Charming Falls Apart is your classic romance book.
The story was a bit a cliche, which happens many time in books of this genre, but the premise seemed good enough for me and made me want to read this book.
Unfortunately I didn’t really felt it, although the narrative flow well and the writing was good, the story wasn’t interesting enough and after some chapters became a little boring an ripetitive.
I struggled to connect with most of the characters, also because many as I said were too cliche.
2.5

This story starts with 35 year old Alison getting fired and then coming home to her fiancé telling her that he is leaving her… for her maid of honor. Strong start, right?! It immediately sucked me in and I couldn’t stop turning the pages to see how Alison was going to cope with all of this. She had a strong support system in her best friend, Jordan, and I absolutely adored reading about their friendship. Y’all know I’m a sucker for a strong female friendship. There’s also some Eat, Pray, Love vibes as Alison tries to find herself and what she wants her future to look like now that it’s suddenly a blank slate and she can start over however she pleases. Any contemporary romance lover or *cringes describing the genre this way* chick lit lover will want to pick this one immediately.

This book was absolutely charming (no pun intended)! This story about life being turned upside down unexpectedly and having to deal with shock, heartbreak, finding yourself, and new beginnings was so relatable for anyone who's experienced an unanticipated or upsetting life change and has had to reevaluate what matters to them in life.

I loved the dynamics between the characters in this book - Allison and Jordan's friendship was so supportive and funny, while Allison and Eric's banter, his kindness, and the growing connection between them was so enjoyable to watch. I love the plot line about the self-help books Allison discovers to help her understand what's happened in her life and what she needs going forward. As an avid bookstore browser myself who understands the power of finding the right book at the right time, I loved the scenes in Barnes & Noble and her thoughts as she processed her books!

This book felt like a close friend, it was easy to read and get swept up in the story and you laughed along and got angry on Allison's behalf and cheered as she created a new life for herself. Thank you to Girl Friday Productions, SparkPress, and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Allison walks through the door to her fiancee Neil. She is desperate to tell him of her day, but Neil needs to talk. It's a month before their wedding and for the second time that day Allison's world just stops.

In the blink of an eye, everything Allison has worked for is gone. She needs to find herself again and find out what she wants out of life.

The story follows Allison and her journey through grief, rebuilding her life and moving on.
She realises that not all of her friends are true friends.

She finds friendship in independent coffee shop owner Eric and her life slowly but surely rebuilds.

The characters in this book are so well developed. My favourite would have to be Allison and Jordan. They are hilarious.

This book is such a feel good book and is a must for a good pick me up.

This was a great piece of chick lit featuring a woman whose life falls apart when she loses her job. The journey of picking up the pieces and moving on is one that so many of us can relate to and the author wrote a great story with this theme.

I really enjoyed this book. NOt my favorite but still a really fun book to read. I thought the characters were very fun!

I just adored this book by Angela Terry! 💕 I was absolutely hooked on the story from the very first chapter and found all of the characters (even crappy Neil and Stacey) so relatable that I really felt like I knew them all personally by the end of the book! I felt a strong kinship to the main character Alison and was so proud of her journey to self discovery and I also want Jordan to be my best friend as I just loved how strong their friendship was throughout! This was the perfect feel-good read that I needed right now during #lockdown2.0 and I look forward to reading more books from Angela 🙌🏼
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A big thank you to Netgalley and She Writes Press for this digital copy to read and review!

This book had me from the first page! I was rooting for Allison to pull through all the horrible things that were happening to her and when she met Eric, I was hoping the two of them would eventually get together. This was a great story and I will recommend it to everyone!

I am such a heart to please reader when it comes to women’s fiction/romance as I find it slushy. But THIS, is way more. I am a huge fan of girl power and feminism and I must admit that I wholeheartedly loved Allison. She gets the worst start to this book she is fired from her job with no real reason why and her finance leaves her for another woman (her best friend). But I must give it to her, for someone with her life falling apart so badly she is determined even through the rough parts to get on track. Turning to self-help books she reflects on her relationship realising it was doomed from the start.

An ex-colleague leads her to believe that it was her friend Kate who sabotaged her job, we go through the book hating her only to realise that it was actually Allison’s boss herself. Kate knew about the affair but didn’t feel it was her place to tell Allison. It did make me wonder what I’d be like in that position. On top of her job loss and her relationship breakdown her mum is pressurising and manipulating Allison to freeze her eggs as she is so desperate to have grandchildren. Even to the end I hated Allison’s mum, she was not supportive at any point to Allison and did not consider her feelings. I also liked that this romance novel didn’t focus on this amazing tight knit family.

