Absolutely loved this new one by Jennifer Weiner! I love that Weiner always touches on social issues. This one included abortion. I thought she did it really well. The main character also was a fitness instructor who also struggled with her body image and not having the ideal body type. I loved that part and thought it was really well done!

TW: Abortion and Body Shaming

I am not a romance novel type of girl usually, but I love Jennifer’s writing so was interested in this book. The main character, Abby, who speaks a lot about being overweight, takes us on her journey to find love.

While Abby talks constantly about being plus size, she also has the perfect boyfriend, and another hottie who finds her beautiful. I started to get annoyed because it seemed like everyone loved Abby, but Abby herself. At the end of the book, I really hoped she would, but I was left feeling like she still wasn’t complete.

While the story is unique, and has some very sweet moments, it was a 3.5 rounded up to 4 for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Breakaway is a very cute romance with the second chance at love trope. However, it's also the story of a strong woman, who has built a good life for herself despite having been forced to fight with her own body weight since she was fairly young.
On the outside, she has her life together, but once she starts asking herself if she's truly happy, she wonders more and more. Not only if she's happy, but what happiness is.
To help out one of her best friends, Abby agrees to lead a bike trip from Central Park to Niagara Falls. And everything about the actual bike trip seemed like so much fun! I need to find out if those kind of tours exist in the real world - if not, they really should.
There were some pretty heavy subjects that were treated very delicately and with a lot of finesse, and that made me love Abby and some of the other female characters even more.
The romance aspect was really well done, especially because Abby - while plenty confident with a lot in her life - wasn't sure she could trust that a man really, really wanted her. And so, that made him have to work for it.

An enjoyable summer read about a plus-sized woman in her early '30s trying to get her life on track on both a personal and professional level. Abby Stern is living in Philadelphia and mostly happy with her life although she still has gig jobs instead of a career. She has been dating Mark, her childhood sweetheart from weight-loss camp for the past two years and getting engaged seems like the next step but Abby feels that something isn't right even though Mark is perfect on paper. An offer to lead a two week group bike tour on the Empire Trail from New York City to Niagara Falls provides Abby a chance to get away and think about what she really wants. To Abby's surprise, the tour group includes her disapproving mother as well as Sebastian, a serial dater she had a one night stand with two years earlier and hasn't seen since. The group sets off from NYC and while sparks fly with Sebastian, Abby tries to figure out if she wants to move in with Mark, begins to patch her relationship with her mother, and manages the tour participants and issues that come up all while biking 50+ miles a day.

There's a lot going on in The Breakaway - there's the romance dilemma of which man is right for Abby, the evolving relationship between Abby and her mother and the question of what Abby wants to do professionally. There's also an abortion side plot which could have easily been a separate book of its own. I didn't care for Sebastian as a love interest but other than that I thought this was well-written and a good summer beach read!

This was a 3.5 star read for me but I'm rounding up to 4 because I appreciate that Jennifer Weiner continues to incorporate current issues pertaining to women's rights into her novels despite criticism from more conservative readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for sending a digital ARC of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I once enjoyed Jennifer Weiner books. I felt she was a voice that was missing in the book world. And then she disappeared. Not literally, but her voice no longer had the same impact it once did. Weiner’s books became superficial, pointless and just downright cringy. I promised myself I would never read another Jennifer Weiner book again.

But I was offered an advanced copy of Weiner’s newest book, The Breakaway, and I thought I would give her another chance. And now I mean it. I will NEVER read another book from the author again.

The Breakaway was beyond ridiculous. Here is my laundry list why:

• Jennifer Weiner used to write Women’s Fiction, but this book was strictly romance. And not a very good one. The teen romance books that I used to read in the 80s were written better than this book.
• The main character, Abby, and a love interest had no chemistry. They essentially fall in love with each other after a one-night stand, even though he is a serial womanizer who never had feelings for anyone before Abby. The extent that the author shows their deep connection is that they eat pasta in bed together.
• Abby is almost engaged to someone she met in summer camp. On paper, her boyfriend is perfect. But she questions their life-long commitment because he doesn’t know how to ride a bike. What?!?!?!
• Throughout the book, there is tension between Abby and her mother. The tension quickly resolves itself at the end of the story for reasons that almost caused me to throw the book across the room.
• While I don’t have issues with the author’s beliefs, I felt Weiner went a bit over the top with the politics. This could have been a great opportunity to show a more personal side of women’s reproductive rights. But, the author did not handle it with the care that the story needed. She was preachy, shoving her beliefs down the reader’s throats. Instead, what could have been a learning experience turned into something that was inaccessible for many. I can see a lot of readers having an even more negative opinion about “liberalism” than they may have previously held after reading this book.
• Cheating. Just no.

