I had a difficult time with this book. Abby was a great character but some of the others just weren't that relateable.

I could relate to Abby's relationship with her mother, the "professional dieter." Coming from a similar background, it rang true.

The plot was just okay

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC. This is my honest review.

If you love Jennifer Weiner, you may love this book. With characters that are relatable and a story familiar to real life, it has all the usual trappings of a great novel by Ms. Weiner. So why did I give it only 4 stars?

Our heroine Abby has a great personality and seems like a lovely person. So why is she stuck doing part time jobs that pay very little, even though she has a degree? Not sure. Sebastion, the protagonist to Abby, seems terrific; handsome, a writer for a blog he and his friend started. So why is he a jerk to women, with one-night stand after one-night stand? Don't know. I wanted to like them, but they were frustratingly bland, and I kept wondering why they were in their early thirties and still floating through life like driftwood?

Around the middle, it got a bit preachy (i.e., boring), even though I agreed with her take on the subject matter. Several things are hashed over: abortion, diet culture, becoming an internet sensation (in a bad way). I could have used more storyline and less lecturing, but it was a decent book for whiling away an afternoon.

I also felt the ending was pretty ho hum. I may go back and re-read In Her Shoes, but probably won't be re-reading this one.

Another solid read from Jennifer Weiner. Not really sure where the negative complaints on Goodreads about topics are coming from, since most of her followers would know how Jennifer voices her opinion on these matters. I think the book was written well and was a great summer read.

I so much enjoyed this book! Let me begin by saying I am not a cyclist, nor am i in the same age group as the main characters, but I couldn’t put this down!!
Abby is in her 30’s, living a life that she feels is more like a college student than an adult. Her relationships with her boyfriend Mark and her mom give her pause and again she wonders where she is in this adult world. I loved all of the real obstacles that Abby runs into during the story . All of the characters are well written, to the point that I was picturing them as I read. I also appreciated how Abby loves what she does and pursues that, even if it isn’t what others might want.
Thank you to NetGalley, and Atria Books for this ARC in return for an honest review.

Unfortunately, as much as I like Jennifer Weiner’s books, I am so sorry to say this was not for me. I could not relate to the characters and just didn’t enjoy it.
Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC for an honest review.

A good novel, but certainly not my favorite by Jennifer Weiner. As someone who is not an avid (read can't make it down the street without running into a mailbox) cyclist, I found a lot of the novel to not be relatable. I enjoyed the love triangle between Abby, Sebastian, and Mark, but felt the mother-daughter story lines were a bit contrived and unrealistic.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

This beautiful book tackles one of America's most controversial topics. It is probably not a story for all but will hopefully reach some who might be toeing the line. No one should get to speak for your body except for you.

2.5 Stars

So many reviewers have already described this novel perfectly. It's a novel filled with angst, secrets, poor choices, misdirected loathing, the joy of cycling, and the unlikely plot of a woman who meets on man in camp as a teenager and then meets up with him again as an adult. This woman also has a (and this is in the very first chapter) heated one-night stand with a man she has picked up (for lack of a better word) while on a bridal party outing and then meets up with him years later on a cycling trip she is leading.

I could not connect with many of the characters, I found the politics to be annoying (and I'm all about a woman's right to choose), and some of the shenanigans on the trip concerning certain teenage people to be forced and potentially horrific.

I finished this book, but I'm not at all sure that I liked it. Fans of this author, and perhaps the younger set, will likely love this novel. It just wasn't my cup of tea.

*ARC supplied by the publisher Atria Books, the author, and NetGalley.

I liked this, but didn’t love it. It’s fine - just maybe a little basic. The Planned Parenthood plotline felt kind of shoehorned in there. And everything was too neatly resolved at the end. So, meh.

This is a very solid novel by Jennifer Weiner. Our main character Abby is overweight, but she's also extremely active as a bike rider. Abby is engaged to her doctor boyfriend, and her history with him goes all the way back to fat camp together as a kid. Two years ago, right before she became official with her doctor boyfriend, she had a one night stand with Sebastian.

