3.5 ⭐'s….This book follows Kay who is hurt by her best friend Rose. Kay is getting married and Rose is supposed to be there as her maid of honor. Rose does not show up and then tells Kay she doesn't want to ever talk to or see her again. This starts a journey of self-discovery for Kay where she revisits memories to try and discover what went wrong with Rose.

The jumping between timelines was confusing at time, the interspersed picture parts was interesting almost time capsule like moments. Overall, I enjoyed this tale of discovery and self-reflection.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the advance copy of this story. All of my opinions are my own.

This book jumped around too much for me. It made it harder to follow and harder to stay interested in.
I think the age of the characters had something to do with my not caring too much about them either.
I feel there’s an audience for this book, just not me.

A interesting and somewhat strange story about friendships.
Kay and Rose have been friends forever….when Kay gets married, Rose does not show up for the wedding. A wedding that she is the matron of honor.
What is going on? Kay can’t let things rest and must find answers as to why Rose is not returning her phone calls or any attempts of contacting her.
Kay looks back on her life trying to figure out if she has done something to make Rose ignore her.
A well written story about love and friendship.
Thank you NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

It should have been the best of Kay's life. Getting married with her bet friend and maid of honour, Rose at her side. But then Rose messages Kay moments before the ceremony, I'm so sorry, I can't do this. Please don't look for me. Kay is heartbroken. What could have possibly driven Rose to leave?

When Rose doesn't show up for Kay's wedding, Kay does not know why. This is Kay's second marriage. She already has two grown up children from her previous one. Kay spends her wedding day worrying about what could have happened to Rose? Kay starts to question the relationships she has had over the years, and delves into her past to find out the truth.

This is an emotional read. The characters are well-developed and it has been well-written. When you get to the second half of this book, it gets harder to put the book down. This is a character driven plot.

Published 18th August 2025

I would like to thank #NetGalley #Bookoutue and the author #BethMiller for my ARC of#TheFriendshipList in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for this eCopy to review.

I just finished The Friendship List by Beth Miller, and it’s a heartfelt, emotionally layered story about love, loss, and the enduring power of friendship.

The story centres on Kay, who’s preparing for her second marriage and expecting her lifelong best friend Rose to be by her side as maid of honour. But instead of showing up, Rose sends a devastating message: she wishes Kay well, but never wants to hear from her again. The shock and heartbreak send Kay spiralling into the past, revisiting old friendships and shared memories in search of answers.

As Kay reconnects with people from their youth, she begins to uncover the emotional threads that led to Rose’s disappearance. What unfolds is a poignant journey through grief, forgiveness, and rediscovery.

What I loved:

💔 The emotional depth. Kay’s heartbreak is raw and relatable, and her search for understanding is beautifully written.

👭 The theme of lifelong friendship is central. It’s messy, complicated, and deeply moving—exactly how real friendships often are.

🗂️ The structure works well. Flashbacks and present-day scenes are woven together seamlessly, giving the story a reflective, almost therapeutic rhythm.

This is a story for anyone who’s ever lost touch with someone they thought would always be there and wondered why, a lovely, thoughtful read.

This book was much more than I expected. It was. emotional and had me thinking about my own friendships and relationships. Thank you for the opportunity to read this arc.

The Friendship List just didn’t work for me. I never really connected with the characters or the plot, and I found myself feeling pretty indifferent about where things were going. There were a few small moments that had potential, but they didn’t quite land. I think others might enjoy it though.

This one is a hit or miss and I couldn't figure it which it was for me so a solid three stars there. The characters were honestly really unlikeable and immature. The reveals were good, but not super unexpected and, while the pacing was generally good, I did find that the book dragged quite a bit at times.

The Friendship List by Beth Miller is a beautifully written, emotionally resonant story about the complexities of friendship, family, and the hidden truths we all carry. With strong character development and heartfelt storytelling, Mittler captures both the warmth and pain of human connection. The novel reminds readers that no one is perfect, and that even those closest to us may be holding secrets. It’s a moving, bittersweet journey that will tug at your heartstrings and stay with you long after the final page. A lovely, tear-worthy read that I thoroughly enjoyed.. This was my first time reading a book by this author,, and it won’t be the last. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC.

I received this book on Netgalley as an ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This book was just okay. I honestly had to power through it because I just didn't find any of the characters terribly interesting. I especially did not like Kay. How does a woman who made a monumentally bad decision get so lucky in the end? I understand that the author is looking at the concept of friendship to the people in the story but I just couldn't get into it. The ending was pretty good but not the "wow" I wanted to justify finishing the book. I wish the characters were a little more fleshed out and the development of the story just a little better.