Overall, the book was a waste of my time. The only good thing that came out of the experience for me is that I will never waste time on a Jennifer Weiner book again.

On a side note: The May 2023 Amazon First Reads offered a novella called Golden Hills, also by Jennifer Weiner. I didn’t realize it at the time, but this is a companion story to The Breakaway.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I received this complimentary book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this new book from Jennifer Weiner. I have come to trust that when I see Jennifer Weiner's name, I know I will enjoy the book, and The Breakaway did not disappoint.

The Breakaway is the name of the cycling group that Abby is a part of. She has been asked to be a last minute tour leader. She has a wonderful boyfriend, Mark, who she was reunited with as adults after being friends together at a "fat farm" they both attended in their youth.

On this ride, Abby is forced to face someone from her past, as well as her mother. Each day, Abby is faced with challenges as a leader, as well as personal challenges.

What I loved about this story, is that even though I have no interest in the cycling world, this story was thoroughly enjoyable. I also could empathize with Abby from a body positivity perspective.

I would strongly encourage you to read this book!

Triggers: Abortion, body shaming
This author is well known for her character driven stories, and that is prevalent in this new release which centers on a group of strangers touring New York state by bikes.

At the heart of the story is Abbey Stern, a plus-sized woman who is struggling with the direction of her life. As a favor, she agrees to fill in for a friend on Breakaway Bicycle Tours, leading a ride from New York City to Niagara Falls. The author uses this ride to explore the lives of Abbey and her fellow riders through their alternating POVs, including one who Abbey just happens to know intimately after a one-night stand years prior.

Sebastian Piersall is a P-L-A-Y-E-R. He's never had an interest in relationships, but his one night with Abbey had him yearning for more. After being ghosted, he makes do with other women warming his bed, but is very excited to reconnect with Abbey on this trip. The only problem is now she has a boyfriend.

Through their POVs, we learn about how both these characters handle this reconnection and explore whether they deserve a chance. One thing I loved about them is that Abbey's curver size is never discussed, something she is not used to, growing up with parents that sent her to a "fat camp". It is clear Sebastian likes Abbey just the way she is, and his lack of judgement has her exploring the state of her current relationship.

In addition to this couple, the storyline also involves a rider who is gripping with an unwanted pregnancy. I won't go into the details of what happens, but given this is a controversial subject, it is worth noting. I liked how the author navigated this part of the story - while it definitely leans towards one side of the subject, it is still handled with care.

So, what happens when the adventure tour comes to an end? Is everyone happy? Maybe, maybe not, but they are in a space after to chase that happiness. Getting to a HEA is a bit messy, but in the end, I think it all worked out.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ ½
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Abby is thirty-four years old plus-size woman in a difficult situation. Her boyfriend, Mark, has asked her to move together, but there is something inside her that keeps her unsure about her relationship with him. When she is offered a job as a tour guide on a bicycle trip for a couple of days, she accepts it just to delay moving in with Mark. This tour becomes full of unexpected events, especially when Abby finds out that her one-night stand man, Sebastien, is part of it too. And to make things worse, her mother is also a participant. The reader follows the main character and several of the secondary characters’ POVs during the course of that tour.

This is the third book I've read by Jennifer Wiener. I like the author’s writing style and her interesting way of storytelling. Breakaway was no exception because all these pros were very much there. The main focus of the book is the romantic relationship between Abby and the two men. So the main characters are well developed.

However, what this book lacks are the additional subjects and themes that the author usually injects into her stories. There are several other themes here too, but their impact, I’d say, isn’t as strong as in the previous books I’ve read. The other thing that I felt was unnecessary was the POVs of the side characters. I’m not sure that enhanced the story or the reading experience for me. Regardless of the cons of this book, I still enjoyed it and recommend it to anyone who wants something fun and light to read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an arc in exchange for review.
This book follows Abby and all of the relationships around her. She is dating Mark but is still stuck on an old fling, Sebastian. We also see Abby’s relationship with her mother and her body. This book was a great read. I really enjoyed all of the other characters’ conflicts and how they rounded out. The mentions of pop culture like COVID or TikTok tended to take me out of the story. However, I think the author seemed well versed on topics of social media and pop culture, so it wasn’t too bad to read.

