From the cover and blurb, I thought this was going to be a sapphic rom-com. It’s not. It’s Edi’s journey to realizing her fiancé is a jerk and accepting that maybe she’s not straight after all. The publisher isn’t doing anyone any favours by comparing this book to the likes of Written in the Stars and marketing it as funny and romantic.

The story opens with Edi and Rowan getting engaged. Soon after, Rowan suggests they open the relationship for three months and see other people, since they’ve been together forever and were each other’s first. At first, Edi is mostly mad at him, then she meets Fred, a woman who makes her rethink how she sees herself.

When I realised the story wasn’t what I thought it would be, I was worried for a while, especially after reading reviews, but I still wanted to read till the end. Earlier reviews mention a transphobic line that’s not in the version I read so hopefully that was fixed. There are a few offensive takes on other topics, most of them from Rowan, establishing his jerkness. I don’t know if they were all necessary but they did the job, I hate Rowan, I don’t understand why Edi stayed with him for so long. At first, she appears very meek but she’s a work in progress, and I like some character growth in my books. The book delivered on that, Edi isn’t the same person at the end of the story as she was at the beginning.

The best part of the book is the group of friends. They argue and disagree and support one another unconditionally. I also really liked Fred, she’s gorgeous and exciting and kind. She’d make an interesting MC in a real rom-com.

I received a copy from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

This one really wasn't for me.

Edi and Rowen are engaged. He requests a break to date other people. During that period Edi meets Winifred, and questions what she wants from life, and who she wants to be.

I like the idea of having a queer romance, easy read type story. The challenge is though that it has to be aware of the world in which the book is produced, and have some element of reality, and pushing boundaries. The 'coming out' scene was particularly painful to me, as it felt like something that would happen in the 1990s, not 2022. I am almost certain a group of 20 somethings today but not bat an eyelid at someone having a same sex relationship. In the whole friendship group in particular felt generally immature, and just unlikeable.

I think I also struggled with having so much time devoted at the beginning to the heterosexual relationship. It tried to make me care about them as a couple, which just served to make me dislike Rowen when he asked for the break. I think starting with them going on the break may have been something that resonated better with me.

Overall this was just a bit of an annoying book. What could have been queer chick lit, fell flat.

Thanks to Net Galley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review

Based on the synopsis I expected this to be a break-up novel and/or sapphic rom-com and was really excited for that. Unfortunately, the book somehow ended up being neither ?!

Most of the book actually focuses on Edi and Rowan. However, I really, really disliked Rowan, so I didn’t care about Edi’s relationship with him.

The female love interest, Fred, doesn’t really come in properly until half way through the book and we don’t get to spend enough time with her at all. During the short moments we get, there was hardly enough romance there to make me feel invested.

Also, quite early on in the book there is a transphobic comment (it is being referred to as ‘next-level deception’ on a date) which was somehow completely ignored by the protagonist. That comment and lack of a response felt super unnecessary and left a bad feeling for the rest of the reading experience.

However, I do have to say that this is quite a quick and easy read and I liked Edi’s friend group and the emphasis on female friendship.

So I think if you go into the book with different expectations, you might enjoy it a lot more than me!!

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

I loved this book. Really loved it. I loved the friendship group, I loved the MC finding herself, I loved the author being confident to give her an alternative love interest. Not going to lie I REALLY wanted Edi to end up with Fred but for me the book was a great read and i really wanted it to continue. More please

It was a good book, but ultimately it was marketed wrong. I loved how strong and empowering the friendship between the girls were throughout, but the sapphic romance which was advertised was practically non-existent. I feel like if that was focused on a bit more it would be rated higher. Maybe a sequel?

If you want a sapphic romcom, save yourself some time and don't read this book. I saw the synopsis and I thought that I had to have this book. I was in for the drama and the cute sapphic romcom vibes. Except the only thing romcomish about the book is the cover, which is cute. Honestly, it just feels like a straight woman wrote this to get her kudos in with the queer community, but nothing could feel more violently straight than this attempt at a love story. The chemistry was non-existent. Honestly, I've got more chemistry with the IRS than Fred and Edi have with each other.

This book is about love (Rowan and Edi) and romance (Edi and Fred), sure, but what it really comes down to, in my opinion, is friendship—the relations we have with others AND with ourselves.

I really enjoyed this book and was gripped throughout. The plot and the characters were really good, I would recommend

I rated this book 2.5 stars but rounded up to 3.
If you want to read a book where our main character is finding herself, figuring out what she wants in a relationship, and learning about her sexuality- then this book is for you!

