Skip therapy and buy this book!

The narrator is an excellent choice. She brought the character and story to life.

I instantly felt like this book was saying everything I was going through. It was relatable in numerous ways.

This book was more in depth than I expected it to be in a good way. The main character has a deeper storyline that helps her along. I liked that she sought out more friends and didn't just wait for her friends to come around. I loved that she finally came to realize what a true friendship is and that sometime you just have to let people go. They were there for the season you needed them.

Thank you Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this book.

I received an advanced copy of the ebook and audiobook but the thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.

Fallon Monroe is a wife, mother of one, and budding entrepreneur. She’s been working hard at creating unique chocolates in hopes of opening a storefront soon. Along the way, she’s sacrificed time with her family and friends.

She belongs to a group of Mom friends who have been together since their children were small. When suddenly one of the friends begins to exclude her from the group activities she’s planning, Fallon is both confused and hurt.

Fallon begins to organize her own events for the group including a Mexican-themed party (complete with a pinata filled with little tequila bottles) but her best friend continues to ghost her. What does she need to do to win back this woman’s friendship?

The book is a discussion on the importance of having good friends in our lives and how these relationships change over time. There is plenty of gossips, toxic behaviours and judgment in this group of friends. There is also a big void in communication. As an outsider looking in, I couldn’t help but wonder why Fallon would want to belong to this group.

The story was engaging, well-written and thought-provoking. You couldn’t help but root for Fallon in her quest to rejoin this group and build her chocolate business. The conclusion was somewhat predictable but completely satisfying.

I listened to the audiobook format of the book which was narrated by Brenda Scott Wlazlo. I loved her performance which was expressive, enthusiastic and well-suited to the book. I found it easy to listen to at my usual 1.5x speed. Those that enjoy audiobooks may want to choose this format.

I recommend The Friendship Breakup to those readers who enjoy General Fiction or Women’s Fiction. Best read alongside a few delicious chocolates – you’ll be craving them.

I adore this book. As a person who has often lose friends for reasons unbeknownst to me it really designated with me

I want to preface by saying I do not think I'm the target audience for this book, that being said I enjoyed the story and felt connected to the characters though I have not gone through the same experiences. This book is described as a "mom-com" and I think that's totally accurate, which is why I don't think it's necessarily written for me, but Fallon's struggle to make and maintain friendships and find a sense of belonging are relatable to anyone, myself included! Fallon was instantly loveable, and I really admired her passion for her business. This was a fun and touching debut novel and I look forward to future works by Annie Cathryn.

The Friendship Breakup by Annie Cathryn is a book I was excited to read as, having had to end quite a few friendships myself, I was interested in the subject matter. However, the friends Fallon "lost" were not real friends; the whole time I kept asking why they were so important to her as I was not satisfied by the whole 7-year explanation. The real reason is revealed towards the mid-end of the book to provide a twist of some kind, which seemed frivolous. Fallon is wildly insecure and whiny, but also entitled and naive for her age (38), so it was hard to root for her while she figured everything out.

Brenda Scott Wlazlo is not the best narrator for this book. The jokes/sarcastic comments/hilarious scenes fall flat with her tone. She also doesn't have much variety or inflection overall. Had Brenda added personality to the story, I likely would have enjoyed this book more and been able to rate it higher than 3 stars.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media for providing me with an ALC.

The Friendship Breakup was highly entertaining audiobook that made me laugh out loud and tear up. I appreciate the author’s focus on showing the ups and downs of female friendships, parenting, and marriage. This is a stunning debut novel by Annie Cathryn.

I am so glad I had the change to read/listen to this book! Thank you NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Annie Cathryn for an arc in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 stars, rounded up!

Do you have a good support system?

I know Annie Cathryn's THE FRIENDSHIP BREAKUP doesn't quite fit this reel, but I just have to hand it to these ladies. They have been by my side for years - we've taken trips together, celebrated milestones, had Christmas dance parties, shared our highs and lows, our parenting successes, failures, fears, and more - and they accept me for who I am, just as Avery, Mel, Eleanor, and Stacey accept Fallon, flaws and all.

