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Brunch and Other Obligations: A Novel
“Poignant, funny, and smart, Brunch and Other Obligations is a must-have for contemporary women's fiction shelves. Readers will want to watch for what Nugent does next.”—Booklist“A thoroughly upbeat and fully entertaining novel from cover to cover.”—Midwest Book Review“Brunch and Other Obligations is women’s fiction at its finest! A tender, witty, heartfelt novel that had me laughing out loud in one chapter and reaching for tissues in the next. With humor, heart, and hope, Nugent reminds us that, once in a lifetime, if we’re very, very lucky, we just might find a friend who knows us better than we know ourselves.”—Lori Nelson Spielman, New York Times best-selling author of The Life ListThe only thing reclusive bookworm Nora, high-powered attorney Christina, and supermom-in-training Leanne ever had in common was their best friend, Molly. When Molly dies, she leaves mysterious gifts and cryptic notes for each of her grieving best friends, along with one final that these three mismatched frenemies have brunch together every month for a year.Filled with heartwrenching scenes and witty prose, Brunch and Other Obligations explores the intricate dynamics of girlhood acquaintances who are forced to reconnect as women. This upbeat novel reminds readers that there’s hope for getting through the hard times in life—with a lot of patience, humor, and a standing brunch date.
290 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 5, 2020
190 people are currently reading
4349 people want to read
About the author
Suzanne Nugent
1 book35 followersSuzanne Nugent is a writer committed to exploring women's lives and relationships through poignant comedy (or funny drama, depending on your level of optimism).
She was shortlisted for the prestigious Academy Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting and has received accolades from the Denver Film Festival and the San Francisco Writers Conference. She holds a dual degree in journalism and film from UMass Amherst and studied screenwriting at UCLA. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and son.
She was shortlisted for the prestigious Academy Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting and has received accolades from the Denver Film Festival and the San Francisco Writers Conference. She holds a dual degree in journalism and film from UMass Amherst and studied screenwriting at UCLA. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and son.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 194 reviews
April 26, 2020
Nora, Christina, and Leanne have nothing in common except for Molly, their mutual friend. When Molly dies, she leaves mysterious gifts and letters for each woman along with one final request - that they get together once a month for Brunch for a year. Perplexed with the gifts and the Brunch request, each woman begrudgingly agrees to the gifts and the Brunch request.
Each woman has her own voice and distinct personality. While initially none of them can make sense as to why the individual gifts were given to them, it becomes clear that their friend, Molly knew them better than they knew themselves and even at the end of her life, thought of them and what would most benefit them in their lives.
This book explores friendship, the complexity of relationships, the issues faced by women, and coping with loss. There is loss but there is also joy and laughter. The women are relatable and likable. Plus, Fred's thoughts (Fred was initially Molly's dog) were a very nice touch.
I enjoyed this book but found the ending a little rushed. I was hoping for a little bit more oomph or emotional depth from this one. Still enjoyable and well written, but slow at times for me.
This is a debut novel with shows promise and I look forward to reading more of Nugent's books in the future.
Thank you to She Writes Press and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Each woman has her own voice and distinct personality. While initially none of them can make sense as to why the individual gifts were given to them, it becomes clear that their friend, Molly knew them better than they knew themselves and even at the end of her life, thought of them and what would most benefit them in their lives.
This book explores friendship, the complexity of relationships, the issues faced by women, and coping with loss. There is loss but there is also joy and laughter. The women are relatable and likable. Plus, Fred's thoughts (Fred was initially Molly's dog) were a very nice touch.
I enjoyed this book but found the ending a little rushed. I was hoping for a little bit more oomph or emotional depth from this one. Still enjoyable and well written, but slow at times for me.
This is a debut novel with shows promise and I look forward to reading more of Nugent's books in the future.
Thank you to She Writes Press and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
May 17, 2020
I read a few pages and decided I wouldn't like this book very much, but it ended up being super cute! Such a pleasant and welcome surprise.
The story was fairly predictable and some parts left me annoyed with the characters, which is why I didn't rate it 5 stars. Otherwise, I absolutely loved it. Really refreshing, silly, and it's pretty short, too— perfect for sitting outside on a warm day, I think.
Brunch and Other Obligations is Suzanne Nugent's debut novel and I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for her future work!
The story was fairly predictable and some parts left me annoyed with the characters, which is why I didn't rate it 5 stars. Otherwise, I absolutely loved it. Really refreshing, silly, and it's pretty short, too— perfect for sitting outside on a warm day, I think.
Brunch and Other Obligations is Suzanne Nugent's debut novel and I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for her future work!
June 22, 2020
3.5 Stars rounded to 4
Read as part of Book Sparks Summer Camp!
When Molly passes away it's like the glue is gone from the friendship group she shared with Nora, Christina, and Leanne. They don't get along, they're nothing alike, and they don't like one another. Molly knew something they didn't though and she hopes they figure it out by using the inexplicable gifts she left them each and her request that they brunch together once a month for a year.
