Oh my goodness, this book was so REAL and yet so hilarious. I was laughing out loud, then feeling her pain, and it made me think about my own marriage and friendships. This book is all about relationships- with both friends and spouses- with hilarity, hurt, and a little alcohol thrown in.

Such a beautiful take on how sometimes women's friendships just end there were parts when i laughed and parts where i got emotional.
Thanks to Net Galley I was able to read this book.

Annie Cathryn's "The Friendship Breakup" is a heartfelt, immersive book; a blanket-hugging read full of laughter, emotion and contemplation. Fallon Monroe is such a perfectly unperfect character who finds herself isolated from the mom group, which takes her down a path of deep reminiscing and reflection. Annie's writing is so immersive and inviting, and one feels that you are right there with the characters as the scenes unfold. I connected with Fallon as a young woman in college courtesy of the flashbacks, a daughter fulfilling her obligations and standing up for her friends and herself. The scenes with the therapist are beautifully written, evoking personal thought and reflection. At times, I did feel that I was venturing into the self-help textbook solutions, but our protagonist is a "self-help book junkie." But it didn't take away from the central message that the beauty of life is in the pauses and immersing yourself with what is, even when what should be, doesn't figure out in the chapters. A 5-star read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for inviting me to read this fantastic debut novel. I highly recommend this read for fiction-feel-good lovers.

This was a really entertaining way to process a reality so many people have to face as their lives go into different directions. It had a lot of heart and was very funny at several points.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

“The Friendship Breakup” is a debut novel by Annie Cathryn. I wasn’t sure about this book, but thought that it sounded interesting. If you remember the days of “mean girls” now grown up into “Clique Moms,” this book may bring on flashbacks of all the awkward feels. In this book, our main character, Fallon, has heavily relied upon her Mommy friends to get her through the adventures of raising a chid. However, seemingly overnight her besties desert her and she has no idea why. Could it be her new business adventure? Could it be something she didn’t do? For any woman who has stood outside the Mom clique circle (or been in a Mom clique that has fractured), this is a book you can relate to. This book also reminded me why I preferred hanging out with the Dads when my own offspring were growing up - less (and different) drama! I liked how Ms. Cathryn delved into the multiple layers that go into cliques - from the head women to the gossips to the bizarre way that rumors spread in both cliques, small communities, and social media. There’s a reason I’m not active on social media - and Ms. Cathryn reminded me why! Fallon isn’t perfect - but she admits it. I think in the end that all of the characters have a bit of maturing to do, but the scenes with Fallon’s therapist I rather liked - friends you think are for life, sometimes are for just a season.

Rating: 3 stars

Summary:
Fallon Monroe is a mom, wife and aspiring chocolate store owner. She lives in the suburbs and relied on her other mom friends for support. Little by little, her so-called best friend Beatrice begins to cut her off. As the miscommunication and gaps between her and her 'mom friends' grow, Fallon has to rely on herself to handle an issue from her past. When she downloads a friendship app to attempt to build new connections ... she realizes just how small and interconnected her town is.

Review:
This book does a good job at examining female friendships and how they can fall apart. The drama is relatable and the plot is engaging. It was interesting to watch Fallon find a new version of herself - one separate from college or being a mom.

There were a few times the novel felt a bit too much like those self-help books Fallon is obsessed with. It felt a bit like there were never any stakes for Fallon except finally cutting the cord on some of her friendships. The therapist-patient dynamic was also a too smooth. In the end it felt like Fallon didn't take accountability for her own actions, it was just scapegoated.

*Thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for a free ecopy in exchange for an honest review**

At first I didn't think this book would be relatable not having any children or being married. I was wrong this was a cute book about a woman and her journey to self discovery after years of searching for approval from those around her which was very relatable. I would recommend this book and author as it shows the difficulties that happen in life and the strength to find our goals and achieve those goals from within rather than solely from others.

This was a good story! It was heart warming and fun look at female friendships and their nuances. Not being a mother may have caused some disconnect for me but I was still able to relate and enjoy the story.

This book was cute. A fast read and a nice break from my usual mysteries and thrillers. At first Fallon annoyed me but grew on me a bit. I wanted to read this because it was a topic that wasn’t covered in books often. Ghosting of friendships. It’s usually ghosting of dating. My friend recently had a friend ghost her and she had grave anxiety like Fallon did so this was interesting. Loved the ending but wished the Beatrice friendship had a bit more closure.