Everyone knows that after a breakup you have a glow up, whether that’s cutting your hair or something more drastic, for Allison it was to do more things that she enjoyed. She meets a lovely new friend at a new café and becomes pre- engagement Allison again. Her loyal friend Jordan helps her get back on the wagon again by encouraging her to look for jobs, to get back into her marathon running which she stopped doing to spend more time with her ex, Neil. Anyone can relate to this story, an ex you change your life for only to lose yourself in the relationship.

Though there are sad parts I loved this book. Angela Terry used this book to uplift women and to show us that we are more than a man. We are taught a harsh lesson: never lose yourself in a relationship. My favourite things about this book were Jordan and Allison’s friendship. Jordan is Allison’s real friend, someone who is brutally honest to her friend because she cares about her, not saying what she knows she wants to hear. Everyone needs to have a friend like Jordan, the loyal honest friend who lets you know when you’re being a diva, and helps you be yourself again. I have to admit I related more to Jordan than anyone else as I am that honest and loyal friend. With help from Jordan and new friend Eric, Allison bounces back to her old self and finds peace in regaining control of her identity.

I am hugely grateful to Angela Terry for not using Eric as white knight, this is a tale of heartbreak, friendship, strong female characters and ultimately people who love you unapologetically.

From the beginning, I connected to poor Allison and her life that has fallen apart in one day. We've all had the mini version of this day when every relationship and work seem to tilt off-balance at the same time. We can imagine the dread of losing a job, then having a fiance casually end a relationship like it's a conversation over what they're going to watch on TV. The stinger comes when he's actually in love with one of your best friends and that causes other friends to act like she's the plague. Anyone in this sort of desperate moment would turn to self-help books to search for a shred of hope. Anyone, that is, who is going to fight for a great and deserved future.

The problem was that I didn't feel that determination in Allison. She wasn't a fighter. She wasn't searching for inspiration in those self-help books to launch her into the comeback of her life. Things just sort of happened and then other things happened. She had a victim role that I wanted her to pull out of on her own but instead, the story lacked thrust for me. I mean, it was a decent story. It wasn't offensive or badly written, but it wasn't unique either. It walked the line of a typical romance trope when the cafe owner just happened to be cute and fit and they liked each other, and there were cute misunderstandings and lots of fretting. I was expecting a little more of a women's fiction flair with Allison becoming the grown-ass woman she should've been on her own. Sadly, I would not say it's a must-read but I will not discount future books from Angela Terry because she does have a style of writing that I liked. I will look for her other books.

Kick a girl when she's down. You have to feel for this poor thing when bad goes to worse the day before her birthday.
It's not hard to be her cheerleader and want everything to turn around and be better than what she's lost, isn't that what we all want? A great read of living vicariously through one woman's worst and watching her climb out of it.
I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley for my honest review.

This was such a fun read! Allie is a character with whom I could connect with easily and rooted for from the very beginning. The opening of the novel with a life-altering day for the FMC automatically gripped me and made me wish I could reach through the pages to give Allie a hug--getting fired, calling off a wedding, and turning 35 the next morning--get this girl a DRINK.

In all actuality, what is, on the surface, a spin on a classic chick lit trope, this book has facets that so many of us can relate to or find solace in. Allie is betrayed by her best friend and her fiancee; she's let go from a job for seemingly ambiguous reasons; she has a difficult and at times painful relationship with her mother; and at times she's left wondering "what is wrong with me?" While Allie's love life and failed relationship is a central focal point, what is really the main point is Allie's growth as an individual and her journey to find happiness in life as whole. Lots of "Eat, Pray, Love" vibes going on (and jokes throughout), but it was endearing in its similarities, I thought.

There were times where I wanted to shake Allie and tell her to get a grip, times where I wanted to just dance it out with her Cristina Yang-style, and times where I wanted to be the one sitting across from her in The Cauldron serving her some Tao over coffee. And while there were a few moments in the story that kind of caught me off guard as misplaced or odd characterization, there were some truly beautiful moments in this book and this woman's journey.

I honestly don't know where to start with this book but wow
This book was amazing i love the themes discussed in this book which is soo important in my opinion
I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for something to transport them into Allison's world

Charming Falls Apart by Angela Terry is a fun women's fiction book that I really enjoyed. This is my first book by this author, but won't be my last. Allison James has a terrible day, the day before she turns thirty-five. Allison get fired from her public relations firm where she has worked for twelve years. When she gets home her fiance calls off the wedding because he has been sleeping with her maid of honor. Allison takes her friend Jordan advice by focusing on herself. I really enjoyed this book, I love it when women realize how strong they really are. I highly recommend this book, for anyone who wants to escape a few hours away, rooting for Allison.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

So, this book is about Allison. Allison is a 35-year old woman and a rule-follower. On the day she gets fired, her fiancé breaks the news that he has fallen in love with someone else: her maid-of-honour. So, basically her life has fallen apart. Taking a friend’s advice, she takes this time to figure out her life again. She starts by reading self-help books, hoping that there’s something in there that can help her. Meanwhile, she starts stopping by at this new coffeehouse in her neighbourhood and she meets Eric, the owner. And guess what? He’s cute! So between the coffeehouse, a mother who’s pressuring her about grandbaby’s, an asshole ex-fiancé, and a saboteur at her old job, Allison tries to get her groove back.

