Such a fun book! Quick read.

Thanks to NetGalley, Doubleday, and the authors for the opportunity to read this fun book!

In a nutshell, this is a book that pokes serious fun at the weight-loss industry and our society for being so focused on being skinny. The letter in the front of my ARC says that the authors found that when they were coming up with ludicrous weight-loss diets and workouts that they were all out there in the world - and there are some crazy ones!

Janey is the CEO of B - a bridal design group that sells uber-expensive gowns only to a size 4. When the designer, Beau, who is Janey's best friend since grade school, shows a picture to Janey of her eating a bruffin at a fashion show, he tells her that she must lose 30 pounds before she can come back to work. While Janey might have put on a few pounds since going through a divorce, she appears to have a healthy attitude about weight. Until the ultimatum. Suddenly she finds herself in the crazy world of rich people trying to lose weight however they can. Janey's good friend, CJ, who is always trying the latest crazy diet trend, jumps in to help out.

While this book is hilarious, it does point fingers at society and its body-shaming attitude that skinny is the ultimate price, even if it's not healthy. On a good note, it may make you want to eat healthier and go for a walk!

Lots of fun - highly recommended!

Fitness Junkie is as fun as skipping yoga class for a glass of rosé al fresco with your girlfriends

Fashion editor/writer Lucy Sykes and Jo Piazza (her self-help How to be Married was released April, 2017) take a couple rounds in the ring with the celebrity fitness and diet industry–along with the high-end fashion and trendy gay BFF’s–in their latest, Fitness Junkie. When main character Janey Sweet gets broken-up with by Beau, her forever best friend and business partner in B couture and tiny wedding dresses, for being “fat,” the resulting diet and exercise regime she embarks on to gain control of her otherwise normal weight includes abusive cycle class, meals of clay, cocaine-laced tea, all-grey work-out wear, and locally-sourced camel milk. A mysterious shaman, hot Brooklyn single-dad juicer, silver fox, a Goop-styled web site along with the perfect Gwyneth-esque celebrity founder, and a loyal real friend and hilarious mother of twin boys CJ keep the story moving forward when Janey’s rich childhood and prosperous family chocolate business makes her a little-shy-of-sympathetic main character. Overall, the perfect-sized fun for what it is.

Wendy Ward
http://wendyrward.tumblr.com/

Janey Sweet is blindsided when her best friend and business partner tells her that per the terms of her contract with their high-end wedding dress company, Janey will be taking a leave of absence until she loses a significant amount of weight. Janey's never really thought much about her weight, but wanting to get back to work, she enlists the help of her diet and exercise best friend and her exercise-instructor cousin to help her navigate the enormous possibilities for fitness that exist in the modern world. With plenty of time to spare and not much else to fill it, Janey throws herself into the experience, and is going to find out a lot about what it means to be healthy, both in body and in her life.
This book resembles the type of juicy stories that give a glimpse into the lives of the elite, only this time, it's the lives of those who are obsessed with exercise, weight, and diet (and have the means to pursue the newest, most expensive trends) instead of high society or royalty. Fitness Junkie is a beach read with substance and humor that will keep readers engaged. An excellent second book by the duo.

One of my favorite facts about Fitness Junkie actually emerged from an interview with the authors. During that interview they mentioned how while they were writing Fitness Junkie, they kept trying to come up with crazy concepts for workout classes. They come up with a concept, nail it down…and then realize that the class actually existed. The same thing kept happening when they would make up a diet as well. Thinking about this as I read the book made it even funnier whenever they brought up a new trend.

Honestly, I loved Fitness Junkie. Similar to The Knock Off, Sykes and Piazza do an excellent job of taking a relevant topic and poking some fun at it while still finding the joy in it.

The characters manage to be relate-able in their own ways and you can’t help but cheer them on.

Absolutely hilarious book to read, but also a scary commentary on lifestyle trends that our society will try and accept to be the most in-shape or skinny person. I found Janey to be a great and very relatable main character as she thrown into a journey to eventually find her true self after being consumed by a job that she is on a break from. Not only is the fitness crazed lifestyle a fun plot line, there is also a bit of a mystery subplot that keeps everything moving and a fun read. Great summertime reading for sure!

Fitness Junkie is one of the funniest books I've read in the last decade. The diets, the workouts - and the crazy friends - it's exactly what you want to read to feel good about yourself!

