This book grew on me. At first I found Fallon to be annoying & obsessed with getting back into her friend group after they ghost her. However, I came to like her as the book went on and we got more of her backstory about why her friends were so important to her & why the fear of rejection was such a big issue. There are some genuinely funny parts to the book - the final soccer game had me in tears of laughter - but mostly, it’s about how our friendships sustain us & how they evolve over time.

The Friendship Breakup was such a good book! It really looked at issues that moms (and all people, really) face today. It took a look at marriages, friendships, gossip, feeling excluded, and everything in between. Fallon is flabbergasted when her best friend, Beatrice, suddenly stops talking to her. She tries to figure out why and tries to win her friendship back. This book really evoked a lot of feelings. I've had friendships that I thought would last forever fall by the wayside, and this helped me realize that maybe it was meant to be that way. Fallon grapples with a lot of things, but I felt like it was done in a real way. That's not to say this was all heavy. There were times when I laughed out loud because of things and situations that arose and other times where I found myself feeling angry at Fallon or her friends. Overall, this was a quick, wonderful read!

Thank you to the author and publisher for my e-ARC of this book. It releases on February 7, 2023.

Whether you admit it or not, this is the reality with female friendship. At some point in your life, you have experienced this, regardless of which side you were at. This is familiar and very relatable.

Big thanks to the author for creating this amazing story. I really enjoyed it, I was rooting for Fallon, I think she's a very likeable character. This book is amusing and insightful in my opinion. I love that there is a happy ending, realization and fulfillment of dreams. This is a debut novel and I am sure the author will have so many more amazing stories to tell in the future!

Thank you Netgalley and Alcove Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a pretty quick read despite all the drama. Or maybe because of it?
Fallon's life is falling apart. She is trying to start a chocolate business, but her best friend Beatrice is ghosting her which is causing tons of stress. This friendship drama turns all her friendships into drama, which leaves her to figure out if they're worth fighting for. To me? Absolutely not. I cannot tell you how many times I wanted to smack the friends treating her so poorly. However, I also wanted to smack Fallon multiple times. GIRL. There are people in your circle who are there for you, why are you fighting for these B's? But as you learn more about Fallon and her past you also learn why Fallon can't just let this go. Fallon's character really grows throughout this which was awesome to see. There are multiple hints at who she was before she was a mom and living in suburbia and she sounded like a badass. Fallon seemed to have gone full circle. She was a badass, lost herself a little trying to be friends with the popular moms, and then went back to being a badass.
Full disclosure, I am not a mom, so I don't know how mom drama goes. This SEEMS like it's accurate based on my limited knowledge...and that knowledge being me having seen Bad Moms 1 and 1 multiple times. But even if it's not accurate it's a fun read.

What I didn't care for was Fallon's inner dialogue being snarky and also super clingy...but never sharing any of the comments one way or the other. It seemed like the author wanted her to be sarcastically funny but still endearing but it came across instead like she was insincere and sometimes just mean. And while I wanted her to be mean to the moms who were mean to her, it was directed at the characters who didn't deserve it.

Definitely a cute, fun read. Especially for moms (I assume), fans of Bad Moms movies, Workin' Moms tv series, Modern Family.

This book was an enjoyable, quick read. I liked that this book approached a subject not often talked about, but a common, painful experience we all go through at some point - the Friendship Breakup. It made me think of a less dramatic, low stakes episode of Desperate Housewives. The author explores the dynamics of adult female friendship, and the ways we learn to balance friends and family and careers all at once. I found parts to be cliche at times, but other parts I found really charming. Overall it was a fun read!

I made it 30% and then had to dnf it. I really do try hard not to dnf a book, but I just couldn't get into this story and the characters. I kinda figured out the trope and it's one I'm not a big fan of.

This book is so special to me. Few books shed light on the real heartbreak of a friendship breakup. Other themes explored include reinventing yourself at forty, following your dreams, and spreading joy. It's meant to be healing and hopeful, with a little lighthearted humor.

Thanks to NetGalley who provided me with an advanced ebook read!

