I liked this book well enough, although at times I thought it pushed too far. The stakes didn't seem that high for the main character, but it was still entertaining to read about the crazy fitness trends and realize they're not that far off from some of the stuff that actually happens in the world of health and fitness.

I did not finish this book as I did not engage with this story at all.

Sykes and Piazza have cornered the market on smart, yet slightly neurotic career women. Their characters have to find their way out of their share of dramatic situations and readers will have fun watching it all unfold. This book was enjoyable and quick.

Fitness Junkie is a hilarious and relatable story that is sure to make any reader smile in agreement with the heroine! I absolutely adored this novel and found it to be an extremely unique and truthful story. Readers, meet your new best friend - Janey - because she is going to be the type of character you won't soon forget!

This book is a MUST READ for chick lit lovers and for those who enjoy books with biting satire. It is also the perfect beach read. Just remember, once you dive into it, you won't be able to put it down until the end!

Note: This review will be posed on all retailers and my blog closer to release date. Thank you!

While overall I liked this book, it all just felt a bit silly and privileged. While I realize the intended audience will simply be looking for a fun, well written book to pick up, I just wonder how many people this manuscript will resonate with. Certainly, most women struggle with body image at some point in their lives, but very few would be able to afford a 3 month hiatus and all the most expensive treatments and meal plans. Although it's been pointed out in other places, I didn't feel the stakes for Janey were all that high. Still, it's a fun read and I enjoyed all the contemporary references.

This book is so much more than what I anticipated. Not on;y a novel about all the crazy lengths people go to to become thin, but a hilarious and at times heartwarming novel about life and finding what makes you truly happy. the main character is so likable and relatable , I felt as though I was catching up with a great friend on all the crazy diets she was trying and adventures she was living. A very fun, highly recommended read.

This novel is hysterical—but much more substantive than I had anticipated. The main character, Janey, is infinitely likeable.

The story mocks the ridiculous lengths people will go to get or stay thin, but the entire book constantly reinforces the idea that it’s important to be healthy, not skinny. (After all, meth heads are skinny, not healthy.)
Before you begin reading the book, there is a letter from the editor that says that the writers, Lucy Sykes and Jo Piazza, discovered that the ridiculous exercise classes and diets they write about are in fact real. The authors sometimes began to fabricate something outlandish—only to find that this exercise or food fad actually exists (which is often painfully hard to believe).

The novel begins when Janey’s business partner and lifelong friend, Beau, tells her she needs to drop thirty pounds because she’s an embarrassment to their brand—supremely expensive wedding dresses for only the thinnest of women.

One thing that’s wonderful is that Janey has never worried about her weight. She doesn’t necessarily pig out, but she eats waffles if she’s in the mood and doesn’t beat herself up over it (how refreshing!). Because Janey owns only 49 percent of the company, she doesn’t see what choice she has but to take the enforced sabbatical and drop the weight. And after all, maybe her tummy has gotten a little rounder than it once was and maybe her forty-year-old chin isn’t quite as tight as it had been.

The foil to Janey is her girlfriend CJ, who IS obsessed about her weight, and therefore gung ho to try these various ridiculous activities along with her. CJ even obsesses about whether her young twin boys look too chubby for Facebook. (!) So together, they discover a world where women spend outrageous sums of money to be screamed at about how fat and worthless they are. They eat clay. The words “artisanal” “organic” and going on endless “journeys” are used frequently—about everything.

This book actually did inspire me to get back into my fitness routine—one that costs almost nothing, like going on walks and eating more vegetables.

Ivy, Janey, and a few others are likeable and the villains are perfect folks you love to hate. I highly recommend this fun book. It has hints of romance, but you know Janey will be fine on her own, with or without a man (also refreshing!)

Hilarious. In the same vein as their first book, Sykes & Piazza find another topic to satirize. Enjoyable read!

There's honestly a lot to love about this book. The voice is addictive, it's fast-paced, and it's the kind of hilarious I dream of being. Part of me was sad reading this book that I'll never live in NYC, because I'll never be in the position to write this type of biting satire.

However, I did have a few issues with it.
1. One of the main characters is a white woman who calls herself a shaman. She's not a shaman, because that's a specific term with a specific meaning, and it's offensive to Native Americans when people appropriate their culture, especially for financial gain. (There was also a reference to a "spirit animal" in there somewhere, and I believe mention of finding a tribe. All no-nos in 2017.) And it's unnecessary. Stella easily could have called herself a lifestyle coach, and I'd have no problem with it.

