at times. I also enjoyed the secondary characters like Daphne and Lars, and Willa and Jackson. I need to know more about these characters as well! This book was super well written, and I hope that there will be more for each of these characters!
Kiss and Break Up was my introduction to this author’s work and it was heartgripping, angsty perfection. Dash was an arrogant and possessive bad boy who had me swooning when I least expected it. Peggy was quirky, sweet, innocent with just the right amount of sassiness. The connection between them and their witty banter kept me captivated. From the butterflies of first love to frustrating moments where I considered throwing my Kindle across the room Dash and Peggy held me riveted from start to finish. The amazing secondary characters in this book and their intriguing storylines have me eagerly looking forward to more of this series. If you enjoy angsty, emotionally riveting and swoonworthy new adult reads full of characters that will capture your heart then Kiss and Break Up is a definite must read!
Kiss and Break Up was a rollercoaster, an emotional one at that. While I didn’t love all the decisions the characters made it was a riveting and enjoyable read with lots of angst, drama and betrayal. I’m very excited for the next book in the series.
Five teenage stars! Funny butterflies guarantee…
Sweet butterflies! I still feel those furious and little butterflies in my tummy doing funny things after reading Kiss and Break Up. This is the kind of book that warms your heart and makes you believe in love. It is a beautiful tale that turns into so much more. Childhood friendship turning into a lot more with sweet and tender touches that blow you away! The author took this genre to a whole new level and did justice to it. It is highly refreshing and wonderfully addictive. I haven’t read a book written by Ella Fields before this one, and oh man! I‘d been missing so much. I will rectify that situation soon rather than later because this won’t be the last time I read her books.
Ella Fields delivered a strong, reckless, heart-breaking, wild, dramatic, passionate book that tastes and feels like young love. It has all the emotions packed to create an outstanding and epic friends-to-lovers romance! Her writing is unapologetically addictive and pretty angsty, such a dangerous and delicious combination for any reader who loves raw, angst and emotional romances. Kiss and Break Up will ruin you in the best way possible with the depth of every written word and wonderful characters. It will make you heart spread its wings to the moon and back. I love everything about this book and I am pretty obsessed with it. Ella Fields has hold me captive; a prisoner for this delicious teenage/high school angst.
It started with ice-cold water from the water station, a friendship initiation; open and honest that carefully turned into something deeper, exciting and tempting. Heartbreak. Betrayal. Swoony moments. Angst. Sexy times. Messed up love. It is all about tummy butterflies, bad decisions and first kisses.
Dashiel is the perfect bad boy, arrogant, possessive, rule breaker, brutally honest and unapologetically passionate. He possesses an unwavering devotion to Peggy that made me sigh in frustration and swoon in bliss at his over-protectiveness. Peggy, his best friend, is the only constant in his life. A pillar of light among the ever-dark day. He didn’t commit to anyone and he will discover the reason once he taste the forbidden sweetness.
On the other side we have a sweet and kind heroine, yet fierce and sassy. Inexperienced with relationships and boyfriends. Peggy is unlike any other girl and very different to Dash. Her authenticity made her complex and beautiful like a cactus flower. Exotic and unique. Kissing her childhood best friend was forbidden and it changed everything.
Dashiel and Peggy’s story is wrong in all the right ways. Their journey was deliciously complicated, exhausting and the hardest, exhilarating and wondrous thing that happened to them.
My heart was full of emotions. I was aching, melting and swooning the whole time I was reading this masterpiece. It made me feel like a dreamy teenage girl.
Kiss and Break Up is my first Elle Fields book that I read on a recommendation and I was a bit worried to start with but once I hit around 50% I couldn’t put the book down. If you love an arsehole Dash is your man from start to finish but you will fall in love with him. I hope that this is not the end for the other characters in the book as they need their own story.
Oh my gosh. This book and the story inside, I’m in love.
Give me a friends to lovers romance and I’ll love you forever. I’m an absolute sucker for these kind of romance’s and this one, this one was simply amazing.
Peggy and Dash have stolen my heart completely. I absolutely loved their friendship, it’s was adorable and what every girl wants in a best friend. He’s protecting, demanding and will do anything for her and she’s the exact same for him.
Throw another person into the mix and things go to shit quite quickly. That’s no lie, my heart actually felt like it was about to break for the two friends. The way they started acting, the way they were being everything just hurt my heart.
I’m all for alphaholes in books but Dash was a little too much at times. Some times not letting her make up her own damn mind just irritated me but I still loved him completely.
This book and its storyline was so much more than could ever of expected. It was fun, heartbreaking and angsty. I do love feeling my heart beat at twice the speed it’s supposed to.
This is my first read from this author and damn I’m so glad it was this one. It was an amazing read and I’m so sad it’s finished. I can’t wait to read more from this author in the future.