Galentine's Day has always been a fun opportunity to honor our friendship and each other, so when the majority of us were free to get together yesterday afternoon, we jumped at the opportunity and decided to try out @adastrawineil for an early Galentine's celebration , and I highly recommend! We enjoyed cocktails and some great vegan dips, a dessert board, some chocolate, and some yummy goat cheese, chevre, etc., as we settled in for a couple of laugh-filled hours, and I left feeling lighter, happier, and so appreciative of this group.

Just as I love and appreciate these ladies, so too did I love and appreciate this "mom-com" of a book. As a 40-year-old mom embarking on a new chapter in my own life, I completely related to Fallon as she transitioned from in-the-newborn-and-toddler-trenches mom, to starting up her own chocolate shop. My heart broke and went out to her as she struggled with the "Ma Spa Squad" and their falling-out, and it also grew as she discovered her ride-or-die friends who chose to always show up and support her in any way they could. The emotional and mental growth Fallon experienced was inspiring, and I loved how she made a leap of faith and embraced the unknown, in spite of being afraid. As I get ready to start out as a substitute elementary school teacher tomorrow, Fallon is exactly the kind of role model I need!

This book got me right in the feels and had me both laughing and tearing up as I listened to the the audiobook (thank you so much to @dreamscapemedia @msanniecathryn and @netgalley for my gifted audiocopy!), and I also really loved how narrator Brenda Scott Wlazlo @a_glamorous_nerd brought all of these dynamic characters to life. You could both hear and feel all of the emotion in her voice, and she did an incredible job.

Though this didn't wrap up quite the way I expected, it really was the perfect ending. This book hits shelves Feb. 7, and I wholeheartedly recommend this gem of a debut. For anyone who has ever felt left out, ghosted, afraid of change, directionless, or unworthy of love or friendship - YOU ARE STRONG, YOU ARE WORTHY, and YOU ARE ENOUGH.

Sending you all lots of love today.

#thefriendshipbreakup #anniecathryn #debutauthor #womensfiction #momcom #bookstagram #bookgram #bookstagrammer #bookreview #bookreviewsneedlovetoo #readingmama #momswhoread #momswhoreel #bestfriends #momfriends #womensupportingwomen #galentinesday #adastra #winebar #cocktails #downtownspringfield #sundayfunday #alcovepress #dreamscapesmedia #bookstabuddies #bookish #bookworm #bibliophile #booksbooksbooks #booksbooksandmorebooks #booklover #mustread #readers #readersofinstagram #readersgonnaread

"The Friendship Breakup" is a fun and uplifting story about Fallon Monroe, a mom who is trying to balance achieving her goals and dreams while surviving motherhood and her relationships. After being ghosted by her mom friend group and finding a long-lost letter from her past, she must figure out how to navigate her life forward. Filled with humor, self-doubt, and honesty, this Mom-Com is a refreshing read.

I listened to this as an audiobook and I did find Fallon's narrative to be slightly whiny at the beginning of the story due to the inflection of the narrator. I encourage everyone to continue on, you won't be disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

This was a cute story, and while the main character was slightly annoying to me it was interesting to see her grow throughout the story. It was well written and had me chuckling at a few points. The narrator was good as well.

This debut is an absolutely delight!

As moms and dads, we take care of our children and want the best for them and strive to “do it all.” Lunches, carpool, bake sales, music, sports, school events, birthday parties, etc. are part of life and we try to balance with home life and jobs.

Fallon is one of those moms who has a group of friends who do things together with the kids and as moms. One day she realizes she is not being invited to things with the group and her child is also left out. She has no idea why! They have been friends for seven years.

As we all know things behind closed doors are not always what is shown on social media. Fallon wants to maintain these friendships. She routinely sees a therapist to help her cope. She has had some loss in her life, so this is hard for her.

Should she maintain relationships with people who don’t want her in their lives?