As I was reading this story, I kept waiting for the romance and it never came. I was really excited when Winifred or should I say Fred, was Introduced because it was so cute how the main character, Edi and her met. I was 60% through the story and I wanted to DNF because nothing was catching my interest. Romance isn’t the main thing in this book, which I went in thinking it was.

*Minor SPOILER*

The only part where I felt excited was when Fred and Edi see Rowan. That short exchange got me really happy… and then it ended.

I also really enjoyed the sections with her group of friends. They were all different and approached the situation differently- but at the end of the day they wanted what was best for Edi, and that’s amazing!

Thanks to NegGalley and publisher for this ARC.

I expected more from the story so all in all I was disappointed. I wanted there to be more angst from the break up and more of a love story between Edi and Fred, but what you get instead is rather a story about friendship, which is fine, but not really the story I was hoping for.

Thank you to Net Galley for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

“The Break Up” by Charlotte Barnes was an interesting book full of love and self discovery.

Edi Parcell has been with one guy her whole life, she thoughts she would marry him. After a conversation with his parents, he decides he and Edi should have a “break” in their relationship and do a little bit of exploration. Rowan meets a few girls, Eli’s supposed to meet a few guys… we readers know how this goes. Edi meets Fred instead, Winifred that is. A nude art model/barista, who is definitely a lesbian.

The premise if the book was very interesting, but the execution was a little bit slow for me. It takes a while before Fred is even introduced, and Edi and her don’t have much interactions for a large portion of their scenes. Sometimes, I didn’t quite understand why this book was marketed in the category that it was - there weren’t that many LGBTQ+ moments, there were definitely more applicable categories. As someone who likes fast paced novels that keeps me hooked (so that I read it in one sitting) this book was slow.

If you like build up, taking things slow, and the MC discovering comfort with herself, this is the book could be for you.

Dang, I'm really missing the mark here on the ARC's I've been requesting and receiving. I swear I'm never a DNFer!! Well, this was a book... a book that was very misleading from the synopsis. I didn't even realize the low star reviews until I finished the book and was happy others felt the same. I got about 30% through and decided it was time. Thank you for the copy in exchange for an honest review!

I felt a bit misled by this book. The title, the cover and summary all led me to think it would be about a woman falling in love with another woman. While there’s a bit of that, it’s really a journey of self discovery and identity. In that respect, it’s pretty good but not what I signed up for. The flashbacks/timeline were a bit of a challenge to keep straight. And, Edi’s first time with a woman wasn’t believable to me. This is a woman who talks and overthinks everything yet after being intimate with a woman, there’s no real commentary on how she feels about it or how the sex was etc. instead she’s concerned how her friends will take it…her friends who are super feminists and one of whom is an out lesbian. It didn’t track for me. One thing I did love was her friend group – in many ways, the focus on her friendships was refreshing. There were too many of them but it was a fun, energetic dynamic. Overall, I would only recommend this if you’re looking for a story of self discovery.

Short Summary: Edi and Rowan have been together since grade school. After proposing, Rowan suggests they take 3 months and explore being with other people since they’ve only ever been with each other. Edi reluctantly says yes and embarks on a journey to determine who she is and what and who she wants.

Thanks to Netgalley and HQ. ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

First off this book is marketed as a sapphic book and it's not that it isn't, but she is still with her fiance for most of the book and it never gives a good reason why. She should have broken up with him when he cheated on her in college. He's also just a massive dick the entire book which adds to why she should have dumped him sooner.

On the romance aspect of the book, it was not fleshed out at all. Fred just sort of seemed to be there whenever Edi needed her but they never actually progressed much. I wouldn't have a problem with this if it weren't for the fact that the author themselves calls this book a romantic comedy which it is definitely not.

The story also doesn't end in happy ever after which is a requirement of a romance book.

There is also a transphobic line from a guy that she goes on a date with and it is so unnecessary.

I received an arc through netgalley.

I had really high hopes for this book and got so excited when I got the ARC but unfortunately this book wasn‘t for me but that‘s okay because we all have different tastes.
The writing style is really easy and I got through the book very quickly. It‘s set in England, which I always love, but in this case I didn‘t get the same comfort feeling as I normally do.
Right after what first sounds like a dream proposal, Edi finds herself in an open relationship which suddenly turns everything upside down. It‘s a lot for Edi and the book then focuses a lot on the relationship with her friends - they are a group of 6 and somewhow I really struggled to remember who is who, as their characters aren‘t really special and feel a bit boring. I think this is one of the main things that I don‘t like about the book. I just couldn‘t connect with her friends.
The only character that I really liked is Fred and she gave me some really good and deep quotes to think about. I wished there was more of it in the book.
I also think that the ending was a bit rushed.

