“There were hypotheticals coming at me like teenage boys at a house party.”

The narrator’s voice grabbed me pretty quickly and kept me engaged. Her way of speaking made me nostalgic for the conversations with my British gal pals from summer camp. The narrator’s tight knit group of lady friends was one of my favorite aspects of the book. Despite the number of women, they all had distinct personalities so I knew who was talking, even if they weren’t clearly identified.
This book seems, at first glance, like a romance, which isn’t usually the first thing I reach for, but I am also interested in queer folks in literature, so I tried it. The reality is that this is more of a self-love romance (if that is a thing). It boils down to this: the main character gets engaged, her fiance (who she’s been dating since they were kids) decides that, before they get married, they should have an open relationship, because they’ve only ever been with each other. She has a decent reason for going along with it, even though she’s not really into the idea. It unfolds, almost how you’d expect, with the narrator curious about how her fiance is getting along, and learning more than she’d like. Her friends (who are wonderful, maybe Sex in the City, maybe Bridget Jones quality) decide fair’s fair, and set her up with online dating. That also goes about how you’d expect, and then she meets someone organically who catches her eye.

I read most of the book in one night because I had to know how she planned to handle the fiance. Once that was decided, I enjoyed the coast to the finish, and was pleasantly surprised by how it ended (in a good way).

There are a few aspects of this book that I did not enjoy, and stem from my need to psychoanalyze fictional characters (“Why did you make that decision?” “Why are you still agonizing over what to do when the answer seems pretty clear?”). On the other hand, it speaks to the fact that I was pretty invested in the characters because I wanted to know more about why they were making the choices they did.

The other aspect of the book that made me bristle a little involved the main character. She is described multiple times as beautiful, gorgeous, etc, (by others) which made it hard for me to like her at times because she is (in classic pretty girl fashion) super insecure about her looks. However, at the same time, most all women are insecure about their looks, so that is a relatable characteristic. What made this book worth the star rating, is that she became more aware of her beauty and her power (which is why self-love fiction should totally be a category).

There was some repetitive language that I wish had been described better in the beginning so that when it kept popping up I had a better sense of the main character’s head space in the moment.

I liked the subtle “what-ifs” and reflections that felt pretty natural as the narrator worked through the how she felt about women (though she used the word ‘gay’ where I would have used other terms, but maybe that’s nuanced and regional?). I also thought she did well to convey the deep-seated fear folks have about coming out.

I would love to see another book about the main character’s journey of self discovery or a story about one of her friends where girl power continues to be the central theme.

I really enjoyed the friendship dynamics between Edi and her friends. I loathed Rowan. The story was fine. I wasn't particularly captured by the characters or plot. I understand why it ended the way it ended, but I didn't like it. All this alone would have landed this read 3 stars, However, my biggest issue with this book is the way they discussed trans identities with regards to disclosing and dating. It is not okay to describe transness as "next-level deception" in any context.

I blitzed through this book over the weekend as I just could not get enough. Light and witty I enjoyed every second. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

4/5 stars

This book felt like a breath of fresh air. While I am a romance-lover at heart and enjoy classical romantic comedy storylines, this books focus on friendship and self-worth made it an unexpectedly meaningful and warming book. While the tone was light-hearted of the book was light-hearted with the witty characters, a gaggle of good-intention yet hilarious friends, and a loveable main character, it also held a lot of depth to it. I have yet to come across a woman nowadays that doesn't feel pressure about their appearance, who they should date (whether that is from people around them or a culture of heteronormativity), and has struggled with feeling self-worth. This is the aspect of Edi's story that I was completely captivated by and enjoyed the most. It felt genuine, a little awkward at times but overall showed her to be a strong and capable woman despite making mistakes. I really did grow to love her by the end.

While I loved Edi, the unsung heroes of this book are definitely her group of friends. No matter what Edi was going through, she was surrounded by a loyal, charming and hilarious group of women to support her. Their banter was fun and witty, their friendship dynamic was chaotic but relatable, and they added a whole lot of warmth to the story. In the end, I really think the friendships were the beating heart of this boom, which distinguishes it for me from a traditional romance arc. While Winifred (Fred) and Edi had a sweet relationship and great chemistry, the focus of the book was never on the romance but on Edi's own journey and the support of her friends. This made the book a loveable, heartwarming and charming one to read.

The Break Up is a book on the gutting yet liberating journey of Edi Parcell’s self discovery and worth.

Thrown for a loop when her fiancé suggested a three months’ break to scratch any itches before their wedding, readers are taken on a rollercoaster ride of emotions with Edi’s anguish and doubts, witness her back and forth, lament her self deprecating behaviour and cheer her eventual growth.

Eli’s headspace was a difficult place to be in, her questionings and struggles will make you root for her. As this book is largely centred on Eli’s growth; friendships, exploration of her sexuality and romance share and form parts of her growing process.

I just reviewed The Break Up by Charlotte Barnes. Thank you NetGalley and Haper-Collins Publisher for the ARC.

I had the absolute best time reading this book and I can't wait to devour
Edi and Winifred have insane chemistry from the beginning, and the friction between them was everything that it needed to be for this book to be so damn satisfying.
I was so engrossed I couldn't stop reading it. I loved all the characters, the writing, the storytelling, the setting... Its all so perfect.
The pacing is also well done, I went through this book so fast, I couldn’t wait to see how this story ended.

HQ Digital,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review closer to pub date.

Who doesn't need to read a book about a character finding herself with the help of 5 audaciously helpful friends, loving parents, and a woman that returns her zest for life? The main is a mess of contradictions- she's like a fractured mirror of all the parts of her fiancé she never wanted to be and it takes the book for her to build the courage to be a better reflection of herself. It's a wonderful journey where you are gonna laugh and most definitely cringe and swoon and laugh some more. It's a quick read and you'll enjoy the group chats, lady nights, impromptu weekend always, and the journey from straight to gay-ish! Haha!

Flirty and fun!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read a digital arc in exchange for my feedback.

I was suprised by this book in a really good way, I was expecting the classic romantic comedy and although it was that it was also way more than that it was raw, relatable, uplifting, lighthearted and heartwarming. I couldnt out it down and I loved it.

At its core this is a coming of age story centring around Edi Parcell who is going through somewhat of a quarter life crisis. This is definitely not a formulaic romance fiction so if you're looking for the usual tropes we've come to know and love then you need to look elsewhere.

Edi basically has an absolute turd of a partner but this is balanced out by the best thing about this book... the amazing female love and support - more of this please!

I love the heart of this story which is essentially about acceptance, allowing people to be themselves, giving them room to grow and making no apologies about who they are. This is way more at the forefront than the romance element.

Essentially this is not what I expected but I loved it. I gave it a very rare 5/5 for romance fiction but I loved the sentiment so much and couldn't put it down once I started reading it.

I really enjoyed this but I wouldn’t class it as primarily a romance - it’s more of a mid-twenties coming of age novel (is that a thing?) where the protagonist has immense character growth, a delightful band of close friends and is engaged to the most infuriating man in literary canon. It’s a lot less about the queer relationship than I wanted going in and I think the blurb and cover imply. So maybe a five stars if it had been pitched to me as a different novel, but four because I personally wanted more of a focus on a romance between the two female characters. I did really like all the characters save Rowan and I thought it was well plotted and paced.