I was gifted an eARC of this book from the publisher through Netgalley. I really enjoyed the characters in this story. Abby was extremely relatable in her struggles and feelings. As a thirty something, it is such a time of finding one’s true self and Abby’s character embodies this. I loved that Jennifer Weiner focused on more than Abby’s story though. She included real life issues that are often overlooked or not discussed. I do wish that we were able to delve a little further into each of the characters stories though as I felt that they could be further developed to make the story that much better.

I really enjoyed this story. It flowed well and though there were a few characters it was easy to understand what was going on. I liked how the chapters alternates between characters. I also liked how each character brought their own story to the bike ride, and seeing their story unfold as the bike ride progressed.

Thank you @goodreads for this giveaway book win.

I’m a big fan of Jennifer Weiner and have read all of her novels. I was surprisingly disappointed with her latest offering.

Abby is a plus size woman and avid cyclist, as is Jennifer Weiner. I’m sure the author has used her experiences as inspiration for this story.

Abby is foundering in her life goals and feeling conflicted about Mark, her boyfriend of 2 years’ invitation to move in together. She therefore, jumps at her friend’s invitation to lead a last minute cycling trip, hoping the time away will bring some much needed clarity.

Abby is horrified to learn that her mother, Eileen signed up for the trip. Their relationship has been shaky ever since her mother forced her to go to weight loss camp as a teen. Abby also cannot believe that Sebastian, a man she had a steamy one night stand with two years ago, is also a participant.

The bike ride has suddenly gotten a lot more complicated….

***SPOILERS

My main problem with the book was the unlike-ability of Abby. I wanted to embrace this book, hoping it would be an ode to empowerment and body positivity. Abby actually listing a reason she might need to break up with Mark as “he doesn’t eat sugar” seems to negate that message. Mark, having had gastric bypass surgery, is dedicated to more restrictive eating than Abby.

Abby cheating on Mark on the bike trip with Sebastian also was offensive to me. She reiterates a lot in the novel about how Mark has loved her as she is for years-this seems to be a horrible way to treat him.

There is also a subplot about a mother and daughter on the trip. The 15 year old daughter is trying to get an abortion without her mom’s knowledge and turns to participants on the bike trip for help. I have appreciated that Jennifer Weiner has embraced darker subjects in her books, including sexual assault and the COVID pandemic. However, this seemed to be way out of place and the makings of a different novel. I also feel it further detracted from the Abby/Sebastian storyline which in my opinion, warranted further exploration.

I will continue to seek out her novels but his one was a definite miss for me.

A woman with an unsettled future leads a biking trip with a group that includes her mother and an old boyfriend. This makes for an interesting trip.

I received this ARC a few weeks ago but saved it for summer vacation. I have read a newly released Jennifer Weiner at the start of every summer for a few years now, and I was so happy to receive this ARC to kick off summer with a great read. And then I gobbled it all up in one day!

Weiner's writing is always heartwarming, and her characters are people I wish I knew in real life. This novel, The Breakaway, is full of heart, romance, and finding yourself. I love Weiner's approach to health at every size and how she cuts down diet culture. I hope the message is received in the world that all bodies are good bodies. I hope that Abby's struggles with diet culture and growing up as a fat girl will resonate with readers and help build empathy. Reading about a fat girl who exercises for the joy of movement is a hell of a refreshing read. And reading about her finding herself and love is the icing on the cake.

This book tackles many women's issues, and I look forward to sharing it with readers in my life. I think that the multi-generational approach to these issues in the book is a great way to showcase how we grow and learn.

As always, I loved this Jennifer Weiner book and look forward to buying a hard copy for my ELA 12 classroom.

My review of The Breakaway by Jennifer Weiner is thanks to an ARC from #NetGalley.

I always know Jennifer Weiner's books will be a hit with me and The Breakaway is no exception. I love how the author channeled her passion for cycling to create a fantastic feminist novel. The focus on abortion, women's rights and girl power is a home run in my book. Abby's struggles with confidence, self-love and finding her way in the world feel authentic and important. Despite her questionable choices along the way, I still rooted for her to find her to keep riding to find her true path.

Jennifer Weiner was one of my favorite authors many years ago. I thought she did a really good job with this one. She tells the story of Abby, a 30 something single woman that has had a difficult relationship with her mother. She has always felt that she was a disappointment to her mother, as she had a weight problem and her mother had the perfect figure. She was sent to a fat camp as a child and met a boy named Mark there that was the only boy that had ever made her feel beautiful and worthwhile. Now, she's struggling to figure out what she wants to do with her life. The thing that she loves to do is ride her bike. It has given her freedom since she was a child. A friend asks her to lead a bike trip from New York City to Niagara Falls, and she takes the job. She has reconnected with Mark and he wants to marry her, but she's just not that into him. This will give her a chance to get away and think about what she wants to do. When she meets with the people that are signed up for the trip, she runs into Sebastian, a man that she had a brief fling with. He's on the trip. So is her mother. Things get very complicated while they take their ride and I appreciated the stories of the different people that were on the trip as well as Abby's story. Weiner does a good job of describing the mother/daughter relationship and the miscommunications that can develop. I recommend this book to Weiner fans as well as for anyone looking for an easy read that explores relationships in the present day. I would like to thank SS Atria Marketing and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to preview this book in exchange for an honest review.