When Abby is called in at the last minute to lead a bike trip, of course her one night stand Sebastian is on the trip. Eek! What I really liked is that we learn a few people's stories/perspectives on the trip that were very impactful.

1. This novel does have an abortion plotline. I know that plotline isn't for everyone, so I think it's worth calling out and not dancing around it. I thought this plotline was handled very well. It's not really skippable if you're just hoping to skip it because it is very much threaded through the novel.

2. I really loved how mother/daughter relationships were handled in this book. In the end, both mother/daughter relationships features were essentially handled in the same way despite being different topics.

3. I really liked how the book handled weight. Abby is more active than the vast majority of people. Just because she bikes hundreds of miles per week doesn't mean that she has to be 100 pounds.

In my romance novels, I do like nuance, particularly in the male characters. Mark's big downside that is stated over and over is that he doesn't ride a bike. I suppose the real issue is that he's not willing to learn a bike for even short trips to make his fiance happy, but it comes across as simplistic. Sebastian, the one night stand, has had hundreds of partners, but we are supposed to believe that Abby, who he didn't even really talk with before jumping into bed with her, is SO different from all the other women. I'd have to say my biggest problem with the novel is the men.

Overall, I found this novel very propulsive and a great summer read. The characters were interesting, and I really enjoyed the camaraderie that these folks had over the course of a bike trip. It weaves in contemporary issues and everlasting issues (mother/daughter relationships) in a seamless way.

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

I have been late to the game with reading Jennifer Weiner's books, I think this is only my 3rd & with her most recent books, so I am not sure what her earlier books are like. I quite like her style, a little humor without being silly, some romance & some serious topics thrown in.

Abby is what I guess we would call a full figured woman, has struggled with her weight since childhood, but mostly has struggled with other people's perception of her weight. She is also an avid bicyclist & has a steady boyfriend.

I can't say too much as I personally don't like very detailed reviews, which could include spoilers. But of the things I listed above, each of those items are included in this book, along with a group bike trek across NYS.

I really loved Abby & how she was within herself, no matter what other people thought she was & decided on who she was strictly based on her physical appearance.

I guess my one complaint was that a few things tied up a little too fast & tidy but overall an enjoyable story.

This was an adorable and fun read. I enjoyed reading about all the relationships, new and old. Along with current issues and how they effect relationships. There were some nice scenic descriptions too. Overall, this book was delicious! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

This started out slow for me, but then became compulsively readable. There were a few things that didn’t work for me, but overall I ended up really enjoying it.

Abby has been dating a handsome doctor who doesn’t mind that she’s a bigger woman, even if he does sometimes toss her leftovers away before she was done with them. No, the sex isn’t as great as the one-night stand she had with a handsome stranger two years ago, and no, her career is definitely not where it should be, but basically life is going well for her. She’s healthy and loves cycling, she just also doesn’t mind carbohydrates. When she’s asked to fill in at the last minute to lead a cycling tour, she agrees, and is dismayed to learn about a couple of the folks on the trip she’ll be guiding. One of them is the one-night stand she had two years ago.

This is told mostly from Abby’s perspective, but also from some other of the cyclists on the trip. I sometimes found their stories more compelling than hers, but in the end I found it a satisfying and timely read.

NetGalley provided an advance copy of this novel, WHICH RELEASES AUGUST 29, 2023.

Weiner is FINALLY back in her groove. So glad to be reading what brought me to her in the first place after a few disappointments. This book seemed much more thoughtfully wand well thought out than anything I’ve read from her in a while. Love the self-empowered feminist main character!

I absolutely loved this!! What a great take down of diet culture and the difficulties that come with body neutrality and acceptance.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for an ARC of The Breakaway (release date 8/29/23). This was a wonderful summer read from one of my favorite authors!