Like many other readers, I struggled getting into this book. The writing style is unique, I instantly disliked the characters, and I couldn't feel a hint of the charm that I first felt when reading the blurb. I told a friend I'd push onto 25%, that I'd make my decision then, but as I'm not one to quit in the middle of a chapter I continued on and somewhere around 30% things took a turn. I soon understood that the laissez-faire attitude of Leanne, the brashness of Christina, and the extreme introversion of Nora were the first signs of their grief and I found I wanted to hang around to see them work through the next, to discover the purpose of each gift left behind by Molly. Plus, how could all these women who were so very different consider one single woman their best friend? How is it that they put up with one another as a group up until now? I had to know, so I kept reading and soon I was hooked on this cute, charming read.
ARC provided.
Read as part of Book Sparks Summer Camp!
When Molly passes away it's like the glue is gone from the friendship group she shared with Nora, Christina, and Leanne. They don't get along, they're nothing alike, and they don't like one another. Molly knew something they didn't though and she hopes they figure it out by using the inexplicable gifts she left them each and her request that they brunch together once a month for a year.
Like many other readers, I struggled getting into this book. The writing style is unique, I instantly disliked the characters, and I couldn't feel a hint of the charm that I first felt when reading the blurb. I told a friend I'd push onto 25%, that I'd make my decision then, but as I'm not one to quit in the middle of a chapter I continued on and somewhere around 30% things took a turn. I soon understood that the laissez-faire attitude of Leanne, the brashness of Christina, and the extreme introversion of Nora were the first signs of their grief and I found I wanted to hang around to see them work through the next, to discover the purpose of each gift left behind by Molly. Plus, how could all these women who were so very different consider one single woman their best friend? How is it that they put up with one another as a group up until now? I had to know, so I kept reading and soon I was hooked on this cute, charming read.
ARC provided.
December 27, 2019
Brunch and Other Obligations is women's fiction at its finest! A tender, witty, heartfelt novel that had me laughing out loud in one chapter and reaching for tissues in the next. Filled with humor, heart, and hope, Nugent reminds us that, once in a lifetime, if we're very very lucky, we just might find a friend who knows us better than we know ourselves. Highly recommend!
April 26, 2020
Originally published on The Nerd Daily | Review by AB Endacott
There’s something very comforting about knowing from the first chapter of a book where it’s going to end. It’s why rom-coms are so popular in both book and film format. Sure, it’s great to watch Parasite because it challenges and confronts you (while also being a phenomenally put together film), but sometimes you want something that’s reassuring in its predictability. Moreover, just because you know where something is going doesn’t meant that it can’t be thought provoking and enjoyable along the way. That’s exactly how I’d describe Brunch And Other Obligations by Suzanne Nugent.
The story opens at the funeral of Molly. Molly’s send-off is being presided over by her three closest friends; reclusive Nora, prim Leanne, and overachiever Christina. While the three women all viewed Molly as their closest friend and have known each other from a young age, they don’t get along particularly well. Yet their love for their dead friend sees them fulfil several of Molly’s last requests which challenge the various ways in which they have constructed lives – often at the expense of their own happiness. One of Molly’s requests is that they must meet up for brunch on the first Sunday of every month.
The narrative charts the journeys of the three women and the way they cope with the loss of their friend, as well as the personal struggles they all endure. Christina’s story is particularly poignant, as she struggles to keep her Alzheimer’s-ridden mother living with her as her mother slides further and further into one of life’s cruellest diseases. At the time of COVID-19, it felt fitting to me that I read this book. It many ways, its central message is that we all carry pieces of grief around inside us, yet we all too often only see our own. Nugent does something very interesting, which is to elegantly and eloquently provide a brief narration of the backstories for several characters with whom the three protagonists intersect. Its message is clear: everybody has a story, everybody endures heartbreak and loss, and we are richer for reaching out and learning the stories of others for it helps us put our own feelings into perspective. While it’s not a unique thing to do, credit must be given to the way in which Nugent does this. Every interjection is paced perfectly so that it doesn’t drag the pace of the main story but rather provides a pause for reflection.
And that’s what sets this book apart, Nugent writes well. There’s few, if any, clunky moments of expression, and Nugent moves from scene to scene in a manner that keeps the story moving. The narrator’s voice was clear and had just the right amount of judgement about the actions of the characters as to make me feel genuine connection to the narrator (probably the unnamed narrator was the character I liked the most), which was especially valuable as there were points when I didn’t particularly like the three women, even if I understood them. And that certainly happened through the story, most notably with Leanne. Leanne has been raised to be a ‘lady’, conforming to the conservative expectations of her hyper-critical mother, at the expense of pursuing art – a field in which she has quite some talent. While Nugent very clearly outlines the lifetime of conditioning that forms the bars across her own behaviour, at times I wanted to scream in frustration at Leanne’s behaviour. Certainly this made the catharsis all the more delightful, although the only significant weak point I felt within the narrative was the way it treated Leanne’s husband, James. It’s clear that she is married to him for the wrong reasons, and that the life she has constructed with him is one based on what she thinks she should have rather than what she actually wants, but James is clearly a decent guy who does care for her and tries his best to make her happy. A little more acknowledgement of that would have placated me, and made Leanne’s narrative thread all the more poignant as it accepts that life is complicated and messy, and sometimes you hurt someone who doesn’t deserve to be hurt. Sure, this wasn’t the primary focus of the story – the story’s central concern is about female friendship and female self-actualisation, but it was something that niggled at me in an otherwise well rounded story.