Jennifer Weiner's "The Breakaway" was thought provoking and honest, touching on many issues such as body shaming, family conflict, infidelity and abortion. It had me in all my feels, but was such a fun book to read even with all the heavier topics.

This might be my favorite rom-com I've read this year. I loved the setting of a bike trip, and I loved the narrator, who was imperfect, unlike a lot of narrators who seem to have an awesome career or family. I also liked that she kind of screwed up in the book, and the addition of the relationship with her mom. Inventive and refreshing for someone who reads a lot of books in this genre, but not completely out of left field.

First, thank you to @netgalley and @atriabooks for the advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve long been a fan of Jennifer Weiner, so I was thrilled to get approved for her book that comes out in August. I prioritized reading it this weekend.

What I loved about this book: the representation of plus-sized/fat women, Jewish representation, and the bike-riding element. I’ve followed Weiner on social media for years, and I know she’s an avid bicyclist.

The story also moved along nicely, and I read this book in one day.

I was a little underwhelmed by the two love stories. One felt entirely inauthentic (and resolved how I imagined it would) which was confusing because the love interest completed changed personalities over the course of the book. The other felt more like a good romance, but there was a fairly concerning personal flaw (not even sure flaw is the right word here) that made that romance a little less palatable for me.

I was also frustrated by two separate comments that took soft digs at upstate/western NY, which I realize may not be the author’s opinion but still sat with me wrong as a native upstate New Yorker.

I’ll leave out spoilers, but there is one topic that is possibly a trigger warning for some. If you’re potentially in this camp, either do some research or private message me and I will share.

All in all, this was good, but it wasn’t my favorite of Weiner’s. I’d still encourage you, if the book sounds good or if you also love Weiner, to check it out - every book isn’t for everyone and I am just one reader.

Although fast paced I did not enjoy the abortion talk. So unnecessary. Thought this book would be better. Character development wasn’t great.

What I liked about this book… The atmosphere. Born and raised in upstate New York, I could visualize the scenery throughout their journey. What a truly beautiful, amazing trip it would be! It made me want to pull out my bike and hit the trails (minus the bike skin tight bike shorts 😆)

What I didn’t like about this book… There were just too many political statements sprinkle throughout the book. While I could sympathize with the struggle of one of the characters, and recognize that it is a hot button issue, there were comments I just felt were completely unnecessary and kind of cringy.
I could really identify with the main character and the struggles she has faced being an overweight person myself. However the bounce between self deprivation and not being good enough one moment, them shouting liberal feminism and girl power the next just doesn’t make sense. You can’t be a feminist and also shout why would he want me, Im not good enough at the same time.
I did like the evolution of Sebastian’s character. I would have liked to have read more of Abby’s evolution instead what I feel was a of quick snippet of it at the end. I really wish we would have gotten more of Abby and Sebastian’s relationship, even if just an epilogue. I felt like we were left hanging.

I’d like the thank the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!

THE BREAKAWAY - Jennifer Weiner

𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨.

⭐️ | 2/5

I was a bit let down by this one. There were some good tropes like second chance romance and I liked the idea of a bike trip connecting people however I couldn’t connect with the characters as much.

The main character Abby was really hung up on the fact that her boyfriend doesn’t eat sugar and doesn’t ride bikes as to why they aren’t compatible. My husband and I have different hobbies but that doesn’t mean we aren’t compatible - it gives us space to recharge. It was mentioned multiple times by multiple people that he doesn’t ride bikes which I just found to be a bit superficial.

I liked the second chance romance with Sebastian especially after their initial fling, I just didn’t like it in a sense of cheating and especially on someone like Mark who loved Abby. Even if he isn’t her person I don’t like the idea of cheating.

There was some political stuff mixed in such as a daughter keeping an abortion from her mom on the trip which bothered me. She was so set on her mom being against abortion but then when the mom finds out she wasn’t mad at all so it was just not congruent with how adamant the daughter was about her moms feelings.

