I am not sure what rock I was living under, but Mrs. Everything was my first Jennifer Weiner novel. I was lucky enough to receive an ARC from Net Galley and Atria Books, in exchange for an honest review. Mrs. Everything caused a swirl of hype when it was published on June 11, 2019 and, because of that, I wanted to wait until it died down before I dove in. Sometimes buzz around a book gives me unrealistic expectations and I like to go into it clear minded and open. This book was rich with character development. It was a slow burn that picked up over time and is something to be appreciated. Weiner did a wonderful job bringing the characters and the decades to life.

Mrs. Everything is a riveting, emotional saga of the lives of two sisters, Jo and Bethie Kaufman, born to conservative Jewish parents in Detroit, Michigan. It follows their lives from young girls in the 1950s, through college in the 1960s, through marriage, children, and life exploration. From a young age, Bethie has been the "good child" in the family, wearing her hair in curls and pressed dresses, while Jo was the "rebel child" who preferred men's shirts and sports practice. Jo always felt misunderstood by her mother and hid her sexual preference of women, ultimately winding up settled down in marriage with children. Bethie lived her life striving to make others happy and to be the "perfect girl," until she ventured off the beaten path in college, exploring an alternative world full of sex, drugs, and free living.

Jo and Bethie find their own way in the world, both following different paths, but ultimately ending up together in the end. It is a heart wrenching story of what being a woman is, discovering who you are, and finding where you are supposed to be in the world. They each experience different hardships and traumas, working through them in different ways, and struggle with finding themselves in the world. Throughout each decade, there is a different perspective of what a woman should be vs. what Jo and Bethie desire for their lives. As children, they grew up in a suburban neighborhood, with predominately white families living next door, food on the table every evening made by their homemaker mother, and supported by their father's wages. They watched their mother spend her days cleaning and cooking, while their father went out into the world and worked for a living. Jo strives not to be like her mother, but ultimately ends up just like her, while Bethie strives to be like her mother, but falls on the opposite path. They both grow up in a world where a man can be whatever he wants, but a women needs to fit into a certain mold. As the climate changes in the 1960s through 2000s, after the world endures a wars, assassinated president, scandals, and women breaking the glass ceiling, Jo and Bethie discover who they are, who they want to be, and what being a woman truly is.

Mrs. Everything covers challenging topics such as racism, sexual abuse and assault, emotional abuse, abortion, sexuality, mental health, and death. Trigger warning for those who are sensitive to any of these topics.

I gave Mrs. Everything by Jennifer Weiner ★★★★. To be honest, there were times in the beginning where I felt like putting it down, but I am glad I pushed through. As Jo and Bethie grew, the story slowly picked up and every life experience made the story richer and stronger. I loved the concept of following these two sisters throughout their entire life and growing to know and love them. Jo and Bethie are such different women, but are also so alike in many ways. Their life paths went in different directions, but I loved how they converged in the end and the ending was perfect. It completely tied the novel together. There were times when the character's had memories mid story, which was confusing at times, but did not throw me of completely. I loved the large concept of this story, that most women can relate to feeling like they need to be "Mrs. Everything." That is something I could relate to on a deep level and I feel that most women can, as well. Overall, Mrs. Everything was beautifully written with rich prose and amazing character development. This is definitely a character driven novel and is not a fast read, but well worth the time.

***Thank you to Net Galley and Atria Books for the ARC of Mrs. Everything, in exchange for an honest review.***

I so enjoyed this book- especially its format of alternating between the sisters stories. Jo and Bethie experienced all the angst and social changes that their "American Dream" could provide. Jo's longing to be someone other than what was expected of her and Bethie's traumatic childhood both brought them eventually to what they really needed. This book runs the gamut of the social, economic, and moral values of three generations. It would be a great book club read.

This story follows the lives of Jo and Bethie as they grow up in the 1950s all the way to the present when they are in their seventies. The characterization and pacing of the novel made this a book full of ups and downs, humor, sadness and it had a powerful message. Jo and Bethie could not be more opposite, but as they age their lives are influenced by women's and civil rights, gender roles, and the people they meet along the way.
I enjoyed this multigenerational novel. Loved how certain chapters are the point of view of each sister. I received a complimentary ebook from the publisher.