Fun summer read! What woman hasn't thought about losing weight and sometimes even going to extremes to do so? Taking place in NYC, among the wealthy and elite, we see how Janey think losing weight will be a simple fix. Little does she know how this fitness quest will turn her life around in more ways than one!
I enjoyed the authors' previous book, The Knockoff and think this follow up is just as good, if not better.
Thanks to Netgalley and Doubleday for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Welcome to one of the true horrors of our society…weight. Get ready to see our weight obsession through the eyes of humor, attitude and snark when Janey’s world crashed around her and she fell for the, “I’ll be happier, healthier, more successful and more likable if I am thinner,” garbage she was fed, along with a good dose of clay.

Janey’s sometimes painful, sometimes comical journey to weight loss all began with an unspoken lie from her best friend. Get ready to laugh out loud, and witness the extremes our looks-conscious society will go to in search of shedding just one more pound. Sure, this is fiction, but I think Lucy Sykes and Jo Piazza nailed more truths than meet the eye! FITNESS JUNKIE is a wonderful satire that showcases the absurdity of a society that would kill itself for a number on a scale or the size tag on a dress.

I’m not sure Janey felt real to me, but she did feel like the tool used to make the weight loss industry look pretty outlandish. Sure her miracle diets, programs and exercises were over the top, but that is what amps up the humor.

Sometimes a little overdone, but always entertaining, especially if one eats a bruffin while reading. Did Janey learn a lesson? What did she take away from the horrors she put her self through? Satire or not....this hits some pretty hot topics without apology!

I received an ARC edition from Doubleday in exchange for my honest review.

Publisher: Doubleday (July 11, 2017)
Publication Date: July 11, 2017
Genre: Women's Fiction
Print Length: 304 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com

Janey Sweet is a young lady looking to find her calling. She thinks she's had it all along, but it turns out life can throw you a curveball, and sometimes in the shape of a so-called friend. Beau has been riding her coattails for years. There's a rift between them and Janey finds a way to discover herself and rid herself of old baggage. Great read!

Fitness Junkie a satirical, laugh out loud, tongue and cheek take on the obsessed health and fitness world. No matter what fitness level we are at, any one of us can see the sad humor of fad diets, outlandish workout routines, and caloric intake nazis. The writing style is smoothly paced for a quick read. The characters are over the top and we'll written. The ridiculousness of it all will appeal to readers who are in the mood for laughing at naked yoga, and find I obnoxious spin instructor endearing. In fact, most of the characters is one way or the other rubbed me a little the wrong way. Perhaps this was part of the satire. This is a 3 star read for me. The writing style was impressively engaging.

It would be easy to label Fitness Junkie by Lucy Sykes and Jo Piazza as a funny book that makes light of the lengths people will go to lose weight and get fit, including any number of ridiculous diets and fitness plans. While the book is quite funny in places and very entertaining, I saw it as a scathing tome about our culture’s belief that the thinner the better, and the duplicitous, “win at any cost” nature of business. On a more positive note, it is also the tale of one woman’s journey through the these two worlds and how she comes out the other side as a healthier and happier person.

Janey Sweet is put on a three month hiatus by her business partner and longtime friend Beau Von B with strict orders to lose 30 pounds. I appreciated the fact that her weight was never specifically mentioned and I gathered that she really was never truly overweight, just not emaciated. Janey is supported in her endeavors by her friend CJ, her younger cousin Ivy, and a shaman named Stella that she meets along the way. Janey, sometimes with CJ, goes to increasingly ridiculous and difficult workouts. The reader has to suspend reality a bit as no one who hadn’t been working out regularly could possibly have completed most of these. CJ, who has long struggled with a bit of extra weight, is forever trying different, outlandish diets. Her efforts are both sad and funny at the same time. 

It took me awhile to get into this book but, once I did, I couldn’t put it down. I appreciated the deeper messages beyond the laughs, as well as the variety of characters found in the book. Many are nice, some are despicable and others just pathetic. 

I enjoyed this book and recommend it for readers looking for a book that’s a bit different. 

I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated nor was I required to write a positive review. The opinions stated are solely my own.

I thought this book was funny, crazy, and ridiculous, all at the same time. I enjoyed reading it and laughing out loud quite a few times at the oddball things the main character would get herself into. Fitness Junkie was a fast read that I felt pulled back to when I was not reading it, but I do feel the ending was incredibly rushed and I would have liked more details. I would definitely recommend this for a fun weekend read (if you're a fast reader) or to take along on a vacation.

