🎧Song Pairing: Break Up With a Friend - Blü Eyes (this felt so perfect)

💭What I thought would happen:

I love women’s fiction and have known friendship heartache. I thought this one would be a nice change up from the steams and screams!

📖What actually happens:

Fallon is a mother to an adorable young girl, married to a handsome and successful (yet modest) husband - their marriage isn’t perfect but they try their best. Sadly, Fallon’s eggs are drying up and baby #2 isn’t in the cards…that’s not Fallon’s greatest sadness right now - that would be Beatrice.

A friendship of nearly 7 years has all of a sudden disappeared when Beatrice has started to ghost Fallon without any explanation taking all of Fallon’s mommy friends with her. What is going on?! What did Fallon do?! Why won’t anyone talk to her about this? Fallon just wants to keep the peace and resolve any issues. But mean girls don’t change their spots.

🗯Thoughts:

If you have ever had to part ways with a friend I think you should read this one. It both felt like a vindication for removing that toxic person from my life but also had old feelings being brought to the surface 🥺

There is a lot of mommy drama. A LOT. If you know me…you know I love that added dose of petty behaviour because it just feels good and I’d rather read about it than experience it.

I have zero complaints. I think losing a friend is so relatable, it is obvious that the author has also been through at least one friendship breakup in their life. I want to be able to reach out to my friend and tell her all the amazing things going on in my life and to know what’s going on with her but she cut me out without any reason or warning so if they ever thought to read this review, 💕.

This book will send your emotions on a roller coaster ride! In parts it is very, very funny; it is also by turns very sad, and rather maddening. The protagonist, Fallon, is a mom who often feels that she is falling down and falling behind, as she tries to take care of her family and start a new business. She relies on her friends to keep her going, but when they start to ghost her she is lost, and her stress at the worsening situation starts to take its toll. This is one of those books where you will silently beg the characters to just talk to each other honestly so the miscommunication and misunderstandings can stop….but Fallon is a plucky and ultimately resilient woman and I was pulling for her. I really liked the story and the emotional tailspin of laughing and crying. The narrator was excellent, providing different voices for the wide cast of characters. Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this engaging audiobook.

Happy Pub Date!! Audiobook ARC provided by NetGalley. I liked this book so much, the story is about friendships ending and finding yourself with out the person you considered your best friend. It was an adult version of high school popularity and jealousy.

The Friendship Breakup by Annie Cathryn is one of the best books I’ve read this year. This is her debut novel and it checked all the five star boxes for me. It made me laugh out loud on so many occasions. It was nostalgic to feelings I’ve had in friendships before. It had somber moments dealing with adoption and regrets about the way the MC handled serious issues and the consequences of those decisions. It was relatable on so many levels and gave me all the feels.
So many women have a hard time finding their “person” let alone the tribe that some women are blessed to have. It was nice to see a MC struggle to fit in, struggle to be understood, feel like a hot mess, act like a hot mess and learn to adapt and also, to be content.
The audiobook was perfection. Brenda Scott Wlazlo was perfection. The narration was spot on and added so much to the enjoyment of listening to the audiobook. It was absolute entertainment.

4.25⭐

Featuring ~ single 1st person POV, debut, mom-com, mama drama

Fallon & Beatrice has a falling out and thus sets forth the mean girls being terrible to each other.

We encourage our children to make new friends, but then in turn the mom's have to be friendly to each other too. It can be hard and a lot of aspects of this book were relatable. It had many fun and, also, emotional moments. I liked that she had her own chocolate making business and how that developed over the course of the story. I liked the idea of a friendship finder app too ~ is that really something?

Overall, a very good debut. I look forward to what Annie writes next.

Side personal note ~ in the last chapter Fallon worried about the results of her genetic testing. Although, there wasn't much detail surrounding it I am so happy that the author raised this topic. I, myself, had this same testing done a few years ago and, unlike Fallon, I did test positive as a carrier for the BRCA 1 gene. What that means is that I had over an 80% higher chance of getting breast and ovarian cancer than someone that does not carry the gene. I say 'had' because I chose to have preventative surgeries to reduce my risk. Of course this means that my child has a 50% chance of being a carrier as well, but I can only pray that the gene stops with me. Anyway, I thought I'd share that little tidbit in order to bring more awareness.