Nevertheless I‘m glad that I got to read it in advance!

CW: transphobia

Edi Parcell, recently engaged, is shocked when her fiancé proposes a three-month break to explore outside of their relationship. Upon entering the dating scene after being with only her childhood sweetheart for years, Edi meets Winifred and finds herself unexpectedly developing feelings for her. Now Edi must make a decision: return to her old relationship, or continue with Winifred.

Unfortunately, <i>The Break Up</i> just didn’t do it for me. Like so many others I was really hoping to enjoy this book! I’m newer to the romance genre and the synopsis sounded so good – I was expecting a sapphic romcom. However, this is not what the book is about at all.

First, for the superficial reason: I couldn’t get behind Edi as a character. She felt like a doormat to everyone in her life (fiancé, family, friends), and she even identifies herself as ‘The Reassurer’. Not every FMC needs to be a badass, but Edi continuously let the opinions and wants of others outrank her own and I found that very frustrating to read. Now, by the end of the book she’s got a bit of backbone, but personally there wasn’t enough character growth for my liking.

Second, the more critical reasons: The pacing of The Break Up is incredibly wonky. I found if difficult to follow how much time had passed, especially between chapters, and it took me out of the reading experience trying to figure out the chronology.

Additionally, the book is very heavily based in British humour and stereotypes. This might make it bearable for people familiar with or like one or the other, but at times it felt cringy to read what I felt was an overuse of semi-retired British vernacular and phrases – it reads a bit like a British caricature. That’s not to say there’s anything wrong with that style, it’s just entirely not what I was expecting, nor was it something I was interested in reading.

Lastly, I’m not even going to touch on the transphobia portion because honestly, I don’t see why I should have to justify that transphobia is bad and we shouldn’t have that representation in books. You can use other opinions/character traits to make a character dislikable without making them transphobic.

<i>Thank you to NetGalley and HQ Digital for providing me with a copy of this book in return for an honest review.</i>

Ended up a DNF this book. I do not want to continue reading something with a transphobic comment. Very disappointing.

I don't know how I managed to read this book without giving up. It was advertised as a sapphic book that would focus on a wlw relationship when it in fact didn't. The plot mostly involves around Edi and Rowan's relationship (straight couple) rather than Edi and Fred's. The plot could have been so much more interesting had the book focused more on the sapphic relationship that we're told this book has based on the cover.
Also, let's not forget the transphobic comments that were totally unnecessary and even though the person who said this is seen as a shitty guy, there is absolutely no reason as to why Edi wouldn't even blink an eye.
Frankly, I gave up on this so many times, and it took me so long to read because it got so boring at times and I was just waiting for something (the tiniest thing) to happen between Edi and Fred.

Edi is ecstatic when her longtime boyfriend pops the question but her bubble is burst when he asks for three months to sow some oats by opening their relationship. She agrees reluctantly and tries a few new things for herself, after meeting Fred, aka Winifred.
This was an ok read but not what I had expected from the blurb. It is more about Edi’s own self discovery, realizing what she truly wants for herself going forward. I was expecting more of a queer romance and this was not it. Overall well written and I did love her friend group, though there were quite a few of them and hard to keep straight.

I expected a humorous sapphic romance / romcom but what I got was more of a story about friendships, breakups, relationships M/F and F/F and finding yourself. I think I’ve read all of this author’s books and although I am not a reader of this genre I really enjoyed this book. The main protagonist is Edi and the book is an examination of her feelings and her lack of self belief. The support of her 5 close friends, Fred and to a lesser extent her parent all facilitate the journey to her finding herself and regaining her self worth.

Briefly, Edi and Rowan have been together since school and are engaged to be married. But when Rowan suggested they have a trial open relationship for 3 months Edi agrees. It soon becomes clear that Rowan is taking full advantage of it whilst Edi really isn’t interested. That is until she meets Fred. Fred is a female life model and artist who leads a bohemian lifestyle and she is just what Edi needs.

Having read a couple of the other reviews as I was posting this I felt I had to come back and say I feel some of them were a bit harsh, at the end of the day it’s a story and I thought an enjoyable one. The characters were on the whole well defined although I wanted more of lovely Fred and rather less of idiotic and tiresome Rowan. A pleasant and light read ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️