⭐️: 4/5

When Abby agrees to lead a weeks long cycling trip, she’s happy to have time away from her life (and her almost fiancé) to reflect on what it is she really wants, but things get complicated when one of the members of the trip, Sebastian, turns out to be the same man that she had a one-night stand with years ago, one that she still can’t get out of her mind. Along with the last minute addition to the trip of her mother, Abby is forced to reconsider the things she thought she knew about herself, her life, and love.

I have never read a book by Jennifer Weiner before, but they always come highly recommended so a lot of them have been on my radar for a while, and getting this one as an ARC was really exciting because it meant I’d finally have an excuse to read one! From the start, The Breakaway is compulsively readable in a vacation/summer travel book kind of way, which was perfect, since I’m reading it in the summer when I wish I could jump on a bike and get away from my real life 😂 Initially, it starts out as mainly from Abby’s POV, but it begins to open up to more and more POVs of the different riders in the group of main characters. This allowed a lot more side stories to be introduced, which definitely made it a more compelling read, since you start to feel a connection to more characters than just the main couple. I really liked the representation of different body sizes, since it can get exhausting reading the same rom coms where it’s driven home just how tiny and perfectly shaped the FMC is. I also loved how the social issue of a woman’s right to choose is brought up in this book, and how it highlights just how important access to affordable and safe abortions is. It’s so timely and necessary to keep this issue in the forefronts of people’s minds, because of how backwards the current SCOTUS decisions have been. I really enjoyed this book, and I’ll definitely be picking up more by this author in the future!

Thank you to @netgalley and @atriabooks for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!!

Breakaway reads fairly well but things seemed too convenient. Some of the relationships appeared superficial such as when mothers shared past life events with their daughters, and the relationship between Abby, the main character, and Sebastian, a former hookup, who is on the bicycle trip she is leading. However, some serious topics were dealt with well.

This was just a really enjoyable read. I was rooting for the characters and the plot, which as a non biker I wondered if I’d appreciate, was well-paced and fun.

*ARC provided via NetGalley

A Rough Journey

The Breakaway is a women’s fiction novel about a woman leading a bike tour trying to decide her future. To do so, she must confront her past and her present choices.

34-year-old Abby finds herself in a quandary after her seemingly perfect boyfriend proposes to move in together. Her hesitation to his proposal prompts her to take a job leading a bike tour through New York State. On day one of the tour, to Abby’s surprise, two unexpected guests arrive to participate: her one-night stand from two years ago and her overly critical mother.

Abby is the MC, and the majority of the chapters are from her perspective. We also experience the POV of Sebastian, Abby’s one-night stand, and some of the other travelers.

I had some issues with this book--to start--I didn’t love Abby and Sebastian. Abby seems typical of Weiner’s characters--overweight, insecure and has mother issues. She blames others for her problems.

Sebastian is a self-described f*ck boy. Need I say more? Why I was supposed to root for him over Abby’s boyfriend Mark (whose flaws were that he didn’t eat dessert and didn’t bike) over a man in his 30s who never had a long-term relationship (only one night stands) was baffling. Since he and Abby only had a physical connection, there was no explanation for why she was the one for him.

Thankfully, both characters develop, but it took me until the 80% mark to start to like them. I found the POVs of others on the bike tour more compelling.

The novel’s biggest flaw is competing storylines. There is Abby’s story and another involving focused on a woman’s right to choose. I appreciate Weiner weaving in the storyline about a woman's right to choose, but since it didn’t relate to Abby, it felt disconnected from the main storyline and didn’t get the full attention it deserved--it also wrapped up a little too conveniently.

There were more minuses than pluses, but the character growth and ending made this worth reading in the end.


TW: abortion

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Atria Books in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely love Jennifer Weiner's books and this was just as great as her others. Loved the setting and the characters. The ending was as expected! Looking forward to recommending this novel in late August. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

I was so thrilled to have the opportunity to read Jennifer Weiner's new release - which looked like the perfect beach read!
Confidence in your own realistic body? Check.
A battle of past and present love interests? Check.
Progressive social issues? Check.
Adventures from NYC to Niagara? Check!

This book was so fun to read, despite having a LOT going on. I loved that each character had their own baggage and issues to deal with. And appreciated the realistic mother/daughter relationship that progressed throughout the story. I especially enjoyed the bike tour, since I recently went on my own (road) trip from New York to the Falls!

Thank you so much for NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC of "The Breakaway" in exchange for my honest opinion.

To be very honest, when I first started reading this book, I wasn't sure I could make it through. Weiner's words, through the protagonist of Abby, simply hit far to close to home for me. I had just finished a therapy session where I talked about how I constantly tried to make myself feel or seem smaller in life, because I feel like i'm always the biggest person in the room, how I was trying to at least be at peace with the bigger body I am currently in. And then I started reading this book.

Weiner has always had an unflinching view of her female protagonsits, most of which have always been women on the curvy side, and not in the early oughts, Renee Zellwegger in Bridget Jones' way, but in a very real, the average clothing size for women is a 16 kind of way. And that can be uncomfortable for someone who sees themselves in the character but is not comfortable with seeing themselves in that character. So I wasn't sure I was ready for 300+ pages of this.

But The Breakaway became something more than the main character and her weight. Yes it is a big part of the story, but it really becomes something more about female empowerment, about being healthy no matter your size, about the changing landscape of female reproductive health. At first, I thought Weiner was trying to fit too many hot button issues into one story, but I was wrong. They all come together so beautifully and poignantly. Weiner's characters all have some sort of, I hesitate to say flawed, but rather varied view on life, and the way they all deal with the events that unfold on this bike trip is grounded in reality and so beautifully done.

