I love books about friendships and this was a heartwarming tale of five friends who had known each other since 9th grade when Becca's battle with cancer left her in remission. The kids' spinoff video of Saturday Night Live--called Becca Night Live--kept them laughing and fondly remembering the good times they had. Now, on the Silver Anniversary of this time, they once again meet for a weekend they all assume will be full of wonderful memories. But of course, life is never that easy and each of them have dealt with issues that plague adults--whether it's illness, work-related, or personal. Nothing goes as planned. But we are reminded of what true friendships really do for us; they buoy us up when we are drowning, they rarely judge when we've made a misstep, and they strengthen the bonds of family as a constant. You will probably laugh and cry at this lovely debut.

I can’t say enough great things about this book. The dynamic between the cast and their lifelong relationships are what everyone dreams of when they are young.

The conflict between Becca and Nolan is sadly realistic and at times makes you dislike Nolan but also feel for him. Becca and her friends have been thru this before and saw the devastating effects it had. Nolan was not around during that period in her life and sadly his reactions show a different side to him.

Beth losing her husband after the birth of their child broke my heart but also showed how incredibly strong she is and how strong the bonds of friendship are.

I do wish that there would be a follow up book to see where they end up. What happens with Becca and Nolan as their conflict was never fully resolved.

A lovely, funny, moving book about a group of childhood friends and the evolution of friendship in adulthood. One of the friends in the group has been extremely ill every since she was a child and is celebrating her 25th anniversary since her cancer went into remission and the group decides to spend the weekend together and revive one of their childhood traditions. Told from the perspective of each friend, who just like in real life friendships, have secrets and issues that they keep from each other. that come to head over this reunion weekend. A very interesting character study.

Reading other reader's reviews makes me think that maybe I'm too cynical. The Cast by Amy Blumenfeld is good, but it's not...life changing or super emotional.

The Cast is the story of a group of friends coming together to celebrate Becca Night Live, a silly video the friends made, in their childhood, for Becca who was suffering through childhood cancer. The time period if 15 years later and New York/Upstate New York is the setting. It's got all the makings of a good, friendship type book. Different view points, a secret, an illness, a baby...... But there was something missing for me. Some depth or something. It's not A Little Life, and it's not The Big Chill. It's...a grown-up BabySitter's Club, plus illness and a lot of mention of praying and God.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

A wonderfully written book,full of multi faceted characters which bring it to life.
I couldn't put it down and found myself both laughing and crying in equal measures.
This book is a must read and highly recommended!

Attention: Spoiler! For once I can't avoid going into detail in order to explain my thinking.
I was very happy to get the copy in exchange for an honest review, and now I'm sad to say I stopped reading at 25%. I know fiction can take some liberties but there is limit for everyone, depending on their own life and experience. For me it's the scene at the hospital when Becca was diagnosed again. A cancer patient myself and knowing so many others I can say that it's a life-shuddering moment and you don't feel as Becca does, and Nolan's reaction is completely unbelievable for taking place in a moment like this. The reaction is so constructed in order to make the former great husband a jerk all of the sudden to, so my guess, suit the plot. The author did it before when Becca's best friend visited her when she had cancer before and was in hospital - a reaction just too much to make sense and therefore serve the story, in my opinion. The reader can be kept wondering but never thrown out of a story by questioning and re-questioning sense and understanding.
Obviously it's just me who feels that way, seeing all the other glowing reviews.
I won't post my review except here because my reaction is very personal.

The Cast is a moving novel about friendship, honesty, and relationships. It starts in the early 1990's when Becca, 15, is fighting Hodgkin's Lymphoma, and is supported by her cast, Jordana, Lex, Holly, Adam, and Seth. 25 years later, Becca is in remission and they gather to celebrate her silver anniversary, along with the new cast additions of Nolan, Becca's husband and Sal, Jordan's husband. Over the weekend event, feelings are hurt, friendships are tested, secrets are revealed, and new love is found. What happens when they get back to real life and sort out the events of the weekend?

This book touched me deeply, as I have a friend fighting cancer right now and the casts' reactions in the story are similar to my experiences. The book makes you realize, even if you haven't been in touch daily with a good friend, you will be there when they need you the most or if you need them, the reverse is true. The cast discuss authenticity throughout the book, and how important it is to be your true self. We would all be so lucky to have friends like these who love you no matter what, as long as you are honest and real.

