What a lovely and heartwarming read. Kay's writing is so utterly relateable that at times I had the distinct feeling of having my thoughts written on the page in front of me (first felt in the line: "I love the peace of a house filled with sleeping people and creatures".) She has written a witty book, putting those raw emotions on to the page that everyone has post-break up (but no-one admits); whilst also delicately navigating other relationships. This is a book about how a 20-something manages a break up and uprooting her life. For me, I was enthralled more so by her relationship with her dad and best friend. An utterly wonderful read and, dare I say, Kay may already be on the 'auto read' author list!

This contemporary took me by surprise, I thought it would be a romcom, but it's more a contemporary about Ally struggling after her girlfriend breaks up with her and then she needs to start over with no job, brokenhearted and living again with her dad. This is definitely not a romance novel, as I originally thought. I was very impressed by Laura Kay's ability to portray the messy reality of getting over a difficult breakup, and for allowing Ally to make many, many mistakes and still we root for her, still her friends and family are there for her. Even though I did not love Ally as a person, I could still very much relate to her, feel for her pain and feel happy for her growth.

The fact that Ally and her friend Jeremy picked up running (for... interesting reasons) was what initially picked my interest, I really enjoy running. I suck at it, but I was very excited to read about someone struggling like I did and eventually coming to really love running. So... I found it rather incredible that she and Jeremy managed to go from couch potatoes to training for a half marathon, not that it's impossible at all, but I did not find entirely believable the way it was done. Maybe I just have the willpower of a wet towel, but I expected more ups and downs on their training, and more details on how exactly they were planning it or tracking their progress. I'm a data nerd, so I had hopes that this would basically give me their training plan, which I admit is slightly too much to expect from a novel. Still, I did not feel that my struggles were shown on the page and it made me wonder if I'm just the worst runner in the world? Probably? Anyway.

Useless rant apart, I actually was surprised by this novel and enjoyed the honest, painful way in which the characters behaved, tried to pick up their pieces and were there for each other. This was more a story about Ally getting over her breakup, and her and Jeremy developing a friendship, about them finding a community of queer people where they felt they belonged, and moving on despite the difficulties.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Split. It was a glorious mix of humour and poignancy with a big dollop of nostalgia for days gone by. The story begins when Ally and her girlfriend break up. This comes as a massive shock to Ally and she leaves London with Malcolm the cat and moves back in with her dad. An old childhood friend, Jeremy, has broken up with his boyfriend and moved back home and Ally and Jeremy get back in touch and start to move on from their past relationships. As well as getting over Emily, Ally needs to find herself a new direction. Many aspects of her 'old' life were not right and definitely were not making her happy.

The Split is written in a very easily readable manner. The story is easy to get into and the style mixes light-heartedness with some emotionally challenging situations. There is more depth than a simple story of moving on from a breakup yet not so heavy that it becomes difficult or tedious. I liked the lead characters and whilst didn't warm to every single person within the book, my interest was easily held and I cared about what happened next.

I think The Split will be a big hit upon release. It has so many elements which appeal and a storyline which is relatable to many. Although circumstances will likely differ, who has not gone through a breakup, had to re-evaluate the direction their life is taking or found comfort and help from a good friend? I will be recommending The Split to my friendship group and suspect they'll love it as much as I have!

I received this ebook via Netgalley in order to provide an honest review. Thank you so much to netgalley and quercus for allowing me to read this early.

The Split is definitely not my usual genre, however I had heard so much about it, so many good things that I decided to give it a go. I am so glad I did. I loved it!

I think my favourite thing about the book was the characters, I absolutely love all of the queer representation. I absolutely loved Al she was such a wonderful wholesome character that I found myself routing for from start to finish. Jeremy was an absolute babe, who I would really like to be best friends with if anyone can hook us up? Sophie and Charlie were literally the best. Emily is a cow. The end.

I really enjoyed following the story of Al, it was a wonderful journey, watching her find herself in possible the hardest time of her life. Some parts were definitely difficult to read however I was literally routing for her and she definitely did me proud. What I also loved, which is very random, is the run aspect of the book. I have done numerous half marathons, I have been overtaken by many Barney's and the feeling of a bowl of chips once you are done is the best thing ever. Honestly I really felt like I connected to this part of the book.