“‘We lose ourselves,’ she repeated, forming each word with care, ‘but we find our way back.’ You make the wrong choices, you make mistakes, you disappear for a decade, you marry the wrong man. You get hurt. You lose sight of who you are, or of who you want to be, and then you remember…. You come back to yourself, again and again. You try, and fail, and try again, and fail again.”

That is a long quote, I know. But y’all, I was sobbing by this point, because of what was happening in the story, AND because of this truth in my life right now. I’m still tearing up a bit as I type this and don’t know why, geez. But this is why I love reading, why I love books, and why I started reviewing them, they can really affect you and stick with you for a while.

I’m not going to say much else here, this book is a slow burn that passes through many decades and switches between the POV of both Jo and Bethie. It is absolutely wonderful, and Jo and Bethie are two sisters that I am very glad to have known. Highly recommend this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for the advanced copy to review. TW for sexual assault, abortion, and abuse topics.

This book was SO good! It was unlike any of Jennifer Weiner's other books, but I loved it even more! It lived up to all of the hype and I highly recommend it!

I absolutely loved this book once I got past the first third. At first, I thought I knew where it was going, but I was wrong. The author pulls you in with her descriptions and brings characters and their surroundings alive. The references to what's happening over a period of decades are subtle enough to not seem like a simple recitation of events but fit into the lives of the characters. A great book.

I have bought and read all Jennifer Weiner’s books and loved them. Mrs. Everything was a huge disappointment for me. This is the first of her books that was easy to put down and was not finished by me.

Oh – I really loved this lengthy but easy to read book! Reading novels that go over many years and have the characters grow up are some of my favorite reads, and this story of two very different but very connected sisters was a great one. Of course, the youngest is named “Bethie” and that was what my family called me, so it made it extra relatable for me. I had not read Ms. Weiner’s work before, though I know she is very popular. Her writing is solid and descriptive and captures those small moments of life that we all experience. This book is long but worth it. There is some sexual content and abuse that might be disturbing to some readers, but I did not find it graphic and it was integral to the story. This would be a great book club read, and it would be interesting to focus on the theme of women’s roles and how they have and have not changed in the past 50+ years.

Highly recommended!

Thank you to the publishers and Net Galley for my e-copy!

Jo and Bethie Kaufman two sisters coming of age in the 1950’s. Great book about love, desire, motherhood, sisterhood, feminism and just life. The backdrop is great as we have our own memories come to view. The situations are great as we see ourselves, our moms and even grandmothers personified

I have always been a huge fan of Jennifer Weiner, but I just did not fall in love with this book's characters quite like I have her previous books. Which is such a shame for me. I picked this up and put it down time after time. I have read many reviews like mine (ones that love Ms. Weiner not loving this one) but I've also seen such high praise for this book that I am so disappointed I didn't love it. I don't know if I could even name one or two things that I truly disliked about this book, except to say I just wasn't enamored by it and the characters were hard to relate to.

This book is a great example of a story in which I don't relate a lot to any of the characters, but is still utterly enjoyable. Weiner is a great storyteller, and made me care about characters that I couldn't identify with. It's a great reflection on what life was like in the not-so-distant past, and I highly recommend it - it has a little bit of all kinds of drama that females can be shouldered with. All around, a great read.

Thank you to Net Galley and Atria Books for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I have enjoyed the majority of Jennifer Weiner's books, but this book was her best. I was enthralled with the story and finished it in two sittings. This book was unlike her others, taking us through the lives of two sisters, whose lives didn't end up the way that one would have thought. Jo was the tomboy rebel and Beth the pretty good girl. Against the backdrop of their childhood in the 50s and 60s, through the era of Vietnam, Woodstock and the women's liberation movement, each sister finds their roles shifting. Jo winds up a married mother of three in an unhappy life and marriage and Beth embraces the wild child, free spirit way of life and tries to avoid a life like Jo's.
We watch as each navigates through the ups and downs of the lives they've chosen, and follow them as they each finally find true love and happiness and make their way back into in each other's lives. An emotional and ambitious story, I enjoyed this book from start to finish.