I picked up this book expecting it to be a ‘standard’ women’s fiction book, and while it definitely fulfils the expectations of the genre, it also exceeds it. The immediacy of Molly’s death and the depiction of the three friends’ grief over the loss of someone who they all loved lends the story an unexpected depth that is a testament to Nugent’s writing.
A fabulous debut.
There’s something very comforting about knowing from the first chapter of a book where it’s going to end. It’s why rom-coms are so popular in both book and film format. Sure, it’s great to watch Parasite because it challenges and confronts you (while also being a phenomenally put together film), but sometimes you want something that’s reassuring in its predictability. Moreover, just because you know where something is going doesn’t meant that it can’t be thought provoking and enjoyable along the way. That’s exactly how I’d describe Brunch And Other Obligations by Suzanne Nugent.
The story opens at the funeral of Molly. Molly’s send-off is being presided over by her three closest friends; reclusive Nora, prim Leanne, and overachiever Christina. While the three women all viewed Molly as their closest friend and have known each other from a young age, they don’t get along particularly well. Yet their love for their dead friend sees them fulfil several of Molly’s last requests which challenge the various ways in which they have constructed lives – often at the expense of their own happiness. One of Molly’s requests is that they must meet up for brunch on the first Sunday of every month.
The narrative charts the journeys of the three women and the way they cope with the loss of their friend, as well as the personal struggles they all endure. Christina’s story is particularly poignant, as she struggles to keep her Alzheimer’s-ridden mother living with her as her mother slides further and further into one of life’s cruellest diseases. At the time of COVID-19, it felt fitting to me that I read this book. It many ways, its central message is that we all carry pieces of grief around inside us, yet we all too often only see our own. Nugent does something very interesting, which is to elegantly and eloquently provide a brief narration of the backstories for several characters with whom the three protagonists intersect. Its message is clear: everybody has a story, everybody endures heartbreak and loss, and we are richer for reaching out and learning the stories of others for it helps us put our own feelings into perspective. While it’s not a unique thing to do, credit must be given to the way in which Nugent does this. Every interjection is paced perfectly so that it doesn’t drag the pace of the main story but rather provides a pause for reflection.
And that’s what sets this book apart, Nugent writes well. There’s few, if any, clunky moments of expression, and Nugent moves from scene to scene in a manner that keeps the story moving. The narrator’s voice was clear and had just the right amount of judgement about the actions of the characters as to make me feel genuine connection to the narrator (probably the unnamed narrator was the character I liked the most), which was especially valuable as there were points when I didn’t particularly like the three women, even if I understood them. And that certainly happened through the story, most notably with Leanne. Leanne has been raised to be a ‘lady’, conforming to the conservative expectations of her hyper-critical mother, at the expense of pursuing art – a field in which she has quite some talent. While Nugent very clearly outlines the lifetime of conditioning that forms the bars across her own behaviour, at times I wanted to scream in frustration at Leanne’s behaviour. Certainly this made the catharsis all the more delightful, although the only significant weak point I felt within the narrative was the way it treated Leanne’s husband, James. It’s clear that she is married to him for the wrong reasons, and that the life she has constructed with him is one based on what she thinks she should have rather than what she actually wants, but James is clearly a decent guy who does care for her and tries his best to make her happy. A little more acknowledgement of that would have placated me, and made Leanne’s narrative thread all the more poignant as it accepts that life is complicated and messy, and sometimes you hurt someone who doesn’t deserve to be hurt. Sure, this wasn’t the primary focus of the story – the story’s central concern is about female friendship and female self-actualisation, but it was something that niggled at me in an otherwise well rounded story.
I picked up this book expecting it to be a ‘standard’ women’s fiction book, and while it definitely fulfils the expectations of the genre, it also exceeds it. The immediacy of Molly’s death and the depiction of the three friends’ grief over the loss of someone who they all loved lends the story an unexpected depth that is a testament to Nugent’s writing.
A fabulous debut.
April 11, 2020
I see I’m in the minority on this one but this book did nothing for me. Unlike most of the other reviews who loved this book and thought so much of it, it just did nothing for me. I wanted to like it but just never truly connected. DNF at 57%. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review.
May 5, 2020
Who else misses brunch?! 😩 And coffee shops? Bookstores? Target? Me too.
Next up in the #SRC2020 is Brunch and Other Obligations. This follows three women after the death of their mutual BFF, seriously the only thing Nora, Christina and Leanne have in common is that they all loved Molly and now that’s she’s gone, what do they do? Molly left them each super cryptic notes and a request that they meet up for brunch once a month, sounds easy enough but these three really don’t want to spend awkward, forced time together. This was a witty and sometimes snarky look at female friendships, grief and life in general. An enjoyable read for sure
Next up in the #SRC2020 is Brunch and Other Obligations. This follows three women after the death of their mutual BFF, seriously the only thing Nora, Christina and Leanne have in common is that they all loved Molly and now that’s she’s gone, what do they do? Molly left them each super cryptic notes and a request that they meet up for brunch once a month, sounds easy enough but these three really don’t want to spend awkward, forced time together. This was a witty and sometimes snarky look at female friendships, grief and life in general. An enjoyable read for sure
July 19, 2020
I really enjoyed this story about 3 women who knew each other because of their one shared friend, Molly. When Molly dies, the women gather for one last time as they are to receive what Molly has left for each of them. Molly has also left a request that the women continue to get together for Brunch once a moth for a year. I enjoyed getting to know each of the different women and I found their interactions with each other quite amusing. I look forward to reading more books by this author. I thank Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.