The ending was the best, it was super satisfying and everything I wanted from it. I love it when a book ends in a way that makes you happy. The only criticism I really have about this book is the fact that Al and Jeremy are sometimes portrayed to be a lot younger than they actually are which made me role my eyes occasionally.

I would definitely recommend this book, it was such a fun, quick and easy read!

Ally finds herself back home in Sheffield after being dumped by Emily.

Reunited with her old school friend Jeremy who has also been dumped they set about doing a half marathon.

I love the fact Ally took Malcolm the cat I would do the same!

This was really enjoyable, fun, Heart-warming and adorable.

Look forward to reading more from Laura.

The Split is a light, heart-warming book about a woman rebuilding her life after being dumped by her girlfriend. Ally finds herself back at home with her dad in Sheffield after her girlfriend Emily dumps her, having taken Emily's cat with her, and lacking purpose. At her dad's urging, she reconnects with her childhood friend Jeremy, also back in Sheffield after a breakup, and they find themselves signing up for a half-marathon in a bid to impress their exes, despite neither of them having done any running before. Ally gets help from Jo, who works in the local running shop, but is everything in an effort to win back Emily, or can Ally move on?

The story is focused on Ally and Jeremy working out what they want in their respective lives, as well as rediscovering their friendship, and it takes a light, funny approach to their struggles, as you'd expect from the kind of book The Split is. It isn't something I'd usually read, but it was exciting to find this kind of sweet, easy read with non-straight main characters so I had to try it, and it was enjoyable, with the feel of young adult fiction just with more relatable twentysomething content about losing and finding friends and purpose. As someone who used to finding LGBTQ characters in either literary fiction (where everyone is more tormented) or YA novels (where everyone is so young), it was nice to not just assume the protagonist was going to make loads of mistakes and ruin everything, as often happens in literary fiction, and the book has a nice message about the opportunities that can come from something bad like a break up.

With jokes about cat custody, the protagonist realising London isn't the only place to be, and important plot points about Ally finding friendships with other LGBTQ people, The Split felt realistic and not just like it was aimed at straight people, but also had a comic tone that will appeal to many. It's a good book to read when you want something light and uncomplicated, that doesn't take up too much brainpower, and it's nice to have it set somewhere other than London.

Ally is dumped by her girlfriend and is left with virtually nothing, from this point blossoms the funniest, warmest beautiful book you could ever wish to read. Hotly recommended!

The Split is a warm, thoughtful and kind-hearted rom-com that is funny and sweet and it just so happens that the central character, Ally, is gay. It is a delight to read a cast of vividly drawn characters and have so many of them be on the spectrum of queer, it is great to have a romance told from a perspective that isn't through a trite hetero-normative lens, this is female on female gaze and it's glorious. In addition to the characters sexuality being incidental to the story another refreshing the inclusion of food, Ally's (and Malcolm the cat's) enjoyment of it. It is so rare to see a female character enjoying food and not expressing shame afterwards - more please!
Although this book is ostensibly a rom-com about a break-up more than anything it felt to be about friendship and finding ones place, finding home.
The Split is a fun, sweet read that would be equally enjoyed cosy under a blanket, in front of a roaring fire or lying in the sun on a deck chair. I'd wager that it is a rom-com that even people who are anti-romance will enjoy.

I flew through this book in 24 hours - a feat for me as I have three year old twins and a full-time job.

I really felt for Ally, who is dumped by her girlfriend of 7 years at the beginning of the novel. We follow her in the next few months of her life, where she moves back in with her dad, reunites with an old friend, Jeremy, and decides to run a half-marathon to impress her ex. What follows is a novel full of messy behaviour and emotions that lead Ally towards self-discovery. It's funny, heart-warming (especially her relationship with her dad) but also cringeworthy at points with the ex.

