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.

The Breakaway was my first Jennifer Weiner book, but it won't be my last! This book features such a realistic ensemble that I couldn't help but get caught up in their daily lives.--no character in this book is one dimensional.
I read this in 2 days, sneaking away every spare moment to keep going.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I was given an advance reader copy of this book by the publisher on Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. This was my first book by Jennifer Weiner and I now plan to read more of her books soon. The story follows the main character of Abby who leads a several day bike trip across the state of New York. I didn't expect the story to jump between characters which added a lot of depth to the overall story and I got a bit lost because there were so many jumps. I liked the book a lot but feel there were a few too many small storylines that somehow could have been streamlined. While there were a lot of storylines, each character's chapter had a distinct voice which helped. I loved the overall premise of the story revolving around the bike trip. 4/5 stars

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. I liked the characters in this story and the storyline, though there were parts that moved a little more slowly than others.

I received ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley, but all opinions are my own.

I generally like most of Jennifer Weiner’s books but this one unfortunately wasn’t my favorite. It was still in my opinion an overall good book. The Breakaway is a decent story but just not my favorite of the author. I think the topics covered are incredibly important given the current political climate about abortion and the relationships in the book are well written especially the FMC relationship with her mother. I liked the fact that the FMC is a bigger girl. Not everyone (even if active) are small in size. It makes her more relatable and appealing to me personally. Normally I’m one to start and finish a book in a day (2 at most) but with this one it took about 4 days. I found the middle of the book to just not be the greatest, however once I pushed through that the story got better for me. It wasn’t my favorite book I’ve read this summer but it was definitely a decent story.

I really enjoyed this fun read and the big 750-mile bike adventure trip. I can't even imagine being able to ride 50 to 60 miles a day, so for those who do, kudos to you! The book deals with real-life issues of fat shaming and what healthy looks like, emotional conflict stemming from family issues, and abortion.
Abby, the main character, is a growing stronger as she works through it kind of woman. She understands her vulnerabilities and strives to get beyond them. I enjoyed her passion for bike riding and how it helped her in life.
I did have differing feelings regarding coming between minors and their parents, but each reader to his or her own opinion with that one. I'm also one who prefers avoiding political views in this genre, but again to each their own.
Thank you, NetGalley, and Atria books for the advanced copy and opportunity to provide an honest review.

I usually like Jennifer Weiner's books, but this one wasn't one of my favorites. I did really enjoy the cycling aspect of the book. Weiner has these really beautiful descriptions of riding and the places that the characters are riding through on their journey (and as someone who lives in Buffalo, I loved that she shouted out our Cheerio scented city). However, I just did not like the main character or the love interest. That aspect of the plot just felt flimsy and the characters weren't interesting enough to see why they were drawn to each other. I'm also just not a huge fan of cheating plots, so I'm definitely biased that way.

Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

Abby in her 30's and plus size is comfortable with her life and accepting of who she is. She has a sweetheart boyfriend who she met in fat camp as a kid.. who loves her but when he asks her to move in she questions if this is the life she wants. She was offered to lead a two week bike trip which she accepts to buy her some time to decide what she wants to do with her life. Things become complicated when one of the guests on the trip is a previous and only unforgettable one night stand. The next two weeks on the bike you learn about all the characters and different relationships forming.

The book hooked me right away but then became super slow with lots of character development and a timeline that seemed to fast for the development. Spoiler alert: i wasnt a fan of the cheating and made me dislike the main character a little. The ending was predictable. I did enjoy the book once i got about half way through it.

Thanks netgalley for the ARC.

To be honest, I am getting tired of plus size main characters having their weight/looks being the main storyline. The chemistry between the characters wasn't there for me. I did enjoy the unique setting of a very long bike ride.

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I always look forward to a new Jennifer Weiner novel, and this one will surely be added to my list of favorites from her. Abby is 34 and doesn't feel like she's 'made it' in life. She's in a decent relationship but doesn't feel like her personal life or career is where she wants them to be. When her partner asks her to move in together, she needs to make a decision. She agrees to lead a 2-week bicycle trip through New York State to buy time. While on that trip, she has a chance to reconnect with a former one-night flame from two years earlier and begins to parse out what she wants in life.

I love Weiner's writing and how she balances the romance plots with heavier topics and themes. This one addresses body image, weight loss, and abortion. I appreciated her weaving in a few characters' plot lines on the bike trip. It gave the novel even more dimension and made it compulsively readable.

Another great Jennifer Weiner read! This was a sweet story about the connection between two seemingly unlikely individuals. The main character had a difficult childhood and self imagined due to her weight and did not value herself. Throughout the story, she learns more about herself, her handsome one-night stand and learns to love her self. I enjoyed this; it was a great summer read.

I really enjoyed this breezy romance, which follows plus-size Abby as she navigates figuring out what (and who) she wants while she leads a cycling trip across New York State. While this story definitely won't be for everyone (various issues are brought up throughout the story with certain viewpoints as the star), I did really like it.

The best aspect for me what the travel portion, covering a bike trip from NYC to Niagara Falls and the descriptions of scenery and small towns along the way. If more of the novel had been focused on that, plus her budding relationship with a cyclist on her trip, I would have probably been able to bump it up to five stars. I did get a bit annoyed by the constant flashbacks, but I did understand how they were necessary for the story.

A great summer/vacation read!