Fallon wants nothing more than to have her mom friends for life. This is the 7th year of their friendship and she believes that if a friendship makes it 7 years that it will last a lifetime. Outside of her friend group, she is a chocolate maker who is trying to get her business off the ground. When she starts getting excluded form the mom events, she starts to worry. Even though she has really done nothing wrong, they will not tell her why they are ignoring each other and she is doing everything that she can to get in their good graces.

I really enjoyed the story and how Fallon learned that one door closing leads to a different one opening. We aren't meant to stay friends with everyone for life and some a just for a season. I love when books show and normalize the therapy process because everyone should be in therapy. Fallon realizing that the only people that really should be her top priority are her husband and child.

I really wanted to like this, I think it's important for mothers to have strong female friendships. This book really made that the entire premise of the plot, however Fallon came off as rather immature about it, whiney and not a very likeable character. Mel and Avery, two out of town friends, were excellent, but the book really leaned into female stereotypes of catty, gossip, and cold shouldering. Marital relationships were on edge every way you looked, which makes 40 feel like more of a bummer than it is, and I kept screaming to Fallon to just grow up and have a conversation about things.

Most aspects of friendship felt over the top and exaggerated for the sake of the story, however I'm glad I read through the end as there were some redeeming qualities that made this a photo finish.

I was immediately intrigued the moment I read the title of this book. The desire for friendship, maintaining it, and finding it absolutely resonates at any age as does the sting of being excluded or ghosted while seeing the evidence of exclusion all over social media. There were many things to like about this book and a few that were completely unrelatable, at least to me.

The positive aspects: I think the author completely captures how it feels to lose a friendship, how it feels to be excluded, the pain of wondering why, while watching it all play out on social media. The protagonist, Fallon, is suddenly excluded by all her mom bestie's and doesn't know why. She anxiously checks social media to check their status to see how often they are handing out with our her.
Now, if you get annoyed by the fact that if the characters would just talk to each other, things would be solved, you will find yourself annoyed by this plot. This didn't bother me as much because I know some grown adults who aren't very emotionally intelligent so I think it's completely plausible that you could have a friendship end where someone refuses to communicate with you.

What I felt didn't work: the main character is very privileged and it all ends a little to happily ever after. I
Did enjoy the book, despite the ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Dreamscape media for an early copy of this book. Publishes: 2/7/23

Fallon Monroe is an almost 40 year old mom who faces the typical struggles of many women her age- trying to juggle motherhood, marriage, friends, and career. She is an aspiring Chocolatier who has found herself iced out by her group of mommy friends. Fallon has endured lots of feelings of rejection throughout her life and finds this recent rift with her friend group, particularly with her closest friend, Beatrice, to be very troublesome. She consults with her therapist to dig to the root of her persistent feelings of rejection and also signs up for a "friendship" app to try to find some new friends. Even after finding new friends though, she finds herself still struggling with her issues and now has some new ones to deal with.

The series of events in the book are comedic, heartbreaking, and incredibly relatable to women everywhere. I appreciated the emphasis that was placed on therapy and how Fallon works to understand why some people come into your lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. It's hard to know when to fight for something and when it might just be better to walk away. Whether you have kids or not, the dynamic of the mommy friend group and Fallon's feelings of being left out and rejection are definitely relatable in any social circle.

I really, truly enjoyed this audiobook. The writing was funny and realistic, and the narrator did an excellent job distinguishing the different characters in the audiobook. Highly recommend!

This was my first advanced listening copy and I really appreciate the opportunity! I’m just getting in to audiobooks and this was an easy listen. I did find that at normal speed, it was slow so I did speed it up a little.

Blurb:
Fallon Monroe, mother of one, self-help book junkie, and budding chocolatier, has always relied on her mom friends in the Chicago suburbs to get her through the trials of adulthood. So when her bestie Beatrice
inexplicably starts ghosting her and takes all their mutual friends with her, Fallon’s left wondering how everything went so wrong. Pushing down a lifetime of
insecurities, Fallon doubles down and decides to win them back.

My thoughts:
I connected to Fallon in a lot of ways. I totally
understood Fallon’s desire to do something just for herself. It’s easy to get lost in motherhood and I loved her continued pursuit of building a chocolate business despite all the things that went wrong.