Abby Stern feels stuck - by temporary jobs, a boyfriend who wants to get married, and pressure from her mother to lose weight. When she receives the opportunity to lead a group cycling retreat, Abby jumps at the chance. As an avid rider, it sounds like the perfect escape, and time to think about whether she wants to continue life with her boyfriend Mark. At the start of the trip, she is shocked to see someone from her past - a one-night stand that she hasn't forgotten about!

As someone who hardly rides bikes, I loved learning more about cycling through this book - the trip through New York sounded amazing! Though the story included a small jab at runners, which I laughed at and felt slightly offended from! The romantic tension between Abby and Sebastian was exciting, and I was hoping she would get rid of Mark and have some fun with Sebastian. The mother-daughter relationships were heartwarming once each character opened up, and I enjoyed the depiction of several family relationships. There were several more political hot topics included throughout, which I'm sure some will take offense to, though I did not. I enjoyed this one a lot!

This was a good read, I just wanted a little more from the ending. Overall I would recommend this to friends. I enjoyed learning more about the bike tours! And it was great to have a thirty something protagonist who doesn't have her life planned out.

We are told from the plot summary that 34-year-old Abby Stern is in "a happy place" with her life, however, this book is an examination of why she actually isn't as happy as she would like to be, or as she pretends to be to herself. She is offered the chance to lead a 2 week bike tour from NYC all the way along the Empire Trail to Niagara Falls, responsible for ensuring the patrons of the bike tour follow the route, and safety guidelines set forth by the tour company. On the tour just so happens to be a man she had a one night stand with 2 years ago, Sebastian, and her mother, Eileen, surprising her by joining the tour so that they can spend time together.
The book actually opens with the events of the evening that Abby and Sebastian met and hooked up, and it is the only spicy scene in the book, but it honestly surprised me how quickly the author jumped right into it, as it felt a bit different than her normal writing style. I am a longtime fan of Jennifer Weiner. I'm not opposed to a bit of spice in my books, and it made sense as an opener to the book, since the main plot of the book is exploring how Abby and Sebastian navigate crossing paths once again, and in fact we're presented with alternating narratives from both Abby and Sebastian, as well as chapters from the perspective of other people on the bike tour. There is a complicating event involving a young teenage girl and her mother on the tour that felt well done, and authentically handled.
Overall, I very much enjoyed this exploration of what it means to be happy, and fulfilled, in one's life. The writing was well done, and the plot moved quickly and kept my interest all throughout the book.
Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the electronic ARC of this novel for review.

If you have never experienced a Jennifer Weiner book, you are missing out! In The Breakaway, Abby is 34 year old woman struggling to find her place in life. She feels like she is living a young adult life not the life of a 34 year old. Her boyfriend, Mark, has his life together but is it worth it? On a whim, she accepts a job taking a group of people on a bicycle tour through upstate New York to Niagara Falls. Her favorite place to be in is riding her bicycle. Surely being the leader of the group is no different, right?! That depends on who you are leading.
I have been following and reading everything Jennifer Weiner has written since Good In Bed, her debut. I love her writing and her take on everyday life. Her characters are far from perfect and are so loveable. The Breakaway goes back and forth between the past and the present time but it flows nicely and is easy to differentiate where you are. Weiner's writing is perfect and so enjoyable. I read this book in two days! I will always read anything Weiner publishes and will always recommend her writing to others. Special thanks to Jennifer Weiner, NetGalley, and Atria Books for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Super engaging, bingeable, and enjoyable! I really enjoyed the alternating POVs and how we got to really get to know the biking group, while Abby and Sebastian remained the main characters - Weiner did a great job of really keeping the attention on them while exploring the whole group dynamics. The writing was great, and I think Weiner did a fantastic job of tackling so many important issues. I didn't think the cheating part needed to be included, and I really don't like cheating in books. I get that is what the book kind of builds too, but still it wasn't needed. Overall, I will recommend it.