Fun story with cute characters and good plot. Weiner never fails to disappoint and I always enjoy them@ Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher!

I have been a Jennifer Weiner fan for many moons, and I have appreciated the evolution of her work. The Breakaway adds depth of character development, and I want to be friends with Abby Stern.

Many thanks to the author, published, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me.

I like what this book was trying to accomplish, but I don't think it quite got there. It was long and there were a lot of side characters that teetered the line of being important enough to be mentioned time and time again but not important enough that I could remember who they were.

Basically Abby is plus-sized and she's at the point where she's comfortable with herself. She exercises but also eats what she wants. She's in a long-term relationship with Mark, who she had met at "fat camp" as a teenager. They went their separate ways, reconnected and are now dating. He's skinny now and there apparently is some resentment about it. So Abby doesn't feel like this is the relationship of her dreams. She also still thinks about Sebastian, who she had a one night stand with two years ago and then ghosted.

So now she's leading a bike tour and Sebastian is on it! And so his her mom! She's really mean to her mom (and that storyline really irked me). She still wants Sebastian - even though she has a boyfriend. Abby... makes some poor choices. She's not a nice person and I didn't like her as the main narrator. The book was predictable on what was going to happen but there are some weird gaps of time, especially at the end.

Overall, I think there were some good ideas, but it fell short.

Jennifer Weiner is one of my long-time favorite authors. I try to read every book that she releases, so requesting The Breakaway from NetGalley was a no-brainer for me.

The book opens with Abby attending a bachelorette party for a friend of hers. She's in the beginning stages of a long-term relationship and has a last hurrah of a night with Sebastian. Fast forward 2 years and Abby is still in the same place in life: relationship with Mark that is fine but not overwhelmingly great; no solid career; an ending lease and a big decision to make. When she is asked to lead a two week bike trip with a company she works with, Breakaway, she jumps at the chance. She is surprised to find that Sebastian is on the bike trip with her. Over the two week trip, she explores her relationship with Sebastian, with her mom (who joins the trip as a surprise to Abby), and she helps solve problems for some of the other riders as well.

This book has Weiner's trademark heart and character development, which keeps me entertained and reading. I like how she takes what's happening in the present and is able to insert past experiences in order to develop her characters and their relationships with each other. My one critique for this one is that a large part of Abby's character is built around her being overweight. That factor in the book becomes almost a plot driver, which I didn't love. I reached a point where I wanted to shake her and tell her to stop talking about it.

If you typically enjoy Weiner's books, you'll like this one too!

Thank you to Atria Books and Net Galley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I like but did not love this book. I felt like the book tried to tackle too many topics all at the same time and it just felt like a little too much. I also didn't connect with Abby all that much. Overall good but not great.

This was assumed to be my plane book for an up and coming trip... but I couldn't take off it alone or put it down. I cherish a great Jennifer Weiner book to go with my coffee on the yard!

Thanks to NetGalley, Atria and Jennifer Weiner for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. While I enjoyed reading the latest Jennifer Weiner novel this was not one of my favorites, hence the 3 stare review. I did not really connect with the characters. And was put off a bit by some of the politics. Maybe if I hadn’t read it during this election season I would have felt differently. I did enjoy the bike riding parts of the novel. The riders were an eclectic group of characters and wish they were developed further. So overall this was just an okay read for me…not a favorite.

Thank you to @NetGalley and @atriabooks for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Breakaway by Jennifer Weiner is an absolute gem of a novel that combines humor, heart, and a journey of self-discovery. This story follows Abby Stern, a plus-size cyclist who leads a group bike trip from New York City to Niagara Falls, encountering unexpected challenges and rediscovering herself along the way.

What I Loved:
Character Development: Abby is a deeply relatable and likable protagonist. Weiner expertly portrays her struggles with body image, self-worth, and relationships, making her journey both compelling and inspiring.
Engaging Plot: The storyline is both fun and thought-provoking. The mix of romance, personal growth, and the dynamics of the cycling group keeps the narrative engaging from start to finish.
Humor and Heart: Weiner’s signature humor shines through, providing plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. At the same time, the novel tackles serious themes with sensitivity and depth, creating a perfect balance.
Supporting Characters: The diverse cast of characters on the bike trip adds richness to the story. Each character brings their own unique perspective and contributes to Abby’s journey in meaningful ways.

Overall Impression: The Breakaway is a beautifully written and emotionally resonant novel that celebrates the importance of self-acceptance and the power of community. Jennifer Weiner has crafted a story that is both entertaining and deeply moving, making it a must-read for fans of contemporary fiction and romance.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)

#books #bookishlife #booklover #readingisfun #iowabookstagrammers #iowabookstagram #netgalley #atriabooks #ltbreaderteam #thebreakaway #jenniferweiner

As usual, Weiner told a compelling story with many interrelated subplots. Some might think that she tried to cover too much in one book. But, I felt the underlying theme was that parents want the best for their children. However, as all of us who are parents know, we’re human, we make mistakes and for some of us those mistakes are so great we cannot help our children succeed. But, there are often others who can help. It was a book I couldn’t put down.

