This is a really lovely story that embraced me as soon as it started. A beautiful little rom com that had me chuckling, smiling and even a couple of tears at times. The characters are so human and relateable that you just can't help but feel for them. I highly recommend this for anyone who has enjoyed books by Beth O'Leary!

A quick and easy read that I found myself picking up after a long day to unwind. The characters are beautifully written and I came to love them within the first few pages and was rooting for them all the way to the end. At times I wanted to stop reading because I just wanted the experience to go on for longer. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a light casual read that I loved! The right amount of humor and the right amount of drama. The friendship between Jeremy and Ally created the perfect comedy duo! Not to mention the wholesome character of Ally’s dad.

The author created very likable and relatable and realistic  characters, even in the supposed antagonist Emily. Emily is Ally’s ex and the one to give Ally the boot which sets the storyline in motion and the author brings across Emily not as a mean ex but as someone who’s just lost, maybe just as lost as Ally the way I see it. 

At the beginning we see Ally as the victim of a broken relationship that she didn’t see coming and I particularly love how for most the book Ally is portrayed as just that, a victim but then the inevitable comes and Ally endings up hurting someone and this cracks the baseline of the reader feeling only pity for her.  

I would’ve loved to know more about Jeremy but he wasn’t the main character of this book and that’s acceptable. I would say that the book is too short but maybe the length was perfect enough on the line of just enough.

I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a funny light contemporary fiction! 

“I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchanged for an honest review”

I LOVED this book!! The opening pages introduce you to Ally as she is dumped by her girlfriend of 7 years. The rug is pulled out from under her feet and she finds herself, at 29 years old without a home, a job or a relationship.

The reader follows Ally on her journey (with Malcolm), as she rediscovers who she is outside of her ex-girlfriends orbit. One aspect of the story I particularly enjoyed was the relationship between Ally and her father, which developed and grew through the story.

There were bittersweet moments, humour and self-discovery woven throughout the novel. The characters were easy to relate to well developed. I give this a 10/10 for LGBTQ+ chicklit!!

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review

Ally’s relationship is over and she’s taking the cat... I have to say I was immediately drawn to this tag line. I imagined so many different scenarios and the type of person Ally could be in my head so I was thrilled when I got a copy of this book. 

And it did not let me down. It’s such a wonderfully warm-hearted story. Incredibly well written, very funny, and filled with lots of those little touches that made these characters come alive on the page. 

Ally finds herself unceremoniously dumped by her girlfriend Emily. She didn’t see it coming. She found herself completely lost ...and not to mind homeless and jobless as she was living on Emily’s boat and recently had left her job due to it being something that only brought her stress. So when Emily leaves for the day after the dumping Ally scrambles a few things together ... including Emily’s cat! And heads for home to stay with her dad. 

Once home Emily’s dad gently encourages her to get back in touch with childhood friend Jeremy, who himself has returned home post a relationship breakup, and together these two begin to forge a new lives for themselves. 

This is such a great story. I absolutely adored the friendship between Ally and Jeremy. If you love the found family trope, and/or buddy movie type themes then you’ll love this book! I think the rediscovered friendship between the two illustrated perfectly how sometimes we can lose our key identities to love. How maybe we change for our partner, or maybe we put too much pressure on them to be our everything ... through this friendship Ally was able to learn so much about herself. The book starts by showing Emily as somewhat heartless for how she dumps Ally... and while I never became Emily’s number one fan nor hoped that she and Ally would get back together, through Ally’s emotional journey it became possible to see perhaps where Emily was coming from with regards to the breakup. Really I adored that it was messy. That it was complicated. Because I think any serious romantic relationship is. When you get that tangled with another person it’s just not that straight forward to ‘consciously uncouple’ if the relationship ends. 