Narrated by Brenda Scott Wlazlo for 8 hours and 19 minutes. She did a lovely job and gave proper emotion when necessary.

Thank you NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book. Below is my review which contains spoilers!







This was a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me.
As a woman of about the same age, I found the story of a forty something woman struggling with her female friendships very relatable. The feelings of insecurity that come from putting yourself out there and not feeling like you’re getting the same in return are very much a part of life for moms of young kids. Some of the parts were a little vapid (the stripper, the fiesta, the mud fight) which is what made it just a four star read for me. I suppose the whole point was that sometimes women get so deep into their insecurities that they do in fact act vapid. I really loved the ending; it felt real that her and Beatrice wouldn’t magically go back to being friends and instead she grew from it. I liked that a lot.
Although the narrator wasn’t bad, she also wasn’t what I would imagine as the main character. I think a less proper voice would have captured who the main character was.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the early copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Fallon is has a pretty great life, actually. She’s been a stay at home mom to her soccer-playing daughter, she has a great relationship with her doctor husband, and she’s on the cusp of success as a chocolatier. The only problem (aside from being always late) is that her friends are ostracizing her for no apparent reason. They’ve been close for over a decade, but now they’re ignoring her texts, leaving her out of spa days, and verbally harassing her at elementary school drop off.

Listen, if you’re a mom who doesn’t have it all together, who is sometimes late, who has real flaws, but is trying her best, this story may ring true for you. Annie Cathryn didn’t pull any punches writing this character; she is very flawed, seemingly willing to forgive her friends anything. Join Fallon as she learns the value of friendship and maybe when it’s time to let go. For sure read if you like a plucky protagonist!

Fallon is a mom, a wife, a friend, and a woman trying to get her business off the ground. Her plate is full but she tries to give her all to everything. She suddenly finds herself being excluded by her mom friend group, and doesn't know why. She's hurt and tries her best to find a way to get back in with her friends.

I think we've all been there and know the hurt she was feeling. I liked how her therapist described the categories of friends. And how some people aren't meant to be in our life forever. I could feel for her so much. As a mom, especially during the younger years, finding friendships and maintaining them is hard. I really could relate to Fallon and my heart went out to her.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an ALC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me listen to this audiobook early!

This book was almost too relatable. The main character, Fallon, is perpetually anxious—always overthinking things, fixating on past events (and what she should have done differently), and stressing about why her friends are suddenly not including her.

Fallon’s friends mean a lot to her and the lengths she goes to to try and fix things is commendable (I would’ve given up so fast), but ultimately her “friends” are pretty terrible and I cheered so loud when she finally realized that and gave up on them.

The seemingly ridiculous dramas and comedies of error that occur despite Fallon’s good intentions, seem almost over the top until you consider your own crazy experiences which make it all too reasonable. Someone breaks a drinking glass, slips in the spilled drink, and ends up with glass in their back? Not unreasonable. Someone parks under an innocuous enough tree and then gets a million ants trying to live in/on their car? True story—happened to me in 2019.

All in all, this was fun and also heartwarming as Fallon learned to put herself first and not waste her time on people who don’t really care about her. The narrator did an excellent job of voicing the characters—especially Fallon and the spa moms.

My only dislike was how quickly the ending wrapped everything up. It felt abrupt and like we were missing part of the story.

I liked this one in a bittersweet kind of way. I’ve been there before, having friends just leave and not knowing why. I loved Fallon and felt like she was so relatable. I would definitely recommend this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media Audio for the advance copy of this audiobook for review.
The Friendship Breakup is more than a story of a friendship ending. Fallon finds herself being ghosted by her best friend. This is a journey of repairing friendships, discovering new relationships, and how to navigate adult life. The narration was excellent and I would recommend this to other readers.

