“Tolstoy talked about in-between moments…How, for all our grand plans, all the most important things happen in the lulls, when our backs are half turned.”

This sums up The Split, a contemporary family drama about how well (and not so well) Esther and Lucas navigate their divorce after two decades of marriage. Each has spent the last twenty years playing a role. Esther is the devoted wife and mother and Lucas the charismatic University professor. But after the split, each slowly discovers his/her true self. Although he basks in the sun of his younger fiancée, Lucas learns that he has to negotiate a new professional world, one where his personality will not assure success. Esther, meanwhile, learns not to count on past friendships, to deal with her almost adult children and to take on new challenges. Things come to a head when their teenage son Dylan makes a decision that affects the entire family.

The Split is lyrically and beautifully written. It is deliberately slow paced, making a plotline from the minutiae of everyday life. This is a novel to savor. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and Amanda Brookfield for this ARC.

3.5 stars

This was a well written women’s fiction read with an honest, if a little depressing, look at family breakdown. Not just a marriage, but the ramifications of divorce on the whole family.

The book opens with a matter of fact divorce after a twenty year, seemingly happy marriage. Esther is struggling to find herself while Lucas (who I must say I did not warm to) is moving on with his predictably younger woman. I would have enjoyed more moments looking into their past together with flashbacks or more heartfelt conversations or internal dialogue about why their relationship ended. It would have helped me connect to them better.

The true strength of the book for me was the slow build/honest view of the new lives they’re building and the supporting characters.

Lucas and Esther have decided to divorce after 20 years. With the separation, the whole family face new beginnings and challenges, whilst still finding a way to support each other. Each family member reacts a different way, and this is a story of a way forward for them all.
A wonderful, uplifting, hopeful and great feel good novel. Really enjoyed it!

My first read by Amanda Brookfield and it’s quite a slow burner as the author builds the background and characters to this contemporary family drama. The first third of the book is largely character and plot building and it’s only after that I really found myself becoming engrossed in the plot. Two great main characters: Ester is strong, stronger than she thinks and her family are her focus in life, even to the extent of being with her ex, Lucas, who is the opposite, a self obsessed and rather conceited man who needs a good talking to!

Briefly, after 20 years together Lucas and Ester are divorcing and whilst he has a new, younger partner Ester is alone and feeling bitter about the ending of the marriage. But while Ester is abroad on holiday their son Dylan decides to go backpacking, with no notice, so she flies homes, distraught. Meanwhile, Lucas has been accused of inappropriate behaviour by one of his student and Heidi, his partner, isn’t taking it well.

There are twists and turns in this and at one point I was actually quite concerned about the path Ester seemed to be taking but fear not I was wrong. A well written and absorbing family drama and one I enjoyed, I’m glad I stuck with it.

There are some books that you just enjoy, there may be no ‘crash, bang, wallop’ moments on every page but the whole book has you settled, relaxed yet intrigued and tbh like a good TV series you wouldn’t mind if it went on for weeks, this was one of those
Am guessing it would fit into domestic drama or that dreadful archaic term ‘women’s drama’ but it has a bit of everything from psychological to adventure to romance to saga, you couldn’t wish for a more genre packed book ( and it all works and fits together nicely )
I enjoyed and got on well with the characters, no they are not perfect but who doesn’t love a flawed person and by the end of it I felt I had built a friendship with them all, sounds far fetched?, it really isen’t, such is the authors way of telling the story and involving you in it
I read so much that it was good to settle to a book and not care it took me a few days to read, I didn’t want it to end and to say it was left on a cliffhanger is true but maybe not as you would expect…….
It’s hard to describe really how this book made me feel but if someone said to me they had lost their joy of reading I would recommend this book, genuinely a really, really enjoyable at times emotive experience with this family and story

