What It Means to Break

by Holly Ulrich

After five years of distance from her family, Katharine Winters is finally returning home to see the loved ones she abandoned after tragedy struck. Her hope is to seek forgiveness for the role she played in the death of her sister Isabel’s fiancé… and find a way to forgive herself along the way. But when her relationship begins to fall apart and the trauma of the past refuses to release its hold on her, she finds that going home again may be harder than she imagined.

Isabel Winters never thought she would find love again after the tragic death of her fiancé, Jake. It takes her by surprise when she finally feels a spark of attraction again after five years…only to learn that the man she can’t seem to look away from is the same one her sister brought back home with her. Isabel wants nothing more than to find a way to repair her broken relationship with Kat. Will the secrets of the past find a way to bring them together…or damage their relationship beyond repair?

What It Means to Break is the first in the three-part "What It Means" series. Romance scenes are fade-to-black and are considered mildly spicy. The content of this book contains content and topics that may be triggering to some individuals. Please be sure to read trigger warnings and prioritize your mental health.

278 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 28, 2025

Reviews

[Brittany Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars
This definitely had you experiencing all the emotions from all the characters in this book. The book was written beautifully, It was different reading and took a bit to get used to it with more than a two character POV it was definitely a lot at times since each character had their own sets of struggles along with the story, but it did all go together nicely. The story reminds you that with all the pain and trauma you are worthy of everything you struggle thinking you are unworthy of having.

I received an advanced review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Michelle Shamy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so emotional. It wrecked me in the best way. My heart was in a vice reading this story. Katherine and Isabel went through so much heartbreak and emotions over the death of Jake. I felt for both of them so much.

I can’t imagine what Isabel was battling inside when she finds herself attracted to her sisters man.

I loved the multi POVs for each of the characters. The writing was so heartfelt and wonderful. The characters were written so perfectly, you could totally feel what they were going through. Just an absolutely amazing and emotionally beautiful story.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Dawn Staub · Rating 5 out of 5]

What It Means to Break hooked me from the very first pages. Ulrich masterfully builds suspense, slowly revealing the secret that splintered a family and keeps the reader turning pages long past bedtime. It’s the kind of story that made me wish for a snowy day with nothing to do but keep reading. Even before I reached the final chapter, I found myself already imagining the future paths of several characters and hoping their stories continue.

[Arabella]

This book has a little of everything, it's going to make you cry, laugh, you feel their emotions, all in all this is a good book, I am glad that I decided to pick it up.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Courtney Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

An EASY 5 stars 💓

[Chelsie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The emotion that was put into this book had me bawling. Usually I am not a fan of multi-POV books that consist of more than two characters. This author has definitely made me change my feelings on the subject. I could feel myself experiencing each emotion and feeling the characters experienced, like I was right in the story beside them. This. Book. It had all the feels. Love, loss, truma, pain, hope, forgiveness, and family unity. It was beautifully and well written.This book is a reminder to all, that no matter what life has thrown at you and the struggles you may go through. You are always worthy of receiving and giving love. Thank you to the author for writing such an amazing book!


I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Renee Poselwait · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC Reader

What an emotional ride! I fell for all the characters in this book. It's a heartbreaking story that pulled me in from the first page and did not let go until the last one. To see how a family handled tragedy, all in their own way, had my heart in knots.

I am glad that there were some HEAs. I suspect that there will be more as this series continues. I cannot wait to see where this story goes!!

[Brittany T · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cant not even begin to tell you how much I loved this book, It would be rated 20 stars f I could rate it that, There have only been a couple of books, that I felt fully emotionally and physically entertwined in with. This is one of them, This book broke my heart from the beginning , but held the pieces together barely as I read, I mean I was emotionally invested in this book, The characters where my family and my friends and the emotions were all to real! Mrs. Ulrich is an amazing writer, This book broke me, yet held me together with a sliver of hope, and put the pieces of my shattered heart back together just as she did the characters. It was an absolute amazing read, and I would suggest this book to absolutely anyone. You will feel every emotion hate, disstain,love,anger,hurt. The book feels to real and almost makes you see yourself in some of the things described. I cannot write anything that would do the justice for this book. Nothing can truly compare, I cannot wait until the next book,I hope that I am able to read that one as well cause she is a truly talented author.I cant give enough praise.

[Sherilyn Janson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this as an ARC reader, and I'm glad I did. It took a bit for me to get invested in the characters and the story, but I'm so glad I stuck with it. I'm going to try to leave a review without any spoilers. I thought the author did a really nice job weaving together multiple story lines showing the impact to ourselves and others when we're not completely open and honest with the good and the bad with the important people in our lives, even if we feel like we're holding back for the right reasons. I ultimately decided on a 4 star rating for two reasons. Maybe it's just me, but these characters moved through difficult challenges really fast, faster than what I've observed in real life anyway so that didn't always feel genuine and realistic (again, no spoilers). Maybe it was intentional to keep the story going. The second was the emphasis on how attractive and good looking each character was, and what they looked like. Most of those references weren't relevant, to me anyway. That said, I did enjoy this book, if you like the synopsis, it's worth the read.

[fifi fae · Rating 2 out of 5]

grateful to NetGalley, the author and publishers for granting me this e-ARC!

unfortunately, while it was weirdly entertaining, i didn’t enjoy reading this book. it leans too heavily on “insta-love”, with the characters forming an intense connection almost immediately, leaving little room for believable development or real emotional buildup. also, i feel like the serious themes are handled without real depth, and the overall approach to intense topics feels lazy and superficial, leaving the story feeling rushed and unearned. it also unfortunately read like a wattpad book i would have liked in 2015 with the overly-simplistic prose, feigned “hard-hitting” one-liners and inconsistencies. this was a very sad let-down and i doubt i’ll be continuing this series.