Oh the drama! It had me all kinds of hooked and I couldn’t put it down. My eyeballs couldn’t move over the pages fast enough. Sure Dash and Peggy drove me crazy at times and I wanted to smack them upside their stubborn heads, but at the end of the day, they have an amazing friendship. Another great story by this author!
Ella Fields is the queen of writing young love. This book had all the emotion, heat, tension, and angst I’ve come to expect from Fields. I loved the storyline. This was a quick read. The characters were great. I was so satisfied with Dash and Peggy’s story and at the same time I hope we get stories for the other characters. I would definitely recommend this book to everyone.
Classic love story.
4 Stars!
I’ve always been a fan of Ella. I see her, I click. Loved this book. Peggy and Dash kept me on my toes. What a ride. Loved everything about their love. It was exhausted keeping up with this ride. The ups and downs but totally worth reading it. Swooning and terrifyingly touched. Love love love this book!!!
Two teens who are complete opposites – Peggy, an inexperienced, naive girl who is no longer living in the posh neighborhood of her best friend Dash, a rough, selfish, I-don’t-give-a-sh*t guy. Their mothers were best friends, so naturally they were together all the time. Annoyance with one another turned into acceptance, which turned into Dash wanting her all for himself. But as Peggy catches the eye of Byron & discovers first experiences, will she be willing to look past & forgive Dash’s deceitful actions?
This YA book brought back all the memories of high school drama. Two best friends are trying to navigate the unexpected feelings they have for one another while experiencing many firsts & making rash decisions, which leads to unforgivable actions. Dash has a hard time telling Peggy exactly what he’s feeling, which leads to many mistakes on his part. Peggy, feeling hurt & betrayed, must figure out if she can choose to live her life without Dash in it. Throw in their best friends who are dealing with their own fallouts and you have another great read of Ms. Ella’s!
Such a amazing story I so loved reading this book so much of everything. I highly recommend it
Gah – Ella Fields has done it again with this NA angsty romance! This book took me right back to HS and longing for the charming, broody and cocky bad boy. Dash is all those things. He’s dangerous, trouble, a smart A$$, and can charm his way into any girls pants…errr heart. I loved every second he was on the page. This guy left me swooning, sighing, moaning and groaning. You want to hate him – but you just can’t because deep down his all-consuming love for Peggy just makes you cheer for him all the more.
If I could switch lives in HS it would be with Peggy. This girl is beautiful and doesn’t even know it. She’s smart, has fab girlfriends and a COOL MOM! AND – she has Dash. Sigh… what girl would not want her hot and broody BFF climbing through her window every night?!? There were times I wanted to smack her upside the head – but at the same time, this smart girl was only protecting her heart. She knew where Dash could lead her and she followed her own heart and path to get there.
The angst, push & pull, and HS drama will reel you in like a drug, and you won’t want to stop reading it! Well done once again E. Fields!!
I was supposed to read a self-help book my brother half encouraged, half mandated me. But after a week of reading just 140+ pages, I found myself hooked and drowning in my first book of Ella Fields.
I loved that it isn’t really a very smooth sailing love affair that makes you think that everything will turn out okay in just the few chapters. I like the feel of pain and angst that peirce thru my heart with the heartbreak that the characters are feeling. The tension and the suspense thinking if the story would end up the way you wanted to. And just when you thought that the things are going your way, it ends up going downhill. All the different emotions I had throughout the book made me hold on to the little bit of consciousness before sleep finally takes over, which I gladly welcomed. I also like the way that people around them had a life of their own and not just revolved in everything that the main characters are doing.
The characters were built from reality with just the right amount of fiction on them. I like how real Dash could be. Not the “god-like” everyone’s fantasy that most book boyfried are made of. Sure, he was as attractive and player in a normal book boyfriend fashion but he’s not always that irresistable to the point of every rational thought flying out the window when he talks, comes near, touch or flirt with Peggy which normally happens with most of the heroines that i’ve read. Or maybe because she does have a better head on her shoulder. I like that although she has a little self doubt at times, she can hold her own and fight back when the situation calls for it. She didn’t just give in at the first sight of pain Dash showed or the first sorry he uttered. I think that’s a good quality other heroines can learn from her.
I’m giving this a 5 out of 5 star because of the fact that they made me stay waaaay. Past my bedtime.
All I have to say is that if this is teenaged kids’ life in American schools, I’m so glad my kid attended a private Catholic school LOL. The shenanigans these kids get into are mind boggling. Big messy parties with lots of booze and weed, slutty girls wanting to score and the horny guys willing to service them, hormones galore!
In spite of the scary panorama, this was a sweet angsty YA love story. It has all the frequent mood changes, the yearning to be older with youthful insecurities, impulsive acts with later repentance, very tumultuous, like only a teenager can be.
