Not a great read for me. I found it difficult to engage with the rather odd, and uninspiring characters and felt that the development of the story fell short as well..

I was given this book by She Writes Press and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Nora, Christina, and Leanne have nothing in common but their friend Molly. When Molly dies she leaves gifts and letters for each woman and a final request that they have brunch once a month for a year.

This book was an amazing book about the power of friendship. It was a little slow paced at times for me. I felt myself getting confused by the three characters and which one I was reading about.

This is the authors debut novel and I will definitely read more from her.

I loved this book! I think every woman should read this book. It is a must-read for women's fiction fans. I will definitely be reading more from Suzanne Nugent.

When three frenemies lose their mutual best friend how will they survive the unique dying request she has made. Molly gave her three friends (Nora, Leanne, & Christina) each a gift that none of them understand and one request, they must all meet for brunch on the first Sunday of each month for the next year. Will these women learn to understand their gifts and more importantly will they survive these brunches.

Brunch and Other Obligations is one of those feel good, can read in a day novels. They are all unique women who lost the same thing and need to learn to move on. I very much enjoyed this book for the type of novel it is. If you are looking for palette cleanser book/beach read or want a book to read with some of your girlfriends grab this one.

Christina, Leanne and Nora have nothing in common. The book opens with the three of them muddling through their friend Molly's funeral. It seems Molly was friends with all of them, but they were never friends with each other. Molly may have had some plans for that. Her first wish was for the three girls to get together every month for Sunday brunch, which is something all three gals would like nothing more than to slip. Her next idea was to leave each friend with a sincere, but strange gift that none of them expected or really wanted. Molly had specific plans for them. Plans she knew would help them become the people they needed to be, the friends they needed to be.
This was an easy read that made you stop to think about what really matters in life. Te characters are well developed and multi-dimensional. I tend to like a bit more action/drama in my books, but this was a sweet read.
I received an advance copy for review. All opinions are my own.

This one started a little slow for me but I eventually grew to love 2 - okay, three characters since Fred (the dog) was the first one that I actually liked lol. And then Sam (who still wasn't a main) and grew to like (okay, more so than the other two) Christina. I would have loved a little more back story on Molly, who brought them together. It was a quick lighthearted "sisterhood" type read, but honestly - I just wanted to punch Nora and Leanne, they really didn't do it for me. <3 Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for an honest review

Suzanne Nugent writes a wonderful, tender and fantastic début about hope and the complexity of friendships and relationships.

Nora, Christina and Leanne have only one thing in common: their friend Molly. They each share an independent friendship with her, happy in their belief that individually, they are Molly’s best friend as they ignore the reality of the others' roles, despite sharing a joint history going back to their early childhood. Now in their early 30’s, Molly has died, leaving the three women bereft and alone with their grief. Mischief-maker Molly makes it her last wish that the ladies do brunch together once a month for one year. The former childhood friends all approach the Sunday brunches with equal amounts of dread, although we never come to understand why these three ladies all despise each other. Molly's plans for her three friends also involve strange gifts that the women puzzle the meaning of. As the three women agree to make it work even though their hearts aren’t really into the task, what follows is the slow unravelling of past and current events that draw each of the women into different journeys of self-discovery.

Full marks must go to Suzanne Nugent for making this novel an immensely fun, and times downright hysterical read when it could have been a rather sombre affair. This story is beautifully paced, with humour in almost every scene, though there is also a good deal of tenderness in the mix.

Never the main character, the author has cleverly made Molly indispensable in many scenes. The three women are ably created, keen, honest and flawed and I found that I could relate to them all on some level which was definitely the icing on the cake.

Powerful, incredibly amusing, poignant, sharp and uplifting, Brunch and Other Obligations is a real jewel and is well worth reading. I for one, will be watching out for Suzanne Nugent's next offering.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from She Writes Press via NetGalley and this review is my unbiased opinion.