I absolutely loved this book and so will you. It's one of my favorites for 2018. If you're looking for a well told story with characters that you can engage with definitely pick this book up because you will not be disappointed. It's a wonderful story that will stay with you long after the last word is read and it's one of the books that I know I will go back and re read so I can savor it slowly this time. Happy reading!

I’m a glass case of emotion thanks to this book. A literal timeless “cast” of characters that made me laugh, cry, reflect, and angry all wrapped in one story.

Let’s begin with the summary: Via Kirkus Review

“Becca, Jordana, Lex, Seth, and Holly are all about 40 years of age. They’ve been friends since childhood, and they all banded together when Becca was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma as a teenager, and they stayed connected through her treatment and into adulthood. As the 25th anniversary of Becca’s cancer remission approaches, Jordana decides to get the gang back together and throw a reunion party. What’s supposed to be a lighthearted weekend of reconnection, however, quickly goes off the rails. Becca’s marriage is on the rocks, as an unexpected health crisisdestabilizes her world. Holly, who’s preparing to have her first child, is beginning to question her strict religious lifestyle. Jordana struggles with unresolved emotions regarding Adam, her high school ex-boyfriend and Holly’s current husband. Lex is coming to terms with her own unhappy marriage just as she begins to have feelings for Seth. In the end, the members of the group must decide if their friendship is still strong enough to keep them together.”

I greatly appreciated the level of character depth Amy Blumenfeld created for each individual character. I felt each character was very well written and she left no rock un-turned with their stories and strong personalities. I can look at each character and felt I understood them because of how well-developed they were and their stories were unique in their own ways. Yes, the story sparked due to Becca and her illness but from it stemmed stories of others that displayed love, loss, and rebirth of life.

Becca is strong, bold, and full of fight and in the end it wasn’t an illness she was fighting with, but a fight for her marriage. The rest of characters each had their own stories of loveless marriage, past love connections, infertility, religious values, job changes, and over all learning their place in the world at the present while clinging to the past. There were many layers to this book and I highly enjoyed wrapping myself in each. I was genuinely surprised at times, I did shed a tear or two, and there were times where anger was invoked within me. That’s a pretty nifty talent for a writer to have, invoke so many emotions within their readers.

Thank you Get Red PR and Spark Press for the gifted copy of this book.

When Becca was 15, she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Her four friends- Jordana, Holly, Lex, and Seth make a Saturday Night Live-styled video (Becca Night Live) to cheer her up. 25 years later, the five, now well settled and happily married (except Seth), decide to meet again to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Becca Night Live.

A lot has changed over the years. Lex is stuck in an unhappy marriage, while Jordana is managing the house, in-laws and her career. Becca and Nolan have a happy married life until Becca, on her yearly follow-up, is told that she has breast cancer. Nolan and Becca have their own opinions about the reconstruction surgery – Nolan wants Becca to go ahead with reconstruction surgery while Becca just wants to get over with cancer and never return to the hospital. Holly and Adam have been desperately trying to have a child and after numerous IVF failures, Holly is finally pregnant. Holly and Adam, both being Jewish, follow the religion strictly. Holly is now in a dilemma about her unborn child – should the child follow strict Jewish traditions?



I started reading this book post dinner and I just couldn’t put it down! There is something about the story that keeps you hooked to the book until the end. It is the story of resilience (Becca fighting cancer), the story of love (Holly and Adam), the story of friendship (Jordana) and the story of finding the right one (Seth and Lex).

Jordana and Holly grow apart when Holly ‘steals’ Jordana’s boyfriend Adam. It so happens that Holly and Adam are on their trip to Israel and that is when they form a bond. 25 years later. Jordana still cannot let go of the fact that Holy stole her boyfriend.

Nolan acts as a complete ass! He’s more interested in “what his friends would think if Becca doesn’t opt for the reconstruction surgery.” Seth and Lex (together known as Slex) are in a dilemma. Their casual flirting takes a turn when they realize that they are in love.

The ending was a bit abrupt. Too many things happened at once, but that’s okay. The story was engaging, and I just didn’t want the book to end!!! The Cast makes you laugh and it also makes you cry. The story also reminds you of your childhood friends!

