Abby seems to have it all with her boyfriend, Mark. But she cannot forget the memories of a one-night stand she had with a man called Sebastian two years ago. So imagine her surprise when she reluctantly agrees to lead a bike trip from NYC to Niagara Falls and discovers that Sebastian is one of the group members. Even worse, Abby's nagging mother Eileen shows up as well.

This is a cute, easy read that I enjoyed, even if it doesn't have the full zing of some of Weiner's other works. BREAKAWAY is part romance, but also tries to tackle serious social issues such as abortion and body positivity. I think it does the body positivity piece quite well. Abby has struggled with her weight all her life--she and Mark originally met at weight-loss camp before reuniting years later--and she feels as if her mother has never accepted her for who she is. But even if she's still trying to find her way at times, Abby is tough. A cyclist who can fix a flat or cycle for miles in the rain. She impressed me over and over.

As for covering abortion, the book delves into a serious situation. At times, it seems like it handles this topic a little glibly and not always in-depth enough. Things wrap up awfully easily. But it was good to see the topic being covered at all.

My favorite part of BREAKAWAY was Abby and Sebastian. Their chemistry and relationship was enjoyable. I would have liked more of them honestly. The focus on relationships overall was good--mother/daughters, especially. I also learned a lot about cycling from reading this book.

This is a good read, perhaps a little light on the topics it delves into, but enjoyable nonetheless. (I wouldn't mind a follow up on Abby and Sebastian!)

What a wonderful read! Lighthearted, funny, thoughtful, it brings us Abby who is constantly aware of her weight and her self worth in her relationships with men but also her mother.

Abby did not have great experiences with the many lovers of her life except the one night stand where she let go of her inhibitions and had the best sex ever. Through the few years after, she invests in a serious and stable relationship with a marvelous man but never forgets that famous night. When being overweight, one cannot be too picky right? As she is an excellent biker, she has to lead a group in a biking tour but who shows up? The man of her dreams and the moment of her nightmares, her mother.

The other participants also bring reflexions on love, mother-daughter relationship and women questioning themselves and the choices they made.

Although there were a couple of secrets that were a bit too repetitive (a teenage daughter who wants an abortion learns that her mother also had one and Abby’s mother had a gastric bypass surgery, the same as the boyfriend), I enjoyed the novelty of reading about men being attracted to overweight women, of love stories ending with choosing oneself instead of going into couples because it is what is expected. Highly recommend it.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I couldn’t put this book down! Such a cute heartwarming and fun book to read. It was so easy to love Abby and the flow of the book made reading so enjoyable.

This book is a Breakaway success! I always love Jennifer Wiener’s books, but this is her best! The Breakaway follows Abby, an overweight woman living an aimless life, as she inadvertently becomes the leader for a biking trip through New York. During this trip, she thinks about her experiences with her mother, men, weight, and identity. We are also introduced to a cast of charming characters that she leads throughout the trip, one of with whom Abby had a one night stand! Lots of discovering ensues, as the characters come to grips with certain events in their lives and do their best to find comfort in their choices. I found immense comfort and entertainment in the book and felt forlorn when the bike trip and the book ended. What a wonderful story! (I was NOT pleased with the ending). Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Abby Stern is a 34 year old woman who is struggling to find her way. She knows she loves food, loves bike riding, and is still unsure of what she wants to do when she grows up and If she should move on with her handsome and kind boyfriend Mark. So when her best friend needs a bike leader for an upcoming bike trip through NY state she thinks it’s a good time to take a break from the every day and escape doing something she loves. But when that bike trip includes the only one-night stand she’s ever had from 2 years ago, Abby begins to question more than just her career choice.

I won't rehash the story because that has been done by other reviews and why waste your time.

Why oh why?!?!?!

I just don't get it. Maybe I am getting too old for current fiction. Here are my reasons for only 2 stars.

Any book that is based on infidelity and promiscuous, extreme sex is a no for me.

Weiner tried to include way too many topics in one storyline. It was most current political topics and the kitchen sink.

The main character, Abby, I wanted to slap for not valuing herself more.

Sebastian was a slut. Seriously, he made me sick.