This isn't really a romance in my eyes, but it feels closer to a bildungsroman of sorts following Ally sorting out key aspects of her life - both professionally and personally.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Quercus Books. ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

I am always, on some level, looking for an adult contemporary novel with a sapphic main character which I enjoy. This may not sound that hard and/or specific, but given the number of them I have experienced complete and utter boredom over in the past couple of years, it becomes so.

So, The Split was a welcome surprise. A book I had been anticipating, a sapphic adult contemporary, that I really enjoyed. It’s a story of rekindling friendships, of rediscovering who you are without someone. It’s a story of messy lesbians.

And all of this I absolutely loved about it. I would read a thousand books about lesbians being allowed to be just as messy as straight characters, to be allowed to make mistakes, hurt people, to not be forgiven. It’s all a very… human story, I suppose. It’s about learning from your errors, having the room to make those errors.

It’s also a book filled with a very likeable cast. Even when they’re making the aforementioned mistakes, they’re sympathetic. You want them to prevail, you care that they’re making those mistakes, that you can see screwing things up even as they can’t. And what I found great was that the character you might ordinarily consider to be an antagonist, the ex, who unceremoniously ditched Ally after cheating on her for months, comes across as multifaceted too. She isn’t presented as awful and that’s it. She has her reasons, she felt the breakdown of their relationship as much as Ally did.

Which ties back into letting the characters be messy. People are, on the face of it, complex, and these characters are allowed to be as such. There is no black-and-white painting of the ex as evil, the main character as not having made any missteps. And that’s the best thing about this book hands down. (Actually, maybe second to the fact that it’s about lesbians, but I was taking that as given.)

It was also great that, when the main character inevitably hurts someone, be as it may by accident, forgiveness doesn’t come easy. I think that’s a criticism I have of some romances (although to be clear, this is not a romance), that often the big argument, the momentary break-up, comes so late that I cannot believe in its resolution because it happens so quickly. Here, though, forgiveness requires work, requires Ally to face up to the fact that she is culpable for hurting someone. That she may not be forgiven.

It is, in all, probably one of my favourite contemporary novels ever. And one that I would beg you pick up next March.

You can tell this is a debut novel. It lacks the finesse and cleverness that a seasoned novel writer is going to have, one that only comes from writing multiple books over the years.

'The Split' is very sweet and I was reading it, I constantly thought 'This would probably make quite a good TV series'. I don't know how well the story translates into novel - there are chapters that are relatively meandering and where not a lot happens. On the positive side, there are pockets of real potential. Both of the main characters - Ally and Jeremy - are queer and the relationships and issues they go through don't result in either of them dying or being unhappy, which is a nice turn of events. There were a few references that suggested they might have been married (?) but it could just be my brain making things up rather than something that appears in the book. If it is real, it isn't really discussed past the first fifty pages or so. There's charm and character, with everything you'd expect from a romance like 'The Flatshare' or anything by Jill Mansell.

For the not so positive - and the reason I'm giving it three stars - is it didn't feel like anything new, narrative wise. The narrative - a person goes through a terrible break-up and moves back home to find themselves - has been done a hundred times. Though I liked the slant of personal betterment over just finding someone else to be with (the main character does go through a great journey of self-improvement), I don't think the execution was as tight as it could have been. I definitely found myself skimming chapters here and there to get past a lot of talking and not a lot of action.

Ultimately, it's a decent debut. It didn't quite grip onto my heart like 'The Flatshare' did, but it was sweet, funny and had moments of real shine.

Beautifully drawn characters lift what is pretty much a by-numbers plot - I found myself rooting for everyone in here and that's not an easy thing to pull off, especially when the characters are multi-faceted and flawed (a little like life, then...). Oh, and it's funny. Really, really funny.
A proper warm hug of a book.

Angsty queer romcoms for winter? Yes please.

The Split is awesome with rep. We have bi, lesbian and gay main characters! What more could you want?

After a split with her girlfriend, Ally moved back to her hometown to live with her father. Here she contemplates how to win her ex back, but finds herself enjoying town life and joining a running club -alongside her gay friend- with an intriguing teacher.

It’s cute, it’s queer and the writing is awesome. In need of a romcom? Look no further.

