“The Break-Up Book Club,” by Wendy Wax, introduces readers to Jazmine, Judith, Erin and Sara. On the surface, they don’t have much in common, but they are part of a book club that meets at a local bookstore.
Judith’s children are now college-age. She has lost her husband, and is trying to figure out where she fits in. She’s thinking of downsizing, but her children are horrified at the thought of not having that home to come back to for summer and holidays.
Jazmine, a former tennis star, is a sports agent whose own daughter is fast rising through the local tennis ranks. She says she is too busy for relationships, but her family is doing everything to put temptation in her way.
Erin’s fiancé has called off their wedding; Sara’s husband takes a job out of town, and she’s stuck taking care of his mother.
As book club continues, they all become friends, buoying each other up when necessary. I can’t think of a Wendy Wax book that I haven’t enjoyed!

I want to join this club and visit the bookstore! Reading each person's story was a beautiful way to weave together this community. I loved how diverse the characters were and yet they found a way to overcome. I can see this story continuing and would love to see a specific title about each character! Wonderful read!

This one just wasn't a good fit for me. I have read other work by Wax and enjoyed it but I think this one just fell flat. I struggled connected with the characters. In this particular book, there was such a large group of friends that I couldn't keep them straight. Maybe I should attempt to read this one again sometime in the future.

Wendy Wax is back with a new stand-alone novel about members of a book club. The Break-Up Book Club is based at an Atlanta bookstore. At first glance the group of readers don't seem to have a lot in common besides their love of reading. But as time goes by each member will find out just how important they are to each other. I loved that the members were diverse in many ways and had so much to learn from each other not the least being the lesson of empathy. You never know what another person has experienced and that you might have more in common with them than you'd thought. There are serious issues addressed but Wendy Wax's humor and warmth cushioned it all that had me smiling at the end. I enjoyed it all and recommend to fans of the author and women's fiction.

This book was totally unexpected and my first by Wendy Wax. What a fantastic writer she is! This book was such a joy to read. I am partial to books that follow multiple point of views and this one did just that. THE BREAK-UP BOOK CLUB follows Judith, Erin, Jazmine, and Sara, four women who are at very different stages of life and relationship statuses, but come together via a book club. I was sucked into this one right away and the multiple POVs made it so easy to read quick chapters here and there.

This story is full of drama and the women go through SO much with their husbands/fiancés/boyfriends, etc. This had a hint of romance, but it was more of a contemporary women's fiction, that sometimes felt like I watching a highly entertaining TV show. As much as I loved this one, I feel like the title and premise of the book is a little deceiving. The book club felt like an after thought at times and I wanted more of that in the beginning half or so. Overall, I really do recommend this book for someone who is looking for a fun summer read!

Can I join the Break-Up Book Club!? Set in the suburbs of Atlanta and centered around a group of (mostly) women in a local bookstore's monthly book club, The Break-Up Book Club was just the feel good read I needed. Diverse and well-developed, each of the women we meet are in different stages of their lives, moving through something difficult, and almost all are finding their voices and themselves in the process. I found them all to be likeable, headstrong, and clever, and I loved the range of voices and life experiences they brought to the table.

I also loved all of the titles and books mentioned throughout the books, they were recent, relevant, and even a few of my own favorites. It lent a legitimacy to the fictional group that I appreciated!

For fans of Jasmine Guillory and Lyssa Kay Adams, without as much of the sexy steam, but endearing nonetheless.

This was my first book by Wendy Wax, but it won't be my last. I am a sucker for books about book clubs, and this multi-generational story of a group of women coming together over literature and heartbreak was no exception. I loved reading about the connections that the women had with each other, and how books brought them together. There was an element that was a bit far-fetched, but the book is an overall charming book for bibliophiles.

Many thanks to the publisher, NetGalley, and the author for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

Love the concept of this book! It reads like a romance in some ways but with platonic friendships. There should be more books like this, there really should.

Captivating story of love, loss, and friendship. Thought provoking women's fiction that will appeal to a broad audience. Multigenerational storytelling seamlessly executed from multiple points of view. This was a wonderful reading experience

This was a lovely story about love, loss, and the healing power of friendship.

I enjoyed reading the stories about all the featured women and seeing how the dealt with their losses. I also loved that the book club came together to support each other inside & outside the club.

Definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a solid “women’s fiction” (kinda dislike that term).

Although not a book I would purchase in my professional role, it is one that I will be recommending in my personal life! Thank you so much for allowing me to have access to the digital arc!

I can’t turn down a book about stuff that’s book-related or book-adjacent, like bookstores or libraries or book clubs, so I had to pick up The Break-Up Book Club. Because, well, book-club! Add in a little drama and some girl-bonding-time, and I’m there. Especially when I haven’t been able to get together regularly with my girlfriends in a year now…

It took me a while to get used to all the characters in The Break-Up Book Club, even though I knew this story had multiple characters & multiple POVs. Jazmine, Judith, Erin, and Sara. One’s single & likes it that way. One’s not sure she’d like to stay married now her life no longer revolves around her children’s. And two are headed for heartbreak & its inevitable “moving on.” I liked Jazmine’s hard-charging style and Judith’s questioning, but admit I probably wouldn’t have reacted the same way Erin or Sara did (& therefore can’t really believe that there are people who would). Of the four, I liked Jazmine’s storyline the most, though Sara & Dorothy’s come in a close second due to their relationship in the most difficult circumstances.