I’m a little surprised at just how much I enjoyed THE BREAKAWAY! I have only read one other book by Jennifer Weiner before, but I loved this one so much more. I found Abby’s struggles with self-esteem to be very relatable, and I thought all of the characters in this book were complex and realistic. I also loved the alternating chapters that followed the different members of the bike tour. I disagree with the reviews that complained that the author was “shoving her political views down readers’s throats.” Although this book involves discussion of political issues like abortion, I thought Weiner did an excellent job of showcasing the complexities of this issue.

The thing I disliked the most about this book was the constant COVID mentions. I honestly don’t know if I’ve found an author who has really figured out the right balance to strike with incorporating the pandemic. I don’t think it’s right to just pretend it didn’t happen, but the questions like “How was the pandemic for you?” felt dated in a book published in 2023. That’s not a question I could really imagine asking anyone in real life. There were a couple of other references that also struck me as dated, particularly the reference to Hilaria Baldwin. Not a major problem, but something I disliked nonetheless.

I had very high hopes for this book, and loved the concept of a woman’s personal journey on a bike ride through upstate New York. However, the characters were often unrelatable, the politics too liberal and preachy, and the plot was boring. There was a specific scene that happened in the book that really offended me as a reader for several reasons and I simply stopped reading after that. I’m sorry that I wasted my time on this drivel.

I always enjoy receiving ARCs of Jennifer’s books! I look forward to them every year, and she never disappoints!

Abby Stern, at 33, feels like she’s finally found her place in the world—at least mostly. But when an unexpected opportunity to lead a cycling trip comes up, everything she thought she had figured out gets thrown into question. And, of course, running into Sebastian, the guy she had a one-night fling with, doesn’t make things easier.

What I loved about this book was how real Abby’s journey felt. From her complicated relationship with her body to the lifelong tensions with her mom, it all came across as genuine and relatable. The cycling trip became a backdrop for some deep self-reflection, and I found myself rooting for Abby to figure it all out.

Weiner does a great job weaving together humor, emotion, and romance. I especially enjoyed the cast of characters Abby meets along the way—everyone has their own baggage, and their stories add a lot of depth to the narrative. Plus, the dynamic between Abby and her mom, Eileen, was painfully real but also hopeful. I felt like the extra characters added in added so much value to the story and also just helped build upon the main couple's personalities in a way that took this story to the next level. It's not often to see sex addiction addressed within a MMC and I have to give it to JW, she really did a great job addressing that in a realistic but delicate way.

This book is a great mix of self-discovery, love, and second chances, and while it’s an easy read, it doesn’t shy away from addressing body image, complicated family dynamics, sexual addiction and trauma, and the idea that it’s okay to not have everything figured out by a certain age.

This was a fun book, and I really appreciated the opportunity to read it! I will recommend this book.

I loved the previous author's work and I was so excited to dive into The Breakaway. I think the idea behind the book was wonderful and her writing style is always well done. I usually love her characters too, but Abby and Sebastian didn't work for me. Abby seemed very judgmental and I thought she was pretty awful to Mark for no good reason. Sebastian gave me the ick, especially since he didn't seem to have much going on besides his looks. I did like the plots outside of the romance, especially the stuff between Abby and her mom. Although I didn't love this one, I would still read the author's next releases.

Thank you to netgalley.com for this ARC.

As usual, Jennifer Weiner does not disappoint. This was an interesting take on a summer novel. An engaged woman leading a bike tour across NY State meets up with the one night stand that she can't forget. This book has some heavily topics mixed in what could be considered a summer novel. While the ending was somewhat predictable, I enjoyed the journey there. And was interested in learning about long haul bike trips as well as reading about places in NY that I have visited or hope to visit.

Jennifer Weiner's The Breakaway skillfully explores self-discovery and complex relationships through Abby Stern’s cycling journey from NYC to Niagara Falls. Weiner’s portrayal of Abby’s inner conflict—juggling her long-term relationship with Mark, lingering memories of a past fling, and the challenging dynamics with her mother—is compelling and nuanced. The cycling trip serves as a powerful backdrop for Abby’s emotional growth and self-acceptance. This novel compares favorably to Weiner’s previous works, like Big Summer, offering a more intimate, personal narrative. While it may not delve as deeply into societal issues, it excels in character development and the portrayal of personal evolution.

Much of the book was focused on weight. I did enjoy the plot, but some events happened that really didn’t flow with the narrative.

Haven’t read Jennifer Weiner in awhile but she has always written great, thoughtful books about fat women and this is no exception. In fact, it’s set in the 21st century with more balanced info about fatness and health and everything. I loved Abby the cyclist, off to lead a bike packing trip because she’s healthy. I was a little worried about some of the way it was written following some of the different folks on a whim but it worked well. It gave you just enough information to add to the story without telling unnecessary details.

I love Jennifer Weiner but this was not my favorite of hers.

Abby and Sebastian were not the characters for me. I found them both annoying and unlikable.

I also really don’t enjoy instant love in books. It isn’t realistic or relatable.

As a plus sized woman, I was annoyed that Abby made that her entire personality and life. There’s so much more to life than our size.