I could not get enough of this book, the writing was so clever. I loved how the narration was in third person present tense but also how it flipped perspectives from not only between the three main characters, but all the side characters - my fave was Fred the dog! It kept the book interesting and moving at a quick pace. I can’t wait to read another book by this author.

An advanced copy was received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is the cutest! That's it that's my review. Just kidding, but in essence this was the perfect read for me during this crazy times. What starts out as a sad story of loss, quickly turns into a heartwarming story about grief, friendship, and learning to lean on others.
Told through the view point of three very different women, who's only common factor is their best friend Molly, this is the story of childhood 'friends' and how their relationship has evolved over time. When Molly dies, the three all believe they have nothing left in common. Nora the recluse, Christina the workaholic, and Leanne think they'll never see each other again. That is until they learn that Molly has left them each instructions and one of those is to get brunch with each other for a year. What started as a chore somehow turns into the only saving grace for these women and makes them realize that the only other people they have to lean on is each other.
I loved the dynamic between these very different women. As a late twenty year old myself, its easy to see how childhood friends grow apart. It's also hard to watch but this book reminds me that there are other things than careers that can tie people together and that sometimes the people that knew you were before you knew yourself will love you no matter what.
Nugent did a great job of giving each women an extremely distinct persona and voice. The way she builds the characters and created a unique story for each of them was outstanding. This book has an incredible amount of depth but the added comic relief Nugent peppers in makes the story all the more relatable. I found myself feeling all the emotions and I even had a few really great laughs.
I cannot recommend this book enough!

This book is the cutest! That's it that's my review. Just kidding, but in essence this was the perfect read for me during this crazy times. What starts out as a sad story of loss, quickly turns into a heartwarming story about grief, friendship, and learning to lean on others.
Told through the view point of three very different women, who's only common factor is their best friend Molly, this is the story of childhood 'friends' and how their relationship has evolved over time. When Molly dies, the three all believe they have nothing left in common. Nora the recluse, Christina the workaholic, and Leanne think they'll never see each other again. That is until they learn that Molly has left them each instructions and one of those is to get brunch with each other for a year. What started as a chore somehow turns into the only saving grace for these women and makes them realize that the only other people they have to lean on is each other.
I loved the dynamic between these very different women. As a late twenty year old myself, its easy to see how childhood friends grow apart. It's also hard to watch but this book reminds me that there are other things than careers that can tie people together and that sometimes the people that knew you were before you knew yourself will love you no matter what.
Nugent did a great job of giving each women an extremely distinct persona and voice. The way she builds the characters and created a unique story for each of them was outstanding. This book has an incredible amount of depth but the added comic relief Nugent peppers in makes the story all the more relatable. I found myself feeling all the emotions and I even had a few really great laughs.
I cannot recommend this book enough! Make sure to pick up your copy on May 5th. If you think you’d like to read this book, get your copy HERE!

I hope you enjoyed my thoughts on Brunch and Other Obligations. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my instagram @speakingof_books. Huge thank you to She Writes Press and Netgallery for my advanced copy!

A lighthearted journey of female sisterhood. I found this book to be very enjoyable. I felt as if I was swept into each of the characters lives and inner turmoils. The author developed the perfect narrative, in that the dynamic between the friends was complex enough to keep the reader interested but still lighthearted and at times comical. A perfect read during the current climate, exactly what I needed.

Thank you to Netgalley and She Writes Press for the opportunity to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I saw this book on bookstagram and knew I wanted to read it. I absolutely loved it. It drew me in and I didn't want to take a break. Definitely did not disappoint!

I loved this book. When I first started reading it I wasn't sure about it. I was in the mood for a light read and it began at a young woman's funeral. The story follows Molly's 3 best friends who didn't like each other through their grieving and journey to friendship. I thought the transitions between the 3 friends' characters was seamless. The individual characters were developed in addition to their relationships with each other. I absolutely loved this book and highly recommend it.

This was a cute book that had me laughing out loud at certain points. While the story itself was fairly predictable, I enjoyed the writing style and and it was a nice, light read that flew by. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the relationships between the women, but like other readers I do wish that the author had taken another 30 or so pages to give the ending a bit more substance, as it did feel rushed. Thank you to the author, She Writes Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The premise of this story is that three loosely connected women are drawn together by the death of a mutual friend. Based on this, I wrongly thought "Brunch" would be a predictable read. Instead it is a refreshing take on female friendships, with relateable characters defined by their own terms and notably, not by the overused common ground of husbands and children. While I enjoyed the overall story, I did find their individual journeys lackluster and unfinished.

Looking for something light and easy to read between a couple meaty novels I've read, "Brunch & Other Obligations" by Suzanne Nugent was exactly the kind of lighter fare I sought. I won't rehash the premise, just offer my thoughts.....

Nugent dives right in with the three besties of the recently-deceased Molly attending her funeral. Nora, the studious introvert; Christina, the outspoken and opinionated attorney (ironically, my name is Christina, I'm an attorney and I've been similarly described); and Leanne, the married do-gooder (think Charlotte from SITC).

As we travel through the ladies' obligation to do brunch together for one year after Molly's death (per her wishes), the former childhood friends all approach Sunday brunches with equal amounts of dread, although we never come to understand why these three ladies all despise each other (Molly was the friendship glue and held individual friendships with each of them).

Molly also bequests each of them something at her death: Nora gets her beloved pooch; Christina gets a poofy meditation chair; Leanne gets her pink Vespa-- and each bequest comes with a cryptic message from Molly. Nora is told to just "love the dog.". Christina is told to " FLOAT." Leanne is instructed, in French "let's go, my friend."