The Friendship Breakup
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Romance
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 2/7/23
Author: Annie Cathryn
Publisher: Alcove Press
Pages: 304
Goodreads Rating: 4.70

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Alcove Press and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: Fallon Monroe, mother of one, self-help book junkie, and budding chocolatier, has always relied on her neighborhood friends to get her through the trials of adulthood. When her bestie and friends disappear, she is left pushing down a lifetime of insecurities. First, she hosts an epic Cinco de Mayo party that goes epically wrong. Then she joins a friendship app but discovers a disturbing secret about one of her new friends—a discovery that will test the strength of her loyalty to Beatrice. She reads a recently unearthed letter she’d refused to open decades earlier—and reading it forces her to finally face the deep-seated fears she’d desperately tried to bury. Now, looking at her friendships through fresh eyes, she must decide between hanging on and letting go.

My Thoughts: For a debut novel, this was fantastic. I love the way it peels the onion of women’s friendships, the politics that can surface, the strong bonds united, and exploring motherhood, including the famous mom cliques. The message is that we all need deep rooted community bonds, the important of connecting with others, and being able to stand in your truth, probably the most important. This novel was a literal laugh out loud entertaining read that I just adored. Our heroine, Fallon, is likable, relatable, motivated, but vulnerable, and following her emotional journey was absolutely amazing. The characters were well developed with depth, passion, connection, and creative. The author’s writing style was complex, humorous, endearing, emotional, and engaging. Cathryn’s delivery was brilliant, serious,and funny. While this novel does not release until Feb of next year, I would recommend adding to your TBR now and preordering!

This is a new author to me, and I am glad I took the chance on this one.

The very first paragraph had me saying ..."Been there, felt that"! Exactly relatable, funny and on point. And while there are more humorous sections, for the most part, this is an emotional read. I rarely shed tears in a read, but this one had me grabbing the tissues.

Between these characters, there is a whole lot of drama, misunderstanding, heartbreaking circumstances and tough decisions.
I found myself very invested in their interactions, and quite frustrated with every single one - for (obviously) different reasons. So many missed opportunities to correct the problems!
I kept saying, "Communication People!!", and shaking my head.

Fallon has a lot of emotional baggage to work through and I found her character interesting. I really wanted her goals to become reality.
Max was okay, but I wanted a little more about him. He seemed a little basic for me.
While I didn't (personally) completely agree with the resolution of each relationship, I appreciate the author's ability to craft a good HEA for the main couple.

I recommend this book. I read this in one sitting, as it was hard to stop.
It is full of all the feels, and I'm glad to leave my voluntary review.
My free ARC came from Netgalley and Alcove Press. Thank you!

I’m a bit on the fence - so scoring 3 stars.
Didn’t dislike it but didn’t love it either, I thought the premise of the story was good, the uncomfortable atmosphere as well written and the sadness that Fallon felt.

But things felt out of balance - no time to think, no time for the new business but plenty of time to drink (shots!) weekly with new friends….. alongside a drinking problem that never materialised but was hinted at, culminating with a huge success story of the new business/friends/husband.

If the friendship situation has been the bigger focus then I think it would have been a better read for me, but I would recommend as a holiday read.

The Friendship Breakup by A. Cathryn, published by CLaneBooks/ Alcove Press is the debut by this author. And what a debut that is, a winner when I ever saw one.
Fallon is a heroine the reader can connect very easy with. She's real like they come, loveable. Set in an excellent written, beautiful story, that gives all the feels. Witty and fun is TFB a rom/com of it's finest.

This book got me out of a reading slump! I’m someone who reads multiple books per week usually and I have been having the hardest time connecting with a book lately—until today. I literally read this in just a few hours. It’s a fun and emotional story that I think a lot of women will be able to relate to the friendship dynamics presented.

I laughed and, surprisingly, shed a few tears reading this book. The book is exactly what the title says - it s about the friendship breakup. And woah, I think most readers will find many things relatable about this story, particularly regarding the seasons of friendships we all experience.

We meet Fallon - who is on the cusp of her, oh my word, 40th birthday. She is mostly happily married, has a child and has spent a few years trying to find her place in the "Mom Spa Squad." While never feeling quite like she measures up, Fallon sticks with this group of women through thick and thin until one of them makes the others turn on her.