Girls. Little girls are known to be fickle friends; one day you are the best of friends, the next, enemies. Does it ever change? Fallon, our main character in The Friendship Breakup, might say it does not. Fallon, a married mom of one child, experiences great difficulty in keeping her adult ‘mom friends’. We follow her through her coming to terms with the past as well as navigating the ever changing dynamics of adult relationships.

I am struggling a bit to write this review. If I look at the story it is fairly predictable but still an enjoyable distraction. The main character is likeable but also frustrating. One wishes she would deal with situations with a bit more maturity. Also, it would have been nice to see her as a strong lead rather than a sad, pathetic, one. Here lies my difficulty. Do I see Fallon in this way because of the writing or the narration? Although I found the narrator’s voice nice to listen to I felt that the tone and emphasis on the words led to the audiobook being boring and had me wishing the character would ‘grow up already!’ So I had to think what my impression would be if I was reading the actual book. To be honest the jury is still out for me on this one. Still, the wonderful thing about individuality is, we all have our own opinions. So even though this one was not for me I believe others may love it.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook arc.

If you are into women whose lives appear perfect on Instagram, or use words like "#blessed", "mom squad" or "perfectly imperfect", and have no clue about how privileged they really are - this is the book for you.

Unfortunately, I'm not. I struggled to find much depth in this book. The characters and plot seemed about as shallow as they come. I kept waiting for some actual self-realization from the main character, but it never really did happen.

I thought - okay, the big reveal of why her friend isn't her friend anymore is going to be good. Something to shock the main character back into reality. But it wasn't good. The reason was just as immature as everything else in this book.

My favorite character was barely a character at all. It was the main character's therapist.

I wasn't a fan. Maybe I missed something, and this was supposed to be satire? Either way, I wouldn't recommend this book.

This book was just darling. It was so refreshing to read a book where the main character wasn't having drama with a man. This is about a women who is about to turn 40 and is in a healthy marriage but is navigating the changing friendships among her girlfriends. I really enjoyed the main character and her thought process.

THE FRIENDSHIP BREAKUP had an intriguing and, for me, fresh premise revolving around female friendships.

When the main character Fallon, is ghosted by her BFF, Bea, for reasons unknown to her, she discovers a lot about who she is and the people she wants to surround herself with.

I have mixed feelings about this book, as in the beginning I really did not find Fallon likeable. Her internal dialogue and the communication between friends felt very immature. The small town vibe was so catty and gossipy, and some of the plot points were so cringey. I think some of the scenes are supposed to be comedic but just didn’t land for me considering these were adults.

However, I am glad I stuck it out, because like Fallon’s character, it grew on me. Once we discovered more about her backstory and started to have real conversations, I appreciated this book so much more. I really enjoyed the therapy aspect and the evolution of communication and self reflection.

Overall, the idea of this was a great one as I love seeing female friendships as the major plot point of a book.

The narrator was easy to listen to, but some of the voices for other characters didn’t seem to fit and sometimes brought me out of the story.

Thank you Dreamscape Media for the audiobook through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was perfection! I found Fallon to be so relatable. This book has me laughing out loud. It was so heartfelt as well. This book is an incredible debut!! I cannot recommend this enough! 💛
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Fallon is married to a doctor and is she still a busy with life and starting a new business. She suddenly realizes her best friend Bernice and their gang of friends have been avoiding her. She sees a post where they are all out together without her. How does one handle being excluded when you are an adult? It’s hards I’m sure. There are some valuable lessons in this book, and I’m not talking about how people come into our lives for a season, a reason or a lifetime. Talking to people during a misunderstanding would stop so many hurt feelings, on.