Cliche mother-daughter relationship.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Breakaway
Jennifer Weiner
Pub Date: August 29, 2023

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Breakaway, by Jennifer Weiner, was very heartwarming and I really enjoyed it. As an avid cycler, I was really excited for this book, and it did not disappoint!

This book is more than just a romance. It covers tough topics like body positivity, loving yourself, mental health, mother/daughter dynamics, and so much more. I really enjoyed Abby’s character, and found her to be very relatable. I also really enjoyed the ending. I thought it was different from what I anticipated and I appreciate how the author chose to wrap everything up! Overall, I highly recommend this book!

Thank you, Atria Books, Jennifer Weiner, and NetGalley for a #gifted copy of The Breakaway!

This book took me a while to read. I don’t know, I guess it was a bit slow moving for me. Abby’s mom and bf were a bit stereotypical for me- with their constant judging and silent shaming of Abby’s weight and food choices. Let the woman live. I also found the “man whore shaming” of Sebastian to be a bit over the top. We’re always saying we need to stop over-exposing and singling out women who enjoy a more active sex life, soooo this felt a bit hypocritical to me. There were a few storylines that were okay. Lily and Morgan’s ended up being one of my favorites because it was unexpected. Otherwise, these people are literally riding on a bike tour for the whole story. so it’s a lot of family bonding, righting wrongs and finding yourself. Her writing was excellent as always, but this was Not my favorite Jennifer Weiner book.

I haven't read a book by Jennifer Weiner in a while so I was excited to start reading her new book. This was a good read nothing spectacular but it was enjoyable.

Book Releases August 29, 2023

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the E-ARC

All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.

Jennifer Weiner just does not disappoint me as a reader. As opposed to being straight up romantic comedies, her books are comedies with a romantic element. Her main characters are always the center of and in charge of their own stories, which is a really refreshing concept . I also live in upstate New York, lived in NYC for 20 years, and went to college in Syracuse, so I truly enjoyed the specifics of the locations. Also, if anything is going to inspire me to start riding a bike, it would be this book :)

I love, love, loved this book so much – definitely Weiner’s best, and I couldn’t put it down! Abby and Mark met at weight loss camp as kids, and briefly dated – but then as adults, they reconnected and rekindled their romance. Abby is now 34 and they’re getting serious about moving in together and getting married, but even though Mark is perfect on paper, something about it feels not quite right to Abby. Luckily, a friend asks her to step in to lead a bike tour of upstate New York, so Abby eagerly takes the opportunity to step away from her real life and reflect on what really makes her happy. And, surprise – on the trip are both her mother (who drives her crazy), and a hot one night stand she’s never been able to forget. The book is told from multiple perspectives – both Abby and many of the other riders on the tour, each of whom has their own secrets and stories. The characters all worked really well together, the story moved quickly, and my only complaint was that the ending was a tad bit rushed… but overall, a definite 5 stars! I think this is going to be my favorite book of the summer. (And if you love it too, don’t forget to check out Weiner’s companion short story, Golden Hills.)

I'm sorry to say this wasn't my favorite Jennifer Weiner book. I get all the body positivity messages, I really do. And I applaud them. But the mom was so stereotypical, as was the podiatrist boyfriend, that they simply pulled me away from the storyline.

I think the whole man-whore message was a bit over the top too.

Like any Jennifer Weiner book, the book itself was well written, the dialogue was spot on and the narratives good. The overall story arc though, just was a bit boring for me.

Loved this book. I’m not typically a romance reader but this one kept me interested. Loved the characters, hot topics it touched on, and the lesson(s) it taught. It was an easy read and I didn’t want it to end. I need a part two to find out what happens!! Great read!

“It’s just like riding a bike.”

Jennifer Weiner shines as a relevant author in her newest novel about self-love, body-image, growth, and the always tricky mother-and-daughter relationship. The Breakaway follows Abby, an overweight 33-year-old with no clear direction of her life path, who is dating podiatrist, Mark, her childhood sweetheart whom she met at fat camp growing up – which her mother forced her to attend. Dr. Mark is perfect, but when Mark asks Abby to move in together, she can’t help feeling that something is missing. When she is asked to lead a two-week bike trip over 700 miles she thinks this is the perfect opportunity to figure out what she really wants to do with her life and to get time to herself. However, when she realizes that Sebastian is a part of her group (a man she had an amazing one-night stand with two years ago and can’t get out of her head) and then her mother shows up surprising her, she knows the next two weeks may not be what she was hoping for.