April 24, 2020
A lighthearted journey of female sisterhood. I found this book to be very enjoyable. I felt as if I was swept into each of the characters lives and inner turmoils. The author developed the perfect narrative, in that the dynamic between the friends was complex enough to keep the reader interested but still lighthearted and at times comical. A perfect read during the current climate, exactly what I needed.
Thank you Netgalley and She Writes Press for the opportunity to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you Netgalley and She Writes Press for the opportunity to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.
July 6, 2020
This was such a cute story! It was a little sad in the beginning but not so sad that it was difficult to read. I loved how different the personalities were of the characters. I think this would make a cute movie. It’s a fun quick read. I loved it!
July 16, 2020
Set in Massachusetts, Brunch and Other Obligations is a light read about three woman who all shared the same best friend, Molly, but otherwise had little to bind them together. When Molly dies, she leaves them each a gift and the request that they meet once a month for brunch. The three women all are tightly wound in their own way. Christine is a high-powered lawyer who loves rocking out to hair metal in her car. Leanne is a married, works at a school, owns a plethora of cardigans and is desperately trying-to-conceive. Then there is Nora, who works as a crossword puzzle writer but would vastly prefer to stay at home all the time with her books and her notebooks, where she compulsively makes notes and lists.
At first I had a hard time remember which woman was which but I caught on after a few chapters. As I said, they all seemed kind of stressed in their own ways. Each women follows her own path to discovering what will make them happier and by the end of the book they've each made some changes in their lives and have drawn closer together.
What to listen to while reading (or taking a break)
Here I Go Again by Whitesnake
Tears Dry on their Own by Amy Winehouse
Crosswords by Panda Bear
Every time the Sun Comes Up by Sharon Van Etten
Sunday by Sia
At first I had a hard time remember which woman was which but I caught on after a few chapters. As I said, they all seemed kind of stressed in their own ways. Each women follows her own path to discovering what will make them happier and by the end of the book they've each made some changes in their lives and have drawn closer together.
What to listen to while reading (or taking a break)
Here I Go Again by Whitesnake
Tears Dry on their Own by Amy Winehouse
Crosswords by Panda Bear
Every time the Sun Comes Up by Sharon Van Etten
Sunday by Sia
April 9, 2020
This was a really great book! It started so sad- with the death of Molly and centered around 3 friends who must move on without her and attempt to become friends.
I love how each friend had such a personality and I really liked each one. I enjoyed their journey and what they learned in life after Molly’s death. Being a dog lover of course I loved Fred the dog!
This book was definitely an easy light hearted read that made me cry a little but I really enjoyed it.
Thanks to Netgalley and the author for my advanced ebook copy.
I love how each friend had such a personality and I really liked each one. I enjoyed their journey and what they learned in life after Molly’s death. Being a dog lover of course I loved Fred the dog!
This book was definitely an easy light hearted read that made me cry a little but I really enjoyed it.
Thanks to Netgalley and the author for my advanced ebook copy.
April 9, 2020
I love this book! I read it all in one day.
The book is the story of three women who have known each other since they were children. They were tied together by Molly, best friend to each of them and the only reason they ever saw each other. When Molly passes away, she leaves a request behind that the women hang out without her, and this is the story of how their own relationships with each other and themselves develop after the loss of their best friend.
Suzanne Nugent's writing is so beautiful. I love how she builds the characters through not just their own perspectives, but also those of the people (and dogs!) around them. The narrator being omniscient actually worked really well in this story, and added a deeper layer to some of the events that would be absent otherwise. This book was really fun to read!
The book is the story of three women who have known each other since they were children. They were tied together by Molly, best friend to each of them and the only reason they ever saw each other. When Molly passes away, she leaves a request behind that the women hang out without her, and this is the story of how their own relationships with each other and themselves develop after the loss of their best friend.
Suzanne Nugent's writing is so beautiful. I love how she builds the characters through not just their own perspectives, but also those of the people (and dogs!) around them. The narrator being omniscient actually worked really well in this story, and added a deeper layer to some of the events that would be absent otherwise. This book was really fun to read!
May 26, 2020
This book was pretty easy breezy. Nothing memorable or special about it. I think it was a little too juvenile for my taste.
May 28, 2025
If you go by the description of this book, like I did, you would expect this book to have mandatory tissues at the ready. Though this book gave me a few moments of the feels, I was quite surprised at how witty this story actually was and easy to relate to. We all have that friend in our lives that we consider our best friend even though she may be friends with other women who also consider her their best friend. The tricky part is you know these other friends, but having a mutual best friend does not make you friends with them. In fact, you barely tolerate each other.
