Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy. I found this book really endearing. There were some potentially controversial subjects addressed (obesity, fat camp, abortion), but I found it to be a solid example of accepting yourself, raising strong women, and being a support for younger girls. I really enjoyed this.

I normally love all books by Jennifer Weiner, but this one just didn’t totally do it for me. I liked the idea of a bike ride to grow and strengthen relationships, especially between Abby and her mom. But I felt like there were so many things shoved in there. Overall, this one just fell flat for me.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Atria Books and Jennifer Weiner for sending me an ARC of this book.

The story takes place on a bike riding adventure from New York to Niagara Falls and you get to come along the journey of Abby finding out her path in life. There are social issues that are woven through the story as well as her current relationship and some fun internet trolls that take you on an unexpected adventure. Abby seems to question everything in her life, her relationship with her mom, is she settling for the man in her life, what to do about her career and making ends meet. There are only so many things that you can carry around without losing your mind and all of this comes to a head when she finds herself with a man from her past that wants to infiltrate her life. He allows her to see herself through his eyes and she starts taking steps to allow herself to be happy, take chances for her future that are very fulfilling while also being kind to herself. Sometimes we need to learn from people the good things and lean into that truth, vs. what we have been told our whole lives and stopping that internal narrative. Abby is a great example of finding joy right where you are and moving forward in life.

This was just the book to get me over a book hangover. Jennifer Weiner has always been one of the most "readable" authors. Fast paced, witty dialogue, fun plot. And one thing that I find most appealing these in stories- strong female characters.
Abby has always found freedom on her bike, which she started riding when she was younger, to escape her ever-watchful mother's eye from judging every morsel of food she puts in her mouth. The judgement that sent her to "fat camp" where the only good thing that resulted in was meeting Mark, her first love.
Abby is now engaged to Mark, now fit and thin after gastric bypass, and leading a bike group through a 2 week ride on the Empire Trail, ending at Niagara Falls. Just one problem- her first and only one-night-stand ends up being in the group. Along with another surprise rider- her mother.
Include an embarrassing Tik-Tok video, a daughter hiding secrets from her super conservative mother, and a curious group of 4 friends and this story will have a little something for everyone.
Other than the larger topic of fat-shaming and feeling like you're never enough, Weiner also took on topics such as toxic masculinity, gender & sexuality, a woman's right to having choices....it was chock full of hot button topic, some sufficiently inserted and threaded through the story, and others sort of plopped in, seeming as it was put there just to...be there and acknowledge that the issue exists. It seemed a bit performative in that way.
Over all it is a quick, enjoyable, fun, feel good story that has a satisfying yet realistic ending.

I had mixed feelings about this book. There were elements I loved and some things that didn't work for me. The main character, Abby, is leading a Breakaway bike tour from NYC to Niagara Falls. I am not a biker but I loved the bike riding parts! It really seems like such an amazing experience. I also enjoyed the eclectic group of riders and wish we had gotten to know them in greater detail, especially since a few were crucial to subplots. I do think that there were a lot of themes and subplots being explored here which ultimately prevented the story from having more depth. Weiner writes about weight, weight loss, romantic relationships, mother-daughter relationships, pregnancy, abortion & woman's choice, cheating and more.⁣
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Plus, we have a weird love triangle that just didn't work for me. Abby was in a committed relationship with Mark who had also struggled with food growing up (they met at weight loss camp) and who she describes glowingly often but who she isn't happy with because he doesn't share her love of riding or food indulgences (due to bypass surgery). She has a world rocking one night stand while on a girl's trip with Sebastian, who ends up years later on her riding trip. Sebastian is a bit of a womanizer (there's viral video proof and all!) but we are supposed to believe that these two are meant to be. I wish I could have rooted for them more but I iust never felt invested. ⁣
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Overall, this was on ok read for me but unfortunately, it's just not one that made a lasting impression.

The Breakaway is an ensemble story that centers around Abby Stern, a plus size woman who’s struggling to find a career that she’s passionate about. While out at a bachelorette party, we learn that “Abby had gotten used to being the largest girl in a group, but now she’d arrived at a point where she was both the largest and the least accomplished. This new development did not fill her heart with joy.”

While at the bachelorette party, Abby meets Sebastian, who approaches her and dances with her for the rest of the night, before inviting her to come home with him. She has a great time with him, and he even makes her some pasta in bed. When she wakes up in the morning, she sneaks away from his apartment and back to her hotel.