Throughout the breakup Ally and Emily emailed each other. It started because of the cat. Malcolm was seemingly Emily’s cat. If memory serves I think he was a gift from her family for her birthday... but Ally took the cat mostly because she loved the cat more but also because she thought it would be a way of getting Emily’s attention. I adored how this taking of the cat seemed at times supremely petty... I mean who doesn’t get petty if the love of your life tells you they wanna break up with you and are seeing someone else... that someone else being Sara with no H... and of course every time Ally referenced Sara she used that H in her emails. It just showed this brilliantly petulant side to Ally. Which I think is incredibly human. I would be salty if I was dumped too and somehow became engaged in email correspondence with my ex that I was still in love with. On one hand I’d like to show them I’d moved on [a la I’m breezy!] but on the other I’d want to do little annoying things to irk them, and perhaps try to hurt them because I’d want them to feel something akin to my pain. And when Ally tried to casually slip in to the email correspondence about how she’d met another girl named Jo... well it wasn’t subtle. It was a bit cringe because you’d want Ally to just let Emily go and be the bigger person. I wanted Ally to be really in to Jo... but life isn’t like that. We do petty, stupid things. Our hearts take time healing and sometimes we are so busy looking backwards that we miss the possibilities ahead of us. And this book illustrated that complexity of the heart and what it wants perfectly. 

There’s so much to enjoy in this book. There is great lesbian, gay, and bi representation. There’s emphasis on the importance of friendship as family. My two favourite characters were Jeremy and Ally’s dad. Both were just so warm and caring in such different ways. And both were also quite complicated characters. Jeremy was living with depression, and showed how that illness is one that never leaves you; that it ebbs and flows through life, and how you need to develop coping strategies for it. And Ally’s dad was a quiet widower with so much bubbling under the surface. He was sweet. Awkward. Caring. Protective. Really comforting. He truly felt like home. And the whole marathon storyline that runs throughout the novel.... brilliant! Really gave both the book and characters much needed focus and direction. 

I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who loves contemporary fiction. It’s incredibly funny and at times bittersweet, but it finishes with this great sense of hope and positivity. A truly engaging story with brilliant characters. 

*An e-copy was kindly provided to me by the publisher via NetGalley for honest review*

Totally drawn in by the sub title "Ally's relationship is over and she's taking the cat"! Loved this book, it's a fun read, about a woman who gets dumped by her girlfriend and decides to leave taking the cat with her, she returns home to Sheffield to live with her dad and his jack russell. The story then focusses on her heartbreak, her connection with a childhood friend her first 'beard' Jeremy and her wondering what she might do next having given up teaching. There are many comedy moments in amongst the relatable heartache, especially in her minuscule attempts to train for a half marathon. I liked the way opportunities opened up for her as did a whole new network of friends even though in my experience that can take a while. There's lot to enjoy in this book, interesting characters, authentic relationship dynamics between partners, friends, parents and siblings. I really enjoyed reading a book featuring lesbian and bi-women that is British, its a welcome change and especially because there is much British humour in here, (in fact it gets an extra star for that!). Wonderful light entertainment which I read in a day. 

With thanks to the publishers and net galley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a fun read. I found Ally adorable and very likeable, even if sometimes she made some bad decisions that had me very frustrated! I particularly enjoyed that a lot of this novel was about Ally's growth as a person and her friendship with Jeremy, rather than just focused on the romance. Although the romance was super cute and I would definitely not be complaining if there were more scenes with Ally and Jo. Overall an adorable, fun f/f romance that I would highly recommend!

This book has everything i love which makes me sad that i didn't love it as much as i'd hoped.

We get tonnes of lgbt representation: a lesbian main character, gay side character with depression, a bi love interest, and a found family trope. The cast is very likeable and the 'rom-com' element is most definitely a comedy, but that didn't bother me. 

At it's heart its a sapphic story of rekindling friendships and rediscovering who you are outside of relationships. 

I thought it was a nice story but it didn't grip me as much as i thought it would have and unfortunately i found myself skimming through large portions of it. I liked the premise but maybe Kay's writing just isn't for me.

3 stars!

