I just finished Mrs. Everything and I’m blown away by the amount of emotion that was packed into this novel about two sisters.

The character driven plot follows two Jewish sisters, Jo and Bethie throughout their lives from the 1950’s to 2022. As the girls grow up, we are right there with them witnessing key moments in their lives and in history. We see Jo and Bethie learn all about themselves, love, life and its hardships as their bond gets better and worse and cycles around again.

It’s also a fascinating look into the role of women throughout history and how that evolves over time. Jo and Bethie each experience prejudices and hardships based on their gender as do the women surrounding them. Things change over time but the pressures don’t necessarily change as much as they might think.

As I said, Jo and Bethie go through some major stuff and a lot of it is really heart breaking, cry yourself to sleep kind stuff. It makes this book feel important and meaningful but I wouldn’t quite call it happy. There are happy moments of course but you’re left with an overwhelming respect for the girls and all the struggles they have overcome, not the warm fuzzies.

I did find it frustrating at times, their actions and what they lead too meaning things we’re often worse for them rather than better. But that is also what gave it it’s “real” quality. They weren’t perfect, they stuffed up. They saved each other at times but they also let each other down. They each were broken and also put back together. They fell out and back together again and they in part negatively affected each other. But they got through it!

I do have to say Jo was my favourite and I empathised with her more. Bethie was so up and down and really struggled to keep it together not really thinking about others where as Jo, whilst also struggling had a bigger sense of responsibility. Maybe as the oldest of four siblings that’s what I identified with more than the flightily younger one.

Glad to have read this one, though going to go back to something lighter next!

Trigger warnings for: death of a loved one, sexual abuse, drug abuse, rape, bullying, homophobia, cheating, racial abuse.

Mrs Everything #. NetGalley
Jennifer Weiner. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

As a child during the 40 and 50s, I could identify with some of the topics the author addresses in this book. Some timeframes and events felt familiar, but unfortunately I could not agree that some of the subject matter was properly related to my memories that I hold dearly for this era in our history. The story was scattered and not cohesive as a reader would have enjoyed. The reviews on this book have been scattered and unfortunately, I can only give it 3⭐️⭐️⭐️. There is some sexual content that would bother some readers, so you need to advise them of them so they can judge for themselves as to if they want to read it.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
I was provided an advanced read copy of this book for an honest review by NetGalley and the publisher. Thank you for the opportunity.

Jennifer Weiner is one of my favorite authors out there. I look forward to her new releases like Christmas and wasn't disappointed with this fantastic book!

The story of 2 sisters was one that I didn't know I needed, but I'm so glad I had a chance to have it in my life. Realistic and gripping, I feel like lots of women will relate to this story.. My only regret is reading it too fast!

This book was EVERYTHING! So powerful, so emotional, so beautiful, so absorbing. I was completely invested from page 1 in these character’s lives, I did not want the book to end. This book spans five decades as we watch sisters Jo and Bethie figure themselves and the world out. From Detroit to Atlanta, from the 50s to the 2000s we watch these sisters and those they love navigate their way through this thing we call life. We see them succeed and fail, grow and stumble, love and lose, laugh and cry. Jennifer Weiner evoked every possible emotion in me with her words. I laughed, I cried, I smiled, and I shook my head. Life is hard and it is complicated. Neither Jo or Bethie had it easy, but they fought and loved their way to their best lives. This was an unforgettable book that left me with a smile on my face and a tear in my eye.

I wrote the above last night and I was going to add to it today, but I don’t think I need to. But I will say this being pride month I think this book really did a wonderful job with Jo’s struggle to truly accept herself. Of course this became easier as the country became more tolerant, but still can you imagine having to repress your true self for years and years and years? And I’m sure this was much more common than we know. I hope that one day everyone will be accepting of who people choose to love. This book really brought home how far we have come, but we still have so far to go. OK I will stop preaching! Just do yourself a favor pick this book up and read it, it is quite fabulous!

*** Big thanks to Atria for my copy of this book ***

We follow sisters Bethie & Jo’s journey beginning in the 1950s through the present. This book is very character driven. We explore the relationship the sisters have with each other and the paths that they take. I love that even though Bethie and Jo went through some difficult, heart wrenching times, they still have a bond. I felt it was a bit long but I enjoyed the writing style.