The story begins on the heels of the death of Molly, best friend of three other women, Nora, Leanne and Christina. These women have all known each other forever but Molly’s friendship is the only thing they have in common. After Molly’s funeral, they gather at the home of Molly’s parents where they are each given an item that Molly treasured to take and keep. They are also instructed that they are to meet every month for brunch for a year and this is where I really thought the story got interesting. These women have nothing in common so the expected awkwardness and drawn out silences run rampant and they can only talk about Molly so much before that subject runs its course too.
The chapters are broken up between the three women and their individual points of view where the reader gets the opportunity to know each of them better. Nora is reclusive and avoids contact with others as much as possible. Christina is struggling with her mother’s Alzheimer’s and Leanne is desperate to start a family. Their brunch dates also gave me a lot of understanding into Molly’s personality.
The author does a great job of drawing characters all struggling with the loss of their best friend while being thrust into uncomfortable situations and managing their own lives and struggles. This was my first time reading this author and I will be looking for more of her work. I paired the reading of this book with the audio format and Janina Edwards’s narration was excellently performed. Her performance gave me a lot of insight into the lives of these women which helped me to get to know them better.
My Final Verdict: Overall, I found this book very enjoyable and was probably just as surprised as they were when they started to become friends. I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy women’s fiction and relationship driven stories.
Thank you to the publisher, She Writes Press, who provided an advance reader copy of this book via NetGalley.
The story begins on the heels of the death of Molly, best friend of three other women, Nora, Leanne and Christina. These women have all known each other forever but Molly’s friendship is the only thing they have in common. After Molly’s funeral, they gather at the home of Molly’s parents where they are each given an item that Molly treasured to take and keep. They are also instructed that they are to meet every month for brunch for a year and this is where I really thought the story got interesting. These women have nothing in common so the expected awkwardness and drawn out silences run rampant and they can only talk about Molly so much before that subject runs its course too.
The chapters are broken up between the three women and their individual points of view where the reader gets the opportunity to know each of them better. Nora is reclusive and avoids contact with others as much as possible. Christina is struggling with her mother’s Alzheimer’s and Leanne is desperate to start a family. Their brunch dates also gave me a lot of understanding into Molly’s personality.
The author does a great job of drawing characters all struggling with the loss of their best friend while being thrust into uncomfortable situations and managing their own lives and struggles. This was my first time reading this author and I will be looking for more of her work. I paired the reading of this book with the audio format and Janina Edwards’s narration was excellently performed. Her performance gave me a lot of insight into the lives of these women which helped me to get to know them better.
My Final Verdict: Overall, I found this book very enjoyable and was probably just as surprised as they were when they started to become friends. I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy women’s fiction and relationship driven stories.
Thank you to the publisher, She Writes Press, who provided an advance reader copy of this book via NetGalley.
May 3, 2020
I enjoyed this book far more than I anticipated. I am not the biggest women's lit reader but after reading the blurb describing the characters, I knew I wanted to read it and I loved every minute of this book.
Female friendships can be so challenging and this book didn't gloss over those complications. But with that also came humor, trials faced, and real-life experiences. Each character was developed well and had her own voice. The book also included their individual struggles which made them more relatable for me.
Was it a tad predictable? Sure. But sometimes a little predictablilty is a nice change of pace. I loved the narration and the writing was excellent.
The ending did feel a tad rushed but overall, this was a great book to read in a day.
Female friendships can be so challenging and this book didn't gloss over those complications. But with that also came humor, trials faced, and real-life experiences. Each character was developed well and had her own voice. The book also included their individual struggles which made them more relatable for me.
Was it a tad predictable? Sure. But sometimes a little predictablilty is a nice change of pace. I loved the narration and the writing was excellent.
The ending did feel a tad rushed but overall, this was a great book to read in a day.
February 22, 2022
I listened to the audio version of this book and enjoyed it.
This is a story of friendship. Molly has passed away but before she did, she came up with a plan for her friends to follow posthumously including them gathering for brunch each month.
She also left each one of them a special gift that upon opening, made no sense to them.
These three friends are actually great friends with Molly, but not each other. But Molly knows that with her being gone, they’ll need each other.
This story is incredibly sweet and I binge read it listening to it nonstop today while baking.
This is a story of friendship. Molly has passed away but before she did, she came up with a plan for her friends to follow posthumously including them gathering for brunch each month.
She also left each one of them a special gift that upon opening, made no sense to them.
These three friends are actually great friends with Molly, but not each other. But Molly knows that with her being gone, they’ll need each other.
This story is incredibly sweet and I binge read it listening to it nonstop today while baking.
Read
January 23, 2022I found all three main characters to be frustrating and unlikable at the start, but about a third of the way through something clicked and I “got” what the book was doing. This ended up being a super cute story.
April 20, 2020
The premise of this story is that three loosely connected women are drawn together by the death of a mutual friend. Based on this, I wrongly thought "Brunch" would be a predictable read. Instead it is a refreshing take on female friendships, with relatable characters defined by their own terms and notably, not by the overused common ground of husbands and children. While I enjoyed the overall story, I did find their individual journeys lackluster and unfinished.