Like Fallon, I’ve also had friendship breakups and they’re horrible. I really felt for Fallon when she was constantly being put down or just ignored by Beatrice.

I loved the people who did support Fallon. Mel, Avery, Eleanor, Stacy, her husband Max. Those are the types of people that are worth keeping in your life!

What I didn’t like was how whiny and desperate Fallon came across at times. I understand her pain and confusion, but I just didn’t understand why she’d want to be friends with Beatrice, who kept saying and doing horrible things to her.

Overall, this is relatable story for all moms (and adults in general). It was an easy listen and enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley, author Annie Cathryn, and Dreamscape Media for the advanced audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

Relatable to this millennial mom! I haven’t seen many books address the complications of adult friendships, but this one does it well. It was frustrating which…reflects real life. 😅


Thanks to Netgalley for the audiobook!

This is a beautiful story. Fallon’s character development was written incredibly well. She was able to grow and learn and embrace herself, life and life changes. It’s a good reminder that no matter how old you are, you can always grow as a person when circumstances change. I think this book was written really well too. The characters, the plot and development all worked well together.

This book is full of really important lessons. Sometimes life doesn’t turn out exactly how you expected. Also, not all friendships will last, no matter how long they have been. Not all friendships are meant to be forever and it’s okay. That doesn’t erase the memories made or the joy that was experienced. As you grow, sometimes you grow out of others, and that’s totally fine. It’s a hard lesson to learn but a relief when you learn to accept it.

The audiobook of this was fantastic. The narrator was perfect for this. She had such a soft and sweet voice that matched the character so well. She also did a great job of changing her voice and dialect for other characters. She showed her characters' emotions through her voice and kept me engaged.

Audiobook rating is 5/5
Book rating is 4/5

I DNFed at 16% for 2 reasons.

1. The narrator is unnecessarily dramatic and overly expressive.
2. This book was a snooze fest. Perhaps I’m just not the right audience for this, but I couldn’t find any of the characters likable enough to latch onto.

The topic of adult female relationships is one that does not get enough attention, and I was so glad to read a book that looks at the complex nature of those friendships. Annie Cathryn did an excellent job of portraying the fragility of adult female relationships. I appreciated the positive portrayal of therapy and its employment for a non-conventional trauma (beyond the allusion to former sessions). While access to mental health support lamentably remains a privilege in most societies, this book demonstrated the importance of working through the pain of a break up, understanding our triggers, and seeking to address and overcome our insecurities.
Fallon's need to continuously 'improve' herself is so relatable for a new mom - we are thrust into the most important role of our lives with little instruction, and often little support, and expected to excel at all the new tasks while simultaneously balancing all the aspects of pre-mother womanhood. It is often said that it takes a village to raise a child, but I think it's equally valid to state that it takes a village to raise a mother.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is struggling with the false narrative that women can have it all, if they just work hard enough to get the perfect, if elusive, balance.

My thanks to Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley, for the audiobook ARC.

I've been so excited for this book.

📖 This book is billed as a "mom-com" and the story follows Fallon, a mother of one and budding business owner. For the past 6 years she has felt connected to and been able to rely on the support of her friends. Until seemingly out of nowhere her best friend, Beatrice, and the rest of their friend group begins ghosting her. Fallon is left wondering what could have caused the change and begins planning on how to win them back. While shebhas good intentions, Fallon's plans often don't have the intended results. With all this and some long avoided insight from the past, she has to decide if fighting for her friendship is the right call or if just letting go might be for the best.

🎧 Brenda Scott Wlazlo narrates the audiobook and reall6 captures Fallon's voice. It was a joy to listen to and kept me hanging on the whole time. It was such a fun audiobook and I would encourage you all to grab a copy of this one when it comes out on February 7th!

🎉 Shot out to @NetGalley and @Dreamscape_Media for an advanced audio copy of this great book!

⚠️ Content Warnings ⚠️
This story includes descriptions of emotional abuse, infertility, and infidelity.