At first, I thought that this was going to be a romance book. But it was actually more of a contemporary, which I enjoyed. This way we didn’t need a man, and we could focus on Allison and building her life back up. I liked the writing. The story in general was okay, but kind of boring. I mean the author definitely stuck to writing what she knew: a 35-year old, white, middle-class woman. But the thing that kind of stuck with me and bothered me in a sense, was that shit happened to Allison. She was never the person to cause something for herself. Things just happened or people did something to her. Like, her mom is an asshole for pressuring her for grandchildren, harassing her about freezing her eggs. Her fiancé cheated on her, and is an asshole about cancelling the wedding, and he cheated on her with her maid-of-honour, her friend! And then there’s this colleague who is supposedly sabotaging her, having her fired. She had a very passive role in everything. This made it more difficult to relate to her, because she was perfect, but she surrounded herself with assholes in every aspect of her life, which was kind of stupid. And when you find out who everyone in her life was, you could basically spot the red flags everywhere. So yeah, that is my opinion on this book. All-in-all, it was a quick read and it had fun parts, so I ended up giving this 2,5 stars.

Much thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sometimes it's nice to have a novel into which you can completely escape, especially in this day and age. Angela Terry's debut Charming Falls Apart: A Novel fits that bill and I read the majority of it in one day!

I really enjoyed this impressive debut! While the subject matter is cliché for this genre, Angela does a great job with keeping the story interesting and engaging. Allison was a sympathetic character throughout and I cared about what happened in her life. I found her relatable, even if we didn't have the same kinds of experiences. (However, I can sort of relate to one of her experiences now.) I really liked the supporting characters (aside from Allison's ex and her former best friend). While her mom tended to be annoying, it was just enough to make me angry on Allison's behalf.

I liked that the story took place in Chicago (as I grew up in the suburbs), but it didn't capture the feel and mood of the city for me. For what it was worth, it could have been any city. (Authors with several books under their belt have done this with certain cities too.) I may just be more critical since I am still a Chicago girl at heart, or maybe it's just been too long since I last lived nearby.

Overall, this was a fun and engaging story about friendship and relationships and it will definitely keep you entertained this summer!

Movie casting suggestions:
Allison: Emily Wickersham
Neil: Matt Lanter
Jordan: Katharine McPhee
Eric: Justin Hartley
Stacey: Allegra Edwards
Kate: Shannon Woodward
Alistair: Justin Baldoni
Paige: Alison Sweeney
Suzy: Nikki Blonsky
Theresa (mom): Rene Russo

Charming falls apart and this book just totally fell into my life at the most perfect time. After recently going through a long term relationship break up myself, I began this book. I am Allison. I’m pretty sure this book was written for me. No need to go out and get my own self help books, when this book did it for me.

Allison loses her fiancé, job and friend all in one day. Things can’t get much worse, but she is determined and positive and does what she can to move on and move forward. She learns from her mistakes and does her best to find peace at the end.

Cute, real, and fun. This book had it all. You get your heartbroken with Allison and are right there helping her pick up the pieces.

I received a copy of this book to review from Netgalley. Thank you for the opportunity.
This book is a sweet, easy to read book. It is a great book for a summer holiday. The writing is good and the characters are quite interesting.
The story is a bit unnecessarily complicated at times.
On the whole a good book

I got through 36% of this book before giving up because...

1. How many times can I read about this woman's post-break up life of working out and getting coffee? Do I need to read about it 4-5 times?

2. How many times is this 35 year old woman going to allow her mother to treat her like a child and verbally abuse her?

3. I'm 36% in and she has exchanged a handful of meaningless convos with the male lead. Talking about scone flavors is not setting my panties ablaze.

I just don't know what the author was going for here. We don't need an entire chapter dedicated to linch with her awful mother. Or another full chapter dedicated entirely to packing up the ex's stuff. Or a chapter of coffee and spin class followed by a chapter of coffee and barre class.

This book lacked focus, engagement, a strong female lead, and a good editor.

I received an ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review.

This was a light, enjoyable read. It was fairly predictable and cliche, however I was expecting that going in. It's a cute book about moving on from a breakup and finding yourself. I'd recommend this one to those who are fans of this genre.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this E-book to review via Netgalley.