May 12, 2020
Suzanne Nugent writes a wonderful, tender and fantastic début about hope and the complexity of friendships and relationships.
Nora, Christina and Leanne have only one thing in common: their friend Molly. They each share an independent friendship with her, happy in their belief that individually, they are Molly’s best friend as they ignore the reality of the others' roles, despite sharing a joint history going back to their early childhood. Now in their early 30’s, Molly has died, leaving the three women bereft and alone with their grief. Mischief-maker Molly makes it her last wish that the ladies do brunch together once a month for one year. The former childhood friends all approach the Sunday brunches with equal amounts of dread, although we never come to understand why these three ladies all despise each other. Molly's plans for her three friends also involve strange gifts that the women puzzle the meaning of. As the three women agree to make it work even though their hearts aren’t really into the task, what follows is the slow unravelling of past and current events that draw each of the women into different journeys of self-discovery.
Full marks must go to Suzanne Nugent for making this novel an immensely fun, and times downright hysterical read when it could have been a rather sombre affair. This story is beautifully paced, with humour in almost every scene, though there is also a good deal of tenderness in the mix.
Never the main character, the author has cleverly made Molly indispensable in many scenes. The three women are ably created, keen, honest and flawed and I found that I could relate to them all on some level which was definitely the icing on the cake.
Powerful, incredibly amusing, poignant, sharp and uplifting, Brunch and Other Obligations is a real jewel and is well worth reading. I for one, will be watching out for Suzanne Nugent's next offering.
I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from She Writes Press via NetGalley and this review is my unbiased opinion.
Nora, Christina and Leanne have only one thing in common: their friend Molly. They each share an independent friendship with her, happy in their belief that individually, they are Molly’s best friend as they ignore the reality of the others' roles, despite sharing a joint history going back to their early childhood. Now in their early 30’s, Molly has died, leaving the three women bereft and alone with their grief. Mischief-maker Molly makes it her last wish that the ladies do brunch together once a month for one year. The former childhood friends all approach the Sunday brunches with equal amounts of dread, although we never come to understand why these three ladies all despise each other. Molly's plans for her three friends also involve strange gifts that the women puzzle the meaning of. As the three women agree to make it work even though their hearts aren’t really into the task, what follows is the slow unravelling of past and current events that draw each of the women into different journeys of self-discovery.
Full marks must go to Suzanne Nugent for making this novel an immensely fun, and times downright hysterical read when it could have been a rather sombre affair. This story is beautifully paced, with humour in almost every scene, though there is also a good deal of tenderness in the mix.
Never the main character, the author has cleverly made Molly indispensable in many scenes. The three women are ably created, keen, honest and flawed and I found that I could relate to them all on some level which was definitely the icing on the cake.
Powerful, incredibly amusing, poignant, sharp and uplifting, Brunch and Other Obligations is a real jewel and is well worth reading. I for one, will be watching out for Suzanne Nugent's next offering.
I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from She Writes Press via NetGalley and this review is my unbiased opinion.
April 25, 2020
This book is a wonderful, very good, fantastic read. End of review.
Well not quite.
It is marketed as Women’s Fiction and in general, with the main characters being women it will solidly appeal to such an audience. The women are old enough to relate to women in their 20’s who are still eager and open to life and its journey in a positive manner, but the trials they face will also ring true with women who are older, who have lived through the troubles of being and know that life isn’t all lollypops and bubble-gum.
Nora, Christina and Leanne share one apparent thing in life, their friend Molly. Each share an independent friendship, with never the borders of lines crossing between the three women and each is content to believe they are Molly’s best friend and ignore the reality of the others, despite their sharing a joint history that spanned their early childhood until their early 30’s. But then Molly has the nerve to get cancer and die, leaving the three women bereft and alone with their grief. But ever the troublemaker and insightful as to her own failings as an adult, Molly has plans for her three friends which involve strange gifts that the women have to puzzle to the meaning of and the request that they meet for brunch one Sunday a month for a year. As her final request, the three women agree to make it work, even though their hearts aren’t really into the whole matter. What follows is the slow unravelling of past and current events that draw each of the women into different journeys of self-discovery and the weaving together of the threads of their lives to make a new rope on which to tie themselves together with to withstand both the trials and jubilations of life.
There are some parts of this novel that can leave the reader broadly smiling, but there were parts in which the reader will flat-out roar with laughter; the code word to prove it's her talking from the other side that Molly thinks of to share with her friends for when she is dead is just hysterical reading. This story is beautifully paced, written with humour in almost every scene and then has the power to strike a touch of tenderness that will bring the reader crashing back to earth and feel the heartache of the death of a loved one. Molly is never the main character and yet is pivotal in every scene. The three women are strongly created, knowable and honest. They are not some kind of superstars that regular people can only aspire to be, they are flesh and blood, flawed and eager for life to be the whatever of their choosing, and their journey to discover new friendships and understandings in a manner they least expected it to develop from is the arc of this story.