Have you ever hoped you would read a book about what it’s like to be a woman? All of it. Everything. Boys snapping your bra as a pre-teen and no one cared that it was humiliating; Creepy old men hitting on you as a teenager, being afraid to tell anyone for fear they’d say you were “asking for it”; boys making jokes about your boobs in high school; having to be afraid and come up with a plan with friends at frat parties in college; never leaving anyone behind at a club in your 20s; trying to figure out how to be a mom and a career; deciding you don’t care about a career, but feeling judged for that (and knowing other women felt judged for not wanting to be a mom or for being a working mom). Now you can be a lesbian and have children, but it wasn’t always that way and that’s a whole other thing. And you think no one understands it and it’s so much more difficult than it has to be. And why aren’t women paid the same as men and why don’t men get judged for sleeping around and why do men still - and some unknowingly - wield this power? Did you ever want to read a book about all of that? Which is to say, a book about what it means to be a woman today.

I was born in 1972, I thought the world would always be embroidered bell bottoms and floaty shirts and music would always sound like The Eagles and Barry Manilow. Moms stayed home until their kids were in school and then they worked as secretaries or receptionists or lunch aides. In high school, in the 80s, I was fascinated by hippies and “women’s libbers” 🙄as feminists were called. I wanted to know more, I wanted to know what it felt like to be right there as it changed.

Mrs. Everything is the book I’ve always wanted to read but it didn’t exist. Until now. Thank you @jenniferweinerwrites for writing this book that captures what it means to be a woman in America today.

Another great read by Jennifer Weiner. Moving story about the interrelationships between women, mothers and sisters, and the struggle for equality.

I've been a fan of Jennifer Weiner since Good in Bed, and I've yet to be disappointed. This novel is engaging and encompasses so much feeling. Even though there were ways I could not relate to Jo and Bethie, the struggle with how the world wants you to be and how you want to be to be true to yourself is very real and made me love them. Women are supposed to want and be certain things and that's not how it is for all of us, and boy is there a lot of shaming going on if you are different. I loved how flawed both Jo and Bethie were, and how they learned to follow their hearts and not apologize for it.

{My Thoughts}
I read a few of Jennifer Weiner’s early books way back in the early 2000’s, but hadn’t read her in many years. I felt like her books had moved more toward chick lit/romance type stories which just aren’t my thing. Then, last winter I started seeing blurbs for her upcoming book, Mrs. Everything, and there was something about it that piqued my interest. It seemed like her latest offering might have a little more of the heft and substance I look for in a book, especially one of nearly 500 pages. I’m happy to report that my instincts were correct

Mrs. Everything tells the story of sisters, Jo and Bethie, from their early childhood in the 50’s right up until 2016. For more than 60 years the reader has the pleasure of not only knowing these two very different women, but also seeing how they evolve and adapt to the rapidly changing world in which they live. Just think of all the ways the world has changed in the last 60 years…Dr. King’s “I Have A Dream” speech, Vietnam and the protests against it, the free-love counter-culture movement, a man landing on the moon, the ongoing fights for civil rights, women’s rights and gay rights, huge leaps in technology, political ups and downs. Jo and Bethie lived through all that!

Of the two, Jo was the athlete and the student, but also the daughter who most frustrated her mother. Bethie was the sweet girl, the popular girl, clearly her mother’s favorite. But, as they grew older, these sisters’ paths diverged from what we’d come to expect. The pressures of independence, responsibility, love, heartache, marriage, abuse, careers, and children all molded Jo and Bethie into women I both liked and admired.

“Women had made progress – Jo only had to look as far as the television set to see it – but she wondered whether they would ever not try to have it all and to do it all and to do it all flawlessly. Would the day ever come when simply doing your best would be enough?”

I thought the first 50 pages of Mrs. Everything were a little slow, but from there it took off and was a book I found myself always eager to get back to. I enjoyed reliving much of the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and beyond with Bethie and Jo, while watching their ups and downs, insecurities and failures, accomplishments and loves. Mrs. Everything is ultimately a women’s history story through the lens of one small family, but really it’s EVERY WOMAN’s story. With Mrs. Everything I’m a renewed fan of Jennifer Weiner.

Note: I received a copy of this book from Atria Books (via NetGalley) in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

I absolutely loved this book! It’s a story I won’t forget anytime soon. It tugged my heartstrings, made me cry, gasp, cringe.. it was one hell of a ride!

I loved how the story intertwined both sisters lives. The characters were strong and beautifully developed. Bethie and Jo felt like old friends of mine. Mrs Everything is a very fitting title for this book, who is the voice of so many women out there in the world.

A job very well done by the author! Highly recommend picking up this book!

Thank you to @atriabooks and @netgalley for providing a free advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really don't know where to start with this book. I enjoyed it a lot. Call me sick in the head but everyone always says they were disturbed by All the Ugly and Wonderful Things. To me, this one hit more tough spots than that one did. MAybe because I related to the molestation, the tough relationship between Jo and Sarah, I don't know.

It was an awesome book though and I didn't open another book while reading this one like I usually do. I wanted them all to end up okay.