A Fun and Immensely Satisfying Ride

SUMMARY
Abby Stern, 34, is completely happy with who she is. Despite not having a full-time job, having a messy apartment, and carrying too much weight, she is really happy. She has good friends, her bike, her Philadelphia bike club, and she is at peace with her lifelong battle with weight. Her boyfriend, Mark, loves her just the way she is too!

Mark and Abby met at a weight-loss camp when they were children. They reconnected a few years ago and have been together ever since. Mark is now a podiatrist and half the size he used to be. He adores Abby, despite their differences in weight, tidiness, exercise, and healthy eating. Mark has asked Abby to move in together, but Abby can’t help but think something is missing. She just isn’t sure.

Now Abby is nervously leading a 750 miles Bicycle Tour on the Empire State Trail from New York City to Niagara Falls with a dozen riders. And just to make things interesting, two of those riders are known to her. One is her unwelcome, uninvited, and supercritical mother, and the other is Sebastian, a man she had an incredible fling with over two years ago on a girls’ weekend. She never saw him again until now. Isn’t this just going to be a fun ride!


Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.
-Albert Einstein.


REVIEW

THE BREAKAWAY is a perfect title for this charming book, in both the context of the bicycle tour and in defining Abby’s life itself. It has romance and high drama written all over it, and the final pages will have you cheering. The read is fun and immensely satisfying. One of life’s pleasures is to read a book simply for enjoyment. This book is enjoyable.

Author Jenifer Weiner’s writing is expertly crafted and cleverly layered, with many issues that Abby must handle on the bike tour. The book touches on real-life issues such as weight shaming, serial dating, infidelity, abortion, and mother/daughter conflict, which Weiner handles with professionalism and care.

Abby’s character was delightfully real. She is realistic about who she is, her present lifestyle, and her uncertainty about her future. She is nervous about being responsible for the people on this 750-mile bike ride, but she is confident in her abilities to take on the challenge. I enjoyed getting to know such a self-assured and composed woman. When faced with controversy or danger, Abby was always the poised and cool-headed ride leader.

Weiner is a graduate of Princeton and the bestselling author of 21 books which most recently include: The Summer Place (2022), That Summer (2021), and Big Summer (2020). Jennifer lives with her family in Philadelphia.

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


I do not wish [women] to have power over men: but over themselves.
– Mary Wollstonecraft, A Vindication of the Rights of Women


Publisher Simon & Schuster
Published August 29, 2023
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com

I really enjoyed the biking and the self-awareness in The Breakaway. Riding across New York State and dealing with weather along with the beautiful scenery sucked me in to a lifestyle I don't have. Jennifer Weiner tried to deal with a lot of different subjects and I think it was a little too much.

The mother -daughter relationship was well handled and Abby, main character and leader of the bike tour, was strong in her convictions. I've read that some people were upset about the abortion talk and Abby trying to help a young girl, I see that as a current topic in our world and well-handled in the book.

My negative about the book was the love interest. I'm not a big Chick Lit reader and the whole bad-boy turns his life around for a woman he's known for 5 minutes just doesn't seem real or natural to me.

Read the book to enjoy a biking life-style! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

What can I say? I am a huge HUGE fan of Jennifer's and always have been. I love how she took her love of cycling and based a story around it. Her lead characters are usually the most realistic description of women who may not fit society's idea of a perfect body. I loved that about Abby. Yes, she was fairly insecure about her body, BUT she toughened up and showed up.

The book also really focused on mother/daughter relationships. Abby and her mom and then you also have Morgan and her mom. While these were somewhat of a side story (they were given just enough attention to not be pointless points, but not overshadowing the story of Abby and Sebastian itself.)

Most of the side characters were hoots as well. You have a swinging foursome, and also Sebastian's best friend.

I have not read a Jennifer Weiner book that I did not love and this book proves that!

'Thank you so very much to the publisher for the opportunity to read an ARC of The Breakaway in exchange for my honest opinion. I adored this book!

