📚 Rezension: Instructions for Heartbreak
✍️ Sarah Handyside
💔 Eine Ode an den Herzschmerz – und die heilende Kraft weiblicher Freundschaft

💡 Worum geht’s?
Katie steht vor den Scherben ihrer Beziehung. Neun Jahre – einfach vorbei. Mit einem gebrochenen Herzen und keiner Ahnung, wie sie weitermachen soll, klopft sie mitten in der Nacht bei ihren Freundinnen Dee, Liv und Rosa an.

Was als spontaner Mitleids-Martini in einem alten Gurkenglas beginnt, wird zu einem heilsamen Projekt: Gemeinsam erstellen die Freundinnen ein „Handbuch gegen Herzschmerz“. Ein echter Survival-Guide – mit Einträgen über Tränen, Musik, Hühnersuppe, neue Bettwäsche und pure, weiße Wut.

Doch schnell zeigt sich: Nicht nur Katie hat ihr Herz zu flicken. Jede von ihnen trägt Risse, Zweifel und unerfüllte Sehnsüchte in sich. Und das Handbuch wird zu viel mehr als einer Liste – es wird ein Spiegel, eine Brücke, ein Rettungsanker.

💬 Warum dieses Buch so besonders ist:
👯‍♀️ Female Friendship Goals: Ehrlich, chaotisch, tief – eine Feier der Freundschaft in all ihren Facetten

💔 Herzschmerz mit Humor & Herz: Zwischen Heulattacken und Rage-Cleansing findet sich so viel Heilung

📖 Unaufgeregt klug geschrieben: Sprachlich feinfühlig, nie kitschig – und mit britischem Witz durchzogen

🔥 Empowerment statt Selbstmitleid: Ein Buch, das Mut macht, ohne falsche Versprechen

❤️ Fazit:
„Instructions for Heartbreak“ ist kein klassischer Liebesroman – es ist ein Liebesbrief an die Freundschaft, ans Loslassen, ans Wiederaufstehen. Sanft und kraftvoll zugleich erinnert uns Sarah Handyside daran, dass wir den Schmerz nicht alleine durchstehen müssen – und dass ein Gurkenglas-Martini manchmal der Anfang von allem sein kann.

5 von 5 Skizzenbücher – ehrlich, warm, und absolut tröstlich.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆ (4/5)
A smart, emotionally layered novel about moving on, falling apart, and picking yourself back up. Sarah Handyside balances humour and vulnerability in a story that feels true to life. Honest, messy, and ultimately hopeful.

What I really enjoyed about this book is that it shows that each of us knows what it is like to be feeling our worst. We have all had that one period in our life when we feel like we can't carry on, but somehow we do! It shows the often tested, strength of human spirit. I felt like it was aimed at a younger age range than myself one where you've not fully experienced the many different situations that life throws at you the older you get.
Not surprisingly the friendship theme runs heavily throughout the story, which i really liked. I love seeing a well done friendship. I felt like this took a more central part of the story even though the story is based on heartbreak.
I felt at times like the pacing was a little slow where the perspective changes between each character. Due to the subjects discussed it often felt heavy but is a brilliantly well observed study on female friendship.

The ultimate display of how magical and fulfilling female friendship can be. The loss of a 9 year relationship, the comfort and support from your girls , a home made cocktail shaker (pickle jar) and the recovery from heartbreak all tied up into a beautiful story of sisterhood, female friendship & recovery.

I adore this, so heartwarming , sad, uplifting. All the feels, all the smiles and all the girly moments 🩷

In Instructions for Heartbreak Katie is dumped suddenly and brutally by her boyfriend of nine years and finds sanctuary with her bosom friends from university who are navigating adult life in their own special ways. They band together to get Kate through her grief and heartbreak by sharing their own experiences both good and bad by creating a manual to getting back on your feet after having your heart broken. This was ok the four main characters are all quite likeable and suitably different from each other to make it interesting. It’s quite a slow book not a great deal happens after the initial break up. It’s also slowed by a sort of summation at the end of each section as characters write little essays in the heartbreak book which I found repetitive and ended up skimming. I was kind of waiting for stuff to happen in the book and nothing really did it’s quite a melancholy book and I was hoping for a bit more romance and joy which was only kind of hinted at.

