I have always been a huge fan of Jennifer Weiner's books and this was no exception. Her writing is beautiful and the reader can picture themselves living inside the house in Detroit. I loved how she approached such major issues as homosexuality, racism, drug usage and sexual assault over decades and how things have changed (and some things have not). As a mother of two young daughters, I especially loved to see the development of their relationship through thick and thin. I felt that even though I didn't live through the sixties, I still identified with many of the relationships and issues. My only wish is that since there were so many perspectives and veiwpoints, there was often a lack in development of the secondary characters--- particularly towards the end. It made it hard to relate to some of the issues, since we were not really exposed to how the relationships "got there". Regardless, it is a must read for the summer!

Holy Smokes, did I love this book! Such a sweet and smart story about two sisters and all the struggles they face navigating through life. This novel provided a very specific tug at my heart, as the ages of the sisters lined up pretty perfectly with my mother's age, so being able to revisit history through the eyes of a woman at each age in each decade was pretty magical.

I think one of Jennifer Weiner's biggest talents is character development, and that is what made each of her novels stand out, even when they slid into the super saturated 'chick lit' genre years ago. She has a way of writing characters who are dynamic and relatable. I found myself just a couple of chapters in and really feeling like I knew these characters and had an investment in how their stories unfolded.

While some of Weiner's work in the past has been on the lighter side, she wasn't afraid to touch on an overarching theme of civil rights and equality, of limited opportunities, and how those have changed with the years, and of expectations and how we carry the goals our parents have for us throughout our lives. Truly a gorgeous, well-written novel that combined historical fiction with women's literature and showed how we've all grown, and how we've stayed the same.

Jennifer Weiner’s “Mrs. Everything” tells the story of two sisters spanning over the course of 70 years of their lives. The novel is a bit longer than average, and covers A LOT of details and components of the lives of the sisters. These dynamically developed characters, Jo and Bethie, are likeable and relatable as we watch them evolve and change throughout the different decades of their lives. This multi-generational novel not only explores Jo’s and Bethie’s relationship with one another, but also their relationship with their own mother, and with their daughters/nieces.

“Mrs. Everything” explores not only the female role of sisters, but also that of being a mother, aunt, daughter, niece, career woman, stay at home mom, wife, friend, and more. The book truly tries to cover “everything” different women endure and roles that they play throughout their lives. This novel follows a female-centered journey through the past, present, and future, and is an unforgettable read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an advanced copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.

Mrs. Everything is my first book by Jennifer Weiner, but it won't be my last. I knew early on that this would be a five star read for me.

This book spans generations of the life of two sisters, Jo and Bethie and how they navigate through their lifetime of complexities, both mundane and monumental. Their dueling story lines give us intimate knowledge of the years and events that occur for these girls.

This book hits so many important topics. Chances are we have faced similar challenges, or know people who have. There is a lot to unpack in this book, and I think going in relatively blind is the best way to go for this book. I already miss the characters.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the copy. Its release date it 6-11-19 - I will definitely be picking up a physical copy of this book.

I absolutely loved Mrs. Everything! Jennifer Weiner is a fabulous writer (and a must-read for me) and this one was no different! Mrs. Everything follows sisters Bethie and Jo as they navigate divorce, romance, and life in a traditional Jewish Michigan household. Growing up, both girls struggle with things that would be considered “taboo” for this lifestyle (don’t want to spoil those!), and although their struggles are not like anything I’ve experienced, they were completely relatable and Jennifer wrote about them in a way that had you empathizing with every single character. The struggles these sisters encounter aren’t strong, and as they grow, they begin dabbling with their own motherhood, marriages, and careers. You will not be able to put this one down!

Mrs. Everything is Jennifer Weiner's first historical novel, and she really delivers with an epic tale about two sisters from Detroit. The book begins with Jo and Bethie's childhood and spans the decades up to the present day; their story is told in alternating chapters, and each chapter focuses on a different theme. While still weaving an enthralling story about mothers, wives, and sisters, Weiner also manages to address nearly every issue women have faced from the 1950s to the present day: from civil rights to Hillary Clinton's pantsuits. This book will make you laugh and cry as you read about the lives of two amazing and very different sisters. I kept highlighting passages and stopping to reflect on Weiner's astute observations about life and love through the decades. If you enjoy character-driven novels, then I highly recommend Mrs. Everything for your summer reading list! Thank you to Atria and Netgalley for the preview copy.