👯‍♀️ A R C / A L C • R E V I E W 👯‍♀️
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Title: The Friendship Breakup
Author: Annie Cathryn
Rating: 5/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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“When I think back to the term BFF, I realize the promise of forever isn’t always guaranteed. It’s more like forever for now.”
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This book guys, wow. Everyone needs to read this book, we’ve all been ghosted or dropped like a hot tamale by at least one “friend”. I absolutely loved it. It was so raw, so true to life; I laughed, I cried, I got angry - literally all of the emotions.
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I really felt for Fallon. Some of the stuff she lets herself go through is a bit over the top, I personally would have been like “to hell with this” but I know that feeling of wanting to be back in good graces with someone, to wanting to try whatever it takes to keep that friendship alive. As a brand new mom, I have yet to enter into the world of “mom cliques” but I know its a thing, and it’s terrifying; but the lessons, the overall messages in this book really make you feel like it’ll all be okay.
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Annie uses one of the life lessons I have been taught as a child in this book - its one very near and dear to my heart and seeing it on the pages had my heart bursting. I too have used the same method to categorized friendships in order to make my brain connect dots on how to fix a breaking friendship. I was just so completely able to resonate with this entire story.
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This isn’t just a story about a friendship breakup, its so much more than that - it’s finding yourself again in your mom life years, it’s realizing your worth, it’s about following your dreams, it’s about doing what’s best for you. This is one that is going to stick with me for a long long time. Such a solid debut by Annie Cathryn!
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The narrator, Brenda Scott Wlazlo, was great, I felt like she brought Fallon to life for me!
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The Friendship Breakup comes out February 7th! I highly recommend this read and audio! Huge thank you to @missanniecathryn, @netgalley, @dreamscapemedia and @alcovepress for the eARC and ALC in exchange for my honest review!
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#fivestarreview #earc #electronicadvancedreaderscopy #alc #advancedlistenerscopy #bestfriendsforever #bestfriendsfornow #humor #witty #heartwarming #beingghostedbyafriend #friendsforareason #friendsforaseason #friendsforalifetime #dreamscapemedia #netgalley #alcovepress #anniecathryn #thefriendshipbreakup

I have mixed feelings about this one! I listened to the audiobook and didn't love the narrator. The first half was quite slow and the main character comes across very insecure and desperate which is difficult to listen to. You eventually learn more about the character and her past. In the end I liked the main character and was rooting for her. However, there are some challenging parts of this story with how terrible some of these women treat each other. It didn't seem realistic, they were acting so childish, felt more like a YA book.. I'm also not a Mom so I can't relate to that part of this story. But I did relate to the loss of friendship parts. I love that this book is about friendships when so many are about romantic relationships. The first half was a struggle but I enjoyed the end and the messages about finding self worth and happiness on your own and not relying on others.

This was a fun and different read for me. A nice break from my usual romances and thriller. Listened to the Audiobook and loved the narrator!

Summary:

Fallon Monroe is your typical, white, upper-class, suburban mom of one and is struggling with the relationships in her life. She's been to couples counseling to fix her marriage, and is now dealing with her group of friends ghosting her for no apparent reason. She whines and complains about how Beatrice (her main BFF) is not talking to her and is intentionally excluding her. Fallon Facebook stalks her BFF Bea and the mom group she's been friends with for almost 7 years. She tries to make new friends, but living in such a small town/community, everyone knows everyone and their dirty laundry.

Fallon is a relatable character (I think we've all been through bumps in our friendships and relationships), but so many of her issues were with communication. I hate the miscommunication trope in books, because they're too unrealistic. The entire time listening to the book, I was yelling at Fallon to just sit and talk to whoever she was complaining about in that chapter (which she finally did in Ch. 38)! Her inner monologue is full of insecurities and doubts, which, who's isn't? She gets herself into some hilarious predicaments while trying to get her chocolate business up and running (the Mexican fiesta and mud fight were my favorite) and had me laughing out loud!

*Spoiler*
Bea and Fallon don't fix their friendship, which is so refreshing and very realistic. I appreciate Fallon's arc by the end of the book. She learns to value the new friends she has, her daughter, her newly found biological mom, and her marriage. Fallon learns to love herself, to grow, and to let go. Her new chocolate business gets established by the end and she is content and happy.