I think women of all kinds should read this book. There are various types of women dealing with various types of issues and I think everyone could benefit from some of the nuggets that get dropped along the way. There are some powerful passages that I know will stay with me.

Jennifer Weiner is a hit or miss author for me, and "The Breakaway" has great "bones," but it was mostly a miss for me. I liked the premise...a woman who is kind of lost in her life has the opportunity to lead a bike tour from NYC to Niagara Falls. When Abby is riding her bike, she is in her happy place and she uses this bike tour opportunity to think about her career, her relationship, and what she wants to do with her life. The bike tour introduces a lot of minor characters, including Abby's mother, who she has a strained relationship with, yet these characters are all well developed. The front half of the book showed some promise, but the back half plods along and quickly slides into a mess of politics, an unlikely and unbelievable romance, feminism and body positivity that came off as way too preachy, and a host of trigger warning subplots. I applaud Jennifer Weiner for writing about these important and very current topics. But I think many of her readers, who are looking for their next beach read, will not be satisfied with a plot that has nothing to do with a beach! 2.5 stars for me, but rounding up to 3 stars. Many thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy. The expected publication date is August 2023.

Whoa - does this book have a lot going on!

Abby is a 30something, over-weight cycler that ends up leading a bike ride with her only one night stand. That itself could have been a fun book, but then add in her current boyfriend, her crazy mom, and the whole bike group of craziness. Everyone is carrying a lot of baggage on the trip and everything gets wrapped up nicely in the end. I think there was a bit too much going on here, it made the book fast paced, but not as enjoyable as I think it could have been.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.

I really enjoyed this book.I loved the mother/ daughter relationship. It’s nice to have a book about an overweight character that’s comfortable in her own skin..
Thank you for the arc of this book.

I really enjoyed this book although it was easy to see where the Abby/Sebastian storyline was going from the second he showed up on the bike tour. I knew nothing about cycling or these long distance rides you can go on with a guide so I found that aspect interesting. The book tackled difficult and timely topics such as abortion, fat shaming and mother/daughter relationships and I did like the multiple storylines. I felt like this was a departure from Weiner's last few books in that I wasn't totally interested in it right away but I did grow to like it and looked forward to seeing how it ended.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I adore Weiner's books so was excited for this one. It’s nice to have a book about an overweight character that’s comfortable in her own skin. I love the mother/daughter relationship in this book, the setting was unique and ending wrapped up everything nicely.

I loved this book! I loved the main character! I live in New York State so it was fun to read about the biking trail! Thank you for the arc of this book!!!

Abby is in her early 30's, overweight, lacking a real job, and her mother is constantly trying to get her to lose weight. BUT her boyfriend is a doctor, while a podiatrist really and he wants her to move in with him. If only she wanted to... The only thing Abby really likes is riding her bike, which is how she ended up leading a bike tour from NYC TO NIAGARa falls. This group of people happens to include the only guy she had a 1 night stand with, completely ghosted, and has thought about ever since.

Jennifer Weiner is the kind of author that I stop reading whatever I’m reading to pick up her book! If you follow Wiener on social media you know she’s an avid cycler which is evident in this book!
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Abby seems to have it all, but she can’t escape the nagging feeling that something’s missing. When an opportunity arises to lead a cycling trip she takes it, allowing herself time to reflect on what she really wants out of life. This is a story about healing, finding yourself, complicated familiar relationships and love.
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Huge thank you to #atria and #NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review?

The Breakaway was a perfect summer read! The cast of characters may initially seem like an unlikely bunch, coming from all walks of life, but I love how they bond and support each other throughout their journey. The messages of female empowerment and support throughout were inspiring. Just a tiny note - toward the end there was a reference to a guidance counselor, and I wish the book had used the proper terminology of school counselor. (More info here: https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/c8d97962-905f-4a33-958b-744a770d71c6/Guidance-Counselor-vs-School-Counselor.pdf).

I received a free copy to review on NetGalley, but all opinions are my own.

Thirty-three-year-old Abby Stern seems to listen to the voices of the past rather than seeing the person she is. She agrees to lead a group of bikers over two weeks and more than seven hundred miles, As the journey moves forward she starts feeling like things aren't right in her life. The people with her, also has issues that they work on. A lot can happen in 2 weeks and 700 miles,
I could relate to this story. I enjoyed the adventure, the experiences, and the things they discovered along the way.
I received an ARC from Atria Books.

I've always loved the body positivity in Jennifer Weiner's books and this book is no exception. This book deals with Abby, and her relationship with her childhood sweetheart, a new love interest, and her mother. All separately but equally as important as its made her the woman she is today. Jennifer Weiner's books tend to be made into movies as well and I do hope to see the "The Breakaway" in a big screen one day. 5/5 stars.

Told from multiple perspectives, THE BREAKAWAY explores the complexities of mother-daughter relationships, women's reproductive rights, as well as the societal expectations placed on women. With Weiner's trademark acerbic wit and strong characterization, THE BREAKAWAY is a must read.

I vividly remember purchasing my first summer read after graduating high school and it was Jennifer Weiner’s In Her Shoes… I quickly became a fan! Years later and with the help of bookstagram her more recent titles I have devoured and I was so excited to see her latest with the theme of a bike trip! If you follow Jennifer on Instagram you know she has a passion for bike riding and I was so excited to see how she would write about it.

Let’s just say she inspired me to dust off my peloton… and yes I know it’s different then hitting the pavement 😂 IYKYK.

I loved this book and is a new favorite of mine of hers. I’m sad to see the negative reviews circulating on GR due to the topics that Weiner touches upon. This book was refreshing with real life coming off the pages. I really enjoyed getting to know all of the characters in the group and felt Abby’s character to be strong and poised throughout! Also Sebastian sounds like a major fictional babe and now I’m craving spaghetti! 😂

Looking forward to what she does next!