This story is like a punch to the gut, but simultaneously feels like a shoulder to cry one. A very raw, relatable and honest look on the terrifying possibility of getting your heart broken and how to deal with the aftermath. A love letter to female friendships and their impact on almost every aspect of a women's life.

I felt seen in this book, understood and never judged. I could connect with the main protagonists and their complicated feelings, because going through a heartbreak is just that: messy and complicated and almost never pretty.

It made for a gripping story, but also made it a bit confusing at times. There was a lot of jumping around between perspectives and stories, which made it hard for me to follow at times. Some of the actions of the characters felt repetitive, which is definitely true to a real life heartbreak, where you always circle back to certain behavior, but does dull the experience of reading a fictional story a bit.

Overall, I did enjoy this book very much and I applaud Sarah Handyside for creating this fleshed out story, that was something completely new and utterly beautiful to experience.

The story revolves around 4 friends Rosa, Dee, Liv and Katie. When Katie's partner Chris decides things aren't working she struggles to cope and doesn't know if how she feels is what she should be feeling. Her friends try to support her with their own experiences.
All the friends have gone through various affairs of the heart and try to help her in their own way.
They met at university and have been through lots of things together but have managed to stay friends.
They decide to write a book on how to navigate heartbreak.
The story is well observed and a study of female friendship. Sometimes Katie got a bit much but that is real life everyone deals in their own way.
It was different from my normal reads but it's always good to read different storyline.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher.

This was a cosy read that left me uplifted but also desperate to find out what happens to the characters next! 4 wonderfully written main characters and a strong supporting cast have led to a special debut - looking forward to what the author produces next.

3.75 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this book! Loved the writing style. The thing with books that centre many characters is that it does tend to focus on one character more than the rest. I think that's why I didn't love this book. There's no balance between the characters. Don't get me wrong! The characters are lovely and Sarah Handyside described the characters and their different traits and problems and developed them beautifully. But I think it kind of turned a bit left and away from the main plot sometimes.

Overall, I liked it.

I went into this with such a high hopes but unfortunately I didn’t really gel with this as much as I would have liked.

I love the concept of the book, the theme of friendship and getting over being heart broken sounded right up my street. I felt the friendship between the girls was really lovely and the way they looked out for each other was everything you would want from a friend.

However, I struggled to get into the book because there were so many characters introduced in such a short space of time and I don’t think I got the development of each character to really click with and understand them. The book felt really long and repetitive in parts and I struggled to keep up with it.

I am sure we all remember our first heartbreak? So this is a very relatable, emotional and powerful story.

It’s not just about heartbreak but strong friendships as well and how important they are in your life when you’re going through one of the hardest things in your life

Unfortunately, there were too many characters too soon that I struggled to get my head around who was who. I also felt this throughout the book, moving between the characters was not smooth and made it hard to stay focused. I loved the concept but struggled with the writing style perhaps? and to stay engaged throughout the story.

I do believe this would be a great book for those struggling right now. Maybe it just wasn’t working for me right now?

Thank you @netgalley and @panmacmillan for sending this early copy to me.

3.75 stars. I enjoyed the characters and the writing, theres just something about it that didn’t click with me, so it won’t be a favourite but I’m glad to have read it.

Thank you, Pan Macmillan and Netgalley, for this arc in exchange for an honest opinion.
Let me start by saying how incredibly stunning this cover is!

Instructions for Heartbreak was a bit of a slow read for me. It doesn't have a fast-paced story and I had to take breaks from reading because of how heavy the topics discussed are. But I'm so glad I kept going because after the first 40-50% of the book, I started to really like it.

As I'm sure everyone went through some kind of heartbreak in their lives, the story felt very relatable. It was so nice that the girls wrote a heartbreak manual and that pages of it were included in the book. Also, the advice given was actually helpful and authentic.
What I loved most was the representation of strong female friendship and its importance. This book made me appreciate my female friends even more than I already do.

Overall, this is a very layered and deep story and in my opinion, one of the books every woman should read 🩷

My rating: 4.5 stars (rounded up to 5)

This was definitely a book that I felt I could judge on two levels, firstly on the skillful way the characters and emotions are written, and secondly on the plot.
I felt that the writing of this story is done in a brilliantly descriptive prose that is so raw and this bleeds with emotion and all the elements of heartbreak from the tiny to the huge. Perhaps it is slightly aimed at a younger audience, one where you still feel viscerally that first heartbreak or have witnessed it, not quite once you're older & possibly jaded enough to have experienced layers of the stuff or things arguably much, much worse than your first heartbreak. I felt the ways modern dating, particularly apps and social media, were picked apart and displayed was so well done and also the ways different experiences bring perspectives, and conflicts.

The key part of this plot for me was less the romance/heartbreak theme, but the bonds of friendship between the characters, the chaotic mess of their hopes & dreams in love, work & life, and how they expand & constrict this circle of friendship to navigate the events of the book.

It is certainly an interesting read, the pace is slow in parts, with perspective changes between the characters, it can feel heavy, brutal, but with such a strong curve of energy that I felt hopeful by the end.

I gave "Instructions for Heartbreak" quite a few good chances but at the end couldn't finish it. The marketing copy: "What if heartbreak came with a manual?" lured me in and I imagined a narrative closer to friends-turned-agony-aunts-who-take-good-emotional-care-of-one-of-their-own, but what I got was a mishmash of narrative styles, points of view and characters' stories that unnecessarily watered down the main plot. It almost seems like the author bit too much to chew and to actually make this book an enjoyable, to the point read.

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,