Okay so first things first, I totally loved this book. It was fun, engaging and could really see the character development throughout. I just loved that the characters were flawed, they weren't trying to be perfect and became quite self-aware of their behaviour. The LGBT+ representation in the book was great. Yes this was a story focused around a lesbian break-up but it wasn't a story where sexuality defined the characters like so many books I've read before! 

I loved Ally's relationship with her Dad too, it just made me feel so warm and fuzzy inside and I just wanted her to stay home and sit and have some more conversations with him! 

There were so many layers to this that I just loved and I can't wait to read more from Laura! 

After getting to the end... I already want a sequel, preferably from Jeremy's perspective! 

The only reason I have rated it 4 stars here not 5 is that there were obviously a few parts unfinished and also a few parts where Ally REALLY made me cringe in her e-mails to Emily (particularly in the BLATANT mention of Jo which was not subtle at all) and I felt myself skimming these parts to stop myself cringing whilst thinking "YOU'RE BETTER THAN THIS ALLY'.

The cover of this instantly pulled me in and I was not disappointed!

"Ally's relationship is over, and she is taking the cat."

The Split is a LGBT comedy fiction about Ally who splits up with her girlfriend of 7 years.

I loved the characters in this; especially Jeremy and Ally's dad. I also loved the fact that none of the characters were portrayed as being 'perfect' (although imo perfect doesn't exist) and they all had their own flaws. 

Some of the one-liners in this made me laugh out loud and was all round a really enjoyable read. 

Huge thanks to Quercus and NetGalley for my copy!

This feels a lot more of a buddie book than a rom com. But a good one.
Ally gets her heart broken by her long term girlfriend and moves back home from London to Sheffield.
With no job or place to live, she moves in with her dad, bringing her ex’s cat with her. She feels lost and reconnects with her old friend Jeremy. Both of them recently heartbroken, they plan to run a half marathon to get the attention of their ex’s.
They bond and  giggle through the next few weeks leading to the race.

The friendship between them cements this book and to me is the main relationship. Ally is meanwhile still emailing her Ex down in london and trying to bet her back, maybe.  But it’s Ally and Jeremy that make this book.

Thanks to Quercus Books for the ARC through Netgalley! 

The Split is about Ally, who gets dumped by her girlfriend, steals her cat, and then moves back in with her dad in Sheffield.

This book was a slow starter for me, but once it got going I.WAS.INTO.IT! It has some of my favorite themes including found family, mental health struggles, and snarky best friends, and it was so funny! I laughed out loud many times - the book was extremely relatable and I found myself wishing I could be friends with Jeremy as well! One of my favorite parts was how all the main characters were LBGTQIA, but it wasn’t always the main focus, it was more - we have the same issues with our love life as anyone else, we just have better pop culture references to use sarcastically when discussing it.

My favorite character by far was Ally’s dad. He was written so realistically, so gorgeously, that I just felt like calling my dad right away after finishing the book. I loved the way him and Ally talked to each other, and how he was always someone she could lean on, especially when he started communicating more openly with her about her mental health. 

For me, Ally was my least favorite character, which I’ve found often happens for me when I can hear all their thoughts. Going through a break-up can be tough, but the way she handled herself afterwards and basically tried to blackmail her ex was a little cringe to read. Her arc and reaching a sort of understanding of her part in the break-up while still not having everything end happily ever after was a huge redeeming feature for her character.

Overall this book gets a strong 4 out of 5 from me and I’ll happily recommend it to anyone looking for a books that’s heavier on the com, less so on the rom!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3761321893

This book was a great fun, laugh out loud book and I thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend it as a real feel good book.. I laughed so much I had tears in my eyes reading this but loved it , 5 stars all the way

Firstly thank you to Quercus and Netgalley for an early copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Brutally dumped by her girlfriend, Ally is homeless, friendless and jobless... but at least she has Malcolm. Wounded and betrayed, Ally has made off with the one thing she thinks might soothe the pain: Emily's cat.

After a long train journey she arrives home to her dad in Sheffield, ready to fold herself up in her duvet and remain on the sofa for the foreseeable. Her dad has other ideas. A phone call later, and Ally is reunited with her first ever beard and friend of old, Jeremy. He too is broken-hearted and living at home again.