My only issue with this is Ally’s letters to her ex, I cringed so hard I had to just swipe to the page after each one. Was this due to my own insecurities? Probably. While I understand she wanted her back they both seemed kind of intense ? But having skim read these parts I moved on and really enjoyed the story.

I’d like to thank netgalley for providing me with a copy of this arc!

I absolutely loved this and wish I could be friends with Ally and Jeremy! A lovely feel-good rom-com with wonderful characters and a heartwarming plot. Just makes you feel really happy and fuzzy inside. I would definitely recommend this book.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for a review.

4.5

ugh i am so weak for cute sapphic romcoms uwu

The Split follows Ally, who at the start of the novel goes through a very messy breakup with her girlfriend and ends up taking (kidnapping? catnapping?) the cat and running off to her childhood home in Sheffield. This book is a joy to read, full of humour as well as some completely heartwrenching moments as we watch Ally struggle to find herself again after feeling lost for a while and getting out of a long term relationship.

This book meant so much to me for many reasons, first of which is the fact it is set in my city (which ngl is kind of why i requested it) and I loved seeing places I go all the time pop up in a book! As well as the half marathon which takes place in the book and when they were talking about the hills I FELT THAT IN MY SOUL (Sheffield is very hilly lol).

Ally journey to discovering her worth and purpose outside of a relationship was also a joy to watch unfold, and how she realises she can be happy without a relationship. The friendships in this book were some of my favourite things to read about, Ally rekindles with her childhood friend Jeremy when she moves back in with her dad and their friendship was truly the highligh of this book, I love how supportive they are of each other and it shows how plantonic relationships are just as important (if not more so) than romantic relationships. Their interactions were always hilarious and I loved seeing Jeremys arc throughout the book as well. Also yay for queer solidarity.

Ally also gets a job at the local bakery, as she as always loved baking (I also loved the baking aspect of this book) run by the most iconic lesbian power couple ever. They basically adopt Ally and I loved seeing them interact and Ally have some people to look up to!

Ally and her Dad also have such a precious relationship and it may have made me tear up at one point. I feel like her Dad is the perfect balance of being supportive/encouraging but also not putting too much pressure too soon for Ally to get her shit together.

Okay on to the romance hehe, there are two very interesting relationships Ally has to deal with, the first is her new running coach Jo (for context, Ally and Jeremy sign up to run a half marathon as sort of a self help scheme). Jo is such a fun character, she is very peppy and enthusastic and brings some much needed light to Ally's life. I loved watching their relationship blossom throughout the book, and at a certain point it was quite predictable how it would end, but I am still a sucker for the specific trope that was used T_T

Ally also is still quite hung up on her ex, Emily. This was a very interesting dynamic as Ally clearly had Emily on a pedestal in her head, while also villainising her for the break up, however it was very clear Emily was not a great person for Ally and it was nice to watch Ally realise this.

In conclusion this was an adorable romance, which was so much fun to read and very touching in parts as I think we all struggle with finding ourselves and discovering our true purpose.

Minor quibble out of the way, first of all - this is not a rom-com. It's definitely a com, and a laugh-out-loud funny one at that, but rom it is not. Sure, there's some rom in it, but if you're expecting a narrative arc rooted in rom as well as com, then I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. I was expecting that, so I was a little disappointed on that front, but the rest of it more than made up for that.

Still, this book warmed the cockles of my November-shrivelled heart in ways I didn't expect. On the surface, it's the story of Ally, dumped by her long-term girlfriend and forced to move back in with her dad, her whole life exploded into irredeemable shrapnel from the force of her girlfriend's tragic betrayal, and her attempts to both better herself and prove to her ex that she's doing so. At its heart, though, it's the story of Ally learning who she is outside of her relationship, and rebuilding herself as a whole entire person without leaning on someone else.

