Yay! Finally a new
Marian Keyes book! As always reading a Marian Keyes is like putting on a comfy pair of slippers and just relaxing. Characters are likeable and funny and i must say as much as i loved "The Walsh" family from previous books, in The Break we meet a whole new cast of characters who are equally as entertaining.

I think I have read all of Marian's books and whilst there are similarities in the extended family structure, foibles and general 'Irishness' each book is different. In trying to describe her books, I have suggested that Ms Keyes is a bit like an acerbic Maeve Binchey with PMT....... she writes great commentaries on life and its challenges. This book lives up to my expectations of the author.

I do enjoy a Marian Keyes novel as she always manages to weave in both fun and serious issues into a novel that packs a punch. This time it’s a marriage gone bad and the consequences of the wife left behind to do...well what she wants to.

Lots of strong female friendships and lots of “what the heck I don’t care moment” which I did find a little odd I have to say - ok your husband’s gone but really? Still a lot of fun though and with her friends I’m not surprised!

What really touched me were the serious issues such as the lack of freedom women in Ireland have over their own bodies. Having just watched the Handmaid’s tale on TV, the scene where they have to take their pill in full view of the office so that no one would dare suspect them pregnant was very sad indeed.

Marian’s books are always warm and inviting. I imagine it would be lovely to sit down with her and chat over coffee one day. She writes and wraps book hugs inside each one of her stories.

Amy's husband Hugh wants a break from their marriage, their children and life together. He wants to go to south-east Asia for six months, and there is nothing Amy do about it. Amy has to hold the family - and herself - together until Hugh comes back.

For fans of chick lit and Marian Keyes, 'The Break' will be really enjoyable. It's easy to read with a fun story and interesting characters.

A great beach read.Not my usual genre but thoroughly enjoyable.I have had a long stretch of intense thriller/dark novels and wanted a fun read.This definitely fit the bill,although there were times I felt so bad for Any I wanted to give her a hug.
Amy was left suddenly by her husband Hugh, who had decided he wanted 6 months off their marriage to go galavanting around the world.What a bad egg!However,Amy picks herself up for the good of her family and you learn what had happened in the lead-up to their split.Marian Keyes wrote the character Hugh perfectly.Sometimes I thought he needed a knee in the balls, other times I was desperate for them to get back together.Amy was exactly the kind of girl you wanted to have a few drinks with too.
Overall, a solid 4 stars.A cracking read but I would have liked it even more if it was condensed just a little bit.

Love Marian Keyes. The Break is brilliant, funny and emotional. Always love Marian's style of writing. Such a good read. Was sorry when I certainly to the end of the book!

Every bit as wonderful as I hoped it would be. Marian is unstoppable when it comes to bringing characters to life.

I love Marian Keyes. Her books are easy to read and good fun. It's chick lit but elevated chick lit, there's always something a bit more to her books and The Break is another great example of this.

I don't think there was a single character that I didn't like - a rarity. They all had their flaws but I was still willing them on and wanted the best outcome for them all. I also love an epilogue, this was a great epilogue it wrapped things up in an incredibly lovely way!

Thanks to Netgalley, Penguin UK - Michael Joseph and Marian Keys for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is my heart on a page.

I have read every Marian Keyes book that has ever come out and I have always been a fan. But, I think it's rare to say that I have ever been affected by a look the way that I have been affected by this book. I definitely think that this is one of my favourite books that she has ever written.

From a very personal perspective I have this year experienced heartache and a lot of the time I have just felt like I've been in a fog trying to place my footing in order to just keep moving, without treally knowing where I was going. Sometimes you have thoughts/doubts that are so personal that you don't know how to express them, but this book expressed them for me. Marian Keyes has perfectly captured what heartache is like (at least my heartache) and the conflict that often rages within you. This book is for anyone who has experienced loss or sadness and deals with so many issues that are more than just a marriage on the rocks. This book is tragically sad, whilst at the same time being uplifting and hopeful. The main character Amy often felt or said things that I didn't even realise I was thinking, but when they were written in front of you, you realised that they were so true.

Everyone is human, and everyone makes mistakes, and I loved the characters in this book. They felt so human and so real. This book is a wonder, you go on a journey with a family that you have no knowledge about but that you develop a deep connection to.