This was an absolutely incredible book, which hit home a lot as someone who has gone through a friendship breakup this year. Fantastic character development (or lack of... for certain people) and a solid storyline keeping the book together. It's one of those books that many can relate to, and you notice certain characters' pet peeves, but it's realistic to how friendships outgrow one another and how hard it can be to "fit in" to social circles.

Excellent writing - it made me laugh, cry, question my life choices... definitely deserves to be published and I won't be surprised it it ends up as a lit-fiction best seller as it's marketed towards the right bracket of people. I'm not even a mother but found myself loving the book like many other mum's on Goodreads are!

This is a new to me author and I have to say I am looking forward to reading more by this author! I loved this book

This book was a DNF for me. I tried to finish this book, numerous times. I felt like the main character had such potential. I love the title of the book, but could not get into the sob story of the main character. It felt like she was just whiny and not someone who I would like to rally behind. I want my main character someone who I can root for and see myself in. Sadly, this book wasn’t a favorite of mine.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It did make me sad that Fallon the main character pretty much forced herself upon people that really wasn’t in to her like that. I laughed and got mushy on some parts. AWESOME FLOW OVERALL! Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for this ARC

4 STARS

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Oh my word! This book was emotional , engrossing and an examination of relationships and friendships. It was fun, engaging and unforgettable. It's a strong debut and I cannot recommend it enough, The book follows Fallon Monroe a mother of one who also happens to be a self-help book junkie who is left navigating life minus her best friends. If that isn't enough she joins a friendship app where she has to confront uncomfortable things. How well do we know our friends? Highly recommend!

You can bet I finished this book in a day. It was almost impossible to put it down. Once I started it, I needed to keep reading. I felt a big connection with Fallon, the MC, in certain things . I really enjoyed the entire drama surrounding her and how all the plot was perfectly connected. The writing was just right!!! I appreciate the fact that it was fast-paced and that there were no unnecessary chapters and not unnecessary backgrounds. Everything was just so good!!!

The friendships and how they were fighting ugh I wanted to get into the book and slap people!!! I was like dude stop acting like you're in high-school hahaha, but at the same time I mean I'm in the range of age of the characters and I totally know some adult people can be super immature. But I'm happy to see this wasn't a "let's fix and forget" book because I'd be pissed!!!! Love the fact that the author made the MC grow so much and went to therapy and was able to see her worth too. That's super important!!!

Now, the book isn't perfect. I'll admit that it felt too white for me, I'm sorry haha I'm brown haha... but it felt like this people's problems were more like rich, gorgeous, white people problems haha feels weird to say it. Maybe that's why when I read that it was a fun/funny read, I believed it, but maybe I'm not privileged enough to enjoy certain things or laugh about it. I'm too brown, too normal and too connected to a differnt group of people... I don't relate to women being able to just go out often and I missed some struggle of being a mom, I didn't really see a struggle of motherhood and I feel it was an important mix with the friendships you make as a parent. When reading about motherhood I'm more used to reading of real struggles and maybe I'm the one to blame on that... in this book this moms are too privileged and maybe the amount of mothers who can actually relate to that lifestyle isn't big.

Putting on a balance the good and bad I'd say I do recommend this book!!! It was entertaining and the topics are good. I didn't laugh as i thought I was, not once, but I couldn't put it down and was really good. The topics and the characters were great. The chapters weren't long. The writing was enjoyable for me. I liked the suspense it had at times. I had the good amount of hate for some characters hahaha. I liked it! I recommend it. And I think is really good for a debut author!!!! Can't wait to read more by her.

I am floored by this stunning debut novel by Annie Cathryn. It hits you right between the eyes with real life mama drama that any mother is faced with at any point in their lives. Caring for a young child is one of life's most terrifying and rewarding jobs you will ever have. Trying to navigate friendships with your mom groups is another.

