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.

This book was super cute and funny. It was a light hearted read that I found increasingly hard to put down!

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from Alcove Press and #NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Wonderful story you won’t want to put down. Developed characters you’ll feel like you know.

Wow this book was great, could not put it down. Fastest ive ever read a book. Would highly recommend every9ne to read.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC! What a great debut novel! At times the main character was so relatable it actually made me uncomfortable. I felt like I was back navigating high school friendships all over again while reading this. Maybe this book hit too close to home which is why I had to decrease my star rating - but I think the majority of people will end up liking this book

What a debut for Annie Cathryn. This is sure to be a hit in 2023. I have so many mixed emotions after reading this. I think we all have had friendships that have run their course. I am dealing with that personally as we speak as. I am childless and am excluded from many things., because I am not on the "mommy" path, I felt for Fallon, but more so her daughter, who did not know why her best friend wouldn't talk to her and would say mean things. Kids can be so cruel.

Children also don't understand that times change as do people, they also don't understand that they can have friends one day and not the next. Children are resilient and will bounce back, this was a bit harder for Fallon. This book is so relatable in many ways, children or not.

I admired the length Fallon went to save her friendships. She has no idea why her bestie is ghosting her. Fallon is a friend I would want to have. She was doing everything she could to meet her "mommy friends" back.

I loved the Midwest ties as I live in WI. It was a great depiction of the area.

This was an amazing debut and one of the best books I have read in a long team. I hope Annie Cathryn writes more books.

I will be purchasing this for a few friends,

Thank you so much to Netglley and the publisher for my review copy.

Thank you to #NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Friendship Breakup was an easy to read, addictive tale about chocolate-making protagonist’s quest to mend fences after being unceremoniously ghosted by Beatrice, her former best friend, and shunned from her mom’s group. This reminded me of Bravo’s Odd Mom Out mixed with “The Group”, keenly observed and easy to follow and relate to. Fallon’s quest to move on, as well as her observations on the clique she once belonged to, made for enjoyable adventures to read, and she was an easy protagonist to wish well.

This was such a good book. I wasn’t sure what to expect with this one, but I really liked it. I was able to relate to many parts of this book, and I’m relieved that I’m no longer part of those ‘mom cliques’.

The character of Fallon was funny, well developed, and easy to relate to. The book was one I read very quickly. It was easy to read and and enjoyable. Many thanks to the publisher and to Netgalley for the ARC.

A recent request that I decided to start the day I got it, and it's been a while since I read a book in a day, but after some really emotional reads this was a really fun one that I didn't want to put down.

The Friendship Breakup was a really relatable book about navigating friendships and sometimes learning when those friendships have run their course or struggling to cut those ties when you outgrow people. Especially when it's a post children version of yourself. It's something I found really relatable and I'm sure a lot of people with children will do because you're just not the same person anymore. I cut ties with a lot of people when my eldest was born,

I loved how the main character is shown going to therapy and rather than just behind closed doors the readers witness what is said in these sessions and how it helps her come to her conclusions and grow throughout the book. People attend therapy for so many reasons and I love seeing it represented more within fiction and shown as helpful rather than something to keep hush about.

Annie's debut is described as a 'mom-com' and I really enjoyed it. And I loved how it ended rather than trying to wrap it up neatly and everyone being friends again, because it is okay to move on.

Fallon Monroe is a mum of one who loves delving into self help books as well as biggest passion a hopeful chocolatier in the making. When her daughter was born the group of mums bonded the trials and perils of new found motherhood and have navigated it all together throughout the years.

Now that her daughter is older and in school Fallons biggest worry is the feeling that she's now being excluded from the group by her closest friend Beatrice but she doesn't know what she's done to be ghosted so suddenly.

Refusing to take no for an answer Fallon plans ways in order to win back her friends, or their approval?

I loved Fallon and before I knew it hours had passed and I had completely finished the book in one sitting! A quick and lighthearted read that will have you drooling over the descriptions of chocolate throughout so make sure you have snacks handy when you pick this one up!!!

My thanks to NetGalley and Alcove Press for the opportunity to read The Friendship Breakup by Annie Cathryn. Having been ghosted by a friend, this book appealed to me and i was not disappointed.

I'm always in search of books that make me laugh out loud, but when a book can do that and also choke me up, I know I found something special. The Friendship Breakup was highly entertaining, hilarious and moving. Annie Cathryn achieved a perfect trifecta.

A super fun laugh out loud mom-com. As a mom of 2 daughters in their late teens, I thought this story was totally relatable. From the mom moments to the neighborhood friend cliques and everything in between including Fallon's quest for her own identity beyond being a mom, you will see versions of yourself in this book.

There were so many laugh out loud moments, but there were also emotional moments too, a perfect balance.

What an amazing debut!

Talk about a book that hits home...this is it for me! As a mom, I've never related so much to a book as I did this one. My kids are 10 and 8 now, but man it brought back to mind those early days. Not only did it resonate with me because of the stages of motherhood and friendships I've been through, but it's still current for where I am now. I laughed and cried at so many of the situations Fallon found herself in, because I've experienced similar ones. It was equal parts witty, emotional, sarcastic, and real life, which is the perfect blend!
I have no doubt this will be an amazing debut from this author and will have moms everywhere nodding their heads along while reading.

Thank you so much for a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.