I can't sing this book's praises enough, but I also don't want to give anything away. I want everyone to discover the wonder and magic of this book in the way that I did, page by page in the middle of the night when you couldn't put ti down. In the way that it made me feel a little more grounded, a little more solid and a little less alone with my heartache.

Well - I feel as if I've been put through the wringer with this one and hung out to dry! Yes I've gone through the whole gamut of emotions along with protagonist Amy.

Amy and Hugh are having a break. Not a romantic weekend kind of a break, no this is much more serious. Hugh has decided that he needs a 6 month break from his marriage, his family and his home. He flies to South East Asia on an 'anything goes' backpacking vacation. Amy is completely devastated - she was married previously, and her first husband also walked out on her, and it took a long time before she felt confident enough to trust another man. Hugh WAS that man, the one who was stable, loving, and trustworthy. He tells her he'll be back after 6 months, but even if he is, will he just slot back into family life as if nothing has happened? Or will there be massive repercussions?

The storyline follows Amy through that traumatic 6 months and beyond, but it's not all gloom and doom. There are lots of laugh out loud moments - after all, this is a huge Irish family, full of crazy and interesting characters. I sort of guessed which way this was all going to end, but it was fun getting to the destination. Marian Keyes isn't a top author for nothing - she really knows her craft!

*Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin UK, Michael Joseph for my ARC in exchange for an honest review*

Marian Keyes at her finest!! This book is a laugh-aloud, cry aloud kind of book. Amy and her husband Hugh are together a long time, had ups and downs and have raise a chaotic blended family. After some sad times Hugh decides he needs a break to go travelling, away from home and Amy. She is left to pick up the pieces and hold the family and their lives together. The reader gets to see her struggle, warts and all.
This journey is well told and we get to see the family life/work life stresses and strains all thrown together. Amys life is shown through flashbacks and present day scenarios. There are some fabulous characters in this story, their daughters all have their own lives and personalities, Amys work colleagues all have their stories and her family is as chaotic as they come!!! Her mother (the famous LOCMOF) has to be one of the funniest characters I have come across in ages. There are some serious topics explored too particularly the role of social media in our lives and the political/medical minefields that exist. Throw in some sexy men (I don't think I have ever heard a man called "ridey" before) and it makes for a delicious, fun and entertaining mix.
Thanks to Netgalley and publisher Michael Joseph for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am happy to report that Marian Keyes is on her most cracking form with her latest novel, the Break. In fact I would go so far as to say that at times this book is masterful in its telling. The plot seems straightforward- it’s the story of Amy, a fortysomething Dublin woman juggling the demands of home, kids, work- and a marriage which suddenly capsizes dramatically when her husband Hugh suddenly announces he needs six month break to travel in Asia as a single man and “find himself”. Hugh’s decision and Amy’s reaction sets off a ripple effect resonates through their lives- and those they encounter- in both interesting and unexpected ways.

Amy as a character is vintage Keyes- sharp-witted, insightful, yet appreciative of frivolities like shopping sprees and make-up. She is extremely relatable, with a rich internal voice- and while not perfect, she’s never dull. One of the things I most liked about Amy is that- as the story unfolds- we begin to see that her relationship with Hugh is truly complex. Keyes slowly reveals aspects of Amy’s history, both as a wife and as a person and her actions that demonstrate that marriage is complicated and things might not quite as simple as Amy being a victim of Hugh’s impulsive move to leave.

There is a large cast of characters, many of whom make up Amy’s circle of Irish friends and family. I confess this was the one down side of the novel for me- at times I found it hard to keep track of all the family relationships between various siblings and their children- and any goings on with the seemingly standard wacky mother/grandmother figure bored me a little. However Keyes does a fine job at illustrating through Amy’s various interactions with friends and relations how people perceive- and respond to- other people’s marriages in ways that are sometimes helpful and sometimes very negative. Amy plays well off these other characters and at times the dialogue is absolutely laugh out loud funny.

There is a sub-plot with a bit of a political aspect to it that I felt was very timely and relevant. One of things I’ve always loved about Marian Keyes’ work is that even as she is entertaining us one hand with light hearted fiction she manages to also say something about important issues like unplanned pregnancy, depression, addiction or abuse.

If I had one main criticism of the book it would be that the resolution ending seemed to come too quickly and possibly be wrapped up too neatly. But on the whole, this was a highly enjoyable, well paced and entertaining read which deserves high ranking in Marian Keyes’ overall body of work. I recommend it highly.