Jo wasn't the normal girl growing up. She had opinions, she didn't like dresses, she liked sports more than boys, etc. Bettie was the perfect daughter that Sarah always wanted and compared the two constantly.

They both grow up and become different individuals who feel they got the wrong end of the deal. One does what you're "supposed to do" when it comes to women back then and the other shows her oats and flies like a feather. The story follows both of their lives from mArriage, drugs, abortion, picketing, etc. Then one has kids of her own and even though her mom never wanted her kids to feel as though they weren't wanted, she does.

I loved this book although some parts were "too much"for me I enjoyed it. Thank you installed for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Two sisters face tragedies and challenges through the decades. Along the way, they will encounter the trials unique to women and learn to come to terms with how gender plays into their personal narratives. Author Jennifer Weiner gives her characters free rein, to the detriment of the plot, in her overly long novel Mrs. Everything.

It’s the 1950s, and Jo and Bethie Kaufman have just moved into a new house in a Detroit suburb. Jo hopes the change will distract her mother from all the rules. There seem to be so many of them, and Jo is sick of every single one. She can’t seem to sit quietly enough or wear the right clothes or do anything “ladylike,” the way Bethie can.

Bethie is the exact opposite of her big sister. Where Jo favors jeans and protest marches, Bethie devours fashion magazines and wants nothing more than a cute date for Saturday night. She possesses a clear picture of her future: a mother and wife, like her own mother.

When the girls’ father dies from a heart attack, however, their lives unspool in a different direction. Their mother gets a job in a department store, working long hours to pay the bills, and leaving Jo and Bethie to fend for themselves at home. The increased freedom means more chances for the girls to explore, but that exploration often leads to heartache.

Before either of them know it, Jo is the one married and settling down and Bethie has taken up the clarion call to save the earth and fight discrimination. Both sisters find that the compromises they made, sometimes on the most personal issues, lead them into unexplored territory. They lose and find one another several times over as they each explore the meaning of womanhood: how to define it, how to live by it, and, in some cases, how to fly in the very face of it.

Author Jennifer Weiner takes readers on a journey that spans decades. While the intention is admirable, the end result is a book that feels much longer than it needs to be. From their early childhood until a tragic end for one of the sisters, the novel digs into every major obstacle a woman could possibly face.

Therein lies its biggest flaw. A book that many will hail as fit for the current times, Mrs. Everything wants so much to deliver the message of empowerment. In order to do so, the story drags Jo and Bethie through rape, molestation, unwanted pregnancy, infidelity, broken hearts, discrimination based on gender, race, and sexual orientation, homelessness, sexual harassment in the workplace, and unfulfilled dreams. One of the sisters even experiences the betrayal of a best friend. If the title references all of the roles a woman tries to fill, it also implies all the bad its characters experience.

Weiner takes her time developing the girls’ individual stories—sometimes in excruciating detail—but the plot rushes through the challenges that the next generation faces. Jo shakes her head at her inability to help one of her own daughters, but that daughter’s angst in life is never fully explained. The jarring shift of approach will make readers feel like the end got shoehorned into the rest of the book.

Inconsistencies may also confuse readers. At one point, Bethie, looking back on her life, accuses Jo of not helping her through a difficult situation early in the book, when Jo was the one she turned to during that time. Jo was the one who stood up for Bethie and gave her the courage to face another day. Bethie’s accusations feel forced, as if she needed a reason to estrange herself from Jo to serve the story’s next section.

Graphic sexual scenes may turn off some readers, and others may find it a challenge to stick with the bulky book because of its length. I recommend readers Bypass Mrs. Everything.

This book is the story of the lives of sisters, Jo and Bethie. Jo was a tomboy who was always disappointing her mother because she wanted to wear pants and play sports and she liked girls. Bethie was the good one who liked dresses and played with dolls and fit the expectations her mother had for her daughters. Then, their father died and everything changed, and neither girl ended up leading the life she really expected to lead. Anyone who has every faced a major crossroad in their live where things didn't quite turn out like they planned can relate to this book.This book is more than just the story of one family, however. It is like a walk through women's history through the lives of this one family. It goes from the days that women were only expected to get married and take care of their families to the days when women were able to have a career of their own, but were still expected to take care of their families. It shows how roles for women and expectations for women have changed over the years and how they have not and it does so in interesting way in a compelling story with fascinating characters.

This was a tough read from the start. The way things would end for one of the lead characters was known from the start. That part, at least for me, made it tough to continue because I hate becoming invested into any one character when I have a keen understanding of how their story will end.

That said, the decision to continue reading was the right one.

The story follows the life and loves of Jo and Bethie; two sisters, raised in the Jewish culture, in the time before Civil Rights was granted.