What I Loved:
Character Development: Each character is richly drawn and relatable, with their unique flaws and strengths. The bond between the four friends is heartwarming and realistic, highlighting the power of female friendship.
Writing Style: Handyside's writing is both witty and poignant, capturing the emotional highs and lows of heartbreak and the healing process.
Overall Impression: This book is an essential read for anyone who's experienced the pain of a breakup or values the unwavering support of friends. It's a testament to the enduring power of friendship and the ability to rebuild oneself after heartache. I love how these characters support each other and contributions to the handbook. I love how it was filled with humor, wisdom and relatable emotions. Highly recommended for fans of contemporary women's fiction and those who enjoy character-driven stories with emotional depth.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

When life breaks your heart—write a self-help book
—
You HAVE to kiss a lot of frogs, right? Although I know one couple who met at university and never strayed. But poor Katie gets thrown under the bus by her calm, logical boyfriend Chris, who has everything worked out, the estate agent on speed dial, a (female) workmate’s flat to move into. Meanwhile, Katie’s dying inside, buoyed up only by her besties Dee, Rosa and Liv. Who, in their wisdom and their own experiences with heartbreak, decide to help Katie get back up and back on the horse with a self-help manual on navigating heartbreak. Because two—or, in this case, three—heads are better than one.

The four friends are well-delineated in this dense novel, but the dialogue (and often the internal narratives) is over-stuffed with speechifying, great gobs of talking at other people, or in the case of the internal stuff, too much self-awareness. The handbook is a welcome respite from the relentless self-talk, but it’s no KonMari.

I appreciate that I’m not the audience for this book; I think it speaks to women and their friendships, as well as the unrealistic expectations that society places on relationships being perfect, when there’s no such thing as a perfect relationship. This book definitely knows its readership and I’ll get this book into their hands.

Three and half stars, rounded up to four.

I absolutely adored this book and read it in under 24 hours!!

The characters are so personable and relatable, and whilst this is an easy read there is so much to unpick in there.

I’m sure this would really hit during a breakup but alas i am not nursing a broken heart so my feelings towards this book are quite lukewarm. It centres around a friend group made up of 4 women in their late twenties and the handbook they create to help the newest dumpee navigate heartbreak. I enjoyed the excerpts from the handbook but found the style of writing hindered my ability to connect with these characters - Although written in 3rd person, it jumped from perspective to perspective quite quickly and I believe the story would’ve benefited from allowing certain moments to breathe rather than constantly rushing towards the next scene.

I really enjoyed reading Instructions for Heartbreak, and felt like I had been invited into a great group of women who I could rely on to help me through all the pitfalls of love and loss.

It is an uplifting and supportive read, perfect for those times when you want to come away from a novel feeling good. The story of four friends as they try and help Katie through the break-up of her nine-year relationship and the creation of a manual for getting through life's curve balls. But the book turns out to help more than just Katie.

Loved this! It was a slow start and I struggled to differentiate between Dee and Rosa for quite a while but by the end I adored it. Not much happens - you're primarily following Katie post break up. But it's just a beautiful ode to the real love story in our lives - the relationship with our best friends. Our girls. Our women.

The title of this book suggests a guide to overcoming a breakup, but it delves much deeper into the themes of friendship and inner strength. While the breakup between Katie and Chris, which occurs right at the beginning, sets the stage, the story is more about how Katie navigates her emotions with the support of her three friends. Each friend has their own history of heartbreak, and their honesty and support help Katie process her feelings. The book offers a perspective on relationships, highlighting how they end and how one moves on, emphasizing the power of genuine friendships and personal resilience.

There were so many great moments in this book, it showed fantastic female friendships and changes we have to go through.

If you're going through a breakup or know someone who is then buy this book!

When Katie's 9 year relationship ends abruptly, the only way for her to turn is towards her three closest friends, who live nearby. Dee, Liv and Rosa pull out the cocktails, the advice, make room for Katie to stay over, and start a heartbreak handbook full of advice on getting through her breakup. Yet, all four of the women are going through breakups, so many months before or even years.

