How to Hack a Heartbreak

by Kristin Rockaway

[Sam@WLABB]

Fed up with her workplace bro-culture, no-show dates, and unsolicited pictures of the male anatomy, Melanie decides to use her programming prowess to create a place, where women could warn other women about these jerks. Lo and behold! JerkAlert went viral, but would Mel be able to get it off the ground as a "girl programmer" in a man's world?

First thoughts: This story was funny, fun, and relatable.

I remember, interviewing during my senior year of engineering school. All the girls were being offered sales positions, while the boys were getting the R&D jobs. A few years later, I encountered the bias again, but in IT. It's no longer the 90s, but it seems these biases about women in science and technology are still alive and well. With that said, I obviously had no problem rooting for a woman trying to break through that barrier and succeed on her own terms. I was all about Mel escaping the job she was over qualified for, and reshaping the world of online dating. In fact, I enjoyed it very much.

I also really appreciated the commentary on how technology has changed and shaped the way we do things. I always feel as though we are losing a little of our humanity, since technology allows us to do and say so much from a distance. It also keeps us from living in the moment, and I loved seeing these ideas challenged by the characters in this book.

On the human interaction side, Mel was blessed with some incredible friends. Her core group was comprised of some interesting, strong, smart, and successful women. Each had their own unique strength, and they had a great synergy together. Mel's roommate, Vanessa, was another fabulous character. I admired the way she could harness the power of Pinterest. And, most of it, it was pleasure seeing them all rally around each other. Their support and encouragement was everything, and I am just all about that.

Then, there was Alex. He seemed like a unicorn-man in Mel's world. Their relationship was up and down, mostly because of Mel's tainted past, but also because she was "investigating" him via the internet, which is sort of like looking up your symptoms on Web MD - don't do it! I did adore these two together, though, and I kept hoping Mel would come to her senses and choose honesty.

Rockaway ended this book on a really high note, too. It was the culmination of everything Mel had experienced, all the lessons learned, and it was perfect.

Loved: the female friendship, the female empowerment, the bit of romance, the exploration of human connection and dating in a high tech world.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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