Two years later, Abby is in a committed relationship with her first love, whom she met at fat camp when she was a kid. Mark has since lost tons of weight, had gastric bypass surgery, and follows a strict diet that doesn’t always line up with how Abby wants to eat. Though on the outside, their relationship looks great, Abby feels some hesitation when Mark asks her to move in with him.

To delay answering him, she accepts an offer to lead a biking group from New York to Niagara Falls. She’s nervous about leading the trip because it’ll be her first long journey as a leader, and she’s even more nervous after meeting the ensemble of riders, because one of them is Sebastian from years before.

Sebastian isn’t the only thing making the trip more stressful, as Abby’s mom shows up at the last second, despite not being an avid rider and criticizing Abby’s choices. She’s the reason Abby went to fat camp when she was younger, and Abby struggles to be around her, knowing how fatphobic she is.

On the second day of the trip, a TikTok goes viral when several women in a single friend group find out they’ve all hooked up with Sebastian. He’s embarrassed and worries that Abby, who he’s been thinking about all this time, will see him negatively.

Abby finds out about Sebastian trending, and though the two have been growing closer during the trip, this causes them to have a bit of a fight during one of the group dinners. Sebastian pokes fun at Mark, and points out that he and Abby don’t have much in common, and Abby says that Sebastian doesn’t get to weigh in on the matter, as he’s never had a serious girlfriend before.

In the middle of this strife between the two characters, Morgan, a teen girl in the ensemble, plans to use the bike trip as a way to get an abortion without her mother knowing. Her dad is a pastor, and her mom has always been pro-life, so she’s sure they wouldn’t let her terminate the pregnancy if they knew. She enlists the help of another teen boy in the group, Andrew.

Andrew goes to his own mother, Kayla, who decides she has to do something to help Morgan. Kayla loops Abby into the plan, and because its raining, they plan for the sag wagon to take people in shifts to the next hotel. They devise a plan in which Morgan’s mom goes in the first group that way Kayla can take Morgan to the clinic and bring her back after she has her appointment.

Abby ends up having to go out on her bike when it’s raining because Sebastian insists on riding through the storm. He ends up crashing, and the two kiss while they’re waiting on the sag wagon to come get them.

Morgan wakes up the next morning and hides out in the hotel gym to take the second round of medicine that will induce the abortion. Andrew hides with her, and when her mom can’t find her, she starts to realize that something is going on that the others aren’t telling her about.

When they find Morgan and Andrew after she’s taken the pills, her mom takes her up to the hotel room and demands an answer to why Morgan was hiding and what’s going on. Morgan finally gives up and tells her mom what happened.

The mom is sad and reveals that she got an abortion when she was eighteen, which is surprising to Morgan. They agree to keep the incident to themselves and not tell Morgan’s dad.

Sebastian and Abby continue to get closer, and end up spending several nights together during the trip. To everyone’s surprise, Mark is waiting outside of their next accommodation when they roll up. Because Sebastian is trending online, a photo of him and Abby looking chummy has been circulating.

Mark and Abby go inside and Abby admits that she’s been cheating on him. He says that he’s willing to work through it and forgive her, but she says that they need to be done. She leaves the next morning without saying goodbye to anyone.

Sebastian is surprised by this, and tries to get in contact with her, but she ignores him. Inspired by Morgan’s story, Abby decides to create a biking club for young girls to explore themes of freedom, feminism, and self-reliance. She also has a conversation with her mother, who admits that she was fat when she was a teen.

Abby’s mother explains that she sent Abby to fat camp as a way to try and help her avoid the ridicule and bullying she went through when she was younger. Abby’s mom also explains that she just couldn’t lose the weight through diet and exercise alone, and ended up getting gastric bypass. Abby is surprised by this knowledge, but communicates with her mom and tells her that her behavior still wasn’t okay. Despite the rocky encounter, it seems like their relationship is moving in the right direction.

At the end of the novel, Sebastian returns, having had a full year to work on himself. The two of them reconnect and get a happy ending.

I always like to start with what I like first. My favorite thing about this book was the strong combination of themes. I felt the focus on reproductive rights, fatphobia, diet culture, and mother-daughter relationships all made for a very feminist theme throughout the book. The bicycle has long been seen as a strong proponent of the feminist movement, and in this book we see several women using the bike ride as a way to find freedom and autonomy, whether that’s Abby discovering her purpose, Morgan seeking an abortion, or Abby’s mother seeking to reconnect with her daughter.