I was gutted when this book ended!! It had captured me so much that I’d not even glanced at the percentage tally on my Kindle so when the narrative stopped and the author was giving her thanks to her publishers etc I think I actually said “Nooo!” out loud.
In the opening chapters at the funeral I thought I wasn’t going to like this novel at all. All 3 women seemed miserable, unlikable and frankly boring. Thank God I kept reading. Nugent’s humour is fantastic, the witty asides, snarky comments and stream of consciousness given to all characters (but especially Fred!) kept me laughing and nodding along. Her premise that friends are made by a shared eye roll over something is absolutely one I agree with!
Nora was the character I identified with most as I’m also fairly introverted, a lover of notebooks and in fact any books and of course I also change out of my pjs for another pair of pjs when I decide to have a day at home. But Christina also resonated with me because of her heartbreaking’loss’ of her mother. Leanne I could identify with having had a difficult relationship with my own Mother and have an internal monologue of criticism to deal with because of it.
I’m writing this review while on lockdown due to the Covid 19 outbreak. I’ve not seen my own girlfriends for coffee in over a month and life is so much the poorer for it. Female relationships, even with friends of friends are so important and we can always connect on some level if we are willing to.
I hope to read many more novels from Suzanne Nugent in the future!!

I don't know what I expected from 'Brunch and Other Obligations', but I wasn't expecting to love it so much! Witty, thoughtful, and full of gleaming insights, Nugent's novel was a refreshing gem of a book. While this story centers around grief and loss, at no point does it feel sappy or contrived. Instead, it navigates through all of the complex emotions and diverse personalities of the three former friends as they individually experience their collective loss is widely different ways. One wouldn't expect a book that centers around losing a best friend too young shouldn't feel light and fun, but 'Brunch and Other Obligations' manages to fun, funny, and emotional all in perfect balance.

i was given this book for an honest opinion and review from netgalley and publisher.
i enjoyed it. it was a cute read about 3 friends that come together after the loss of one of their friends. they don't exactly like each other but what pulls them all together is there one friend, Molly.
each is given a special thing from Molly and the obligation to meet for brunch.
it was a cute read about what you do when you lose your friend and how to keep going.

A story about four friends minus one.
Molly's passing left her three friends lost in grief. Each one hiding from their own grieving process.
But knowing them well, she left them a giift. One for each of them. A Gift that will open doors and will give them the most precious thing: future.
I liked this book very much. Especially the well developed characters. Nora being my favorite.

This was the comfort reading I didn't know I needed. It's funny and touching, honest and real and a great reminder that even though there are times you need to be pushed to do something, it might just be the best thing for you. Going through their loss together after time apart shows that a friend (or more) is one of the best things to have even when you've forgotten what to do with them. Don't worry it's funny as hell too so it's not the downer you think.
I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley for my honest review.

I was originally drawn to this book by its cover. What could be better than a book with some adorable cups of coffee and brunch in the title? Molly is at the center of a group of friends that drifted apart in adulthood. She passes away at the young age of 34, but she leaves some requests behind for her friends. They have to have brunch together every month for a year. It's a real struggle for these three other friends to meet up without the friend they still had in common. They all seem so different, and it just feels painful for them to have to meet up in the absence of their best friend. The three main characters all have very different personalities, but I fell in love with each of them. They are each trying their best in the face of their loss, and I will say that I loved that Suzanne Nugent wrote with a lot of heart and humor. There were several parts that made me laugh out loud, and I couldn't have enjoyed this story more. It made me miss my friends so much, and I can't wait to meet up with them for brunch again. This is the perfect, ultimately heartwarming story about an unlikely group of friends. I think we can all relate to the idea that we are just trying to do the best we can with the hand we are dealt. I'd highly recommend this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the gifted copy. All of the thoughts are my own.

I really enjoyed this book. More than I expected to honestly. I don’t read much women’s literature but I clearly need to read more.

