TRIGGER WARNING: Rape, Trauma, abandonment

I should have looked into this one a bit more before reading so I’m throwing out the sensitive topics to educate yourself before reading!!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC! Unfortunately I tend to agree with other reviews that this is just not my cup of tea and tries to do too much, plus is a genre I do not typically enjoy

Jennifer Weiner's "Mrs. Everything" is a poignant exploration of sisterhood and identity, spanning decades of social change and personal growth.

This novel delivers an interesting, engaging and beautifully written story here that was easily one of the most important, entertaining, and memorable books that I will ever read. I was thoroughly impressed with how easily she was able to instill such an important message in her storytelling. I felt that the novel at times was quite deep but so worth spending the time with these two sisters. It was definitely a heartfelt story that was so heartwarming and felt perfectly complete in the end.

Love everything Jennifer Weiner does, and this was no exception. The character development from childhood to adulthood was exceptional. Couldn’t recommend this enough!

While the characters were strong and developed, I felt like the story itself could have ended / wrapped up much sooner than it did.

Wow! I really didn’t expect to like Mrs. Everything as much as I did. I’ve read some of Jennifer Weiner’s novels in the past, and I think of them as entertaining but generally quite light. This felt different. The story spanned four generations, covering what felt like complex situations while delivering real emotions. I found myself fully engaged and was oh so grateful to have a leisurely Saturday to plough through most of the book — and grateful for a few tissues too. The story focuses on sisters Jo and Bethie — I hadn’t made the Little Women connection until now — starting in the 1950s when they are children. At first, it feels like Weiner is portraying Jo and Bethie as overly recognizable types — Jo is boyish and at odds with her mother and the world, while Bethie is pretty, feminine and popular. But things turn out to be way more complicated. And the complications reverberate through the generations. I don’t want to say too much to avoid spoilers, but I will say that I loved how Weiner wove in political issues about women’s roles, sexual politics and race relations without letting politics make her characters unidimensional. The only thing that kept me from giving this novel 5 whole stars were a couple of coincidences that irked me, but these were minor flaws. Overall, this was a powerful contemporary tableau of women in the 20th and 21st centuries. I’ll definitely be on board to read Weiner’s next novel. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read an advance copy.

I listened to this on audio and was greatly entertained. I always love Weiner's writing and description and depth of characters. I loved that this was a family saga and spanned over time. It was a bit predictable but I think that felt right and cozy to me.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
I loved this book.
The story follows two sisters, both born in the early 1940s, their growing up years, their marriages and divorces, and everything else until the present 2022.
I was born in 1947 and although Jennifer Weiner is much younger than me, she gets most of it right. The Eisenhower years, being in college during the transition from a 50s-like atmosphere to the hippy years, wandering the globe in search of oneself, and the years of settling down and having children.
Ms. Weiner is a wonderful writer and her prose just grabs you, pulls you in, and you care about these two girls and all the other girls that enter the story.
Because their stories followed so much of mine, I not only was able to relate but actually had the dubious pleasure of re-living some of that time.
But I'm guessing even much younger people, women not alive in the 60s, 70s and early 80s would find this story fascinating.
I highly recommend it.

Though this story was intense and painful at times, it was wonderfully and beautifully done. The eras of history conveyed in the story came to life for me through the eyes of the sisters and I thought about this book long after I finished it. I would recommend it to fans of Weiner's other works, but also readers who enjoy writers such as Kristan Hannah.

Jennifer Weiner is always a go-to author, and Mrs. Everything was no different! If you like family sagas and moving through decades of time, this is for you!!

Lots going on in this book. Slow going, but the characters and plot, WOW made you think. I loved how Ms. Weiner brought history to life through the story of the two sisters growing up.

Loved this book, this was a great discussion book for my book group of 20+ years. Would Highly reccomend to book groups

This is one of the most memorable books I have read. I enjoyed it from start to finish and loved following each woman through her life. So many different feels - another great read by Jennifer Weiner!

I found this to be an enjoyable read, keeping me on my toes throughout. The storyline was written well and flowed seamlessly. I look forward to reading more by this author!

Loved this book and couldn’t put it down! Strong characters who i felt like i knew. I was so invested in this book!

I had download issues and I was so happy to see that I could try again! This was really good. Not my favorite by this author by a long shot but I enjoyed it.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 Stars

While I have always been a fan of Jennifer Weiner, I have to say Mrs. Everything is probably my least favorite of her books. I enjoyed the overall story, but I struggled in the middle of the story. It just felt like it dragged on for a little too long.

Jo and Bethie, our two main characters were easy to like right from the start. Both sisters are vastly different, but I found ways to relate to both of them. Each sister struggles, as their journey through life, we begin to see how their choices affect their futures. We follow both of them from childhood to adulthood. Both perspectives were fantastic, but I did like Jo's a bit more. The entire concept is brilliant, I love stories that span an entire life. We really get to know Jo and Bethie as the story goes on.

I admit there were times I found myself getting a bit teary-eyed. With a story that touches on many tough topics, it's tough not to get emotional. There are so many things in this book that I think most women can relate to. Definitely recommend it if you are looking for a good cry!

Wow.

This is a perfect example of a woman's novel.

Jo and Bethie grew up in the 1950s in a time where women were only wives and mothers and had no other options. We get perspective from both sisters as they grow up and navigate their world. Jo, understanding that she is 'unnatural' in her attraction to women, struggles to please her mother, but always failing. Bethie has always been the perfect daughter, but a traumatic event sparks a downward spiral that she tries to climb out of.

This book literally touches on everything: sexuality, death of a parent, sexual abuse, rape, heartbreak, betrayal, racism, civil rights, women's rights, drug abuse, abortion, divorce, and so much more in these 400+ pages. If I've read a perfect book this year, this is it.

This one came as a monster surprise. Prior to this, I would never call myself a Jennifer Weiner fan. I’m not into kitschy “women’s fiction” per se and was scared that this book was just another literary cheeseball. But NO! This story about the lives of two sisters throughout the decades was well thought out, deeply layered and very emotional. I liken it to the women’s version of Forrest Gump. Watching the sisters evolve, discover their roles in an ever-changing society and peel back their own layers in a quest for self-discovery was everything that you’d hope for in the women’s fiction genre!