The mother-daughter relationships are also prominent in this one, with Abby and her mother grappling with her mother’s diet obsession and fatphobic ideas, and Morgan struggling with her mother’s pro-life ideology.

Abby’s perception of the world, and how others perceive her, is heavily influenced by her experiences as a fat woman. Despite being an avid biker, she worries that the people in her tour won’t see her as legitimate simply because she’s not thin.

I appreciated the connection between Abby and Sebastian, especially in the very beginning when they first meet and are together. For the most part, I liked the romance and their interactions during the bike trip, though there were parts that I felt were a little awkward.

There are a few things that kept this from being a five-star read for me. The first is how the pacing changed near the end of the book. On some level, I understand that the break in time is necessary for Sebastian and Abby to develop and be ready for a relationship, but it also just slowed everything down quite a bit.

I also felt Sebastian’s storyline with being trending online wasn’t finished. The book came really close to fully exploring our relationship with sex and how society perceives men and women and promiscuity, but didn’t quite get there. Having your personal life blown up online is an invasion of privacy and Sebastian insists he didn’t do anything wrong—and I don’t think there’s a clear answer for morality in this situation and where it lies. It would have been interesting to see more of how this turned out.

All in all, I really enjoyed The Breakaway. I felt it had great plus-size representation, strong themes, and compelling relationships. I gave it four stars because I enjoyed it and would recommend it to a friend, but I wouldn't read it again.

Thank you to the publisher for the early release copy of The Breakaway by Jennifer Weiner. I've read everything that she writes and will continue to do so. Jennifer writes what she knows and she brought her love of cycling into this novel. I enjoyed the bike trip and the descriptions of the places that they stop at and there's even a bit of sizzle too. Additionally, she tackles a tough topic here but handles it well. This was a good enveloping read.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked this book but am also very conflicted by many parts of it. First, I loved Abby. I really identified with her and struggled in many of the ways she has. All the characters were good and added to the story. I liked the storyline and the speed of it. It had a lot going on but it didn’t detract from the main plots line.

Now my conflicts. 1 Abby and Sebastian apparently really initially liked each other and not just for the sex, but I feel that it didn’t show enough of a reason why they would be so hung up on each other when they really didn’t have much interaction but the sex. 2. I didn’t like that everyone thought it was okay to take a girl that wasn’t their daughter to get an abortion. And that her mom ended up being okay about that after finding out. 3. We talk all this book about body positivity and being more than how we look etc, but Abby goes on and on about how hot both guys are and how they could have anyone they want. Kind of hypocritical. These were the thoughts I was having as I read but overall liked the story.

Abby Stern feels unsettled, unfulfilled, like she hasn't quite found her niche. She probably should be happy - she has a loving boyfriend - Mark, a doctor, who is eager to have her move in with him; a supportive best friend; enjoys her bike riding club; and despite having a constantly dieting mother, has learned to love and accept her plus sized body.

But Abby has never found a career, instead working a series of gig jobs to pay the bills. And though getting back in contact with Mark, who had been her sweetheart when they met as teenagers at a weight loss camp, felt like fate and Mark has many wonderful qualities, many aspects of their lives don't seem to mesh. So when Abby's best friend Lizzie asks her to lead The Breakaway - a two week, 750-mile bike adventure group on the Empire State Trail. Abby accepts the offer, hoping the time away will give her some clarity on her life.

Already insecure about her lack of experience as a group leader, leading the bike adventure group gets off to a rocky start. Amongst the unexpected members of the group is Eileen, Abby's mother, who says she wants to spend quality time with Abby; and Sebastian, a handsome stranger Abby had a mind-blowing one night stand with years prior.

As the trip progresses, Abby begins to get clarity on what she wants from her life, Sebastian becomes a viral internet story, and we get insights into the colorful cast of characters who comprise the other members of the group and their reasons for being on the trip.

4.5 stars, rounded up to 5. Jennifer Weiner always writes entertaining, readable, stories starring strong, relatable characters and The Breakaway is no exception; it's perfect to curl up with for those last lazy days of summer. I enjoyed the storyline, the entertaining cast of characters, and the real world issues that Weiner touches on in The Breakaway.