Peggy Sue is a good girl, studious and sweet. She has always had Dash as a best friend, since they were babies together. Their mothers were best friends, now estranged. The mothers’ story is a great side plot, very interesting with a social message IMO. Peggy has always yearned to have a boyfriend, make out, even get to third base, but guys don’t come near her. When she learns Dash has been warning guys off, all hell breaks loose and we have one pissed off girl intent on getting all that experience, and fast. Peggy tries to keep Dash off of her back so she can go out with the only brave guy to invite her out. There’s lots of jealousy and interference from Dash. Eventually, things get heated and messed up to the point there’s irreparable damage. Then both friends are lost, not knowing where to go from here.
I have to say, I loved Dash’s character. He was obnoxious and pushy, but with Peggy he was always considerate, protective and generous. Peggy failed to recognize the special treatment Dash always gave her and didn’t appreciate him like all the people around her did. In trying to protect her, Dash made her clueless. She was a little immature and a lot selfish. She kept going in circles while the truth was hitting her in the face. I guess she needed a little growing up, which Dash already had done. They were such a cute couple and they had a very intriguing love story. Side plots with their friends were also very interesting, as were the stories of their parents. Well rounded, multi-layered and very entertaining. Loved it!
Once again, Ella Fields has written an amazing story that captured my attention from the first word – Kiss and Break Up was incredible!! Such a wonderful friendship between Dash & Peggy that you knew it was only time before they realized that they were meant to be together. Crossing that line of friendship, knowing you can never go back, is completely scary at any age; but seeing as how they had truly been friends their entire lives, I can see why Peggy was scared of the growing feelings towards Dash. They had kissed (and holy crap, what a kiss!), but what did that truly mean? She knew the type of person Dash was and saw first hand the things he did, so I don’t blame her for trying to see what else was out there. But once Dash realized what he felt for Peggy – It. Was. On. He always got what he wanted, and Peggy was it for him.
Truly, this book was wonderful – it made me smile, laugh, swoon, get a little angry – but I loved every minute of it. The relationship between Dash & Peggy, all the secondary characters (which I want more of)…..just fantastic. Ella Fields is one of all-time favorite authors, and Kiss and Break Up shows once again why that is.
KISS AND BREAK UP is my first book from Ella Fields and it gave me ALL THE FEELS. That sensation you experienced when you’re young and you meet your first love, the butterflies in your tummy, all the nervousness and of course ALL THE DRAMA.
It was amazing going “back to school”, going back to the innocence and going back to when the little things became drama. This story is about falling for your best friend and all the dilemmas that came with that situation. Especially the “I don’t want to lose our friendship” part because if your heart gets broken, you can’t lose your best friend as well. That’s devastating. And this author makes us experience all of this with her flawless writing and her special way to make us FEEL that.
KISS AND BREAK UP is about new experiences, about experiencing first love and how to deal with all the collateral damage that only can happens in high school. I adored this story. It was so lovely, so angsty and I loved every word of it. The secondary characters were amazing, and I know we’re getting their stories so I’m thrilled!!!
What a fun and angsty ride this book was! Ella Fields has become one of my favorite authors in a short period of time. Dash is a bossy possessive a-hole…but he is infuriatingly wonderful! Peggy is a bit on the innocent side but she’s no pushover. Her cluelessness to Dash’s deeper feelings also induces fits of wanting to throw your kindle across the room…but she’s completely endearing! The dialogue (including text messages) between Dash and Pegs is some of the smartest, most well thought out banter that I have ever read. I swear I had a goofy smile the entire time I was reading this book (including the parts where you wanted to just shake the characters around a bit to get them to wake up. LOL!). This book has angst, friends to lovers, and second chance elements all within a damn cleverly written story! Kiss and Break Up might just be the best NA book I’ve ever read and I’m so excited to see what else comes from the Magnolia Cove world! 5 stars, of course!
This author is new to me and I’d seen lots of people rave about this book, so decided to give it a go. I did initially struggle to get into the story because Peggy and Dash came across younger than they were, but I stuck with it and I’m SO glad that I did. I became so engrossed in the story and was sat up until 4am reading because I just couldn’t put it down. I’ve got a major book hangover today and I want to jump straight back into KABU as I’m not yet ready to leave Peggy and Dash. I’m also left needing Daphne and Willa’s books as we get a hints of their stories in KABU and I need to know if everything works out for them both. Ella Fields is an author I’ll definitely be keeping updated with, and I’ll be eagerly waiting for more of this series.
This book had so much angst in it. I fell in love from the first page until the last. I couldn’t put this book down until I finished. I was in a huge funk until I started reading this book. I absolutely loved everything about this book. The angst, the feels and the authors words. I didn’t want this book to end I honestly want more and more.