The story is ‘as narrated’ by the characters in the book namely Becca, Jordana, Nolan, Lex, Seth, and Holly. I liked this new style of story-telling, it really made The Cast an engaging read.

I cannot choose a favorite character – all are my favorite. Each and everybody has their own struggles but they fight it all, together. Life is so unpredictable and it is explained so well in this book. The ending, especially with Holly and Adam, was heart-wrenching.

The Cast, being Amy’s debut novel, is too good to be true! I absolutely loved this book!

The Cast by Amy Blumenfeld is a poignant look at the strength and bonds of true friendship. Becca is about to celebrate two decades of being a childhood cancer survivor! While she was hospitalized her closest friends made a Saturday Night Live parody to cheer her up. “The Cast”, as they signed off on their broadcast, is now grown up and converging for a reunion to celebrate Becca and the milestone of conquering an illness that changed them all. But will they find their lives changed once again? Life is full of challenges and surprises and the importance of support and perspective is so meaningful in this book. The Cast is full of vibrant and interesting character traits and plots without becoming cumbersome. It also deals with some heavy subject matter but remains a light and entertaining read. I was so impressed to hear this is a debut novel - making Amy Blumenfeld one to watch! I am looking forward to more of her writing and highly recommend this book, The Cast, to all my friends. I received an ARC, but all opinions are my own.

You have to wonder about how life treats us and changes us. If Becca hadn’t gotten cancer, would these friendships have weathered the test of time or would they have become simply leaves on the wind?

There’s no answer because Becca did get cancer and bonded this quintet of friends for life. Her illness and treatment affected each and every one of them in different ways. As they come together to celebrate Becca’s 25th anniversary of remission, they are finally able to begin their own healing as they face the truth of how Becca’s cancer changed their own lives.

Memories. Laughter. Tears. Insight. Forgiveness. Bonding. This book has them all and then some. At times delightful and other times heartbreaking, this is a read you shouldn’t pass up.

The book starts from character Becca’s point of view. We are in the present, and she is picking her seven year old daughter up from the bus stop. She just hung up from a call that clearly filled her with dread, and when they get back home Becca calls her husband, Nolan, to relay the information to him. We are then told there is a party the following weekend, being thrown by Becca’s best friend Jordana, in celebration of Becca. This set up is quick but not rushed, and Amy Blumenfeld incorporates such realistic dialogue that flows easily with inner thoughts, monologues, and character history (throughout the rest of the book).

Enter The Cast: Jordana, Holly, Lexi, and Seth. Becca’s high school friends who have drifted apart yet stuck together, some more geographically and physically than others. They are bound by their tight-knit teenage years, during which Becca had cancer. In present time, it’s been twenty-five years since Becca’s friends visited her in her hospital room, and Jordana has planned a weekend away for all of them to celebrate Becca’s health and their friendship. But with that call, everything changes.

Amy Blumenfeld’s writing, as I mentioned above, is so realistic you can’t help but be pulled in, and you can’t help but take sides and imagine what you would do in the situations in which these adults are thrown. In addition to the cancer, we are submerged in the waters of marriage, motherhood, parenthood, happiness, and self-discovery. We see through Becca’s eyes the expectations and standards imposed by healthcare that, with all its advances, hasn’t caught up with knowledgeable and confident 21st century women. We also see the tender portrayal of a mother-daughter relationship and how being honest can take many forms. We see Jordana’s insecurities that have stuck with her since high school, as well as her loyalty and dedication to those whom she holds close. We see Holly’s wise-beyond-her-years personality, and her devotion to family, tradition, and herself. We see Lexi’s perfect life, which, if you are familiar with cliches, is not actually perfect, and we see that starting over in mid-life is a struggle but can lead to beautiful things. We see Seth, who still feels the weight of decisions that have ultimately led him to satisfaction and happiness, which says a lot about how expectations can creep up on us even when we thought they were left behind. And we see Nolan, a man who entered this cast in a much different time, who is battling honesty and truth, and whose childish behavior really exposes how vulnerable tragedies make us at any age, more so when they affect us for the first time.