Absolutely blooming fantastic! One of my best of 2017! This is to be one of the best Marian Keyes I've ever read. I don't want to spoil any of it for you, so go on, read it! If I could give it more than 5 ⭐️ I would!!

Amy is a likeable main character, I think I'd like to go for a drink with her. I like the way her vintage clothes are described, though this seems to tail off in the later chapters, almost as if they're forgotten. I enjoyed the first half of the book more, and the incident (not wanting to give the plot away so no spoilers here) near the end with the video blog feels a little contrived, as though something had to happen to bring the family together. All the characters are fully fleshed out, no cartoon people on the side lines. I enjoyed the people Amy worked with, and her whole working life was interesting too. I love the way Marion Keyes describes women with low self esteem, and confidence crises, this is so real for me.
Overall, a good read.

Breathtaking and beautiful. Raw and full of emotion - but not in a shit soppy way.<br>Marian Keyes has been in my life since being a teenager and I am so past being a teenager it's not even funny! What is funny though is that I can't remember the last time I picked up a book of hers but in each and every one, there has been something so <i>relevant </i>to me at the time; this is no different, really.<br><i>The Break</i> is about grief, first and foremost. The unexpected adult emotions that we assume we know how to deal with, but we don't. The way we worry about other's perceptions of us and how we should be feeling. Ultimately, as ever, it's about <i>love</i>. Blended families, love, lust, let-downs and passionate encounters - <i>The Break</i> has it all. I couldn't wait to see what happened and it didn't disappoint. Relationships are never black and white, it's too easy to judge others when you are not living it yourself.<br>I loved the charcters: Marian Keyes has such a way of seamlessly exploring the characters little quirks so you fall in love with each and every one of them. I've always found her writing to be a little more mature than most chick-lit writers and it works so well here. I'd happily give this 8.5 out of 10.

Marian Keyes is one of my favourite authors and this book does not disappoint. It is very well written and I could really identify with the emotions of the main character. Quite sad in places but with Marian's usual comedic bits interspersed. Thought provoking if you're of a certain age.

The Break, by Marian Keyes - I loved this read. I found the main character, Amy, at times frustrating, but, realised as the story developed that was probably because she is so real and three dimensional.

I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed Marian Keyes and was reminded of her when I heard her on Desert Island Discs, so was thrilled to have received this preview copy of her latest book which I loved. I found myself laughing and crying, sometimes within the same paragraph. A story of true feelings, real family challenges and I shall now be returning to read her previous books again. Wonderful!

This is the first time I have read a book by Marian Keyes.
The one thing which I liked about it was the somewhat humorous style of some of the writing. The characters were believable most of the time.
There was a pacey section towards the end.
I don't really know what I expected from the book.
I stuck with this book to the bitter end.
It was too long-winded for my liking.

I give thanks to Netgalley and Penguin UK (Michael Joseph) for a copy in exchange for this review.

Ok so a new Marian Keyes book is always cause for celebration right? Weeeelllll, yes. And also not so much. I love Marians writing and have read all her books, some more than once. I love her humour, her warmth, her honesty, her sense of hope even in the most difficult emotional trauma. And this book has all of that. In parts it is enjoyable, well paced and thoroughly readable. And in other parts it's so slow I found myself skipping pages and pages and not missing them. Too much descriptive narrative which does nothing to add to the story. And the story. Well it's about a couple who take a break in their marriage. And the reasons for the break is not fully explored so a bit thin. And the emotions explored are not fully explored. We are just expected to accept that they just are. And, on a personal level, the use of young people's social media terminology is verging on the ridiculous. If th book was half as long as it is it would read better, if you are a Marian fan there are elements you will enjoy, if you are new to Marian it would not make you pick up another of her books. It was ok. Not great. Not awful. Just ok

Marian Keyes writes good books. The Break is a good book and very readable. For me it would be a down time lazy kind of read. There is no need to get all worked up about it; although I did have to stop reading to look up Bechdel Test. Then I got annoyed with myself because I should have known about that.
Marian Keyes writes much of this book in Amy's head. Her brain is never at ease. None of her friends or colleagues would label her introspective, but she is. She is also scared andworries that she is not, never has been, and never will be, good enough.
I live in my head. I need books that fill it with things that take me away from the humdrum of cooking, working, laundry. Once in a while I can read about real things. The Break is my real book for this year.