In an inspired effort to hold each other up, the pair decide to sign up for the local half marathon in a bid to impress their exes with their commitment and athleticism.

Given neither of them can run, they enlist the support of athletic, not to mention beautiful, Jo. But will she have them running for the hills... or will their ridiculous plan pay off...?

Ah this book, what a lovely read! I read it on two readings (only gave up on the first one cos I was too tired and didn't want to miss an important bit!)

I really enjoyed this book. Although it is billed as a rom-com I would say it's definitely more of a comedy. I loved Al, Jeremy, Graham and Malcolm (poor Malcolm!) . There are so many comedic moments in this book that made me laugh out loud. Every woman can only dream of having the relationship with their Dad's that Al has with Graham. After her relationship break up she moves back in with her Dad, no questions asked and in some of the most heart warming passages I've ever read he is her greatest supporter. 

Despite her initial reluctance to meet up with him she and Jeremy are real crutches for each other, helping the other through big life decisions.

A definite 5 star read and I will be recommending this to others when it is released.

Ally has split from her girlfriend after 7 years together. Having to return home to live with her dad, she eventually starts to rebuild her life with the help of an old school friend. Easy, straight forward read. Average at best.

I adored this book! Warm-hearted, funny and so realistic, it perfectly depicted the pain of splitting up from someone you love and being jolted into finding yourself again. 

When Ally is dumped, she jumps on a train from London back home to Sheffield, taking her ex-girlfriend's cat, Malcolm (one of literature's finest and grumpiest cats) with her. When she first returns to her dad's house, Ally's only aim is to get Emily and her old life back. But as she reconnects with her dad, revives an old friendship and signs up for a half-marathon, Ally slowly begins to realise she might be better off staying where she is. 

There are so many memorable, often hilarious moments in this lovely novel, and the cast of characters are wonderful. Ally's dad, her friend Jeremy, her workmates, even her pets are all so richly drawn and generous, it's a joy to spend time with them.  

This is such an up-lifting story, filled with wisdom and warmth. A must read!

Where is the first place a girl runs to when things go wrong in a relationship - home! Who do you meet up with when you arrive home your 'best' gay friend. What do you take with you - Malcolm your ex girlfriends, stolen, cat. A book that's written in a jaunty, enjoyable way. Enjoyed.

Thanks so much to Quercus for letting me read The Split in advance! Laura Kay was on the WriteNow 2018 programme and I was part of the team that worked on the events - my job was to set up writers with the editors who were assessing their work, and The Split was one of the blurbs that immediately interested me! So I was excited to see this book pop up on NetGalley, and I'm happy to say that I definitely enjoyed it 💫
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Ally has just been broken up with by her girlfriend of seven years, Emily - so she steals their cat and moves back to her dad's house in Sheffield. Here, she rekindles an old friendship with Jeremy, decides to sign up for a half-marathon, and gets started on the lengthy process of trying to win Emily back... There was lots to like in this book - representation being an obvious one. There should be more mainstream LGBT+ commercial fiction, and I loved how Ally was a lesbian, but there was never much angst attached to this. I also love reading books that are set in different cities, and explore family and friendships that aren't damaged but aren't perfect either. This didn't always have the emotional depth or the well-rounded characters that I might have wanted - I think I wanted more of Ally and Emily's past relationship, and other developments of that ilk - but it was a super quick, super fun, super easy Boxing Day read and I'm glad I read it.

This was a gorgeously easy, wholesome read full of wit and heartbreak. Laura Kay navigates the realities of life post-break-up with such brilliance. Ally’s story is so utterly relatable, whilst also reminding any struggling readers that there is always hope and love in unsuspecting places. Ally’s relationship with her Dad and her best friend, Jeremy, that really struck gold for me. An absolutely lovely read, and not at all what I expected.

I really enjoyed this. It wasn’t what I expected in that I expected a romance novel. I loved the focus on friendship and also liked the running aspect.