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.
Instructions For Heartbreak by Sarah Handyside will be published on 30th January 2025 in hardback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for a review copy.
Author Details
Sarah Handyside is a Northumbrian in London, a former communications consultant and a current government policy advisor. She lives with her husband and two children. The opening pages of Instructions for Heartbreak were longlisted for the Curtis Brown First Novel Award.
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