Cathryn has created an amazing main character in Fallon, whom you will feel an immediate connection with. You will feel her pain, the confusion that she faces, and the stress and panic that arises from her friend group that just stopped contacting her. Astonishing friendships that Fallon has nurtured and loved over last seven years, has suddenly dried up. She is left in the dust as the rest of the group plans spa days, lunches, and get togethers. That they love to flaunt on social media, is leaving Fallon spinning and not knowing what to do to save these relationships. Most of us have dealt with a friendship or a group of friends that have suddenly turned on you. You are faced with the unknown of what happened, being left on the outside looking in. A hole being ripped open and dread settling heavily upon yourself, as you come to terms with the adult mean girls.

I found so much joy in reading this book. The descriptions and details that go into Fallon's chocolate making will leave you reaching for a bonbon or a truffle. Friends will come and go, but true friends will always be around no matter what. Thank you to Annie Cathryn and Alcove Press for my copy of this mama drama, that had me hooked from the first page.

Thank you to Alcove Press, NetGalley, and Annie Cathryn for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Okay, so I'll start with this: this isn't the usual type of book that I read. But I really did enjoy this one. We have all been there, getting into a fight with our bestie. When you want to call them, but you know you can't.

This book made me laugh, cry, and get angry, but I think I needed it. I needed this book. In a way it made me feel not alone.

This is a debut book and you wouldn't know that. Annies writing is amazing, She knows how to hold the reader's attention.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

I'm going to preface this review with a warning from me, as a personal preference on my reading. I have come to realize I may not be in the target audience or a big fan of women's fiction. This is not a reflection on Cathryn as a writer, it's a reflection on me and my reading preferences. This may be a book that you will really enjoy and I hope my reading preferences don't deter you from picking it up.

All in all, this is a sweet, heartfelt letter to mom life, the struggles of being a mom, how to handle friendships and chasing your dreams. It's a perfectly fine read, it's just not my cup of tea. :)

fallon, a mother and chocolatier small business owner starts getting ghosted by her best friend, beatrice and consequently, their whole mom/neighbourhood friendship group. she starts going to great lengths to reconnect with her friends and unearths many truths whilst doing so.

i didn't know that "mom-coms" was a thing until i read this book and i was pleasantly surprised by how much i enjoyed it! this book explores the trials of adulthood, friendship and relationships and does so in a realistic way. i loved seeing fallon grow and evolve as a person and within her relationships. i adore anything with complex female friendships and this book explored a side of that which is not often portrayed.

tw: loss of family member, divorce, infertility & infidelity

thank you to netgalley and the author for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Did you ever lose a best friend or a good friend? A friendship gone? One day your laughing, swapping phone calls, part of each others lives and then ..... the friendship is gone. You get a cold shoulder. You calls go unanswered or conversations are odd, peculiar and uncomfortable. You're left questioning yourself. What did I do wrong? What did I say? What happened? You go over the conversations you've had in your head over and over - trying to determine what happened but you can't quite figure it out. Then other friends start to pull away and your left to wonder, what did I do? Am I a bad person? You're left feel alone, abandoned and in general feeling like a shit person. If you have experienced this or seen someone else go through it then this book is for you.

Fallon Monroe's best friend, Beatrice ghosts her and take the rest of the friend group with her. Fallon is confused, anxious and wondering what she did wrong. What happened. In an attempt to fix the broken friendship, she hosts a part that goes terribly wrong. Left feeling lonelier than ever and wanting friends, Fallon joins an app for those looking for friends. She quickly makes two new friends and discovers things about herself, her new friends and her old ones.

This book is full of fun moments and lots of shenanigans. You will laugh and find characters you'd want to be friends with. This is a super fast read you won't want to miss.

Friendships can be the most amazing thing but they can also break your heart. I feel like there aren’t enough books that touch on the friendship dynamic. Reading Fallon’s friendship woes were very relatable. As she went through the different emotions, I could feel them coming off the page. This is a very character driven story and one that has an excellent pace. Being ghosted by a friend is rough, luckily this book isn’t.

A funny and thoughtful story about the breakdown of female friendships with a very relatable and likeable main character. Would make a great book club pick.