I liked the descriptions of photos dotted throughout. Clues to key events in Kays past but also her uni project.

I wasn't sure i would warm to Kay, and i don't feel I ever did, really. I find it harder to enjoy a book properly if I don't connect with the main protagonist.

The storyline is thought-provoking. Ruminating on life and the choices we make, the things we say, the impact they have. Realising and cherishing (or regretting) friendships and relationships. Fate taking things out of our hands. The paths our lives take. The experiences we have.

I enjoyed the subtle bits of humour that made me smile often about everyday observations. Kay and I share the same sense of humour. Indeed, we share the same worries about friendships, if anything has gone wrong, that it is our fault. Sometimes, that is true, but it is not intentional, just social clumsiness or not being totally aware of a situation.

I felt that the book was a bit longer than it needed to be, but it was well written and well thought out. I'll certainly know the signs of a gambler now!

Katie is expecting Rose, her very best friend to be her maid of honor at her second marriage, but Rose is a no show. Even worse, Rose sends a note that wishes Katie well in her marriage, but to never contact her again. Katie is heartbroken and bothered as to why.
Katie decides to look up old friends that she and Rose had shared to find out if they know what happened. I mistakenly thought this was a mystery book. But I guess for Katie it was a mystery.
Told in dual timelines, Katie comes to some conclusions about herself and what she remembers versus what really happened.
Not a mystery, but a story of how some of our friends are like the ebb and flow of an ocean. They come and stay for a while, but then they silently disappear. But others are meant to stay and be our best friend. Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for the eARC. This review is my personal opinion.

This is at heart a mystery story as to what happened between two friends to cause an estrangement, I really enjoyed it.

A light, funny, heartfelt novel about friendships and second chances.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #Bookouture for this ARC.

Kay's best friend Rose doesn't show up to Kay's wedding and Kay is devastated. When Rose tells her to never contact her again, Kay has no idea why. She starts to question all of the relationships she's ever had and learns thinks about herself and begins to wonder if she is the reason Rose does not want her in her life anymore.

This is a book that will get you thinking about your relationships and your life.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC of The Friendship list which releases August, 18, 2025.

Beth Miller is a new author for me. She's written a few books before this, some of which include the same characters from this book. In this standalone story, Kay, who is middle-aged with adult children, is getting married to a man she's fallen head-over-heels with after a short courtship. Her wedding promises to be perfect, but her best friend Rose has failed to show up, and Kay has no idea why.. This isn't like her at all, and Kay spends her wedding day worrying about what could be wrong. As time goes on, Rose still refuses to see her sending Kay on a journey to try to understand what she, Kay, could have done to create this riff between them, bad enough to cause her best friend to abandon her on one of the most important days of her life. This was a great read for me. Interesting as Kay examines all of her relationships to figure out why she's not a better friend, wife, and mother. Her quest sends her into the past, the distant past, to figure out if what happened years ago could have affected her relationships today. The characters are well-developed, and the story is full of angst along with humor as she navigates through real-life situations that any of us may face during our lifetimes. I was invested throughout as I wondered if I would handle things in a similar way. Thank you to Bookouture and Netgalley for bringing this book to my attention. Pub date is right around the corner on August 18, 2025.

Sometimes friends are more like family, but how well do you know someone? On what should be the happiest day of Kays life she is let down by her best friend and maid of honour. In looking for the reason why Kay uncovers a lifetime of memories and discovers herself. This is an interesting and thoughtful read.

The friendship list is an amazing book. I found myself identifying so much with Kay and her circle of friends! Luckily for me not so much with the men in her life haha
Absolutely brilliant!

Thank you to the publisher, Bookouture, for making this available as an ARC on NetGalley. The premise sounded good, so I request it even though I was unfamiliar with the author. Overall, I liked the book, I just can't say I "really" liked it. Perhaps it was a little too depressing, with sad characters nd storylines. but everyone is flawed in reality. some of the themes I liked:
. How well do you every really know someone? How long does that take?
. People might not tell you all of their secrets because they don't want you to see them differently; they want you to see them as the person they want to be.
. The final minutes of someone's life aren't more intrinsically important than the weeks, months, years of the relationship that preceded them.
. It's hard to parent grown children.

The Friendship List is a story of family, love and friends but most of all about the friends who are family. Kay knows that when her friend Rose disappears from her life that something serious must have happened but she has no idea what or why. I could feel the frustration but more so the worry. I ended up clutching the tissues with tears streaming down my face so while it is emotional it's also laugh out loud funny moments are tender. I didn't have a clue where the story was leading with Rose until about the half way mark and by then I was well and truly invested. A character driven novel that is impossible to forget.