Because there’s “book club” in the title – I have to say the book club part of the story was cute, even if we don’t learn much about many of its participants. I liked bookstore setting with its carriage house, and the premise that friends can be family even through the slimmest of ties. And I liked how cutesy the book club name contest gets. Makes me wish there were a bookstore like this, with a book club like this, close by.

The Break-Up Book Club is a light read, so add it to your pile for those warm lazy summer days where you feel like you should be doing something but would rather not.

drey’s rating: Pick it up!

I'm just not liking this and it isn't holding my attention at all. I think there's just too many characters for me to care about and I'm not drawn to any one of them enough to pull me through the story. Also, I thought the book club would be much more prominent, and it might be later, but we've barely seen in a quarter of the way in. There's also a decent group of book club members who I feel like I don't really know/are unimportant. Unfortunately, I think this is just the case of too many characters, but none of them really felt connected to each other - even though I know they are, so I didn't really care.

I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

A feel good and chaotically funny book about a multigenerational book club that becomes close through all of their mishaps. There was a lot of different things going on in this book that could be confusing at first because of the multi narrators. However, in the end all the different crazy stories is what makes you want to keep reading because you have to find out what happens to each story.

This book would be the perfect beach read cause I couldn't put it down. There was some romance in this book, but it was not the main premise. This book will definitely warm your heart and be a fun read.

This was a cute and quirky story with its of heart.

I loved the development of relationships and friendships and people. How characters developed because of their experiences and were therefore able to connect with others.

My main concern is too much mention of weight and commentary that can be viewed as fatphobic.

I really enjoyed this book by Wendy Wax. I have read others by her and have found them to be both entertaining and thought provoking and this one is also. All of the main characters, who belong to the same book club, suffer some form of break-up trauma from getting left practically at the altar to widowhood. The relationships range from couples, to in-laws, to parents and children. The characters come from diverse backgrounds but become good friends and support each other through their troubles, offering advise and shoulders to cry on. Several of them decide to dabble in on-line dating and this leads to them coming together to solve a problem. The story encompasses all the emotions of relationships -- the funny, sad, sweet, and romantic. Almost any book about book stores and book clubs is OK with me and this one had great characters and storylines.

I was drawn to this book immediately because I love a good book about books and people who love books. I thought that the female friendships and empowerment sounded great too. I initially was a little thrown off by the different perspectives and it took me a few chapters to keep everyone straight. I wanted to like this book, but it was definitely a middle of the road read for me. I didn't hate it by any means, I didn't love it. I think that each character had way too many outlandish scenarios going on and there were moments where characters had nearly identical situations happening among them that really kinda made me cringe a little. I didn't really like most of the characters and didn't really feel sympathetic towards them. And overall, this book had way too much going on and I'm sure it's meant to feel like we are getting to know each character, but each of these characters could have had a separate book for their story and that would have made more sense.

Excellent book! I was feeling a little overwhelmed and decided to try and distract myself with a book. This book was perfect. Not only did it distract me but I read it all the way through. It is such a good book. The ladies were so different from each other I couldn’t wait to see how they would end up. I hadn’t read anything by Wendy Wax in awhile so I headed over to Amazon and made a few purchases. Like I said this book was so good I preordered a couple of copies for friends. Thanks for the chance to reacquaint myself with a wonderful author!

The love of book clubes and female friendships is explored in this summer read. Jazmine, Judith, Erin and Sara have one thing in common - their book club at a their local bookstore in which they share literature, broken hearts and more than a little wine. Jazmine is a single mom trying to find balance in her life. Judith is an empty nester reexamining her marriage. Erin is dealing with her fiance's cold feet and the wreckage there and Sara is living with her mother-in-law who isn't the biggest fan while her husband is away at work. Will these friends find a way through their problems?

This is a lovely story about friendship, identity and most importantly, books and our love of them. This is a fun beach read for women this summer.

The Break-Up Book Club was such a fun change of pace from my usual serious reads, and I enjoyed it wholeheartedly.

What I Liked 🌿

✨I so loved the friends that become family element. I found myself longing for friendships like the ones shared in this book.

✨It’s a book about books and book clubs and people that love books. What’s not to love?

✨I was thoroughly entertained by the lovable and quirky cast of characters and their shenanigans.

What I Struggled With

✨This is completely subjective, but I’m not at all a fan of the way twins are depicted as attached at the hip eccentrics here.

✨The plot was a bit predictable at times, but I still really had fun with this read.

A special note: The 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 message from the author is devastating and heartbreaking. She has my sympathies and my gratitude for producing such a charming and heartwarming read at such a difficult time in her own life.

My thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. This will be in stores on May 18, and you’re going to want to grab your own copy.