This novel is the epitome of women’s fiction: women’s empowerment, self-image, romance, family drama, and feminist/liberal driven views. I overall enjoyed the character-driven story, but I think too much was crammed in a 14-day time period – with too many issues and themes. I am still trying to figure out how I feel about the two sets of mother-daughter problems, that in my opinion were so juxtaposed with underlying secrets (or “I chose to never tell you,” but treated you different because of my past) that parts didn’t seem like real life to me (it was too “clean”).

I have always struggled with my weight and had an eating disorder growing up (and now after having 3 kids trying to lose weight has always been an issue). I loved the conversations this book made me have with myself about what it means to be beautiful, healthy bodies, body image, the judgmental world we live in, and is being healthy tied directly to the number on the scale – this can mean being too skinny as well. But “diet culture” is real, and the world can be mean, and I think it’s good that the author wasn’t shying behind these issues.

I did enjoy how Weiner tied in a cycling trip with “just keep moving ahead,” which of course can relate to a lot of things – not just riding a bike. I thought this book was good, I thought the writing was superb, just too much going on for me. I give this 3.3 stars but will still recommend it to my girlfriends!

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC! All opinions are my own.

“But you can’t leave yourself open to the good things-happiness, true love, real connection-if you aren’t willing to risk being hurt."

Where do I even begin? This book is EVERYTHING! I seriously couldn’t put it down.

Abby is a 30 something year old just trying to figure out life. She has an amazing support system: her best friend, Lizzie and a group of women in the Philadelphia bike club. Abby grew up overweight, which is something she’s always felt insecure about. She’s also in a relationship with somebody who loves her just the way she is, but she has her doubts about the relationship. Lizzie asks Abby to lead a bike ride from NYC to Niagara Falls, it’s here where she meets people who will change her life forever.

I love Abby’s character, she’s authentic and very relatable. Honestly, I loved all the characters, they all seem so real and genuine. I found the fact that the storyline took place during the bike ride from NYC to Niagara Falls to be very fascinating and unique. Throughout the course of the bike ride we follow each character’s journey. I loved following all their journeys, but especially loved Abby’s. At the end, she found self esteem and self acceptance, and there’s nothing better than that! 💕

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! "The Summer Place" is probably one of the most enjoyable reading experiences I've ever had so this one didn't quite live up to my expectations, but it was still an excellent read.

Positives:
- I love the changing perspectives and the Lily/Morgan storyline was the perfect element to add in when I was starting to get bored with Abby and Sebastian.
- There were a good number of twists and turns that kept things interesting but didn't give me whiplash.
- A bike trip is a unique setting and I enjoyed reading a different kind of travel book than I'd normally read.
- Overall I found it immensely readable and I looked forward to picking it back up every day.
- The wide array of characters on the bike trip and their comradery towards each other gave parts of the book very cozy vibes that I enjoyed.

Negatives:
- The writing/story kind of deteriorated the end. I felt like the reveal about Eileen was overwrought and I didn't like it as something to add shock value to the story.
- It seemed like Abby handled the whole "cheating on her boyfriend" thing unrealistically casually, and that sort of took me out of the story at points.
- The scene describing her hooking up with Mark at fat camp was probably the worst thing I've ever read, and if I didn't have such high regard for Jennifer Weiner/if I wasn't already pretty far into the book, I would have abandoned ship based on that scene alone.

3.5 STARS - The Breakaway is a character-driven story that features Abby, a 34-year-old woman who is content with what life has given her. She is in a relationship with her childhood sweetheart, she's got a few part-time jobs to pay her bills and is comfortable in her plus-sized body, despite her critical mother's constant harping on how she could lose weight if she tried. To help a friend in a tight spot, Abby, an avid cyclist, takes a last-minute job as a tour guide that will take a group of cyclists (of varying degrees of skill) from NYC to Niagara Falls.

As in many of Weiner's books, she focuses on romance and weight shaming/self-esteem, but in this book, she also includes several other topics: women's reproductive choice, infidelity, mother-daughter conflict, mental health and serial dating to name a few.