Mrs Everything by Jennifer Weiner is the story from two sisters, Josette “Jo” and Elizabeth “Bethie” Kaufman. From the idyllic 1950s through the turbulent 1960s to today, the sisters face choices as women in the society around them. Jo is the tomboy who turns into a wife and mother without much thought if she really wanted to and Bethie is the princess who turns to drugs and a vagabond lifestyle when events in her life throw her for a loop. As time goes on, the sisters learn to embrace who they really are and live their lives as they find that suits them. Through infidelity, divorce, sexual assault, eating disorders and drug use, the sisters struggle to find a purpose or meaning in the event of their lives. After her divorce, Jo reunites with her first love. Bethie finds peace with herself on a farm. It is a book about woman who try to be everything to everyone and finds out that you simply can’t.
I’m not a big fan of Jennifer Weiner. I have read a few of her earlier books so when I had the opportunity to read this book, I thought, why not? From the open pages to the closing chapter, this book was hard to read. It is overwhelming and I’m not just talking about the number of pages. At 460 pages it is a long book, but I’ve read longer books that I sped through, captivated by the story. Mrs Everything is not that book. The story is divided into 7 parts with most of the book dragging along with the events of these sisters’ lives and speeds up as the book is ending as if the author realized she was running out of room. The sex scenes were graphic for me, who is a fan of romance novels, to put the book down and say “yikes.” I’m no prude when it comes to sex and sexuality, but it wasn’t necessary and felt out of place. There are just way too many social issues crammed into the book that it becomes less a story about two sisters navigating the changing social climate and becomes a political tirade. Plus, there were so many historical inaccuracies that a simple Google search would fix. Songs Jo listened to in college that could not have been playing as they were not released yet. Sloppy research with a bogged down plot, I did not enjoy this book. I do not recommend Mrs. Everything.

A wonderful coming of age novel about two sisters growing up, growing apart and coming back together. This story was beautifully written. Complex characters that I was rooting for up until the last page. Would highly recommend !

I went into this novel preparing to love it; I have really enjoyed Ms. Weiner's previous books. However, I was slightly disappointed with this one. It was definitely not my favorite. As usual, the writing was great, however, there was a lot of extraneous material that I just didn't enjoy. I hope to find another one of her books that I like as much as the past novels, I'll still give her a chance, but this one is certainly not my favorite.

What would you sacrifice to be Mrs. Everything? This relatable novel follows sisters, Jo and Bethie, through life’s challenges and sacrifices to be to women society accepts. The message in this intamite story, though based in the 1950s, is timely and empowering.

I received this electronic ARC from NetGalley

This is the first Jennifer Weiner book I have read. Not the author for me but great message.
It could contain sexually disturbing material for those who are quesy about this abuse.

An enjoyable, at times emotional and challenging, read.

Jo and Bethie are sisters, who, like all people, have ups and downs with each other, with life, and with their families. This dual timeline, multiple perspective novel pulled me in with characters that were so well described, it became important to me to see how their lives unfolded.

4.75 Stars!
First off I loved this story! So much, and
I was pleasantly surprised by how fast I read it.
This story is about a Jewish-American family, the Kaufman's.
The story opens up with sisters, Jo and Bethie, who just moved into their first house. The move brought them into a nicer suburb of Detroit, with their parents Ken and Sarah in 1951. The move to Alhambra St, was the first steps of achieving "The American dream " according to Jo and Bethie's parents.

This book is about women, about the relationships women have with women. One of my favorite things is when a author can weave of tale of complex women relationships, and not feel like it's to fill holes in the plot but add's meaning to the plot. That is exactly what was done in this book and it was written perfectly. I got to see 3 generations of this family and the complexity of their family matters. Death, racism, sexuality and family resentments written in a span of 70 years.

Thanks to the author, the characters had depth and so many layers. It really made the story hit close to home and made me feel part of each and every era. Jennifer Weiner has written many good stories but this one is great.

I was thrilled to receive a ARC from Netgalley of this book, as I am a Jennifer Weiner fan.

"Mrs. Everything", my first book by Jennifer Weiner, was just okay to me. It took me a while to read as I could only read a little at a time, but when I had to put the book down, I never felt the pull to keep reading and pick it back up ASAP. I enjoyed seeing the character and relationship development, but felt that overall the story line didn't have much substance. The book covers a lot of controversial topics - homosexuality, sexual abuse, rape, abortion, infidelity, interracial marriage - but almost felt like Weiner was trying to do too much there. One other small thing - I hated how Weiner switched back and forth between calling Jo's daughter Melissa and Missy. With so many characters to keep up with and the extensive family tree, I knew that Melissa/Missy were one character but thought it would have been easier to keep up with things if she stuck with one name for that character.