Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Growing up, Abby's mother would send her to a summer camp...which just happens to be a weight loss camp, where she met her kindred spirit, Mark, where she experiences her first love.

Fast forward 15 years, they reconnect and are the path to spending the rest of their lives together - Abby, still with her plus size body, and Mark who dropped half of his weight.

During a night out with her girlfriends, she has a hot romantic encounter with a man, who she never expects to see again....however, he shows up during a cycling trip that Abby leads, and drama ensues.

Along the way there are different characters/voices, within the group that take on each chapter.

Tackling a tough subject, drama, and also hilarious at times, The Breakaway is another loved novel by this author for me!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy.

First off, I typically love Jennifer Weiner books. However, this was not my favorite. I felt like over all there was too much going on, and though I wanted badly to like the main character, I just...didn't. That makes it a tough read in general when it's hard to connect. I wanted to love this one, and parts were certainly enjoyable, but over all this one fell flat for me.

Freedom is riding a bike, taking seven year old Abby away from everything that hurt her, she pedals and pedals trying to get far away from the constant negative comparison of living in a larger body. Everything adds to the negative reflection - her perhaps well intentioned mother always making a point of fresh vegetables instead of a cupcake, Abby’s inability to stick with her studies and her dead-end jobs that barely cover expenses but keep her from exploring her true potential. Used to being the largest and least accomplished girl in her group does not prevent her from an away from home, I’ll never be recognized, my boyfriend will never find out hook-up. Let the fun begin - or maybe not.

I like Weiner’s writing - she is engaging while developing important and diverse topics. Her characters are mostly believable, and the devices she uses to move the story forward are creative and informative. While I think she could dig a little deeper I am not going to criticize what is an enjoyable book by whatever baggage I might bring to the story.

Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for a copy.

The Breakaway is about Abby Stern, a 33 year old who is a biker with a long-term physician boyfriend, a complicated relationship with her mother, and who still thinks about a one night stand with whom she had amazing chemistry. Her life seems to be going along an expected track when she is asked to lead a bike tour from NYC to Niagara Falls. The tour happens to include her mother and Sebastian, her one night stand. As you could expect, a lot happens and changes on this trip.
Weiner is a master at complicated relationships, especially mother/daughter ones. She also writes about the issues of being plus-sized, body acceptance, and what it means to be healthy so well. Abby and her mom felt very familiar and if you have ever felt judged by your mother by your food choices you will also relate. I really enjoyed the romance between Abby and Sebastian and seeing them both grow as individuals. The other bikers on the trip were fun and I really liked the bike trip itself. I read this in an afternoon on a long car ride and it was perfect for that. I really enjoy her writing style and how she can address multiple heavy topics with a light hand. I fell in love with Abby and was rooting for her and Sebastian. There is a side story about body autonomy which felt important, but a little tacked on. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review. 3.5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. It was my first Jennifer Weiner novel and it won't be my last. Her writing grabs the reader from the very beginning and keeps you engaged the entire time. It was a fast paced story and I enjoyed all the different points of view from the different characters.

I really enjoyed the fact that the story was more about the main characters personal development and it wasn't all above the romance. This book really felt like it was a celebration of women and all the difficult choices we make. Overall the characters were related able and likeable. I would definity recommend reading this book!

Jennifer Weiner is always an auto buy author for me, but this book blew away her other books! This book was full of the controversial topics of the last few years. It was full of feminism, support for women’s rights, relationships and so much more!

I always appreciate that Jennifer Weiner uses sweet romance in way that gives the predictably expected but attention to heavy topics along the way. Weiner did this yet again in The Breakaway. However, this isn't my favorite of hers. It seemed a bit underdeveloped and the characters weren't as engaging as in other books. Overall, a quick read that's sweet but forgettable.

Jennifer Weiner always writes books that make me think and generally just interest me. I love that, for once, not everything is going wrong in the main character's life. Even still, she ponders her life and takes the time for some self-exploration. Of course, that ends up being more complicated than she expects, but it's that life? As someone who is plus-sized, I loved reading this book and the body-positive message it sends!

3.5 STARS

The Breakaway is a pleasant read, though it falls short of some of Weiner's other works. It combines romance with attempts to tackle weighty topics like abortion and body positivity, succeeding particularly in the latter. Abby's journey with body image and her resilient character are notable. The book's handling of abortion is a bit casual and could have delved deeper. Nonetheless, it's commendable for addressing this issue. The highlight is the chemistry between Abby and Sebastian, and I wished for more of their story. The exploration of various relationships, especially mother-daughter dynamics, is well done, and it's informative about cycling.

Fun book about a young woman who runs into her one night stand. This is a sweet book filled with many important and interesting storylines. Thank you, NetGalley.

Abby is at a pleasant, if slightly boring, place in her life. She has a stable relationship, enough work, and hobbies she enjoys. She's finally at peace with her body after years of struggle. Her relationship is at a crossroads and Abby needs to decide if they should take the next step. Mark is a good guy, but their relationship doesn't have a spark. Abby's best friend begs her to take over as the lead on a two week bike trip and Abby sees this as the perfect opportunity to take a little space from her relationship to decide what their next step should be. She shows up to lead on day one and finds out Sebastian is one of the bike group members. Sebastian is her one-night stand from two years ago where she felt all the sparks, and then promptly ghosted him. Abby's life just got much more exciting for the next two weeks.

