Thank you to the publisher for granting me access, unfortunately this book just did not work for me, but I’m sure others will enjoy it.

Great read! Looking forward to reading more from this author! I highly recommend this book and author to all!

I had this on my shelf for awhile and once I started I was enthralled, captivated.

I read this several months ago but recommend it highly.
Twenty-five years ago, a group of ninth graders produced a Saturday Night Live–style videotape to cheer up their ailing friend. The show’s running time was only ninety minutes, but it had a lasting impact: Becca laughed her way through recovery, and the group—Jordana, Seth, Holly, and Lex—became her supporting cast for life.

On the silver anniversary of Becca Night Live, the friends reunite over the Fourth of July to celebrate Becca’s good health—but nothing goes as planned. The happy holiday card facades everyone’s been hiding behind quickly crumble and give way to an unforgettable three days filled with complex moral dilemmas and life-altering choices. Through humor, drama, and the alternating perspectives of five characters, The Cast explores the power of forgiveness, the importance of authenticity, and the immeasurable value of deep, enduring friendships to buoy us when life plays out differently than expected
back cover

The Cast was not what I expected at all. I went in blind, and I think I was expecting something along the lines of Trust Exercise. This book is probably as far from that book as you could get. There should be a lot of trigger warnings with this one, as the book primarily focuses on Becca, who is a child cancer survivor, and there is a lot of mention of cancer throughout the book.

Becca, as a teenager, has a great friend group (The Cast) that rallies around her to help her cheer up. Seth, Lex, Jordana and Holly made a tape for her, and then they reconnect for a reunion weekend 25 years later. This book primarily takes place during that weekend, although there is enough of backstory to make it all make sense.

There is a lot of jumping from character to character (although not all characters get a chapter, which was an odd choice), but since they are together for the weekend, it's not too jumbled. There is a lot going on and I think the author tried to tackle too much with this. Each character had major life issues that needed addressing and it detracted from the story as a whole. I did like that they were Jewish and it brought a lot of Jewish customs and traditions into the story. However, the end seemed rushed and it was just a lot going on.

Warm feelings of old friends and being able to be completely and totally your self - in every silly, vulnerable way.

I really enjoyed this book. It took me through many emotions. Nice writing and more than holds you attention. Highly recommend. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the arc of this book in return for my honest opinion. Receiving the book in this manner had no bearing on this review.

Thank you @netgalley for the free ebook. Even tho I am super late reading this one!

On the 25th anniversary of Becca's cancer remission anniversary, her close group of friends who were by her side through her illness, come together to celebrate. 

This changes points of view throughout the 6 main characters so we get time really seeing the ins and outs of the relationships these friends have. These friends that created a very close bond as teenagers have grown together and grown apart in the past 25 years. This is a very interesting look at how grief can bond friendships.

One aspect of this novel I really enjoyed was the importance of the Jewish faith, particularly with characters Holly and Adam. It was very interesting to hear about certain Jewish traditions throughout the big events in this book.  I found it very interesting and informative. 

This story was very complex and layered- more than just friends getting together after years apart. I really enjoyed this one

I have a group of friends whom I have been friends with for over 30 years. This book reminds me so much of our deep friendships.
This is a great book to read about the friendship, loss and remaining strong through it all.

Wonderful story told from several different perspectives which is a style I love! It's warm and relatable as we see the characters from childhood to adulthood. It is a great story and the characters are well-described. It's about a reunion between old high school friends who are now in their 40's. When one of the characters is diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma as a teenager, the group of friends created skit videos in the style of SNL to cheer her up. The decide to have a reunion of the 25 year anniversary of her remission and the story begins. All kinds of things happen and are described in a wonderful style that draws the reader into the story. The characters are all very different from each other; they are complex and quite colorful and their stories are the same. It is a great read! I look forward to reading more from this author!

Although this is not the normal genre of books I choose to read, The Cast, by Amy Blumemfeld will always hold a special place in my heart. It shows that true friendships can endure anything that is thrown at it and can last for decades. The way these friends circle around to provide hope, love and comfort to each other is heartwarming.

Blumenfeld has a special way of writing that pulls you into the story and makes you actually care about the characters and their situations. I never wanted this book to end!

I was intrigued by the premise of this novel. Especially since the synopsis started by talking about a Saturday Night Live type of video. I used to watch SNL all the time in the 80s and 90s, so I enjoyed hearing about all the characters they were trying to be when I read about it in the novel.

