One of my favorite books of the last year. If you loved fitness and what goes on in others lives!

When Janey Sweet, CEO of a couture wedding dress company, is photographed in the front row of a fashion show eating a bruffin…her best friend and business partner, Beau, gives her an ultimatum: Lose thirty pounds or lose your job.

I thought that January was the perfect time to read Fitness Junkie, as I am trying to hop back on the bandwagon. While there is a lot of fitness and health talk in the book, there is so much more. I found it to be a book about self love and discovery. The characters and situations really cracked me up at times. I think this is a perfect tribute to our weight obsessed culture to be honest.

Bottom Line: This was a great read. If you have ever been on a diet or workout plan, you could definitely relate to Janey.

**I received a copy of Fitness Junkie from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are of my own.**

Janey Sweet is under the gun. As the CEO of a couture wedding dress company, (and presumably "the face" of the company, she's been ordered to lose weight or lose her job! Things are dire and she wonders how she's going to lose 30 pounds, as quickly as possible. She begins a hilariously funny journey to shed the pounds, all the while wondering, "is this really necessary?" A light-hearted, thoroughly enjoyable novel.

When Janey Sweet, CEO of a couture wedding dress company, is photographed in the front row of a fashion show eating a bruffin--the delicious lovechild of a brioche and a muffin--her best friend and business partner, Beau, gives her an ultimatum: Lose thirty pounds or lose your job. Sure, Janey has gained some weight since her divorce, and no, her beautifully cut trousers don't fit like they used to, so Janey throws herself headlong into the world of the fitness revolution, signing up for a shockingly expensive workout pass, baring it all for Free the Nipple yoga, sweating through boot camp classes run by Sri Lankan militants and spinning to the screams of a Lycra-clad instructor with rage issues. At a juice shop she meets Jacob, a cute young guy who takes her dumpster-diving outside Whole Foods on their first date. At a shaman's tea ceremony she meets Hugh, a silver fox who holds her hand through an ayahuasca hallucination And at a secret exercise studio Janey meets Sara Strong, the wildly popular workout guru whose special dance routine has starlets and wealthy women flocking to her for results that seem too good to be true. As Janey eschews delicious carbs, pays thousands of dollars to charlatans, and is harassed by her very own fitness bracelet, she can't help but wonder: Did she really need to lose weight in the first place? 



This book was a huge surprise for me. I have to admit, I was apprehensive about reading it at first; would I really enjoy it? Would I take anything away from it? This book was, at its core, a feel-good, light read, at least for me. It was a book I honestly enjoyed reading, even if it's not the next literary masterpiece everyone will be talking about - but, it never prided itself to be.

I think the reason why I enjoyed this book so much - and I know it's going to sound weird, so bear with me- was because I could not relate to Janey in the slightest. She is a rich woman in her 40s, newly divorced, living in NYC, and is willing to try every new trend to lose some weight; her life could not get any more different from my own. We had no common ground, interests or dreams; so I could, therefore, distance myself from her and just sit back and enjoy her journey. I was not invested in her story, I was not eager for more. I was just patiently reading and waiting to see what would happen next, and it was a much-needed break after a very eventful and intense semester.

What I am trying to say is that it's a very enjoyable book, a fun, light read. I found its humour to be effortless, and so many of Janey's experiences and journeys throughout the book were unfamiliar and unusual, and were fun to read about. The whole weight loss matter and the importance of appearances (especially among wealthy, middle-aged women) were surprisingly handled with a delicacy and sensitivity I was not necessarily expecting. I especially loved the emphasis put on Janey and Beau's friendship, and the way their relationship was explored and developed throughout the book. A very nice, and very appreciated, surprise. 



**An ARC was provided in exchange of an honest review**

The Fitness Junkie does to the fitness industry what the author's previous book, The Knockoff, did for the fashion industry. With her snarky wit, the author pokes fun at fitness trends and those who are eager to jump on the bandwagon. The book takes a more serious turn as the story goes on, proving that moderation is always the best course of action.