I love the realistic body image struggles throughout this book. The self-love journey is so relatable and real. There were so many other themes throughout the book (no spoilers) that really resonated with me. Thank you to Jennifer Weiner for not being afraid to write about controversial topics in such a beautiful, real way. I highly recommend this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC of The Breakaway.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy!

Unfortunately, I was not able to finish this book. The writing just didn't capture my attention. I have tried this author's work in the past, but have come to the conclusion that it is just not for me. I encourage others to give it a read!

Weiner is another one of my go-to authors. I love everything she writes. The Breakaway was another fun ride through acceptance and self-love. Abby is asked to lead a bike trip when the guide has had to back out. She didn't realize that one of the riders happened to be a recent hookup. To make matters worse, her mom shows up unexpectedly to take the bike trip as well. Tensions fly, and feelings heat back up. So much fun. Thank you, NetGalley for the eARC. 4 stars.

This is an honest review written in exchange for an advanced reader copy from Net galley and Atria books.

I have read many of the books written by Jennifer Weiner and have not been disappointed to date. Her characters are well developed and the descriptions often make me think of how I would like to know them in real life. She uses real life storylines that are easy to follow.

This story focuses on a few main characters and also mentions several satellite characters it’s a modern love story but also so much more. As the main story line developed I felt lucky enough to get a glimmer into some of the lesser important characters stories and I found myself rooting for some more than others..

This book covers themes love, deceit, friendships, mother daughter relationships, and maybe even some cheating. Prepare to be whisked way into the world of a group of strangers , but not to remain strangers for long.

To say I loved this book is not giving it enough praise. Outstanding. The author has done it again!

Do you like to ride bikes? What is the longest distance you have ridden? I loved to ride bikes and used to ride a lot before I got married and had kids. I sadly don’t get to ride as much as I would like to, but hopefully as the kids get older, I will ride more again. I never used to measure the distance of my rides, but The Breakaway has inspired me to take a longer biking trip.

Abby is thirty-three and floating through life. She hasn’t figured out what she wants to do for a permanent job and her apartment looks like she is still a college student. She has reunited with her high school sweetheart and is trying to figure out what she wants to do with life. She loves riding her bike on long bike journeys and helps a friend out by taking the leadership role on a tour that will go from New York City to Niagara Falls. The group is a motley crew of a variety of personalities and age groups. Unfortunately, it also includes Abby’s mother who is very critical of Abby’s weight and a man she had a one-night stand with a couple of years ago. Will she be able to make it through this trip and keep her group on track?

The Breakaway was immensely readable. I took this book on our Labor Day weekend campout, and I couldn’t put it down. I was especially caught up thinking about taking such a bike adventure and was inspired that people of all ages and body types were taking the trip. I like how we get to know the other riders in the group as the book progresses as well.

Weiner is aways great writing about body issues and this book was no exception. Abby was raised by an almond mom who is very critical of what Abby eats and sent her to fat camp repeatedly when she was a teenager. I will admit though of having a “first world problem” moment when reading this book. In a flashback to teenage years, Abby is horrified about being sent to fat camp instead of drama camp in Maine and throws a giant fit about it. I was sad for her about going to fat camp, but I never got to go to any camp because my family couldn’t afford it. I was working in the fields as a teenager when Abby was throwing a fit about not getting to go to Maine. I had a really hard time emphasizing for her and thought she should probably not go to any camp and maybe work in the fields like I did to lose the weight her Mom wanted her too. Kidding aside, I was horrified thinking about how this would really warp a teenager’s body image.

I have mixed feelings about this book. There were things I loved, storylines that I didn’t think worked (ie the romance), but overall, I couldn’t stop reading.

I always enjoy Jennifer Weiner's books. She digs deep with her characters and this one fits the bill.

It's a romance but so much more. And she never shies away from the tough topics. This one had several - weight and body positivity, mental health, a woman's right to choose, family dynamics. And as always it was well done.

I am not a biker, but found that aspect of the story very interesting and appreciated having the POV of the bikers.

I really wanted things to work for Abby and Sebastian. This book was lengthy, but also a quick read!

Thank you to NetGalley and and Atria Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Enjoyed this book! I love the story of the biking tours and it’s destinations. The characters and their stories kept my interest! Entertaining read!

I've read a few books by Jennifer Weiner and they just keep getting better to me. I loved this book because it touched on real-life issues such as weight shaming, serial dating, infidelity, abortion, and mother/daughter conflict, which Weiner handles with professionalism and care.I love when authors show compassion when talking about the hard topics. I found this to be an easy and quick read for me. I would definitely recommend this book!


Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for allowing me to read this ARC for my honest opinion.

While I enjoyed the plot of this story, there were elements that I am not a fan of. Without giving spoilers, there were elements of this story that I personally do not agree with morally, and it unfortunately really turned me off from the book. There is a way to incorporate these topics into a story without being heavy handed, and Jennifer missed the mark. I've enjoyed Weiner's books in the past, but this is one I would not read again,and would not recommend.

Thank you NetGalley for free advanced copy.
Although I did enjoy this book, Weiner is a talented author who knows how to propel a story and keep the pages turning, I did have a lot of problems with the overall premise. Fat girl who doesn't deserve the attractive guy, and the only thing she can say about him is that he is attractive. It become too much. The social commentary about weight she was trying to make got lost. I did appreciate the woman's right bent, but it was a little heavy handed. I prefer commentary to be more subtle, even when I agree with it.