Jennifer Weiner does it again with a blockbuster summer read for all her fans. This one deals with Abby, overweight/fat issues and bike tours as well as fat shaming and Tik-Tok posts that go viral.

Abby is a thirtyish single woman living in Philadelphia. She meets a handsome man at a New York bar at a bachelorette party and they spend a sexy and remarkably memorable night together. She leaves early without
leaving a none or number. When she returns to Philly, she meets up with a teenage fat camp boyfriend and they form a pleasant, but less than exciting relationship.

Two years later, Abby is leading. a bike tour from New York to Niagara Falls when Sebastian, her romantic one-night stand, is a member of the tour. Problems abound! The attraction is still there. Then there's a pregnant teenager with a religious mother she can't talk to, lovely descriptions of scenery, other interesting but not central bike tourists, and always, always, Abby's problems with her very thin mother.

Weiner, (remember "In Her Shoes",?) writes about her own issues of being the less attractive sister. Her characters are relatable and ger prose is engaging. But please, Jennifer, aren't there other words to describe soft baked goods besides "pillowy"? I'm referring here to muffins bagels, etc.. Small criticism of an otherwise easy read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for an early copy of this book to read and review honestly.

I have enjoyed so many of Ms. Weiner’s books, but I felt The Breakaway was missing the sparkle, the joy and hope I’ve found in her writing. Don’t get me wrong, The Breakaway is a good book, outstanding writing, but I struggled to care about the characters.

The Breakaway by Jennifer Weiner is out August 29, 2023.

Jennifer Weiner does it again with a fun romance novel with thought provoking side plots. Main story line follows the main character, Abby as she battles loving herself. Her petite mom has always seemed to look down on Abby’s more voluptuous shape, sending her to fat camps routinely through Abby’s childhood. At fat camp she meets a boy, reconnects later in life, where they have a relationship. Going through the motions is how I see their relationship, as they just plod along with no true growth. In the end Abby has a choice, her steady boring boyfriend or rekindling her one night stand into a full blown romance.

Weiner really gets into all the “feels” when exploring mother-daughter angst, family secrets, choices, friendship and social media with The Breakaway.

Thank you Net Galley for the ARC.

I love pretty much everything that Jennifer Weiner writes. The Breakaway is now tied for my favourite of her books, alongside Mrs. Everything. The Breakaway is a charming book about Abby, a thirty-something voluptuous woman who loves cycling and dogs, and has a doctor boyfriend.. She is drifting a bit in her life, and is asked to guide a bike trip to fill in for a friend. On the trip, she is ambushed two surprise guests, her mother and a man she had a one-night-stand with years earlier. In this book we get to know Abby better and a handful of the other cyclists. I was especially impressed with Weiner’’s portrayal of abortion and the issues with access to abortion that are going on in the United States right now.

I used to love JW but lately her books have fallen flat and are getting a little too preachy and political and trying to push views in the sub text of the story.. wasn't too pleased with the pronoun joke at the end.

The Breakaway by Jennifer Weiner
Abby Stern is a thirty-four-year-old, curvy, single woman who has found herself. She walks dogs and other gig economy jobs to pay her bills, lives in a tiny, cluttered but comfortable apartment and is all but engaged to Mark, a gorgeous doctor Abby first met as a pre-teen at fat camp when he was at least double his adult, buff size.
Then she meets Sebastian while fueled by copious amounts of tequila at her friend’s bachelorette party. Let’s just say sparks fly, but they don’t exchange numbers.
Fast forward to Abby’s best friend, who runs a bicycle tour group, who needs Abby to lead a group. Abby is an avid cyclist but has never run a group on her own. Because she loves her friend, and cycling, she agrees, and the next ten days are filled with enough crises to fill several books!
The cycling is almost a character in this book, and since I know the author is very much into the sport, I often felt like I was chatting with a good friend about it and daydreaming about the lovely Empire Trail. But each of the dozen participants complicated that dream in ways that I would never have guessed. One of the participants is Abby’s mom, thin, elegant and body obsessed. Another one is a pregnant teenager. And the most complicating one, is Sebastian. The one-night stand.
Weiner never just writes a love story without hitting major social issues, though her answers are admittedly best only for her character. This book is no different. Empowerment of women, abortion rights, weight shaming, sex shaming, aging, social media limitations and even the weather fill this lovely journey with clouds. Not everyone will agree with how they are handled, but the story will be hard to put aside.
Props to the author and editors for the title! Breaking Away was one of my favorite movies in the seventies, and the tie in with the bikes was fun!
Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