2. There's not really much at stake for Janey. Beau is such an asshole that it's clear Janey is better off without him. She's a millionaire already, so she doesn't need the job, and oh, hey - she's got another multi-billion dollar corporation just waiting for her to come take the reins. It was tough to drudge up too much sympathy for her plight. I'd love to have my ONLY problem in life having unlimited time and money to lose 30 pounds.

3. <spoiler>For me, the end showdown with Beau was anticlimactic. Janey never told him off, and he deserved it. She waltzed in and took over one meeting, and that annoyed him, but he's still making millions from the deal. He got what he wanted. And he didn't suffer in the slightest for sacrificing his oldest friend for financial gain. That's annoying to me. </spoiler>

Also, one thing I really liked was that, throughout the book, we never know how big Janey was at the beginning, or even how much weight she loses. I'll never get over picking up Bridget Jones' Diary, a book about a "chubby" girl, and finding out that I outweighed her by at least a stone (and I'm shorter than she is). That was not a good thing for my self-esteem. <spoiler> But that was ruined for me at the end. Janey says something like, "So I'll never be a size 2 again. Or even a 4 or 6 or 8..." Partially because she shouldn't have gained enough weight in a few weeks to go from a 2 to a 10. But I liked not having any idea what she weighed at any part of the book, because that's not the point of the story. </spoiler>

***I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review***

Janey Sweet, a Southern Belle debutante turned fashionista business woman is fat shamed into going on leave from the wedding dress company she shares with her childhood best friend Beau, because she was photographed eating a bruffin (hybrid brioche muffin) at a fashion show.

With all this newfound time on her hands Janey embarks on a quest to fulfill Beau's ultimatum that she needs to lose 30 pounds before returning to the company. She participates in all sorts of ridiculous New York fitness fads and gets invited to *The* Workout, a super exclusive fitness class created by 2 people, one of whom is clearly based upon Gwynneth Paltrow. Janey ends up forking over $15,000 to go on a retreat for "The Workout" and then she has an epiphany.

This book was a highly entertaining look into the ridiculous lengths people will go to in order to fit some arbitrary standard of what is "beautiful" and "healthy".

Read all my reviews at: brainfartsandbooks.wordpress.com

Being in the health and wellness industry, I love reading books to give me new ideas so I’m used to reading very “sciencey” books where the author gives you ideas for the reps and sets and different styles of workouts or a recipe for some new meal prep idea. Books and scientific journals definitely get my creative juices flowing. When I saw this book was available on NetGalley, I immediately pounced. A novel about a girl who was fat-shamed by her business partner/bff and starts trying a bunch of trendy fitness and nutrition programs was me in hysterical heaven. I absolutely loved all the characters and the way the authors described them so well. They had personalities that jumped out on the page. As I was reading the book, I took notes of all the different things Janey tried. Some of them were real things I had never heard of. Here is a list of the things and a yay or a nay as to whether or not I would give it a try:

1. Broccoli-infused water: NAY-I love broccoli, but I can’t imagine drinking it in my water and getting little florets stuck in my teeth.

2. The clay diet: NAY (do I even need to explain?)

3. Free the Nipple Yoga: NAY-just not for me; I like wearing clothing when I’m not in the shower or bath

4. Fitwand: YAY-measures all your body stats including ovulation and tells you to move when you haven’t moved enough throughout the day; Fitbit on steroids-YES!

5. Bird poop coffee-NAY-yes, it’s a real thing but no thank you

6. Eating ghee-NAY-I like butter and believe in the fat burning properties of CLA but to eat it straight, umm, no.

7. Meditation app with "meditations with a sprinkling of profanity that express how we really feel about life”-YAY-love it!

8. Moon juice products, particularly Spirit Dust-YAY-I love trying new supplements that don’t have artificial crap in it!

This book had me laughing out loud the whole time with a few gasps in between. This is the book you bring to the beach and binge read.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I cannot wait for this book to be released so I can recommend it to everybody. This is a satirical, intelligent chick flick that was an absolute delight to read.

The world Sykes and Piazza creates is extraordinary because it could be happening. Is it happening? I don't know. It might be happening this very second. If not, it'll be happening in five years. Set in New York City, basically everyone is obsessed with fitness and strange health trends (eating clay?) The upper class especially has the money to pay for these trends.

The plot did get a little outrageous around the end, but I could believe it all. At no point did I stop and wonder if the book was still realistic. I enjoyed the absurdity and felt that it really lent itself to the ultimate message behind the book. The novelty of the concepts that arose was a lot of fun, too, and I will not be surprised to see gourmet broth shops opening soon.

