Broken Hearts, Fences, and other Things to Mend by Katie Finn

Summer, boys, and friendships gone sour. This new series has everything that perfect beach reads are made of!

Gemma just got dumped and is devastated. She finds herself back in the Hamptons for the summer—which puts her at risk of bumping into Hallie, her former best friend that she wronged five years earlier. Do people hold grudges that long?

When a small case of mistaken identity causes everyone, including Hallie and her dreamy brother Josh, to think she’s someone else, Gemma decides to go along with it.
Gemma's plan is working (she's finding it hard to resist Josh), but she's finding herself in embarrassing situations (how could a bathing suit fall apart like that!?). Is it coincidence or is someone trying to expose her true identity? And how will Josh react if he finds out who she is?

Katie Finn hits all the right notes in this perfect beginning to a new summer series: A Broken Hearts & Revenge novel.

Goodreads Summary


Wow! I haven’t even ever imagined being this evil. Eleven year-old “evil, goateed” (in her guilty imagination) Gemma is pure Machiavelli, except he wouldn’t have been stupid enough to write his plans in a notebook and leave it where the victim could find it. Gemma’s plots and plans are very “mean girls”. The reason that she enters her dark plotting is sad – her parents’ break-up.  Her dad suffers long-term effects from her plotting that summer too.

At sixteen, her attempts at redemption through do-gooder, cheating, boyfriend Teddy seem sweet but insincere. Back in the place it all began for the summer - the Hamptons (“the scene of the crime”), Gemma’s efforts to make things right with her victim Hallie seem genuine.  Of course, masquerading as another person to hide her former identity somehow limits the good she can do to make up for her prior meanness to Hallie. Gemma gives Hallie cupcakes and volunteers to cover for her when she has to leave in the middle of a baby-sitting job. I began to suspect that Hallie really did remember Gemma, but I wasn’t sure. Five years is a long time and Gemma turns up in the Hamptons unexpectedly, but Hallie is hilariously creative in the revenge camp too. Complicating everything are the friendship and crush that develop between Gemma and Hallie’s brother, Josh.  You’ll like him!  He’s the most honest, straight-forward character in this story.

Gemma’s friend Sophie says, “I came here to escape all the drama.” If the deceitful, mischievous goings-on don’t make you squirm, there’s no escape from drama and comedy in this fun, beach, revenge, redemption cliff-hanger.

Four Stars
*Reviewed by Colleen*

This product or book may have been distributed for review, this in no way affects my opinions or reviews.