I enjoy this author's style of writing and while the book was mostly fun, there are lessons to be learned from the main character's experience.

http://www.takinglongwayhome.com/2017/08/book-review-fitness-junkie.html

Ohhhh, this blurb above gives out sooo much… Too much to be honest. But it is really accurate. Jane gets sucked into fitness world with her friend CJ and cousin Ivy, and the whole book was told from Jane and Ivy’s perspectives. I found all the characters really amusing in this book and a little bit weird. They all were very complex personalities, and the whole book has a great balance between elite and common worlds. There are a lot of strong, charismatic and interesting characters to choose from, and I couldn’t pick one.
The narrative of the book was ridiculously informative and funny. I had no idea, that there are so many different fitness trends around the world. Who in a world would eat clay and nothing else and think it is ok? No hun, it's not ok, and you need help. I really liked all the research that authors have done for this book, and the personal Lucy’s experience in fashion and business was very visible. I really enjoyed all the turns and twists, which were unexpected, and shocked me even more. I am happy that authors outlined, how some fashion standards affect women by making them insecure about their looks and especially weight.(My personal nightmare is H&M with their shrunken sizes)
The writing style was very light and easy to read, with decent length chapters, which made this novel very enjoyable for me. There is nothing traditional about this book, including the ending. I liked that authors chose realistic ending which might be surprise to some people. But it worked for me. So, to conclude, I found this book really amusing and entertaining, filled with elite characters and a strong message. It is way far from anything traditional, and that's why I strongly recommend it.

If you liked the Knockoff by the same authors, you should enjoy Fitness Junkie. While some (well, really all) of the fat jokes were too over the top for my taste, I did enjoy the riffing of many silly fitness trends. It's a wild and crazy story, and I enjoyed it.

Hilarious look at the fitness- and weight-obsessed industry and its followers! After the last page and a good laugh, you can't help feeling good while you reach for that doughnut.

When Janey Sweet's best friend and business partner makes her take a break from work to focus on losing 30 pounds, she goes all in trying everything from free the nipple yoga to bootcamp with former terrorists. If you've ever tried to lose weight or live a healthier lifestyle, you'll find this story very relateable. It's laugh out loud funny.

This was a good. quick read with lots of humor about an obsession that exits in today's world. We get to go on a journey with Janey that discovers what crazy lengths people will go to while trying to please someone else. In the end you are the only one that can make you happy and best friends aren't always what they seem to be.
*I was given an e-copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion*

I was drawn to this book because I consider myself a bit of a fitness junkie, so I couldn't resist reading it. I was so glad I read it because the book was absolutely hilarious!! I was literally laughing out loud so many times during this book. The authors poke fun at so many real life things ("fit wands", juice bars, diet crazes, workout fads) in a delightfully funny way.

Don't start reading this book expecting something serious--though it's funny, sometimes it's over the top exaggerated funny (free the nipple yoga?!) but in the end, through all the ridiculousness, there are some good, heartfelt, serious emotional issues tackled by Janey and the other characters. I loved Janey as a character--if you look beyond the satire in the book, Janey does have quite the journey--and not just her weight. If you need to escape from everything and laugh--this book is for you.

As an active New Yorker myself, with a keen eye for the obnoxious, a LOT of the health and fitness nonsense in this book rang true. While the story was fine and the characters interesting enough, the most fun part of the book was definitely the reason to pick it up. A quick summer read that I'd recommend to anyone who reads The Cut with regularity.

What I love about Lucy Sykes and Jo Piazza's books is that they have no trouble poking fun at an industry like fashion and now fitness. They take all the extremes of exercising, diet, wellness and trends into one book that will have you chuckling. I can say that the only fitness fad I got into was yoga and that was more than 10 years ago. There is nothing wrong with being healthy but even trying to be healthy can go far and be unhealthy.

I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This was an enjoyable book to read. Fast-paced with a likeable character in Janey that I could relate to. And we've all been there, struggling to lose weight and trying out all the crazy diets/workout fads.

It was a decent story, although it seemed a little rushed at the end, but I liked the ending.

This book explores and focuses on the societal obsession of weight. It's a satirical take about all the diets/fads that you can imagine. In a day and age, where the never=ending comparisons and weight loss is a part of the wedding dress industry, this book takes a funny, and yet satirical look at all the various things that we eat and do. Let me jut say that I want to have this cover on my bookshelves, because the reason that I choose to pick it up, was because my hair looks like this literally every day,so I already found something that caught me.

We follow Janey Sweet, an entrepreneur and CEO of a wedding dress company, who at a brunch with her best friend/co-worker Beau, when she gets this ultimatum. Lose 30 pounds, or lose your job. At this point in the book, Janey experiences heartbreak and betrayal like never before. Recently divorced with her husband, she feels like she's lost everyone from her life as it was.

