Instructions for Heartbreak is a well-written book about friendship, very specifically focused on how you deal with difficult breakups.

That specific focus gives it power but also a slightly repetitive feel on occasion. It's pinpointed at that stage of life where probably a 20-something woman breaks up with someone who was their first really big significant other.

The 'main' break up here is Katie and Chris, which happens right at the beginning - he finishes it because it 'isn't working' essentially, and she struggles to process that. Was he unhappy? Was he cheating? What if she never knows? She turns to her three friends for help, all of whom have dealt with their own heartbreak (or caused it) in the past. Eventually they write a sort of guidebook for dealing with it: a way out of the dark.

The author weaves a story of four friends who deeply care about and rely on one another (as an awkward introvert who grew up without a gaggle of friends, it's nice to read about but I always wonder if friendship truly exists on this level). They're a bit self-involved and navel-gazery, as is common for that stage of life. They're also figuring out who they are and who they want to be - which is well done. It felt authentic - and so I'd definitely return to this author again. 4.5 stars.

“To be heartbroken is to be human. It is a reaction to the loss of that which we love. 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.”

There is probably no one out there reading this review who has not experienced heartbreak. And I don’t just mean heartbreak caused by a lover but any kind of heartbreak. We have all been there!

This book is the story of Katie, who suddenly finds herself single after nine years when her boyfriend announces, without any fireworks, that things just aren’t working anymore between the two of them. Suddenly life is completely different and so is the future Katie imagined. She is heartbroken but she is also super lucky as she has three wonderful friends, her anchors in life, who catch her and hold her through the weeks and months that follow. They reminisce about their own heartbreaks and it is through these conversations that we get the “instructions for heartbreak”, a little book Katie starts to compile - how each stage, each feeling following a heartbreak is recognisable and how we can cope and maybe even take strength and grasp a new opportunity as a result. I loved the “instruction summary” sections at the end of each chapter: they contain such truths we can all relate to!

This is the kind of book that will make you smile, make you nod but sometimes also squeeze your heart (this for me was especially true for Dee’s Mum’s story!) and is very easy to read. It is full of love of all sorts and definitely shows the importance of good friends who are there for you through thick and thin. I hope everyone reading this has at least one friend like that as it does make heartbreak and life in general so much easier!

I enjoyed the focus on female friendship and the story made me think about my own experiences of being heartbroken. It's a great concept and I liked the strong female characters. I like the idea of a book that's a guide for this
Occasionally it didn't always flow well enough for me and I struggled to tell the characters apart. It wasn't quite as engaging or absorbing as I'd hoped it would be.

An easy read, reminiscent of the rom coms I used to readcin the 90s. I wasnt blown away but it was an enjoyable read with a lovely take on female friendships and dating (I dont miss that!)

Female friendships at their best.

A beautiful and emotional book, highlighting the importance of having a village when you need it most.

The characters were diverse and well-rounded and written with a unique voice for each.

‘You will cry while telling yourself this is not worth crying over. But it is. Oh darling, it is.’

This is what every person who has suffered heartbreak needs.

Instructions for Heartbreak by Sarah Handyside offers the idea of; what happens if heartbreak came with a handbook.When Katie turns up at her friends flat after her boyfriend of 9 years unexpectedly ends their relationship, she isn’t sure she will ever be able to get through it, or where to even start untangling her life with someone else's. But these girls - women - know heartbreak. They bring out a sketchpad and an idea. Soon the Heartbreak Handbook takes shape, with advice on tears, hangovers, old photos and new bedding. But Katie is not the only one nursing a broken heart, and soon they just might find that the heartbreak handbook is what they needed all along.

When I requested this book from NetGalley, I was immediately drawn to the female friendship aspect of it, and it was so good. The way Katie’s immediate response to heartbreak is to go to her friends, and the way they immediately envelope her, not in a ‘its going to be okay, you’re better off without him anyway’ way, but in a ‘it’s going to be okay, we’ll be here the whole time’, just showcases the best of women supporting women. So many times the initial response to friends breakup is, you don’t need him, and it was refreshing to have that not be the case. The idea of we’ll help you through it because you’re going to feel it and it’s going to hurt, was just such a nice take, and the fact that all of them are going through heartbreak to different degrees, with different coping methods was interesting to read, and never overshadowed each other.

I liked that it looks at the brutal, and at times ugly side of heartbreak. The way that every reaction, or overreaction is handled is done so well, and this is really shown in the argument between Katie and Liv. The dynamic between being dumped, and doing the dumping is very fine, and when your the one being dumped it can be hard to see past the idea of ‘you’ve done this to someone’ and it can really skew friendship dynamics, but the way it was portrayed was so well done, and it shows that not everyone is perfect, not everyone will act the way they are supposed to, and friends can break your heart too.

One thing I wasn’t sure about at first was how repetitive Katie’s reactions were. I found myself thinking that the way she thought ‘Katie-and-Chris’ was const, and I was getting a bit frustrated by it until I thought about how I was when I went through a breakup, and how brutal it can be to go from me and this someone to just me. Once I thought about it more, it made perfect sense.

As a whole the book feels like the song How Did It End but in the best way. The idea that they don’t really understand how it’s ended but it has, and it isn’t just Katie’s breakup either, all of them feeling the same it’s ended and I can’t understand why, whilst finding out the reasons behind each others relationships breaking down. The way that it was written, I kept wanting to know what the seven words were’ or wanting to know how each breakup had happened as they all seemed recent.

All in all, I went into this wanting to read more about strong female friendships, and that really shone in this book. It was an enjoyable read.

Thank you to Sarah Handyside and NetGalley for this ARC!

I really loved how this book disguises itself as your typical romance novel, but is actually quite a profound story of seeking safety amongst your support network following the kind of grief that comes with a major life change, the bereavement of paths not taken and the healing it takes to do that. Part-guide on break ups and part heartfelt story, this book will benefit a lot of people experiencing the turmoil of a lost relationship. I think there were some narrative edges that needed smoothing here and there, but otherwise I can see how much this book will benefit those who need it most.

This book is a great idea, but poorly executed.
Of course this is nothing but my humble opinion and I bet there are others who loved this book to bits and pieces, but it simply wasn't for me.
I started reading it expecting something entirely different and ended up with a book I couldn't follow nor understand.
I usually love friend groups dynamics but this time something about it was off and completely ruined it for me.
The heartbreak instructions at the end of each chapter could have been a good idea but put that way it stops the story flow and makes it slower/boring.

I was hoping for a heartwarming read that focused on female friendships, but I found the flow difficult to follow at times. The narrative often jumped between characters, their stories, and histories, which made it harder to stay engaged.

The friendships themselves didn’t feel deeply developed to me. What connection I did see came across as heavy-handed or repetitive, as though the key elements were being overly explained rather than naturally unfolding in the story.

I really struggled to connect with this book, unfortunately. I think it’s the writing style that didn’t resonate with me. I was initially drawn to the premise and liked the sound of the story, so perhaps I’ll revisit it in the future and see if my perspective changes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pan MacMillan for an arc in return for my honest review.

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.