Each woman is facing personal troubles that they would have previously shared with their friend Molly, but are now alone, trying to cope and be the ‘adult’ in situations that would have them preferring to cower under the covers of a quilt and wait for a mother figure to bring them warm cocoa and biscuits. It is in the trials that they discover a new kind of friendship and learn to trust again in each other. Be it social anxiety, pressures of being a workaholic or not quiet being the perfect housewife and mother, each woman fights a battle that readers will relate to on a deeply personal manner. They will find love, redemption and a renewal of what it means to be alive that will resonate with the reader and their growth cycles will leave you cheering and wanting them to become the overachievers and victors you dream of.
This book is a rare jewel. Funny, powerful, poignant and uplifting, it is well worth the time to read.
Well not quite.
It is marketed as Women’s Fiction and in general, with the main characters being women it will solidly appeal to such an audience. The women are old enough to relate to women in their 20’s who are still eager and open to life and its journey in a positive manner, but the trials they face will also ring true with women who are older, who have lived through the troubles of being and know that life isn’t all lollypops and bubble-gum.
Nora, Christina and Leanne share one apparent thing in life, their friend Molly. Each share an independent friendship, with never the borders of lines crossing between the three women and each is content to believe they are Molly’s best friend and ignore the reality of the others, despite their sharing a joint history that spanned their early childhood until their early 30’s. But then Molly has the nerve to get cancer and die, leaving the three women bereft and alone with their grief. But ever the troublemaker and insightful as to her own failings as an adult, Molly has plans for her three friends which involve strange gifts that the women have to puzzle to the meaning of and the request that they meet for brunch one Sunday a month for a year. As her final request, the three women agree to make it work, even though their hearts aren’t really into the whole matter. What follows is the slow unravelling of past and current events that draw each of the women into different journeys of self-discovery and the weaving together of the threads of their lives to make a new rope on which to tie themselves together with to withstand both the trials and jubilations of life.
There are some parts of this novel that can leave the reader broadly smiling, but there were parts in which the reader will flat-out roar with laughter; the code word to prove it's her talking from the other side that Molly thinks of to share with her friends for when she is dead is just hysterical reading. This story is beautifully paced, written with humour in almost every scene and then has the power to strike a touch of tenderness that will bring the reader crashing back to earth and feel the heartache of the death of a loved one. Molly is never the main character and yet is pivotal in every scene. The three women are strongly created, knowable and honest. They are not some kind of superstars that regular people can only aspire to be, they are flesh and blood, flawed and eager for life to be the whatever of their choosing, and their journey to discover new friendships and understandings in a manner they least expected it to develop from is the arc of this story.
Each woman is facing personal troubles that they would have previously shared with their friend Molly, but are now alone, trying to cope and be the ‘adult’ in situations that would have them preferring to cower under the covers of a quilt and wait for a mother figure to bring them warm cocoa and biscuits. It is in the trials that they discover a new kind of friendship and learn to trust again in each other. Be it social anxiety, pressures of being a workaholic or not quiet being the perfect housewife and mother, each woman fights a battle that readers will relate to on a deeply personal manner. They will find love, redemption and a renewal of what it means to be alive that will resonate with the reader and their growth cycles will leave you cheering and wanting them to become the overachievers and victors you dream of.
This book is a rare jewel. Funny, powerful, poignant and uplifting, it is well worth the time to read.
July 13, 2022
OMG this is like my new favourite 😍😍😍
I think this might be just below The House in the Cerulean Sea in my list of all time favourites. I was smiling the entire time I was reading this book. It's such a sweet and butter story about friendship, love and death. It just dives into these topics with so much ease that you will not even know what is happening. It basically makes you think - what if you lost your best friend, who was everything to you? How will you survive this loss.
We see three different women connected together by one common friend - Molly who dies from the starting if the novel. How each woman deal with the grief over losing their best friend & moving on in life.
I felt so amazed about how much Molly knew & understood about each of her friends & the gifts she had kept for her three friends was simply the best. As they were identifying the meaning of their gifts, I was laughing & crying for them. Molly is truly an extraordinary friend, who I am sure we all would love to have in our lives.
Definitely one of my all time favourite book 😍😍😍
I think this might be just below The House in the Cerulean Sea in my list of all time favourites. I was smiling the entire time I was reading this book. It's such a sweet and butter story about friendship, love and death. It just dives into these topics with so much ease that you will not even know what is happening. It basically makes you think - what if you lost your best friend, who was everything to you? How will you survive this loss.
We see three different women connected together by one common friend - Molly who dies from the starting if the novel. How each woman deal with the grief over losing their best friend & moving on in life.
I felt so amazed about how much Molly knew & understood about each of her friends & the gifts she had kept for her three friends was simply the best. As they were identifying the meaning of their gifts, I was laughing & crying for them. Molly is truly an extraordinary friend, who I am sure we all would love to have in our lives.
Definitely one of my all time favourite book 😍😍😍
May 26, 2020
Nora, Christina, and Leanne seem to only have one thing in common: their best friend, Molly. When she passes away after battling cancer, the three non-friends find themselves bound together through Molly's will and last wishes. Gifting each of her friends something seemingly imperfect, and requesting they "Bruch together" once a month, the friends feel a sense of obligation to their late friend, and resentment towards one another. As the months go on, the friends find they have more in common than they originally thought, and their gifts ended up suiting them just fine.