The Cast is extremely well-written and it's hard to believe that this is a debut. The characters were strongly developed and their interactions and dialogue felt genuine and realistic. It was easy to visualize people and places. I loved all the Chicago and New York references, as well as the Jewish ones. And I especially loved that one of the characters was Orthodox, as I don't find them that often in women's fiction (unless it's written by Naomi Ragen). It was easy to relate to her and I felt we had similar struggles and feelings.

There was one part I wish hadn't taken place, but it was interesting to see how the characters handled the situation. I also wish Lex had been given her own narrative instead of being seen through everyone else's perspectives.

I had a hard time putting this book down. Even when I could go online or watch TV after Shabbat, I wanted to continue reading until I was finished. If you have not yet read The Cast, I highly recommend it. I hope Amy Blumenfeld will write another novel soon!

Of course, this book needs a cast!
Becca: Rachael Leigh Cook
Jordana: Amanda Schull
Seth: Daniel Gillies
Lex: Danielle Harris
Holly: Felicia Day
Adam: Dave Annable
Nolan: Chris Pratt

Hello old friends... this debut novel focuses on “the cast” a group of friends - Becca, Jordana, Holly, Lex and Seth, who have been close since childhood and are reuniting for one weekend. It is the 25th anniversary of Becca getting the all clear from cancer. So they all want to pull together and make it a weekend to remember.

In those years they have each been through a lot. Births, marriages, illness, fallings out. But you can never beat the friendships you make as youngsters. They’re yours for life. Bonded by a shared history. No matter the distance or years passed, you pick up where you left off.

Each chapter focuses on a different character. I liked all of them. They felt well rounded and we found out a lot about each. And they were all individuals with their own traits and personalities. I probably liked the story of Holly and Adam the best.

A grown up novel full of truths where nothing is perfect. Behind the glossy exterior are imperfections and you have to work hard at friendships and marriages.

Thank you SparkPress and Netgalley for a copy of this book in return for my honest opinion.

I enjoyed this book on high school and friendships throughout the years. An easy to read, engaging book which I thoroughly Recommend.

One star is for books I didn't finish. Two stars is for books I did finish, but did not enjoy reading. In this case, I enjoyed the first eighty percent, but it was the last twenty percent of The Cast that disappointed me. An anti-climax, no serious plot and lots of loose ends that are probably there for a second book in a series.

I just can't see what the pointe of this book was, the statement that the author was making...

An intriguing tale that mostly held my attention.... felt there was “something” missing maybe? Not “have to read again”, more of a “ok, & that was about....?” Will watch out for this author though & keep an open mind. But thanks to netgalley for the opportunity to read

The Cast by Amy Blumenfeld. While colorful and entertaining, the writing style felt too light for my taste. DNF.

4.5 wonderful stars for The Cast!

I am hands down a sucker for books about friendship that evolve over time and take place from multiple perspectives (The Interestings, anyone?!?) and when I learned that this was going to be the format of The Cast, I was immediately interested. Blumenfeld does a wonderful job of giving voices to each of the characters that really let the differences in each of their personalities shine. I loved seeing how the relationships changed over the years from childhood to present day in this group of friends.

I can't wait to see what comes next from this new-to-me author who is now cemented on my must-read list!

Absolutely adored this book from the first page to the last. Relatable characters dealing with an unfortunately all too familiar scenario. Thank you to Spark Press and Netgalley for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.

When Becca was 15, she had cancer and her friends made her a tape where they all acted out Saturday Night Live-type skits to cheer her up.  Now it's 25 years later and they have a reunion, each friend is in a different plant with different issues. 

There were things about this book that I LOVED: I loved when Becca and Nolan first met; I loved that the book takes place in and around New York City, which is where I love.  I thought Becca and Nolan's characters were very realistic and very well developed and brought up some very interesting points regarding what a spouse has a right to say and have an opinion on and when they just need to be supportive.  I thought Seth's character and Lexi's characters were also very real and believable and sympathetic.  

This book was different than anything I had read before and my husband and I had some interesting conversations because of it.

This novel follows a group of friends from childhood to adulthood and explores how one friends childhood sickness shapes these friends into adults and their relationships beteeen one another and their spouses and family. Sweet yet brutal life can be, as these friends come together through the difficultly of having a sick friend and nagivating lifes difficult paths.