I loved Jennifer Weiner’s MRS EVERYTHING but this was a miss for me. I think there could be mixed opinions on this book and I can see how some people might really enjoy it. This won’t steer me away from other books from her since I loved the last one I read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the advanced copy!

Thanks to the author, publisher and Net Galley for providing a free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I've been a fan of Ms Weiner's books for more than a decade. Her book were the first time I encountered a positive view of an overweight, the first time I saw a the POV of a stay at home mom who was struggling, of a grieving widow. Her books bring a whole new angle to literature. I have laughed, cried and cheered. I have gone back to re-read and fondly remembered the characters and story lines. Her books are auto buy for me, without a doubt, and I love following her life and her writing on social media.

This book is no different. Wonderful characters, delightfully real reflecting who they are, their lifestyles and worries about the future. These characters feel like real life people you know and can understand.

5 stars for I loved it!

I found THE BREAKAWAY a pretty good summer read. What I really liked was the bike tour -- I've never been on one, and I liked learning all the ins and outs of leading one. It was fun to see the group travel together and arrive in different places. I thought the main character, Abby, was likeable enough. What bothered me was how neatly some very serious issues were resolved. It all seemed too easy at times. I also thought that some aspects of the book were too predictable. That said, I did keep reading through to the end, as the story held my attention and I wanted to know what would happen next.

I always enjoy Jennifer Weiner novels. I thought this story was sweet and heart felt. I loved that Abby was happy inside her plus size figure and was still Healthy even though she was considered overweight by todays standards. I really liked how the story unfolded and was more than just a typical romance book with a love triangle. It really went into depth through multiple characters perceptions. I am so glad I got an advance reader copy of this new book through NetGalley! Such a great book!

Abby has body image issues because she’s never been a size 0, and her mother sent her to “fat camp” for several years during her teens and is always nagging her about her weight. Abby finds a means of escape with her bicycle; it has always been her way of getting away from her troubles. Her current boyfriend, Mark, whom she’s known since they met at camp at age 13, has rock hard abs now and is very regimented with his eating habits and exercise. Two years into their adult relationship, Mark is urging Abby to move in, but she has doubts. She’s not happy with her career path, not happy about her body, and isn’t completely happy with her relationship.

An opportunity arises which gives Abby a few weeks to reconsider her relationship with Mark: a friend asks her to lead a bicycle trip through New York State that will take about two weeks. The money is good, and Abby loves biking, so she agrees. But when she meets all the riders, she’s surprised to find that one of the men, Sebastian, was someone whom she had a one-night-stand with before reconnecting with Mark. Abby remembers the instant connection Sebastian and she had, and how it was the best sex, too.

Sebastian is a male ho, hooking up with women through apps for one night only dates and has never had a serious relationship. However, there was one woman he couldn’t get out of his head; someone he met in a bar two years prior who was in town for a wedding. Her name was Abby. He thinks it is fate that brought them together again, until another woman posts on social media that 7 of her 8 friends polled had hooked up with Sebastian. His picture is posted, and soon women all over the city are admitting that they hooked up with him, too. The post goes viral.

There’s a subplot about a teenage girl on the trip who is pregnant and has very conservative parents and wants to get an abortion at a Planned Parenthood the biking group is going to ride past. While I appreciate the fact that Weiner wanted to talk about current issues in her book, I thought the divergence from the main plot was unnecessary, no matter how I might feel about the subject. I thought a book about a woman struggling to accept her body and be happy with oneself no matter what size was a powerful enough message that sort of got hijacked halfway through the book. Luckily, the book finally got back on track.

Props to Weiner for taking the bike trail past Seneca Falls, the home of the women’s rights movement and home of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and the injection of some history in the book.

This was not my favorite Jennifer Weiner book, but I liked it, didn’t love it. I appreciated the effort to write about contemporary women’s issues.

The Breakaway will be released in August 2023. I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and Atria Books in exchange for an honest review; all opinions expressed are my own.

I’ll always read Jennifer Weiner’s books, but lately I haven’t enjoyed them as much as I used to. Unfortunately, The Breakaway was a miss for me. I found it very slow and had a hard time liking Abby throughout the book. As someone who is plus size, I really wanted to relate to Abby, but I just couldn’t.