cover image The Heartbreak Pill

The Heartbreak Pill

Anjanette Delgado, . . Atria, $14 (277pp) ISBN 978-0-7432-9753-0

Delgado adds a few twists to the breakup lit formula in her chronicle of Erika Luna, a research scientist at a Miami pharmaceutical company who develops a pill to blunt “bad love.” Burned by her cheating husband, Erika turns to a rambunctious cadre of family and friends for support. Her out-of-the-closet father, Gilberto, and his partner, Benjamin, offer fatherly advice; her friend Lola recommends self-help books; attorney Consuelo advises “divorce without vengeance”; and Pedro Juan and Darien offer companionship. When Erika’s heartbreak over Martin and some surprises in the wake of her failed marriage threaten to engulf her, Erika puts her Ph.D. in chemistry to use: she identifies the physiological chemicals associated with romantic feelings and creates a pill to regulate them. While standard romance elements are in abundance, there are also some great scenes and funny lines. Fans will have fun easily suspending disbelief throughout. (Apr.)