And as we near the end of the novel we see that Molly understood something deeper about each of them and what they would need to grieve.

I enjoyed the novel, but felt that the last few chapters rushed through a transition the characters didn't seem ready for. Somehow magically they all become besties in (of course) Paris, having chased Leanne down after she abruptly pulled a "Where'd You Go Bernadette" move and left her life for France. For example, on the flight to Paris, Nora and Christina are still bickering, ignoring each other and generally just annoyed. But magically, 2 days later when they find Leanne, they hug it out and everyone is besties now. Curtain close, the end.

I'm not sure what ending would have been better, in fact I'm not sure a different ending would have worked. But it felt like there was some essential transition piece missing-- the entire book has each of these ladies pretty much hating spending time together. And then in the matter of 2 chapters at the end, it's a love-fest?

On balance, I enjoyed it. It fit the bill for what I needed right now-- a palate cleanser (I'm about to start "Outlaw Ocean" 😬). Would I broadly recommend it? Hmmmm, depends on the reader's mood. Beach read for sure!

Thank you to She Writes Press and Netgalley for the ARC 🥰

I really liked this novel. It tells the story of three women who’s lives intertwine because of the last request of their best friend Molly, who has passed away.

Each of the women share the fact that they’ve known each other since their younger days but don’t really connect now in adulthood.
However Molly decides to try and bring them together every month for brunch, as her last request, in an attempt at bonding them together. What follows is a story of ups and downs, laughs, sadness and fond memories, as they try to navigate life without the person they held dear to them.

I thought the author did a great job here in writing about a difficult issue. She was able to bring joy and laughter through the use of her characters and dealt with the sadness in a very hopeful way. Would definitely recommend. .

I really enjoyed this light read! It revolves around three ladies who have just lost their friend Molly. That's the only thing they have in common until they receive Molly's last wishes.

I liked how the story was told through all of the characters perspectives. Sweet little read you will not want to put down!

This book was so sweet! A quick read with a touch of romance and plenty of heart, it feels light but is also rooted in tragedy and grief. I loved the characters Nugent created, and honestly just wish the book was a bit longer, and that the pacing was slowed down just a bit so we could linger with the characters longer and dive a bit deeper. Also, would love a book about Maeve!!

A great different version of friendship between four friends. All with different personalities and different end goals! A good light and easy read. Thanks for the early copy.

This book was interesting due to the dichotomy of personalities that were tied into their dead friend, Molly. Christina; the aggressive lawyer who was lonely at her core. Leanne; the vacuous people pleaser who was a living doll due to Joan. Nora; who lived by rules and regulations to have a normalcy in her life but lacked total emotional empathy. The sarcasm was very well welcomed.

I really enjoyed this story as you follow three different characters POV after their friend Molly passes away. The writer I feel like did a great job having me connect with each of the three characters I felt like they were developed in a way where I was friends with them myself. I found my myself appreciating the sarcasm and humor in this story that can be hard to pull off. I felt as though this writing style was great and the chapters were short enough where late into the night I would find myself saying just one more chapter! I do wish the ending was a bit different I need to know what happens to these characters in more detail. Overall despite the ending falling a bit flat for me, I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars. I will definitely be recommending this book to friends and to my book club. Thank you publisher and Net galley for the early read.

How would you feel if your best friend died and asked that you hang out with her other 3 best friends every month?

When Molly dies, she leaves this last request to each of her 3 best friends: hang out together each month. The story that follows describes how everything plays out.

I loved reading how their lives come together to honor their lost friend!

"Brick by brick, their ideas about who they should be cover up who they really are."

I loved both the cover and blurb of this book and as the shelter-in-place due to pandemic continues here in California, I find myself reaching for books that promise to comfort me. This looked to be just the recipe for that.

And it didn't disappoint.

This is the story of three women each of whom is best friends with Molly but the three are not friends with each other. Molly passes away and leaves each of them a thing and a little note. She also asks them to meet once a month for breakfast.

The story is the year during which these non-friends meet monthly, go through their own journey of recovering from the grief of losing their best friend, and also try to uncover the reason Molly chose to give that particular gift.

"In some friendships, honesty is the same as love."

The story flows easily and the characters are real and flawed and frustrating and lovable. There are parts where the writing got in the way for me and jarred me out of the story. There were bits where I wish the author had gone deeper.

But overall, I enjoyed my time with this cozy, sweet story.

with gratitude to netgalley and She Writes Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this story! Multiple POVs is something I almost always enjoy and this was no exception. Here it allowed me to appreciate some characters I might have disliked otherwise. The premise was at times hard for me to believe in but the author gave me enough sweet moments and things to look forward to (Sam!) that it wasn't a real issue. I'm excited because this is the author's first novel and I will definitely be reading her next!

Enjoyed this story about three women forced to brunch together after their mutual friend dies. Each character was so unique, complicated, and funny in their own way as they go through the cycle of grief while dealing with their own life issues. Also appreciated having a little background on some of the supporting characters, especially Fred the dog!

The ending was too short, I want to know how these characters' lives play out after they reach a common ground. That certainly speaks to how engaging I found Christina, Nora, and Leanne. You will laugh and tear up with this humorous and sweet book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I see I'm in the minority on this one but this book did nothing for me. Unlike most of the other reviews who loved this book and thought so much of it, it just did nothing for me. I wanted to like it but just never truly connected. DNF at 57%. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review.

A lovely read a story of friendship a story of changes.A book that made me laugh out loud,to enjoy each character .Read in one day sat down to read a few pages didn’t look up till last page.#shewritespress#netgalley