Make Up Break Up is the debut adult romance novel from Lily Menon, also known as the beloved YA author, Sandhya Menon. I recently got the chance to ask her a few questions to find out what inspired her to make the transition to adult romance, what her favorite 90s rom-com is, and what she is working on next!
Hello Lily! Thank you for taking the time to answer some questions for The Nerd Daily! To start off, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your career so far?
Thanks so much for having me!
I’m Lily Menon, author of MAKE UP BREAK UP, which is my adult romance debut! I’m super excited to get to do this because I just recently published my fifth young adult novel—so the leap into adult waters is exciting and fresh!
Can you tell us about Make Up Break Up and what readers can expect from it?
MAKE UP BREAK UP is an enemies-to-lovers office romance about the CEOs of two relationship apps. Annika, the CEO of Make Up, is all about giving lovers second chances to heal their relationships. And Hudson, the CEO of Break Up—well, he’s garnered a lot of attention for his app that sends “terminators” to break up with people’s significant others for them.
Needless to say, Annika and Hudson butt heads constantly, especially since their offices are right next door to each other. But they say the line between love and hate is such a thin one…
What inspired you to make the leap into adult romance?
Honestly, it’s always been something I’ve wanted to do. Ever since I read my first romance when I was twelve years old, I’ve secretly thought, “Maybe I could do that someday…” That desire only increased in my early twenties when I read my first Sophie Kinsella. So when my current St. Martin’s editor approached my agent and asked if I’d like to try my hand at an adult romance, I jumped at the opportunity!
Did your writing process change at all for how you write your YA romance vs adult romance novels?
Yes. It took me a while to understand that my characters could just casually pop into a bar for a margarita if they wanted to and no one would write me hate mail! But in all seriousness, I take the responsibility of writing for teens very seriously, so writing an adult romance felt like a breath of fresh air and a much-needed break!
Make Up Break Up definitely has an enemies-to-lovers vibe. How did you decide what tropes you wanted to explore in this novel? Are there any other well-loved tropes you’d like to tackle in the future?
Enemies-to-lovers is one of my most beloved tropes (as it is for so many of my fellow romance readers!) and so I knew I had to tackle it in my first adult romance. In the future, I’d love to write a best-friends-to-lovers romance and even a fake dating/marriage book!
I saw on your website that you are a fan of 90s rom-com movies! What are some of your all-time favorites?
Oh my gosh, so many! If it has Meg Ryan or Julia Roberts, I’m so there. Some of my favorites are: You’ve Got Mail, Sleepless in Seattle, Runaway Bride, Pretty Woman, Notting Hill, etc. etc.!
Do you have any bits of life advice that have made an impact on your writing career?
Definitely! My favorite bit of advice is to compare myself not to other people but to my past self. It’s freed up a lot of mental energy.
What 2021 releases are you looking forward to?
I just got Rachel Solomon’s THE EX TALK delivered to my Kindle, and I’m super psyched to start on that! I’m also really looking forward to reading Casey McQuiston’s THE LAST STOP and Jasmine Guillory’s WHILE WE WERE DATING!
Finally, can you tell us about any upcoming projects you are working on?
I sold my second adult rom-com during the pandemic, and can’t wait to announce more details! Suffice it to say my agent, my editor, and I all fell head over heels with the characters as soon as they flew from my fingertips. I’m so beyond excited to share with my readers soon!
