Man, I love Jennifer's books! This was no exception. It was a great story with a great setting and a wonderful cast of characters. It was classic Weiner and I could not be happier about it. 4.5 stars rounded down.

*** spoilers ahead with sensitive topics ***

I received The Breakaway quite some time ago, and was not drawn to it immediately after the first few pages. I finally saw that my local library had the audiobook available and decided to give it a try. I loved the audiobook! The multiple person cast was delightful as it moved through the multiple POVs of each character. I appreciated the dynamics built between the two main characters, Abby & Sebastian. Their love story is unique and the secondary characters included certainly helped to build their backstory. I enjoyed "the breakaway" as being the overall theme of the book where characters go into the trip as one person but leave as another. Body empowerment is definitely a focus of the story, with Abby's story being the most forward. The story between Abby & Eileen (Abby's mother) was one that I was particularly drawn to and enjoyed listening to their story's arc. In fact, it overshadowed Abby & Sebastian's story in the end and made me like the book even more. Overall, there were bits of the story I loved and others I didn't, and enjoyed it very much on audio rather than reading it.

Thank you, Atria Books and NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for this review.

I loved this book. Jennifer Weiner really laid out her heart and soul in this one and it was just a fantastic read. It dealt with very serious and controversial topics in a way that I think we can all relate to. I love how The Breakaway community rallied around to help one of their own; whether they agreed with her decision or not. Each of the characters was so real and I loved them all. This may be my new Jennifer Weiner book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book. These words are my own.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with an advance e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review. Look for it now in your local and online bookstores and libraries.

**ARC of this book provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review**

The book touches on multiple important (and divisive) issues, though perhaps one too many, as they kind of take the focus away from the main character's self-discovery and romance journeys. That said, the story flows well. I was enamored by the funny and unique characters participating in the bike trip. It was the perfect cozy late summer read for me.

The Breakaway was an okay read for me. I wish I could put my finger on what was missing. The best way to describe it would be that the story felt artificial. Or canned. The bike angle was fresh, and I enjoyed that part. I ended up DNFing at about 60% through.

Overweight athlete Abby goes on a big bike trip that is overtaken by the presence of a former one night stand as well as her meddling mother. While I wanted to enjoy the trials and tribulations of the would-they-won’t-they experienced by Abby and Sebastian, I couldn’t help but feel for her doting fiancé Mark back at home. Moreover, I couldn’t root for a love story rooted in infidelity. Overall, Abby was an unsympathetic character and her actions mostly ruined the book for me.

I have mixed feelings about The Breakaway. While there were many things I liked about the novel, in some ways it missed the mark. Most of my issues can be traced back to the main character. The story does follow a few other characters along the way but it's a tough read when you find yourself increasingly irritated by basically the star of the show.

I am sorry for the inconvenience but I don’t have the time to read this anymore and have lost interest in the concept. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience.

As with her other books, I thought this was well written and enjoyable. I enjoyed how Abby was confident and poised even if she didn't feel it on the inside. The issues she experienced were realistic and felt authentic, but I wished they would have been fleshed out even more. I also appreciated that she showed that although she was overweight, Abby was physically active and encouraged young girls to be active as well. This was a very nice message. I enjoyed the discussion she had with her mother. I thought Weiner nicely showed how perceptions can shape how we feel and act. That what we think and see, might not be the full story.

“From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Weiner comes a warmhearted and empowering new novel about love, family, friendship, secrets, and a life-changing journey”

I love the way Jennifer Weiner writes - I have never been disapppointed by one of her novels. The way she sets the scene, develops characters draws you and you feel like you are a part of the story. I really enjoy how she creates body positivity in her novels and supports women of all walks of life.

DNF… Yet another book that had a strong premise but that I had zero interest in after several chapters. Dissapointed since I usually love this author, but this one didn’t hit for me. :/

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

The Breakaway started out wonderfully and sucked me right in. I've enjoyed Jennifer Weiner's writing style in the past and this was no exception. I was cheering for Abby + Sebastian.
I loved the bike trip setting, I think it was really unique and was different than anything I've ever read before.

::spoilers ahead::

However, I'm very disappointed to have to give this one 3 stars. A major plot point that took up way too much of the book was a 15 year old getting an abortion without either of her parents knowing. That is hugely problematic for me. I felt like it just detracted from Abby's story and didn't add anything at all to the book. I found myself wishing it would hurry up and move on already.
I did not love that Abby moving towards Sebastian ended up being cheating on Mark. I was hoping she would have ended that before anything new developed.
Towards the end they revealed that a group of older couples on the bike trip were "swingers" and I think that, again, was a totally unnecessary detail that made the book bump down in my estimation.

Hoping for better things from Jenifer Weiner next time!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for this review. While I thought this one was totally fine, it’s definitely landing in the mediocre category. I can’t see myself recommending it to anyone, because unfortunately it’s forgettable.

What another great read by one of my favorite authors!! Really enjoyed the characters and had me captivated from start to finish!!

Sometimes I'm in the mood for Jennifer Weiner and other times I'm just not feeling her writing. This was other times.

Jennifer Weiner knows how to write about complex women issues. The Breakaway is a great story of what to do when life hands you and second chance. Twice in the case of Abby… after she’s reunited with her summer camp sweetheart years after they drifted apart she has a one night stand with a man who rocks her core. Thinking she would never see him again, she walks out his door without any information on how he could find her again. Years later, she is trying to decide if moving in with the reunited love is the answer when she meets up again with her one night stand while she is leading a bike tour. Second chance decision again for Abby - all while trying to repair a fractured relationship with her overbearing mother who crashes the bike trip at the last possible moment.

Jennifer does a wonderful job of creating characters that can be identified with and each of her books are so memorable.

Thank you to Atria Books for the chance to review this book.

I really wanted to love this book. Jennifer was a favorite author of mine for a while but her books keep getting more and more opinionated. I agree that everyone is entitled to their own opinions and beliefs, but when they are repeated over and over and I cannot necessarily relate them I will no longer be buying her books. I’m rating this 2 1/2, stars rounding up to 3.
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

I have been reading the author for 20+ years. This is easily my least favorite of her books. So much of this really didn't work for me - I didn't love the cheating storyline and the main character made so many choices that I could not support.

Weiner is a master at her craft! I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. The authors positivity really encouraged me yo read more of her work.