What happens when two in your group have a falling out? Do the others pick sides? Do rumors spread? And where does social media fit in? Oh, it's a tool for FOMO to the person excluded.

See? Relatable, right? The good news is when you hit the back end of your 40s you really don't care about these types of "friendships" anymore. Even the social media FOMO - that leaves your mind too.

And that's where lovely Fallon finds herself. She thought her friendship to Beatrice meant more, but it turns out Beatrice was wildly jealous of Fallon's life.

There's lots of fun shenanigans, hilarious moments, hard lessons and Fallon finally forces herself to tackle a family issue she's held onto for years. This book has a bit of every emotion there is.

What I loved was the book's point that some friendships aren't meant to be repairable. Maybe the solution all along was to move onward and make new friends.

Thank you NetGalley and Alcove Press for an e-copy of THE FRIENDSHIP BREAKUP to review.

I rate THE FRIENDSHIP BREAKUP five out of five stars.

The best kinds of books are the ones where I laugh out loud but also tear up. Best of both worlds, right? This one hit the spot. thank you netgalley & the publisher for the arc!

Annie Cathryn's debut novel The Friendship Breakup tells a compelling story about the difficulties in navigating changing relationships and a changing self. Fallon is a married mother of one, struggling to launch a gourmet chocolates business from her home and confused by what seems like a sudden ousting from her social group of neighborhood moms. We observe Fallon as she goes to significant lengths to repair the friendships whose fractures she doesn't fully understand at first, as she leans into her friendships outside the rather toxic mom group and learns how to build new friendships. Humorous on the surface, this book dives deep into the complexities of navigating our existing relationships or forming new relationships as our lives and our relationship to ourselves change and grow. I especially appreciated the scenes with characters who helped give Fallon a sense of greater perspective about her crumbling friendships; having experienced abandonment by friends when our personal circumstances diverged even slightly, it was really beneficial to see Fallon talk about her feelings with a therapist and with friends outside the toxic group and receive gentle loving guidance. I think any reader who has struggled with feeling cast aside by once-beloved friends will strongly relate to Fallon.

Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for the opportunity to read this book!

This book was so funny and so relatable. Loved Fallon’s journey to find herself. This #MomCom is a great debut from Annie Cathryn!

Fallon Monroe faces a problem many of us have had to deal with. What happens when your former best buds start to ghost you? “The Friendship Breakup” wryly tackles this subject in Annie Cathryn’s debut.

While some friendships are for life, others are more of the “summer camp” variety. Yet, losing such friends can still be painful in the moment. This book deftly deals with what it’s like to go from insider to outsider in a laugh-out appreciable way. Cathryn’s clever writing pulls the reader along for a bumpy (but enjoyable) ride. Fallon is someone I would want as my friend for life. I do not have kids, but my sisters have told me horror stories about mom cliques.

My thanks to the author, the publisher, and Net Galley for the privilege of reviewing this book.

Unlike some of my fellow reviewers, I did not find this book that humorous. Yes, there were a few amusing events, but the real value of the book lies in its sensitive, insightful exploration of friendship dynamics.

Fallon Monroe is facing a milestone birthday – the big 4-0. Happily married (with a few bumps along the way), she has successfully navigated motherhood with the support of good friends in her suburban neighborhood. Her fledging business as a chocolatier is still primarily a dream, but she has a vision for a boutique shop offering not only delectable confections, but also classes to secure her niche in a saturated market. Trouble arises when she is “ghosted” by Beatrice, her BFF, who manages to turn the once closely-knit group against her. With this unexpected and mysterious twist in her life, her insecurities over her self-worth come to the forefront to be examined and worked through.

I found Fallon to be a likeable and believable protagonist. It was discouraging to see grown women reverting to high school dynamics to gossip and exclude others rather than address their own pain. However, this served the story well as an entertaining read, which also imparted wisdom concerning what drives and sustains friendships. As the author points out on several occasions, people come into our lives for “a reason, a season or a lifetime.” As Fallon evaluates the significant relationships in her life, she becomes more self-aware of her own motivations and learns to forgive and release those that no longer meet the definition of friend. In the end, she finds her happiness and fulfillment in following her dream rather than clinging to the past.

My thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This review is being posted immediately to my GoodReads account and will be posted on Amazon upon publication.