The Breakup Monologues by Rosie Wilby explores relationships and love and heartbreak, dating and sexuality.

After my rather toxic and controlling relationship finally came to an end, this book provided me comfort when I needed it the most!

This book is a love letter to the authors breakups, a celebration of what they have taught her peppered with anecdotes from illustrious friends and interviews with relationship therapists, scientists and sociologists about separating in the modern age of ghosting, breadcrumbing and conscious uncoupling.

Mixing humour, memoir and science, she attempts to assimilate their advice and ideas in order to not break up with Girlfriend, her partner of nearly three years. Will this self-confessed serial monogamist, and breakup addict, finally settle down?

I didn't know what to expect when I picked this book up. Rosie has a wonderful podcast, but I wasn't sure what I'd be coming across with this book. Was this an origin story of how the podcast came about? Was it a research-focused exploration of love? Was this a deep dive into her own journey? Well, it's all those things and then some and is perhaps one of the strongest things about this book!

On one level it's a story about what love really does look like through different lenses. Through another, its a deeply personal story about our fantastic writer who takes us on her journey of making sense of it all (through some brilliant footnotes and fourth-wall-breaking moments!). It's equally a story about a creative finding their voice through every subsequent gig, experience and the sum total of the journey.

I could say so much and yet still fall short of capturing what this book truly is, so do yourself a favour and just click buy. It will leave you laughing, holding yourself and the bundle of emotions, and leave you feeling better every time you put it down. This book deserves to be in the 'special reads' shelf of every book nerd, and you can bet it'll be on mine.

This is a fun, humourous look at break-ups and how we can learn through them. I will admit it does bug me when people overemphasise this, like a human can't be a full functioning human who knows what they want without having gone through a break-up, but either way this was a quick and entertaining read. I'm still not quite sure that it was meaty enough for the premise, but I don't really mind!

A very interesting read from an unexpected perspective. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a review.

An interesting read that details the bad and the good sides of relationships and by the same token break ups. Filled with real life perspective and examples of experiences of both the author and their social circle, it is quite a thought-provoking book. The inclusions of little amusing interludes and anecdotes is another element that adds humour to the read.

3 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers Bloomsbury Publishing for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

It's a great mix of well researched facts and theories, funny anecdotes from friends and her own personal experience of break ups before finding her 'happy ending:

Going into this book I didn't realise that Rosie is gay, and while of course heartbreak is universal it was really interesting to get a lesbian perspective synchronised perimenopausal symptoms, no thank you!! ))