I really enjoyed the author's voice in this story. Told through the perspective of the three friends, it was candid, raw, and likable. There was a relatability to all of the characters, despite the lack of relatability to one another. This is definitely a book that I would recommend to someone who loves friendship stories.
I really enjoyed the author's voice in this story. Told through the perspective of the three friends, it was candid, raw, and likable. There was a relatability to all of the characters, despite the lack of relatability to one another. This is definitely a book that I would recommend to someone who loves friendship stories.
May 2, 2020
Nora, Christina and Leanne only have one thing in common, their fun loving, wild child friend Molly. When Molly dies she leaves unexplained gifts and letters for all 3 of her best friends. Her final request, that they have brunch together once a month for one year.
If I'm honest I didn't find any of the characters in this book particularly likeable and if I were to choose a favourite character, it would be Molly's dog Fred.
This book explores complex issues such as coping with loss and dealing with personal struggles but it's also very witty which I liked.
Overall I found it easy to read but it didnt really do much for me
Thank you to Netgalley for my advanced copyof this book in exchange for my honest review
If I'm honest I didn't find any of the characters in this book particularly likeable and if I were to choose a favourite character, it would be Molly's dog Fred.
This book explores complex issues such as coping with loss and dealing with personal struggles but it's also very witty which I liked.
Overall I found it easy to read but it didnt really do much for me
Thank you to Netgalley for my advanced copyof this book in exchange for my honest review
May 30, 2020
This book had me face so many emotions. I laughed, I cried, I laughed until I cried. Who knew that one dead friend could bring together her other three friends in such a way. I rated this a four because the ending left me with way to many questions. Does Leanne fun away to Paris forever? Does she and up with the hunk of a teacher from art class? What about Christina, does she learn to float? Breathe a little through the chaos of life? And nora, the character I related to the most, does she open up to Sam, do they fall in love and get married? Soon many thanks questions for a book with no intentions of becoming a series. I need followups!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 18, 2020
☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️
I cannot remember the last time I loved a book as much as this one.
It’s a buddy book of the highest order, perhaps a weird thing to say as the main characters spend most of the novel disliking each other. The secret sauce is that as a reader you get to fall in love with Nora, Christina and Leanne, even as they snipe at each other.
Oh, and did I mention the book is hilarious? Because it is. Also, there’s a dog, which always makes any story better.
Go out and find this book right now and let me know what you think!
I cannot remember the last time I loved a book as much as this one.
It’s a buddy book of the highest order, perhaps a weird thing to say as the main characters spend most of the novel disliking each other. The secret sauce is that as a reader you get to fall in love with Nora, Christina and Leanne, even as they snipe at each other.
Oh, and did I mention the book is hilarious? Because it is. Also, there’s a dog, which always makes any story better.
Go out and find this book right now and let me know what you think!
May 3, 2020
I really enjoyed this book. More than I expected to honestly. I don’t read much women’s literature but I clearly need to read more.
Leanne, Nora and Christina have nothing in common except their friend Molly.
When Molly does she leaves them each a gift and a request that they meet for brunch once a month for a year.
I really liked the main characters and the author did an amazing job at helping us connect with them.
This story touches on grief and how you navigate life after you lose someone.
Leanne, Nora and Christina have nothing in common except their friend Molly.
When Molly does she leaves them each a gift and a request that they meet for brunch once a month for a year.
I really liked the main characters and the author did an amazing job at helping us connect with them.
This story touches on grief and how you navigate life after you lose someone.
May 3, 2020
I really enjoyed this book. More than I expected to honestly. I don’t read much women’s literature but I clearly need to read more.
Leanne, Nora and Christina have nothing in common except their friend Molly.
When Molly does she leaves them each a gift and a request that they meet for brunch once a month for a year.
I really liked the main characters and the author did an amazing job at helping us connect with them.
This story touches on grief and how you navigate life after you lose someone.
Thank you Netgalley and shewritespress for the early copy.
Leanne, Nora and Christina have nothing in common except their friend Molly.
When Molly does she leaves them each a gift and a request that they meet for brunch once a month for a year.
I really liked the main characters and the author did an amazing job at helping us connect with them.
This story touches on grief and how you navigate life after you lose someone.
Thank you Netgalley and shewritespress for the early copy.
February 4, 2022
Three frenemies come together for the funeral of their beloved friend & the glue that held them, Molly. Molly had left them cryptic notes and a request that they meet up for brunch once a month. Confused at first, they soon realize that the notes have meaning and they begin to look forward to the brunches even flying to Paris! This is a story about girlfriends, grief, and having to get out of your comfort zone. I highly recommend listening to the audio, the narrator does an amazing job! Thanks to BookSparks for a gifted copy. This is my honest review.
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May 12, 2020A bright and witty debut novel — and one readers will hope is her first of many. Committed to writing about women’s lives and relationships, Nugent has introduced us to four totally disparate young women. Three are grieving the loss of the fourth, Molly, without whom it is obvious the remaining three would never have met.
Read our full review here:
https://booktrib.com/2020/05/three-fr...
Read our full review here:
https://booktrib.com/2020/05/three-fr...
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