Overall: I loved this book so much! I can't even begin to describe how this book made me feel. It will stay with me for a very long time. The story follows two sisters, Jo and Bethie, through their entire life – from growing up in Detroit in the 1950’s through to adulthood, with every moment of tragedy and happiness in between. It’s the first book I’ve read that does this, and it really made me reflect on my own life, and those around me. The important message within Jennifer’s Mrs Everything, for me, is around a woman’s struggle between the pressures of expectations placed on them (be it from their family/friends or society) and self-fulfilment. Life is too short – we must live it. Chase dreams, not conform to the ‘norm’ – unless we want to. We can do anything – we are Mrs Everything, she’s everything and every woman.

I was invited to read this book but I should have done more research before downloading. Based on the synopsis and blurbs, I thought this would be right up my alley but it wasn’t a good fit for me.

Thanks for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. I enjoyed this newest book by Weiner. I liked how the book covered most of Jo and Bethie’s lives.

I’ve read all of Jennifer Weiner’s books and I really loved the early ones but the last few just haven’t been my favorite. This one was a slow read for me, it just wasn’t my cup of tea.

As being my first book read by Jennifer Weiner, I was extremely impressed with Mrs. Everything. At first I struggled. I had a hard time getting into it, but I'll chalk that up from being sick. Once I was able to enjoy reading, this book really took off for me. It follows two sisters, Jo and Beth, through their childhood and adulthood. It tells of the hardships of being a woman in 1950s. The traumas that each one went through. It covers a whole range of issues. Molestation, addictions, rape, sexuality, racism, betrayals, and separations.
Mrs. Everything is a woman empowering novel. There was multiple times that I could really connect with Jo and Beth, and the pain and defeat that they felt at times. Life is hard being a woman, even more at that time. Mrs. Everything will definitely be a book that will be remembered and will read by many people!

Thank you to Atria books and Netgalley for the advanced copy for my honest opinion.

I was very excited to be able to read an advanced copy of Jennifer Weiner’s new book but I gave up a little less than half way through. I did not feel engaged with the characters and the writing style. She writes about important topics with just a little too much description for my taste. I enjoyed her previous novels but this one is just not for me.

I really enjoyed reading this book. Part of what made interesting is that I lived in the Detroit area for a number of years and my husband was born and raised there so local flavor was fun. It seemed to me that there were too many unusual characters with too much happening to them to allow me to fully appreciate what i think is the crux of the book and that is, that everyone lives their life with missteps and forward steps but in the end most of us come to a place that is good for us and the world. I was fascinated with the journey the characters took to reach their level of peace and fulfillment.

Thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for an ARC of this book in return for my honest review.

This book is a bit of a departure from the Jennifer Weiner I know and love but not in a bad way! She has created a family saga centered around 2 sisters and spanning over 50 years and many generations. She touches on many topics that may be difficult to talk about but be talked about (gender equality, discrimination, race relations and more). The central theme is family and how it may not always look the same from family to family but its these differences that make the world the amazing place that it is.

I highly recommend this book for a thought provoking read.

A good summer read - an engaging and entertaining tale of two sisters who navigate being girls and then women in the second half of the twentieth century, their fortunes rising and falling. I liked the format (each chapter is a different year) and I liked dipping in and out of the characters' lives. Weiner had a lot to cover, both in terms of years and in terms of plot points/issues/themes and I think she pulls it off.

I finished this book on Mother’s Day, which made me start wondering more about how the mother in the story must have felt throughout the years of raising her two daughters and on into their adulthood. I believe the daughters checked just about every box under the heading “things that make your mother worry.”

It seems as if the author did not avoid any subject in telling the story. Drugs, rape, racial tensions, unplanned pregnancy, alternative lifestyles…it’s pretty much all included. If one sister didn’t do it, the other one did. In spite of their bad behavior, they were likable girls—good girls.

It was interesting to see how their roles switched and evolved as they passed through the various stages of life. Just when I would think Jo was my favorite character, Bethie would come to the forefront and take the spotlight. By the end of the book the sisters had made their peace with the past and with how they failed each other at various times of their life. They were close and supportive—just what family is all about.

I liked this story and the author kept me engaged throughout. As far as women’s issues go, readers will either see the glass as half full or half empty. I guess it’s all in your perspective.