Not only is this a story of fitness and weight, but of a lifelong friendship between Janey and Beau. Janey views Beau as her soul mate (in a completely non-romantic way), or like a brother, and the author gives flashbacks to provide insight into the development into this type of lifelong friendship. That makes the betrayal all the more painful, but the reader comes to recognize and clearly see how toxic Beau's actions were to the health of Janey, and why ultimately the decision that she made was the right one for her.

Than we follow the journey to Janey's weight loss, and some crazy, insane things go down. It was a laugh out loud type of story, if you have that sense of humor and can follow along with the Manhattan rich lifestyle that allows for these types of exercise classes and diet programs to be a reality for Janey. I loved the strong female friendships (sisterhoods if you can) that were portrayed on-page and were the comedic relief that I was looking for. Just as a side note, there is a romance in this story, but it's very secondary or put on the back-burner which seemed to fit the story better.

These two authors hit the nail on the head and make our main character so relatable, and go a little bit deeper with issues like fat-shaming in society, clothing companies not having plus sizes,etc. Sometimes it wasn't at its best when it was shallow and overdone (plot-wise) but there was consistent entertainment value throughout. It never failed to capture my attention in the way that beach read, and I hate to say it "chick lit" only does. If you're out and about this summer, looking for an immersive, yet light and fluffy summer read, this is one of those that you can go and pick up.

**Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.**

It was a day like any other day when Janey Sweet meets her best friend and business partner, Beau, for breakfast at one of New York's trendiest restaurants. She is shocked when Beau tells Janey that she needs to lose weight if she wants to continue working for their wedding dress business. He is giving her six months to lose thirty pounds. The betrayal hurts Janey more than her divorce did. Beau has been her best friend since they were eight years old. Janey calls on her best girlfriend from college, CJ, to be her guide in this crazy world that surrounds weight loss. From topless yoga to crazy drink concoctions and a trip to a crazy-expensive wellness retreat in St. Lucia, Janey explores every option available to her to get the weight off and get back to work. Along her way, Janey meets some great people, like Stella the Shaman who introduces her to an exclusive workout club. And the incredibly hot, incredibly young, owner of a juice shop. While Janey was forced to take the time off to lose the weight she ends up focusing on other areas of her life that have long been neglected. What Janey realizes is that her relationship with Beau has been broken for a very long time. Will they be able to get past this and does Janey even really want to?

While Fitness Junkie is meant to be satirical there is a lot of hard-hitting (and hysterical) truths found within the book's pages. I really liked Janey. She seemed more down to earth than your average high-powered CEO. She was genuinely blindsided by Beau at that breakfast. I totally get it - negative comments about a person's weight is never a good feeling no matter how much you weigh. There were so many things that I laughed at because I could relate - Beau gives Janey a "FitWand" as a gift the day after their breakfast and I just had to laugh. I admittedly am devoted to my FitBit -but I think that I would have to ditch my FitBit if it ever started talking out loud. Everything that Janey did was a bit exaggerated, but I know that there are some people out there who take fitness to extremes. Like the fad diet of eating CLAY? Or the special ingredient in a super-secret herbal tea? (Click here for spoilers). I was really pleased with the way the book ended. Janey got the ending that she deserved and I am glad that the authors did right by her.

Bottom Line - Fitness Junkie was a fun and entertaining read. Even though I have been working hard to lose weight this year I haven't gone to the extremes that are mentioned throughout the book. There is no secret to losing weight, all you have to do is eat less and move more. Really.

Details:
Fitness Junkie by Lucy Sykes and Jo Piazza
On Facebook
Pages: 304
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday
Publishing Date:
7/11/2017
Buy it Here!

Review published on NightsAndWeekends.com and aired on Shelf Discovery.

This book is an honest, yet humorous, take on a society that puts pressures and impossible standards on the way women look. While I thought the book would be more satire than serious, there were important messages in the book that all women, and girls, should read!

I found this book funny and snarky and heartrendingly true. Lots of people struggle with their weight and it's a source of anxiety. Janey is dealing with the betrayal of the ones closest to her and hasn't been dealing with it. While she searches for the Perfect Thin it was her journey of self discovery that kept me engaged.

There's a lot of colorful detail about the high fashion world which is fun, and where it intersects with health-food organic artisan obsessions as well as fitness. But the most important part of this book is about humans in it relating to one another as well as to their own bodies.

The narrative is charming, funny, and really true. I enjoyed it.