Leanne, Nora and Christina have nothing in common except their friend Molly.
When Molly does she leaves them each a gift and a request that they meet for brunch once a month for a year.

I really liked the main characters and the author did an amazing job at helping us connect with them.

This story touches on grief and how you navigate life after you lose someone.

This book delves into the inner workings of female friendship. Three characters, all very different personalities, drawn together through a mutual friend. I did feel a character or two could have had more depth written to them, in order to make them more likable or even more relatable. I loved Nora and her quirkiness (especially knowing what she was thinking). I realize the focus of the book was on the female characters and their relationship to one another, but I do wish their stories were wrapped up a bit before the book ended. Overall, I’d give this book 3.5 stars (rounding up to 4 since I can’t give a half star). It kept me interested and I couldn’t wait to pick it back up again.


Thank you Netgalley (and the publisher) for providing me a free copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.

3.5/5

What happens when you lose the glue that keeps everything together? A group of “friends” find out when their glue is no longer there. An odd group brought together by Molly, a free spirit, who passes away too young. Molly leaves behind a gift for each of her friends, unexpected and not at all conventional for the recipient. She’s asks one more thing of all 3, to meet the first Sunday of each month for brunch. What happens over the course of the next months will open their eyes. In death, Molly gives her friends what they need most...friendship and finding their true selves along the way.

What a debut novel! Ms. Nugent starts right off with a moving event and doesn’t look back. Her writing flows easily from one friend to another, delving totally in each personality, both collectively and independently. Well written, fast enough paced, but at times the book felt slow. The cast of characters is likable enough, but left me wanting to know more about Leanne/James relationship. I was left wanting to know a little more than the ending. I look forward to reading this author again.

Thanks to Ms. Nugent, SheWritesPress and NetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone.

In BRUNCH AND OTHER OBLIGATIONS, Suzanne Nugent tells the story of three very different women, all very close to a mutual friend who has died. What could be roll-your-eyes-because-it's-so-typical was not. Instead, it was smart, laugh-out-loud funny, terrifically wise, and compassionate with every person in the story, be they one of the main characters or a bit player -- all were so real I feel like I could run into them on the street. Somehow, some way, Nugent enters the minds and hearts of these wildly oppositional women and weaves a story that grabbed me by the heart and the imagination and never let up. If there is any objection I might pose, it's a writerly one of head-hopping with back story that confused and broke the terrific spell of a wonderful story. In a way, I felt like I had a conversation with a close friend over crumb cake and coffee, complete with swift, insightful comments that made me snort my coffee in astonished delight.

I enjoyed this book far more than I anticipated. I am not the biggest women's lit reader but after reading the blurb describing the characters, I knew I wanted to read it and I loved every minute of this book.

Female friendships can be so challenging and this book didn't gloss over those complications. But with that also came humor, trials faced, and real-life experiences. Each character was developed well and had her own voice. The book also included their individual struggles which made them more relatable for me.

Was it a tad predictable? Sure. But sometimes a little predictablilty is a nice change of pace. I loved the narration and the writing was excellent.

The ending did feel a tad rushed but overall, this was a great book to read in a day.

Nora, Christina and Leanne only have one thing in common, their fun loving, wild child friend Molly. When Molly dies she leaves unexplained gifts and letters for all 3 of her best friends. Her final request, that they have brunch together once a month for one year.
If I'm honest I didn't find any of the characters in this book particularly likeable and if I were to choose a favourite character, it would be Molly's dog Fred.
This book explores complex issues such as coping with loss and dealing with personal struggles but it's also very witty which I liked.
Overall I found it easy to read but it didnt really do much for me

So this book follows three women Nora,Christina and Leanne who just lost their friend Molly. Without Molly they don’t have anything in common, but she stipulated they have brunch once every month (for women that don’t like each other that’s a lot LOL). It’s such a feel good book that ropes you in and makes you want to BRUNCH