This book is more than about learning to live after a nasty breakup but more about the power of female friendships, close knit communities and finding the inner strength to make it through the difficult periods of your life.

Instructions for Heartbreak is an emotional, intelligent read, and a book where the happy ending doesn't have to come from finding a replacement partner.

I really enjoyed this book, and I look forward to reading more from Sarah Handyside

Thank you to netgalley for the ebook copy of this book.

This was not what I was expecting from the novel, I was hoping for heartwarming read that focuses on female friendships but it wasn’t that.

The friendships didn’t feel deep enough or developed enough but that could be my personal preference of the book and being character driven.

Some aspects felt repetitive and heavy handed so all round didn’t love this for different reasons.

This was just lovely. A perfect balm after reading a couple of dark books in a row. The author captures the power , importance and joy of strong friendship with great accuracy. Smart, humourous and a really engaging read. Recommend

A tale of female friendship and unwavering support.

Dee, Liv, Rosa and Katie are close friends; three of them share a home while Katie lives with her boyfriend. After nine years, it seems her relationship is over and the first place she goes is to her friends for solace and comfort As they. close ranks, they come up with the idea of a book on how to deal with heartbreak .. after all, Katie isn't the only one to encounter that . . .

This is a lovely read, no doubt about that, but I didn't quite 'click' with the characters so struggled through it. It's well-planned and well-written, I just didn't gel with it. However, I'm quite sure others will love it, so I'm giving it four stars.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley.

This is a love letter to female friendships. A true sisterhood, no clichés - I loved it. There's a warm comfort to it, a sense of familiarity to it because the character feel so real. The emotions felt real. Their behaviours felt real. Not to mention the Britishness was spot on. It really was beautifully written.

“To love is to risk a broken heart, but to refuse to love is no protection. You were made to love. You were made to be loved”

If you’ve experienced a break up (which I think most of us have) parts of this book will absolutely speak to you. We follow Katie, who has recently found herself single after nine years in a relationship. Alongside this are her friends Rosa, Dee and Liv who also have their own complications with love. Through these conversations they put together the instructions for heartbreak handbook and how to get through it. I loved that there was a guide at the end of each chapter, the feelings expressed were completely relatable and the book reminds us that it’s okay to not have everything together. One thing I thought the book portrayed well was how you can spend every day with a person for them to then be completely removed from your life. Forgetting that you can’t text them everyday, update them when you see something funny or having a guaranteed someone to do everything with. It felt so true to life and how heartbreak can feel like you’re physically hurting but there is no tablet or surgery that can fix it. It’s a cliche but time is the only healer.

One thing I did struggle with was the POVs, it wasn’t always obvious who we were looking at or who was talking to who. I did also feel like I skimmed some sections as Katie’s character felt a little repetitive BUT, I still enjoyed and the book definitely shows that even when you are at rock bottom, keep going because although it may feel like you have nothing you and it’s the end of the world there are still others around you who love you.

Katie, Dee, Rosa and Liv have been best friends since they met at Manchester University. They are all happy with their lives, Dee, Rosa and Liv sharing a flat, and Katie living with her boyfriend nearby.

When Katie turns up on the girls doorstep unexpectedly after having her heart broken, they rally round to get her back on her feet. Katie doesn't know what to do with herself, as she was with him for nine years.

Nine years, and he ends it just like that.

She is to put it simply, devastated.

Who wouldn't be?

But the girls have all had their own share of heartbreak over the years, so in their quest to getting Katie feeling back to normal, they start to write her a book, 'Instructions for Heartbreak', or what to do when your nine year relationship ends and you think the world is ending around you...

Personally, Instructions for Heartbreak is a book I needed to read two years ago having just gone through a messy break up myself.

Unlike poor Katie I 'only' had almost three years of 'perfect' relationship to pick through, and thankfully had my own circle of friends to get me through, but this book and the fictional book within it, would have been a godsend!

This is a brilliantly written novel about women who bring out the best in each other, and help each other when times are tough!