This book is the perfect beach/summer/vacation read! My only problem with it is that I read it too fast. There was humor yet the story deals with the serious issue of how women are made to feel so critical of their own bodies. By other woman (or men), by clothing companies, magazines and by society in general. But this issue is handled in a way that makes this book a pleasure to read. The characters are very likable except for a few who are laughably unlikable. Janey and her friend push themselves to try ANYTHING to help them drop a the pounds. Some of the things they tried are totally ridiculous but sadly I have heard of all of them and know they are real. The only thing I haven't heard of, although I have no doubt it is a real thing, is Free The Nipple. That is probably because I live in a much smaller city than New York. (Hopefully FTN doesn't come to my city any time soon!) One of my tests for books is whether or not I want to read other books by the authors. I absolutely want to check out any books written by Sykes and Piazza. Well done.

Great story! Looking forward to reading more by this author! Highly recommend!

Honestly, I shouldn't bother reviewing or rating because I couldn't even make it halfway. I like to read to escape the crazed, social media obsessed world and this book force feeds it. If there's a fitness or diet craze, I'm sure it's mentioned. It just tries too hard.

Perfect book for the beach or a long weekend! Janey runs a successful Bridal Company with her best friend Beau. She thinks they are the very best of friends, as close as siblings, until one day he decides she is to fat and forces her out of the company until she loses weight. With the help of her best friend she embarks on a journey through the high intensity New York City fitness scene of the very rich. She stumbles into the latest, most exclusive fitness class but all is not as it seems. A celebration of true friendship and finding yourself in a world looking for perfection.

Fitness Junkie manages to be laugh out loud funny as well as emotional and touching - a delicious combo for the best of novels. Janey Sweet is a 40 something CEO at a couture wedding dress company that she co-owns with her best friend Beau. While life hasn't been going as smoothly for Janey personally, professionally she is rocking it. That is until her business partner/bestie sits her down during brunch and gives her an ultimatum - lose 30 lbs or find another job. Janey enlists gal pal CJ to help her lose the weight in what becomes a hilarious look at the continuously changing healthy and fitness industry. From nipple baring yoga to juice raves, Janey tries it all. After a little self reflection Janey wonders is she happier now that she's skinny or if her life needs a change of a different kind? Fitness Junkie exposes the extreme lengths that some might go to be skinny, and continuously reinforces the idea that being healthy is what matters most - not your waist size. The satirical voice of the novel combined with the message of acceptance make Fitness Junkie a must read for anyone who has stepped onto a gym floor or tested the latest diet trends and wondered "Is it worth it?".

What is it with books about uber-rich women that I find so fascinating?

Fitness Junkie is one of the more interesting ones I’ve come across. Janey is a 40-year-old divorcee , who is a CEO of B, a wedding dress design company she runs with her best friend, Beau.

He is the creative designer. She is the level-headed CEO.

One day at brunch, Beau tells Janey she’s embarrassing. She’s too fat and needs to take three months off to lose 30 pounds. After all, her fatness is not a good representation of the company.

Sarcasm intended.

This is the point that could lose the reader. Although Janey consults with lawyers in the book, this could not be legally feasible in real life.

Even if it was legal, would a powerful CEO really roll over, take an unwanted sabbatical, and be happy chasing exercise trends, even with knowledge of a coup in the works? Would a successful CEO have no other business aspirations or machinations?

Absolutely not. The book forces the reader to suspend disbelief for the fun of going on these absurd diet and exercise excursions.

Okay, then. Turn off the logical part of the brain and enjoy the ride.

When you do away with common sense and the disgustingly sexist construct, the story is actually interesting. Like an anthropologist studying the habits of another culture, one which most people will never inhabit.

During her leave, Janey figures out that<spoiler> (of course) her BFF business partner Beau is up to no good. But instead of snapping back, she continues to diet herself to the point of hospitalization. Why?></spoiler>

This sounds like a scathing review, but it really isn't. This book is a lot of fun. Most of the fun in the winking tongue-in-cheek absurdity. The book knows how ridiculous it is. It's in on the joke. And at the same time, Janey is likeable. She'd be a fun friend.

Plot holes aside, <i>Fitness Junkie</i> actually is escapist fun. Grab the binoculars and explore this other culture in its natural habitat.

I mean, it includes topless yoga. How can you pass that up?

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an advance copy of Fitness Junkie in exchange for an honest review.

Watch the video review of Fitness Junkie here: https://youtu.be/NJb7AnysHcY.