I am a Jennifer Weiner fan and also a completist. This was probably my least favorite of her novels. The bicycle trip, and the characters on it, was such an interesting premise, but the main character Abby drove me crazy. I felt as though the themes Weiner was trying to weave into the story to create fuller and more relatable characters were clunky and too heavy handed. Body image issues, abortion, feminist idealogy and mother daughter issues are all topics I typically really enjoy in my books, but nothing felt authentic here. I will continue to read her books, and cheer her on, but this was disappinting for me.

I have been a fan of Jennifer Weiner since I read Good in Bed 20 years ago. I love her flawed and interesting female lead characters. I was so excited to get a chance to read The Breakaway!

You know you enjoyed a book about cycling when you finish it and head to a bike shop the same day. I will be out on the trails more this fall thanks to Jennifer Weiner! The Breakaway is definitely worth the read. I was disappointed that there wasn’t more about the NY bike trail system but I enjoyed the plot, the messy characters, and the intertwining story lines.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Atria Books for gifting me a digital ARC of the new book by Jennifer Weiner - 4 stars!

Abby is sort of living the life she thinks she wants - but not quite. She still hasn't found her career passion, her apartment looks like she just moved in, and she isn't completely bought into a future life with her boyfriend, Mark. But she can't help thinking about Sebastian sometimes, her one and only one-night stand, who made her feel beautiful like no one has ever done before. Abby has made peace with her body, but she still struggles, plus her mom is there is remind her that she would be happier if she were thinner. Biking has always been her salvation and when she gets an opportunity to lead a bike trip from NYC to Buffalo, she is happy for the time and experience. Until she realizes that Sebastian is in her group. And her mother.

While Weiner's books usually feature a beach, if you follow her on instagram, you know that she lives the biking world she wrote about. Her real world trips and travels are amazing, so all of that rings totally true in the book. Since I live even more upstate NY than this trail, I liked tagging along the trip. While there are a few too many coincidences in this story and plenty of controversial subjects, it was a good book and definitely promoted body positivity. I also enjoyed the growth of the mother-daughter relationships.. I would say the story would be good for young girls, but there's some steamy scenes to begin with and pro-choice messages so maybe best for adults.

I typically love Jennifer Weiner’s books but I thought this one was just okay.

I loved the unique concept of the book taking place over the course of two weeks during a cycling trip. I really enjoyed the main character, Abby, and the multiple POV’s of the other cyclists on the trip. There were a lot of important social issues throughout the book such as body positivity and abortion, but my biggest complaint is there was way too much going on. The author tried to jam pack the book with too many social issues and topics which overshadowed the plot.

I'm giving this one 4 stars. I love Jennifer's Weiner's characters. They are just so rich and layered and you feel like you could be friends with all of them. This story was very easy to read and definitely kept my interest the whole time. I did feel like it was almost a story within a story - I did not really see the connection of the main story line to the secondary story line and it felt quite disjointed. But I do believe both were timely and relevant. A good one!

Abby’s only in her thirties but has endured a lifetime of extra helpings of shame and ridicule for her weight. She’s learned to settle for what she thinks she deserves in love, career, family and friends. An emotional, timely, uplifting, heartbreaking yet hopeful perspective on body shaming. I’m from the generation when being “twiggy” skinny was the norm. It had nothing to do with health or well-being, just where, who or what being thin got you. The subjects tackled in Abby’s story introduced me to many interesting viewpoints. The well written observations and examples were thought provoking and reflective for me. I’m still rolling over thoughts and feelings from the many relevant issues addressed.
The organized, lengthy bike route in upstate NY was fun to follow along, as were the diverse types and ages of the participants. Abby’s mother was a deeply layered woman and I enjoyed insights into her life. The more mature group of riders were a hoot, I liked them a lot. Abby’s one night stand was also a great twist with an unexpected outcome. There are many more great characters and situations – just read it!
Of course I had a very simple plain bike as a kid, never rode or knew anything about the fancy stuff available now (preferred riding my horse and later motorcycles). I still see no need to punish oneself for miles, but admire those who enjoy the challenge. Many of the historical stops and such were quite interesting since I know little about upstate NY. Would have liked even more about the area, what’s the point of all those miles if you don’t see new things and places?
I knew of the author’s first-class reputation but hadn’t read any of her books before. It was wonderful having the opportunity to finally read one. The story is easy to follow, with surprising depth, meaningful topics, romance and love. Abby is a character that will stay with me, her message is important.

