A review by nebulous07
The Friendship Breakup by Annie Cathryn

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Annie Cathryn's "The Friendship Breakup" is a heartfelt, immersive book; a blanket-hugging read full of laughter, emotion and contemplation. Fallon Monroe is such a perfectly unperfect character who finds herself isolated from the mom group, which takes her down a path of deep reminiscing and reflection. Annie's writing is so immersive and inviting, and one feels that you are right there with the characters as the scenes unfold. I connected with Fallon as a young woman in college courtesy of the flashbacks, a daughter fulfilling her obligations and standing up for her friends and herself. The scenes with the therapist are beautifully written, evoking personal thought and reflection. At times, I did feel that I was venturing into the self-help textbook solutions, but our protagonist is a "self-help book junkie." But it didn't take away from the central message that the beauty of life is in the pauses and immersing yourself with what is, even when what should be, doesn't figure out in the chapters. A 5-star read! 

Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for inviting me to read this fantastic debut novel. I highly recommend this read for fiction-feel-good lovers.