One of the strongest things in this book, in my very subjective opinion, was how flawed everyone is. Every character feels real in a way that made me want to instantly befriend them all (and also shake some sense into most of them, except for Sophie and Charlie, who are perfect and I would die for them.) Ally makes some abysmal decisions, and, as the book goes on, it becomes clear that her ex is not, in fact, an evil tyrant who dumped Ally for no reason. We learn this along with Ally, and it felt very authentic to see the truth of the situation come into view at the same time she does. I'm always a fan of books where the protagonist is allowed to be messy and to make mistakes, and to do deeply questionable things; I don't believe a character should be forced to be likeable at all times. Real people aren't. Ally was still a deeply sympathetic character, even when she was being a real idiot, and that's the mark of great writing; I never stopped rooting for her.

It also just so happens to be absolutely hilarious. Some of the one-liners, particularly Jeremy's, made me snort in a deeply unattractive way. Malcolm is perhaps the greatest cat in literature of all time, and I don't say that lightly, as someone who has read an actually quite embarrassing amount of books just because they mention a cat in the blurb. You can tell this book was written by a cat owner, and I mean that as a the highest compliment. This book has been marketed as something of an adult version of the Georgia Nicholson series by the late and great Louise Rennison, and although I don't think it has quite the same feral, manic energy as that series does, it does share the tendency to make you laugh like a lunatic, and also a fantastic cat.

Really, although it's not an established genre, this is a queer friendship comedy and a bit of a love letter to the communities formed by queer people everywhere, to the chosen families we create for ourselves. A hom-com? I've got nothing.

After a few weeks of reading murder mysteries, I needed a switch to something a bit lighter, and Im really glad that it was The Split, a fantastically related romcom.

Ally is 28 and has been dumped our of the blue by her girlfriend Emily; moving back home to her dad's and taking the cat Malcolm (great name!), Ally is determined to win Emily back from the arms of 'Sara with an H'. She is joined on her journey by an old childhood friend Jeremy, who is also heartbroken and trying to win back his lost love. The two buddy up and hatch plans to make their former partners notice them anew.

Its a romcom- you know the stages of the story telling and this followed them well - and I really enjoyed reading it and watching Ally grow through the story.

Dont read it if you're hungry though, the author talks about cakes and baking in an unbelievably good way, and i was hungry throughout!

Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read it, Im off to bake some brownies!

I'd heard lots about this book on Twitter and felt that a cheery read was needed, so thought I would give it a try. I'm so glad I did - it was just what I needed now to lift me out of the November gloom!

The main character, Ally, starts this book at her lowest ebb. She has quit her job and been dumped by her girlfriend, Emily, leaving her effectively homeless as she has to leave Emily's houseboat. Taking the cat, who becomes a topic of dispute between the two ex-partners, she heads back to Sheffield and her father's house. Initially wallowing in her own grief, she starts to see light at the end of the tunnel after rekindling an old friendship, using her passion for baking to find a new job and - most unlikely of all - taking up running after she (rather ill-advisedly) signs up for a half marathon.

I thought that Kay did a gorgeous job of exploring Ally's thought processes as she worked her way through the end of her relationship. It felt real, with all its ups and downs, irrational thoughts and acts of pettiness - the emails between Emily and Ally about the cat were particularly telling. I also loved Ally's feeling about running - as someone who has tried and failed to run, I really could imagine the scenes as she slogged round various circuits with no joy and considerable pain!

Indeed, the characterisation is the real strength in this novel = Ally's friend Jeremy (who is nursing his own heartbreak) is funny and sweet and just the kind of person you'd want on your team if you were in Ally's situation. Ally's dad is similarly wonderful - a supportive, straight-talking (when needed) and realistic parent who has his own ways of getting Ally back on the road to recovery - I loved the disco for Syria scenes as these were so keenly observed by someone who clearly has experienced (in recent memory and with vivid clarity) the joys of a school dance!

The plot followed a fairly predictable course, but that absolutely was not a problem as I was reading this exactly to avoid any stressful or horrible situations. Instead, I was treated to a comfortable and engaging read as I followed Ally's journey back to happiness. It's a novel that has moments of sadness, but also bucketloads of humour and really relatable moments.

I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys uplifting stories which are strong on character - those in a similar vein to Beth O'Leary's 'The Flatshare' and 'The Switch'. I enjoyed this a lot and it made a cheerless lockdown day a lot brighter.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance copy in exchange for an honest review.