Early on, it's clear Jo (the older of the two) views the world differently than her mother (a woman who can only be described as conventional) and younger sister (upon whom her mother dotes). Jo has an affinity for sports (both playing and watching), prefers pants over dresses, and would rather read than cook--all to her mother's chagrin.

After a childhood experience opens Jo's eyes to the inequality of the world, she becomes passionate about effecting change; it's a crusade which becomes more personal with the realization that she likes women, not men.

That realization becomes the catalyst for setting Jo upon a path she never imagined.

Meanwhile, younger sister Bethie is more than content with the ideas of conventionality; being the princess of the family, she adores the idea of turning into a carbon copy of her mother. To her, there could be nothing better.

However, after a family tragedy, Bethie has a traumatic experience and her view of the world and her place in it becomes less certain. She becomes disillusioned with the world and her place within it.

In a story which spans more than six decades, there's a lot to unpack , and we're able to see how both Jo and Bethie transform, contort, and find peace with who they are.

There were times when I wanted to shake Jo and outright scream at Bethie. Since the story was told using alternating perspectives (via the alternating of chapters), it was easy to gain perspective into the thoughts of each woman (about both shared experiences and conversations had with each other); this often highlighted how easily communication--or a lack thereof--can cause rifts that become hard to heal.

The paths Jo and Bethie take, to become the versions of themselves they most want to be, is lovely and messy to watch; as a bystander, you see how bumpy and painful their paths are (particularly in Jo's case. My heart ached for her on more than one occasion), and you develop an intimate knowledge of how difficult it is for them to get to that point.

While Bethie's maturation was especially gratifying to watch, I wanted more for Jo.

The road was bumpy for both women , and life threw its fair share of curveballs, but the bonds of sisterhood remained intact--even when it was easier to let them fall to the wayside.

The story is sprawling, and beautiful, and once it got going, it was difficult to step away from the lives of these two women.

In the end, this was a book about the bonds we make and how each can either make or break us.

In her prologue to the book, the author talks about her desire to write about a novel that would cover the span of an entire lifetime. Specifically about two sisters and a woman who comes of age in the 60s, marries a man, divorces, and falls in love with a woman. Understanding her reasons for writing this book really touched me and I feel like she accomplished what she set out to write.

This is a sweeping book that follows the lives of Jo and Bethie from childhood through the later stages of life. I love books that span a lifetime and have lots of family dynamics going on and this book covers both. Think about how much can happen to two women over 60-70 years, how current events, politics, societal expectations can form and shape their lives.

There are so many powerful messages and lessons here and my eyes were open to the struggles and expectations that women had to deal with at the time. The writing is easy to follow and the characters are well developed. But I eventually started to feel as if there were just too many issues covered in one book. I struggled between appreciating that so many topics were covered and brought to light and feeling like it was just too much for one book. I’m glad I read it and felt like I came away having learned something and gaining new insights into very relevant issues.

Thank you to @netgally and @atriabooks for a free digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

est-selling author Jennifer Weiner hits it out of the park with this epic tale of two sisters who manage to see it all, feel it all, experience it all and survive over the course of six decades. Smart, thoughtful and emotional, Mrs. Everything takes on a lot of life’s big questions that can arise in small moments with warmth and heart. The story is also personal for author Weiner who seems to have a lot invested in examining the opportunities for women, all kinds of women, then and now. Mrs. Everything asks the question: Do we change or does the world change us? And her unforgettable characters may surprise you with their answers. This is a big, juicy, delicious summer read.

This is a story about two sisters who lived from the 1950s to the present, how their lives were affected by the changing times, the different--and unexpected--paths their lives took, and how they always found their way back to each other. This timely novel is shaping up to be a must-read for this summer. For me, it was slow-moving, but enjoyable. It wasn't one I devoured, but when I did pick it up, I could get lost in this sweeping story. Satisfying and thought-provoking!

Jennifer Weiner could write a grocery list and I would be intrigued by it. This is such a unique and genuine take on how the world/society treats women and how women react (or don't) to it. I love the characters and the story line. As always the only thing bad about getting to the end of Weiner's novels is the wait for the next one!

I enjoyed this novel. I was fully engaged from the beginning! Well rounded, compelling character with believable storylines, some sympathetic, some not so much.

Jennifer Weiner writes about relatable women. In Her Shoes is a story of sisters - and so is Mrs. Everything. Jo and Bethie (hat tip to my all time fav sisters, The March sister.) are another set of sisters - and we, the reader, follow them their entire lives. From childhood - where Bethie is the star and Jo is a tomboy...to adulthood.

This is more than a story of sisters. This is the story of growing up, growing old, love, acceptance and overall, self worth. With today's society - this is a book that will touch many women's lives.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.