This story has a large cast of secondary characters, two of whom Abby doesn't expect and a few who share their POVs which provide fodder for secondary plot points along the way. There is a lot going on - perhaps a bit too much. There are a lot of topics, a large cast to keep track of and the story felt overly long at times, but overall, I enjoyed the journey and appreciated the satisfying finish.

You don't have to know how to ride a bike to enjoy this coming-into-herself story. Fans who follow Weiner on social media will know she is an avid cyclist and I loved how she included one of her passions into her latest story. I've recently enjoyed biking my local 'rail trail' paths which made this book even more enjoyable.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to the publisher for the complimentary advanced copy which I was given in exchange for my honest review.

I renew my love for Jennifer Weiner with each new book she publishes! After a serious reading slump, The Breakaway was a breath of fresh air to read! I loved the main character Abby! She was genuine, relatable and I found connected to the way she moved through the world.

I will put out a disclaimer that there is a LOT of talk about body dysmorphia, disordered eating and diet culture. That said, it is an accurate depiction of a millennial’s journey through the “breakaway” from our parent’s obsession with thinness. I was a bit triggered by it, but found that Weiner was responsible in pulling us all the way through to the other side of it by stripping the entire mindset down and exposing the dysfunction behind it.

The romance in this book is emotional and raw, which is just like I like it! I’ve read many complaints about the unethical choices of the main characters and I totally get it, but books are meant to bring us into another’s human authentic experience. It’s okay to see a character as a multifaceted being who is generous, kind, good and can also make bad choices!

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Breakaway. I felt like it was a ride that kept me engaged with every twist and turn!

Thank you NetGalley for the Advanced Copy!

I stayed up WAY too late reading the past two nights because I was so interested to see what would happen next! I'm trying not to have spoilers here so I apologize if this is awfully vague.

The characters were extremely engaging. The descriptions of the main guys were a little too "conventionally good looking" and I'm certain that some people are going to be annoyed by the generational repetition of a couple themes - but I'm not one of those people. I think it's exactly the point!! Regardless of the societal point of view, the political climate, the "strides" we think we've made, certain things have ALWAYS been true and will CONTINUE to occur.

Weiner did an excellent job of not wrapping everything up with a bow, but giving us enough closure that I'm not mad. I'd preorder a sequel right now.

The Breakaway is a powerful yet fun read about one woman’s journey to self discovery through a two week bike trip from NYC to Niagara Falls. Abby is 34, plus sized tour lead of the trek who encounters her unforgettable one night stand, lothario Sebastian on the ride. Although there is chemistry between the two, Abby has a perfect, devoted boyfriend Mark back home in Philadelphia. However, something is holding Abby back from wanting to move in with Mark, her childhood sweetheart and fellow fat camp alumni. To add to her transformative bike tour, she must grapple with her critical mother Eileen, a last minute addition to the group.

What I liked about this book:
-the New York State setting of cities, towns and countrysides as the group rode their bikes along the Empire Trail
-topical and relevant issues of toxic diet culture, body shaming, and abortion
-empowering message about body acceptance that you don’t have to be thin to be fit, as well as a women’s right to make choices about her own body
-great character development that shows growth in flawed yet relatable Abby
-interesting take on how Sebastian was vilified and ‘slut shamed’ due to his active dating life and hooking up lifestyle, usually it’s women who are judged
-showing how toxic and damaging social media can be
-supporting characters from the tour and Lizzie added dimension to the novel
-complicated mother/daughter relationship and the lasting effects of a traumatic childhood

What I disliked about the book:
-l loved the relationship between Sebastian and Abby but I wasn’t a fan of Abby cheating on Mark, in fact I felt bad about how she treated him, she should have been upfront about her feelings

My rating: 4 out of 5

Trigger warning: abortion, toxic diet culture, cheating, body shaming

My final takeaway- I thoroughly enjoyed this book and loved the message of body positivity and discovering your own path in life. The complicated mother daughter relationship added realness to the book as well as the imperfect protagonist and supporting characters. Although this was a fun, popcorn read it had an empowering message for women. Jennifer Weiner does it again!

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for this eARC.