The Breakaway by Jennifer Weiner was a charming and fun read. The characters were well developed and all had some flaws, making them more human. The themes of the story were also well thought out and cleverly layered. I have read a number of Jenifer Weiner's books and have found them enjoyable and thought provoking

On the surface, The Breakaway, is a sweet story about a group of people who go on a journey of self-exploration while on a long distance cycling trip. However, this book is more than meets the eyes. It addresses body acceptance, mother-daughter relationships, women's rights, self-esteem, parenting, and more. I appreciated what each of the characters brought to the story and the journeys they went on.

A light, enjoyable, fast read. It definitely wasn’t my favorite of Jennifer Weiner though. I much prefer her older books.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for the chance to review this book.

I was given this book from NetGalley - thank you!

I felt like this was really two stories in one and the author was trying to touch on too much. There's a side story, that's rather serious, but not really treated that way.

And I had a hard time rooting fir the main character.

Overall, I enjoyed it but didn't love it.

Thought this was going to be a different read than it was and I didn't like it at all - actually skimmed a good bit. I think Weiner's writing hey day is over. Her early books were so good - her latest is quite boring.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC, all opinions are my own.

Loved this. As someone who is also 34, it was nice to see a real accurate viewpoint around feelings dealing with weight and dating. Cute and sweet as well as real.

Jennifer Weiner’s newest release The Breakaway is not her typical beach read that I am used to reading. Instead of love and scandal on a cape setting, The Breakaways is based off Abby Stern, her love to ride her bike, and what happens when she accidentally runs into her one-night stand.
This takes place in New York and Abby is in charge of leading a bike group from New York City all the way to Niagra Falls. This is her first bike trip that she has ever led and is a little self-conscious because she is not your typical “athletic girl.” Abby decides to take on the challenge especially since it will be good for her to clear her head, since she is not sure why she does not feel “right” with her perfect boyfriend Mark. Things all get a little more complicated when she runs into the best one night stand, she has ever had, Sebestian.
Like I said earlier, this is quite different than the typical Jennifer Weiner novels I enjoy reading. To be honest, I almost DNF’d it halfway through. Luckily, I stuck with it, and I am glad I did because the ending did get more enjoyable. It was hard for me to get into it because I did not connect with the bike theme, and I did not enjoy any of the characters. In the end it was a three-star book for me.

An engaging timely read told from various perspectives. Abby Stern gets a job guiding a bike tour throughout New York State, just as her boyfriend asks her to move in. The trip is an opportunity for her and and as we learn the other riders to think about what is next.

Note: Mild spoilers are ahead.

I liked this book. I wanted to like this book a lot more because I"m in a similar place to the FMC. I don't have a terrible relationship with my mother, and I run 8 miles every weekend rather than biking, but just about everything else is spot on.

Then there was the cheating. Not just once, but twice. The first time, I did the while "Oh, she'd only been on a few dates with the first guy. They hadn't had the 'what are we' talk," blah blah blah. But the second time, she straight up cheated. Even though he was as dry and crusty as the feet with which he worked, Mark definitely deserved better. Abbey is her own antagonist. You won't change my mind, and her teaching at risk girls who to cycle and care for themselves mind, body and soul doesn't make up for the fact that she cheated.

Abby’s only in her thirties but has endured a lifetime of extra helpings of shame and ridicule for her weight. She’s learned to settle for what she thinks she deserves in love, career, family and friends. An emotional, timely, uplifting, heartbreaking yet hopeful perspective on body shaming. I’m from the generation when being “twiggy” skinny was the norm. It had nothing to do with health or well-being, just where, who or what being thin got you. The subjects tackled in Abby’s story introduced me to many interesting viewpoints. The well written observations and examples were thought provoking and reflective for me. I’m still rolling over thoughts and feelings from the many relevant issues addressed.
The organized, lengthy bike route in upstate NY was fun to follow along, as were the diverse types and ages of the participants. Abby’s mother was a deeply layered woman and I enjoyed insights into her life. The more mature group of riders were a hoot, I liked them a lot. Abby’s one night stand was also a great twist with an unexpected outcome. There are many more great characters and situations – just read it!
Of course I had a very simple plain bike as a kid, never rode or knew anything about the fancy stuff available now (preferred riding my horse and later motorcycles). I still see no need to punish oneself for miles, but admire those who enjoy the challenge. Many of the historical stops and such were quite interesting since I know little about upstate NY. Would have liked even more about the area, what’s the point of all those miles if you don’t see new things and places?
I knew of the author’s first-class reputation but hadn’t read any of her books before. It was wonderful having the opportunity to finally read one. The story is easy to follow, with surprising depth, meaningful topics, romance and love. Abby is a character that will stay with me, her message is important.
A digital advance reader copy of “The Breakaway” by Jennifer Weiner, Atria Books, Simon & Schuster, was provided to me by NetGalley. These are all my own honest personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily without any compensation.