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'.

i honestly thought this was going to be completely focused on ally and emily’s relationship but i’m so glad it wasn’t. it was so much more than their relationship; it was about ally going through a break-up, figuring out her feelings and what she wants to do. i absolutely loved it, it felt so much more realistic than other lgbt books i’ve read. i liked that it ends with an air of mystery without feeling like the story is cut short without an explanation. thank you to netgalley and quercus books for the advanced copy.

I was very much drawn in by the cover ... and the tagline (for some reason it really tickled me). Look at that beautiful blue! I first heard about this book on the Quercus Word of Mouth evening last year and I knew I had to read it! Ally is a ridiculously endearing character, she gets things wrong and she reacts like a human being. I loved Kay's relaxed and relatable narrative - Ally's friend Jeremy was also lovely, and her dad. And Malcolm (the cat). There is something really heartwarming about The Split. I've seen some good ratings over the last few weeks and I can see why. I found myself thinking about how Ally reacts to her situation is a little silly, but also believable and the way Kay draws you in to the novel - this is a debut novel by the way - is very subtle but packs quite the punch. I didn't realise how invested I was until it was all over and it really made me think about how sometimes you need to be out of your comfort zone to realise how bad your relationships can be. I have to say here, although I warmed up to Ally a lot I did not agree with some of her actions. I found myself cringing at some of the emails she sends to Emily, her ex. I felt she could be a little manipulative in what she was saying but then this only served as a reminder of how relationships can deeply affect you and how this one was not as healthy as it seemed to be in hindsight. Plus, nobody is perfect. I read The Split over a couple of evenings - it's a really easy read. The romance is minimal but appropriate, choosing to focus on Ally's personal development and friendships over steam (sorry steam lovers). I really enjoyed reading a f/f romance - I must admit I don't find them very often but I'll be seeking more out now. If you fancy a cute read this year please consider this one!

The Split is a really cute story about love, friendship and finding the good things that can come out of a bad situation. Ally and Emily live on a houseboat in London and have been in a relationship for seven years. But after drifting apart Emily splits up with Ally and wants her to move out. So Ally does the only thing she can think of, heads to her Dad's house in Sheffield and takes the pet cat Malcolm with her. In amusing emails back and forth between the pair, we find out it's kind of a catnapping, as Ally is hopeful Emily will drop everything to come and rescue Malcolm and in the process have to talk to her again and fall back in love. But things don't exactly go to plan. Back at home Ally gets in touch with Jeremy, an old friend who is also moping about at his parents after a break up. What follows in the coming months is a brilliant, honest friendship and pushing each other out of their comfort zones by getting new jobs and new hobbies, including running the Sheffield half marathon. It really was the friendship's in this book that sold it to me rather than the romance angle. Ally and Jeremy are the perfect pair. And this was a really sweet, enjoyable book.

Thanks so much to Quercus for letting me read The Split in advance! 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.