Janey was a perfect character, someone I'd love to have be my best friend and confidant. She's extremely clever and knows how to work the general human psyche, but is bumbling through life and relationships just like the rest of us in the meantime. I found Beau to be an intriguing character and I liked what the authors did with him and the consistency that came through the book.

Though I was hesitant to read this as I'm not a fitness-y person at all, I found the overall theme to be a lot of fun and Janey's scepticism mirrored my own. Thankfully, the overall message of loving your body was not delivered in an over-the-top and cliché manner as I expected.

I was laughing out loud while reading this. I became completely absorbed and had so much fun. This felt like a mature version of the Gossip Girl books, but was literary enough that I'm okay admitting I read it. I'll even recommend it to my mum.

If you're looking for something light-hearted but also relevant or something that will make you laugh, I highly recommend this book.

From the bestselling authors of The Knockoff, an outrageously funny novel about one woman’s attempt–through clay diets, naked yoga, green juice, and cultish workout classes–to win back her career, save her best friend, and lose thirty pounds.

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? A hilarious send-up of the health and wellness industry, Fitness Junkie is a glorious romp through the absurd landscape of our weight-obsessed culture.

I LOVED The Knockoff and found Fitness Junkie to be just as funny! I loved all the thinly veiled references to real world exercise and diet companies that inundate our everyday lives and the truly hilarious scenarios these grown women get themselves into. The characters are so well-written that you can imagine each chapter as an episode of a TV show where you can picture the women and their mannerisms - a true sign of a great writer. I also had to admit that when I read a reference to theSkimm a few pages into the book, I knew I was going to love it. Combine a book with my favorite daily newsletter, and you’ve got me hook, line, and sinker. (But really, if you haven’t yet, check out theSkimm here.)

The book is definitely for the 21st century woman, but everyone can and will find something to relate to in Fitness Junkie. Whether you are a younger woman trying to forge your career path, middle aged and starting over again in life, overweight, thin, or somewhere in between there is a character that will speak to you. Fitness Junkie is funny, real, and such a quick read! You’ll definitely want it for your next vacation read!

I liked this book well enough, although at times I thought it pushed too far. The stakes didn't seem that high for the main character, but it was still entertaining to read about the crazy fitness trends and realize they're not that far off from some of the stuff that actually happens in the world of health and fitness.

My full review appeared on my blog, Amanda Reads.

The CEO of a couture bridal company, Janey is forced by her partner/best friend to go on leave when she is photographed eating (gasp!) in public, and told she can't return to work till she loses thirty pounds. Bored and desperate, she plunges into the world of fad diets and fitness crazes. What results is an "Ab Fab"-like send-up of Manhattan fashion trends, as Janey tries everything from topless yoga to eating clay, until she discovers the dark side to all this conspicuous consumption of so-called healthy, wellthy leaving.

Like "Ab Fab," a lot of the story is taken up with goofy, over-the-top, up-to-the-minute trendiness that walks a fine line between keen social satire and just plain name-dropping. There are the expensive clothes and overpriced foods you'd expect in a Manhattan women's fiction novel, but there is a lot less gratuitous wallowing and a lot more gently cutting critique--this is neither fantasy fulfillment nor a brutal takedown of modern moneyed society, but a story of a woman who really does want to enjoy herself and get healthy, but can't help but see the absurdity of the excesses around her. The situations Janey finds herself are grounded with enough realism that they elicit chuckles of recognition from the reader, not eye-rolls.

Janey's character, both similar and different from your standard women's fiction heroine, is a large part of what makes this book work. She's forty, childless, and in the process of divorce, but she's not desperate about any of that. The heiress to a major corporation and a successful businesswoman in her own right, Janey is used to power and influence, and instead of throwing it around like a cliche of a woman in charge, or going crazy with her sudden freedom from responsibility, Janey acts (most of the time) like a mature, sensible woman, one who enjoys talking about business with potential boyfriends and helping out younger women trying to make it in the business world. Janey's most significant relationship, as she comes to discover over the course of the novel, is with her partner Beau, who is charming and talented and utterly self-centered. Their "breakup" adds a level of poignancy to stories of bruffins, $23 cups of juice, and 4am sober raves, and helps underline the softly feminist message of the novel, which is that it's okay to be forty, female, and even a little bit of the "f" word, but it's not okay to let other people push you around and string you along. An extremely enjoyable novel with plenty of fun fluff and even a little meat on its bones, too.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.