Thanks go to NetGalley and Atria Books for allowing me to read an advance copy and give my honest review.

MRS EVERYTHING is a fantastic generation-spanning book about two sisters, Jo and Bethie Kaufman, growing up and coming of age in the 50s and 60s. On its face, it’s a book about history in practice, about the counterculture movement, women’s liberation, consciousness-raising, and more. But underneath that, it’s a beautifully-written story of how we never stop discovering ourselves, and how we can never expect the directions that our lives will go. Life happens, and we have to continue to be resilient around it.

Jo was always the sporty tomboy, the rebel who her mother tried to force into dresses and girls’ activities. She knew from a young age that she wasn’t interested in boys - but she also knew that actively choosing a life of being this kind of different would be a constant uphill battle, a life mired by exclusion and prejudice. Jo was an avid reader, dreamt of being a writer, wanted to travel the world. Her younger sister Bethie was everything Jo was not - an outgoing, confident girly girl who knew she wanted to be a star. She was the apple of her mother’s eye. But Bethie’s life was hardened by keystone events that ate away at her, slowly.

The novel is told in alternating perspective, and you get to really “walk two moons” in both sisters’ shoes. You feel their failures, their faults, their triumphs, their loves, their losses. It’s a challenge to make predictions about where you think their lives will go and read on to realize just how wrong you are - and that’s part of the beauty of this expansive story. Little events trigger big changes in their lives, and neither of them is the epitome of a generational girl - a shining civil rights protester involved in the big marches and movements, a bra-burning feminist, a champion for marriage equality.

Unlike many other books that span these tumultuous decades, Weiner doesn’t attempt to make them poster women for any certain cause. History is a backdrop to their individual stories, and often, macro-historical events don’t influence their micro-lives in the way you think they would. Sure, homosexual relationships became slowly less stigmatized over the course of the 60s, 70s, and beyond, but that doesn’t make Jo the character you expect. Neither does Weiner try to make some grandiose statement about oppression, discrimination, or anything else. She is simply telling two intricate stories, as intricate as each of our lives and the events and decisions that constitute us are. There are drugs, hippies, music festivals, civil rights demonstrations and protests, communes, consciousness-raising, marriages, divorces, affairs, cancers, death, abuse, and children. But when you think about it, any two random people on earth have so many of these elements in their lives, yet they don’t define us.

I’ve never read any books by Jennifer Weiner before, although I did recognize her name and several titles she’s written. I was stunned at the beauty and depth of her prose, the way she’s able to construct such detailed, imperfect, and lovable characters as Jo and Bethie. I loved going on this journey with them. This was one of my favorites of the year, and I would recommend it to anyone who's interested in history, women's history, and feminism.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for providing me with an ARC of Mrs. Everything in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book. At first I didn’t think there was much of a plot going on but the lives of the two main characters certainly had ups and downs. I always like books that span long time periods and this book encompassed an entire lifetime. It was crazy how each of the sisters lives went on such a roller coaster. There were some parts that were extremely emotional and I love books that make you cry.

4.75 Stars from me! I fell in love with Good In Bed waaaay back in 2001 and I've never read anything from Jennifer Weiner that I haven't liked. Mrs. Everything is a new fave. Taking place over the lifetimes of the main female characters, this one calls into question whether you have to MISS everything to become MRS. Everything. Highly recommend.

Mrs Everything
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Jennifer Weiner is one of my favorite writers, I have read all her books, so I was excited to get this advanced copy. I was not disappointed. The book covers over 60 years of the life of two sisters Jo and Beth. They grew up exactly the same time as I did, and dealt with the same issues, growing up in the 50’s and 60’s , becoming adults, wives and mothers in the 70’s and 80’s. The novel addresses all the important issues of the time through the life of these two sisters: civil rights, Vietnam war, flower children, drug abuse, sexual revolution, gay rights, feminism, just to name a few. It is through trials and tribulations that these sisters find themselves able to overcome prejudices. The fact that Jo was living in Avondale, Connecticut was an extra treat for me, as I lived in Connecticut for 27 years and was familiar with many of the Connecticut sites, publications, etc. discussed. Overall, definitely 5 stars, just one comment that one other reviewer mentioned, the last third of the book was a little rushed compared to the rest.
Thanks NetGalley, Atria Books and Jennifer Weiner for the opportunity to preview this novel.