I absolutely loved this book! The author tackles some serious and very relevant issues. Abby has struggled with body positivity and self worth all her life and this was handled in a positive manner with her personal growth and emerging confidence. Mother/daughter issues are also a big component of the book that I really enjoyed. Abortion and all the complications and emotions with that are dealt with in a sensitive manner. I always love good dialogue and this book definitely has that. The cycling aspect was fun and the secondary characters are great. Overall I loved this book. The author covered a lot of ground but it didn’t feel rushed. This is definitely one of my favourite books of the year.

Abby has fought her whole life to find confidence in who she is and how she looks, and her love for cycling plays a huge role in that. I loved seeing her grow to love herself throughout the story, but she still made some questionable choices along the way. I had never heard of the Empire Trail before reading this story, but I think it made for a beautiful and inspiring backdrop and made me want to get back on a bike again! I struggled with a lot of the choices various characters made throughout the story, and some of the interactions felt very disingenuous. At the same time, the characters were all deeply lovable despite their very apparent flaws!

Another fun book by Jennifer Weiner! This is the story of Abby as she try to figure herself out in adulthood. Abby has spent most of her life holding herself back from what she truly is capable or even wants for herself. One of her greatest joys is bike riding and she embarks on a group bike excursion as the leader. There is a a love interest, growing pains, and confidence as she finds her voice during this 2 week adventure. I truly was rooting for Abby and many of the other characters in this story and felt like I was right there with them. Jennifer Weiner does a great job of writing a light story with deeper issues intertwined. I am so thankful to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read an advance copy.

I have always loved Jennifer's books and The Breakaway was no different. I love that she features strong plus-size women and isn’t afraid to touch on hot-button issues in her writing. This book is so much more than just a contemporary romance. Abby is a beautiful young woman in her early thirties who’s trying to decide if she’s content with the life she has built or if she should take a leap of faith and see what else is out there. She is unexpectedly offered a chance to lead a bike group on a trip from NYC to Niagara Falls, riding her bike has changed Abby's life in ways she cannot explain and decides this is the perfect chance to get some distance from her everyday life and help her clear her head to make the right decisions.

I loved getting to know Abby, this book touches on so many topics, body positivity, self-love, mental health and a woman’s right to choose. If you’ve read any of Jennifer’s previous works you would know many of these are topics she touches on frequently and I personally love books that bring forth issues and encourage the conversation. Abby is 33 and I found it refreshing to see her still “figuring things out”, I loved that she took those 2 weeks to do something she loved and in turn, it helped her realize a way to make her passion a career. Abby is flawed and imperfect just as we all are and I think that is why you cannot help but root for her to find her passion and pursue it.

There are a lot of side characters in this book and we get a good glimpse into quite a few of their lives. While the scenery of NY offers some absolutely breathtaking views and Jennifer does a wonderful job of painting a picture of the setting these characters add so much to this story. Raising children is challenging and through the characters, we are introduced to 3 parent/child relationships and the contrasts and similarities are really interesting. Abby's own mother surprises her by joining the ride and we really get a good feel of who Abby is and the experiences that shaped her, however as time goes on we are also let into her mother's past which helps explain why she made the choices she did. I found these parent/child dynamics really interesting.

I will say for me the romance storyline played a much smaller role in this book. We are told early on about Abby's relationship with her boyfriend and I think it is pretty obvious that while he is a great guy he isn’t “the one” for her. We then meet Sebastian. Abby had met him at a bachelorette party shortly before she began dating her boyfriend and they had spent an unforgettable night together. Abby purposely didn’t leave her number wanting to remember the night for what it was and not give him any opportunity to taint it by not calling her. The last thing she expected was for him to show up on her bike trip. While they obviously have great chemistry and are very drawn to each other I have a hard time getting over the timing of their relationship. I really wish she would have spoken to Mark first.

I'm a big fan of Jennifer Weiner's books because of how well she addresses issues of body positivity. This book follows Abby, a plus-size woman who loves biking, who unexpectedly finds herself leading a trail ride that just happens to have her mother, and the gentleman she had a one night stand with, in attendance. There are multiple other characters (and many are going through body related struggles as well), and it's amazing how easily Jennifer Weiner weaves them together. The back and forth between modern day and flashbacks were seamlessly done, and I found myself holding my breath at each turn in the metaphorical road.
This is a great novel for anyone who's loved their body, but felt the judgment and shame from others. The 'love yourself' message is woven into the pages, without feeling like you're being preached to. I can't suggest this title enough!