Loved a good female friendship story and this one was a fresh take on a well known genre. A fun read, and one that felt like a hug in a book,

Katie, Liv, Dee and Rosa have been friends since university. Katie's world falls apart when her boyfriend of nine years ends the relationship. Turning to her closest friends for support they offer advice for surviving the grieving process.

I can't resist a quirky title, or cover, and Instructions For Heartbreak by Sarah Handyside offered both. Probably because of the title and cover I was expecting something more akin to romantic fiction. However, the book really is a guide for surviving the anguish following the end of a long-term relationship with the steps following those of the grief process after a bereavement.

The women met at university and have all ended up working in London. Liv, Dee and Rosa share a home while Katie lives with her boyfriend Chris. When Chris suddenly announces the relationship isn't working for him Katie flees to the safe haven of her friends. You are immediately sucked into Katie's world. Sarah Handyside clearly conveys the suffering and disbelief she is experiencing. Any woman who has suffered the end of a relationship will be thankful that Katie has friends willing to throw their protective arms around her. This really is a story about the power of female friendship.

After a drunken evening denigrating Chris the women decide to write a handbook for Katie offering help and advice to suvive the coming months. Having all had relationships end over the past year the friends are ideally placed to offer guidance. It was at this point that I found the storyline became too introspective.

Just like the grieving process following bereavement, healing a broken heart isn't linear and it's not a one-size-fits-all model. I am sure that readers will recognise elements of the healing process in their own break-ups.

While I sympathised with Katie I didn't really warm to the other female characters. No doubt this story will resonate with Millennials or someone who has recently seen a relationship crumble. Unfortunately, it didn't work for me.

I originally saw this recommended by Lucy Jane Wood and I'm thrilled to say her recommendation was definitely worth it. This left me so full of joy and happiness (despite the title) while also reminding me of the power of female friendship.

A literary "rom-com" of sorts. But really the romance is the female friendship, and the comedy arises from their relationships. Well written and engaging. Recommended.

This was a beautiful story about love and the power of women's friendships. Having someone to talk to about how crap break ups are is so important, and the idea of making a mini instruction guide was lovely. At first I struggled to distinguish between the characters but over time I learned their nuances and could follow the storyline better.

A book about female friendship. Four long term friends get together after one of them has a breakup. Lots of emotions, very funny in places, a really nice read. Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced copy

This novel was so brilliant. Books about strong female friendships is what we need more of. I struggled at first to remember the different characters but I’m glad I persevered. I then flew through the book and look forward to recommending to others.

An interesting and poignant addition to the 'sad girl' literary fiction boom going on at the moment, with a keen and heartwarming focus on female friendships. I enjoyed the structure of the novel, especially the focus on stages of grief and the importance of different kinds of relationships, rather than the centrality of one romantic partner. I also thought the girls' motivations and internal reasonings were very well-done, with realistic quirks and thought processes. I did find some of the flow hard to follow, for example when the focus changed from one woman to another with a paragraph break, but I suspect the final version will be formatted differently.

My issue came in the relationships between the girls beyond what was on the page. Some of the historical context of their relationships ended up being heavy-handed, and because it could only really be dropped in with exposition, it was repeated a few times to ensure the reader had picked up on it. This meant that there were tensions in the group which I only picked up on because I was told they were there, and why they were there, rather than seeing them for myself. Likewise, although there was a definite focus on non-romantic relationships, the elements of heartbreak not relating to romance (friendships put under strain, familial illness) were very much sidelined, and rushed.

I loved this. Having recently gone through a breakup, Instructions for Heartbreak’ definitely struck a few raw nerves but it was such a warm and funny book that painted the perfect portrait of female friendship and the baby steps we take as we move out from the fallout of a relationship that’s come crashing down around us. I’ll be recommending this one to everyone I know.

I really struggled to get into this book unfortunately. I think it’s the writing style I’m not connecting with. I found it too jumpy and bitty for me. I really loved the sound of this book. Maybe I will connect with it better in audiobook format.

A wonderful book about friendship, it captures the closeness of female friendships with humor and heart. There is a lot of emotion in the book, and these characters are memorable.

Dee, Rosa, Liv and Katy, are four friends who met at university.

Each girl has found love, lost love but what they have more than anything is a deep friendship.

This is a wonderful read. It has humour, lots of emotion and I felt part of the gang.

It is beautifully written and is a book I will recommend and re read..

Bravo..

This was a beautifully written novel. I loved the characters and found them relatable and relevant to 20 and 30-something readers.
I was expecting it to be a bit more plot-driven as, to me, the cover and marketing made me expect something a bit more similar to Dolly Alderton's 'Everything I know about love'. I think more could also be done to make it clear that throughout the novel, the Instructions/handbook will form the ending to each chapter - this was a lovely device.
Overall this was an easy read and a touching story of friendship and the many forms love can take. I would recommend to a friend.

Instructions for Heartbreak is a wonderfully nuanced, emotionally intelligent and insightful story of female friendships, relationships, growing up and finding your family. I just wish I had half the emotional intelligence and way with language that these four women do.

Its the story of four university friends, Dee, Rosa, Liv and Katy; they found each other at university and never looked back -partners have come and gone but their friendship has survived and is as strong as ever.

When Katy's long term partner Chris breaks up with her, this amazing group of friends envelop her with love and support, holding her up when she needs it but also letting her crumble when its all too much. Between them, they start writing a handbook for surviving heartbreak, from the power of going outside to the dangers of stalking the ex on social media, what it might feel like when you meet someone else, and everything inbetween. The stories they share are raw and real, they don't keep anything from one another, keen to help someone else through their bleakest spot.

All of the other women have had their hearts broken before; part of the story's power and beauty is seeing how they too navigate their worlds, whether its through shying away from relationships completely, or through sharing their innermost thoughts in a national newspaper, they each have to work out what they want from life and how to get there. There are fallings out between the group as well, as they address conflicts about each others' choices, but even the arguments are resolved with emotional insight and understanding.

Powerful clever writing that doesnt shy away from the multitudes and layers inside all of us.

This novel was fantastic - I love a novel filled with amazing female friendships. This is exactly the type of novel I was looking for and I thought the characters were fantastic.

I flew through this book and I absolutely loved it, I will share my full review closer to the time but this is a MUST read.

There is nothing better than the power of female friendships and women coming together to help one another! This book delivers that message and more! I loved every minute. The characters were great and diverse and I loved their interactions with each other. Reminded me a bit of The Bold Type. Great book if your looking for a book with strong healthy female friendships as well as a side of heartbreak which we’ve all been through at some point in our lives