10/10
5 Stars

Mmm mmm I'm not to sure about this one?! It wasn't a bad read but at times my mind kept wandering?! It just seemed to be a lot of words about nothing?! I don't know if I'm describing correctly how I feel but it just really wasn't for me is probably the best way to put it?! I'm sure there will be plenty who will enjoy reading this book but it was just ok for me! Thank you netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

The Split tells the story of Lucas and Esther's divorce after many years of marriage and two children together. I'm sorry to say that it is rather unoriginal with Lucas falling in love with a younger woman and Esther being wooed by a younger man as well as university lecturer Lucas dealing with a student's accusations while unable to forgive his father for his unhappy childhood. I guessed everything long before it was revealed but for readers who enjoy a light-hearted look at how some dysfunctional families work things out, it is an easy read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read and review The Split.

Exciting book to read. Good plot to get your teeth into. Fast paced and thrilling, The book was very well written.

This book really dragged on for me. I wanted to love it but really couldn't get through it. I thought the concept was interesting but not sure if the writing is my favorite.

Really, really slow. I tried pushing myself and got about 20% in but ended up having to stop. Just couldn't invest in it. I'm sorry. Still thankful for the chance to read, and the concept is good.

Always love an Amada Brookfield with her perceptive take on relationships. Lots to get to grips with in this book, good mix of more light hearted aspects together a more serious consideration of the impact of accusations of inappropriate behaviour. Highly recommend it.

Firstly thank you Netgalley for this ARC

I enjoyed the book but very slow to get into but perseverance paid off

This is a good read with and interesting story. There's a bit to follow in this with all the changes and growing pains after the change in the family dynamics. I still found it worth reading.

Getting through the first 13 chapters is a chore and if you make it past that point, I am sorry to say, it won't be worth the trouble. The characters are well developed and relatable, but the story goes nowhere. I finished the book thinking I knew what the author was attempting to achieve, but it does not exist in the actual text. The book is missing too many pieces to make much sense.

unfortunately i just couldn't get into this book. First time reading Amanda Brookfield and i had high hopes but the writing style was just not my thing. Plus the ending was easy to figure out.

I really had high hopes for this one, but it was honestly a bit of a let down. It had so much potential. I still liked it, I just predicted it.

For Esther, it’s proving hard not to feel bitter watching Lucas enjoying his successful career, not to mention the attentions of his gorgeous, intelligent, and predictably younger lover. She meanwhile is struggling to forge a new life for herself, navigating the pitfalls of modern dating, while trying not to despair at the cost of living as a single woman of a certain age.
Then Lucas faces a shattering accusation at the same time as their children Dylan and Lily, start to implode.  When Dylan runs away, and as his father fights to save his reputation, Lucas and Esther find themselves back in each other’s lives, whether they like it or not. 
Has too much water passed under the bridge, or will long-forgotten loyalties and feelings bring the family back together, just when they need each other the most? 
A really enjoyable read totally recommend
Thank You NetGalley and Boldwood Books
I just reviewed The Split by Amanda Brookfield. #TheSplit #NetGalley

Fast paced thriller that starts off running. From the first page I was absolutely absorbed with this book and couldn’t wait to find out what happened. I completely enjoyed every aspect of it.

I really loved The Other Woman by Amanda Brookfield so when I saw that NetGalley had The Split on offer it was a no-brainer to request it and am I ever glad I did. Although it starts off kinda slow we really get to know each character, they are fully fleshed out and are very realistic, raw, and human. The more I read of this novel the more engrossing and intriguing it became, I do love a slow burner. Esther was a character after my own heart, I love that she always put what was best for her kids and the family at large front and center, that really endeared her to me. Now Lucas on the other hand, I loathed him, he is what I call deplorable. What a self-serving asshat he was. Having such contrasting characters was a joy to read and I loved Amanda Brookfield's amazing writing, I can't wait to see what she comes up with next!

A good read overall. I did have to concentrate extra hard as it flips quite a bit, but once I got into it I really enjoyed it.