This story is emotional, it is heart-wrenching, and the characters – like in reality – are complex and far from perfect. They can be unlikable, infuriating, disappointing, but also compassionate, sweet, and surprising. It’s almost unbelievable how well the various plot points come together and how satisfying their differences are; almost unbelievable because well, that’s life. Amy Blumenfeld has created a testament to childhood, adulthood, and what it means to be human, to be a friend, to be a parent. This book is for everyone; if its impact is not clear to you, just wait – for the middle of the story, for the end, or for a time when you seek comfort in the face of the messiness and unpredictability of life.

I loved this story and all of the characters. It tackles hard topics and handles them with grace. The characters are believable and I just overall really enjoyed the entire book.

Thank you Netgalley for giving me the chance to read and review this book early, I will definately be ecommending this to everyone!

I LOVED this book! The Cast pulled me in on the first page and I could not put it down!
A group of friends help one of their own through a serious childhood illness. They stage a reunion twenty five years later when it appears that Becca is healthy and well, extremely bad timing as Becca has just received a serious diagnosis. The story follows the friends through the following year through triumph and tragedy.
I loved the author’s writing style and The Big Chill atmosphere. I also loved how the author created these characters who have stuck together through thick and thin. I really enjoyed the author’s honesty. While Nolan’s reaction to his wife’s diagnosis at first appears selfish, she uses the character of Jordana to illustrate how he may be feeling. Although his reaction makes him an unlikable character it is a true response that some husbands may have.
Although it’s trivial, I have to mention that I loved the name Jordana. I have never heard this name before and wish I had heard of it before naming my kids...lol.
The Cast is s page turner with friendship and drama, it will make you laugh and cry and is well worth the read.
I received an advance review copy. All opinions are my own.

Childhood friends--Becca, Jordana, Holly, Lex, and Seth--reunite 25 years later for a weekend getaway. Will they all get along as well as they used to? Or, has time and distance changed their friendships?

Even though it was Becca who was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma when they were teens, health scare affected all of them in numerous ways and for years to come. Even though there were a large cast of characters and numerous story lines, I didn't have any trouble keeping everyone straight and following along. If you love stories about lifelong friendships, then don't miss this humorous, authentic, and heartfelt debut!

I received an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Location: New York City

Amy Blumenfeld’s The Cast centers around a group of friends — Becca, Jordana, Seth, Holly and Lex — who are bonded and forever touched by Becca’s battle with cancer as a teenager. Though as adults they’re not the tight-knit group they once were, this intense bond brings them back together when life happens. Jordana organizes a 4th of July weekend getaway to celebrate Becca’s 25th year cancer-free, and that’s where we begin.

Life never goes as planned, and their get-together embodies that perfectly. Everyone is hiding something but trying to keep a brave face for the others. When that all breaks down, their friendship shines the brightest and it’s obvious why it has endured so long. It was an easy book to get through, but it wasn’t “light.”

The novel is told through multiple points of view, primarily those of the core five friends, but Becca’s husband Nolan gets a few chapters of his own, too. Through flashbacks and reminiscing, Amy Blumenfeld paints a clear picture of each of their complicated pasts and present. While I thought she did an excellent job creating realistic relationships and situations, on the whole, when they were piled one on top of another, it felt overly dramatic.

Still, I think it would make for an excellent book club discussion as there are a lot of topics to unpack.

THE CAST by Amy Blumenfeld is a tribute to friendship. It follows a set of five friends that met as children and weathered not just their childhoods together but also their dear friend’s illness. The novel captures how that experience resulted in a loss of innocence but also forged a bond that lasted through the years. Each of the friends and Nolan narrate chapters in the story and this framework works well. I found the characters to be well developed but all of them make questionable decisions throughout the novel. This keeps it from reading too heavy. I found Becca and Nolan’s relationship to be a bit exhausting after a while. However, despite that, I stayed up late to finish it and liked the decision the author made on the direction of the story at the end. I love the play on SNL, especially as someone the same age as those characters. I think it was a good debut.

I received an Advance Review Copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I received an ARC of The Cast from Netgalley. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I am a cancer survivor so I identified with Becca and her struggles. I also enjoy reading about life long friendships. Becca's friends are gathering together to celebrate her 25 years of being cancer free and the book details their life together since there were 13. I highly recommend this book.

I really enjoyed this current day, captivating novel! A relatable, colorful group of characters, best friends since childhood, supporting each other through ups and down realities and life events. Emotionally charged and a true page turner. Thank you NetGalley for this advance reader copy, all opinions are my own.