Jennifer Weiner once again has come out with her new book just in time for the beach!! A beautifully written book about how difficult relationships can be with the ones you love, but they will always be there for you. Like all her books the reader will love all her characters, GREAT book!!

I typically adore Jennifer Weiner's books, but this one I just could not get into. Instead of devouring as I normally do, I kept picking it up and putting it down. The premise is Abby, a thirty-something woman, trying to figure out life, trying to figure out whether or not to move in with her loving but boring boyfriend and finding temptation with another man. Abby leads a cycling tour from NYC to Buffalo via the newly-opened Empire Trail, only to discover that one of the party is Sebastian, a man she had a one night stand with in the past, and has never quite forgotten. Weiner hits lots of hot topic issues within the book such a body image, casual sex and affairs s well as mother daughter relationships. While I really wanted to love this book, I just found it okay. Weiner's devoted fans will want to read, so recommended for public libraries without hesitation.

I'll go to a Jennifer Weiner novel when I want an easy read and this one did not disappoint. The protagonist's arc was fun to follow. Reading of Abby's journey from self-loathing to acceptance to self-love was one of triumph. I appreciated that ultimately Abby recognized that her own happiness was what mattered most, more so than seeking validation from a parent or partner.

The Breakaway was a cute romance that talks about family, friends and going out of your comfort zone.

Abby feels like her life is at a stand still, she has gig jobs not a career and she still lives in her small messy apartment she has been in since graduating college. She is an avid bike rider and loves her food, yes she may be a little overweight but she is comfortable in her own body and that is all that matters.

She goes to New York for her friends bachelorette party and meets a gorgeous man whom she has a one night stand with. He makes her feel beautiful and he feeds her but when she wakes in the morning she sneaks out before he wakes and doesn’t leave a number.

Prior to New York she had run into an old flame from her weight loss camp days and they started officially dating when she got back. Two years go by and a friend needs her to step in and run a long trip ride to her, Abby agrees and her world is turned onto its head.

I always enjoy Jennifer’s books, definitely recommend this one!

There's a cute rom-com novel hidden in this story, that gets bogged down by too many characters and side stories. Trim 100 pages and focus on the love story and this would have been a fun novel about a female cyclist leading a bike tour for the first time who runs into a love interest she had a one-night stand with two years ago. Does she choose her current, but boring boyfriend or the handsome almost-stranger who she has more in common with?

But the unformed side stories about some of the others on the bike trip take focus away from the main story. At one point, Abby, the main character, mentions a couple on the bike trip that I didn't even remember from earlier in the book.. They have no story at all and were completely unnecessary. Other aspects of the story were either unbelievable or annoying. Are we supposed to believe Abby never ever saw a picture of her mother from when she was a child or from her wedding day?? Abby is healthy and fit and living her life the way she wants, even if she is larger than a supposed average person, but she is overly focused on her body and either complains about it or constantly compares herself to others all of the time.

The best line in the novel is a quote from Abby's older friend Liz, "Can we not do that fat-girl self-deprecating shtick?"

The details about the bike tour itself were interesting and the budding romance between Abby and Sebastian was the heart of the story. I would have preferred fewer characters that would have left time to flesh out the stories of some of the more interesting minor characters.

Wow, another great book from Jennifer Weiner! This one reminded me so much of the first book I read of hers with Cannie in Good in Bed. Abby's voice spoke to me, a fellow fat shamed adult. The author also touches on abortion rights, doctors/ parents who fat shamed, feminism, and loving yourself as you are, right now. It also shares how you should go for your dreams and not settle. I would love to have Abby as a friend, just how I wanted Cannie as a friend too. I have loved reading all of this author's books and always look forward to reading more from her.

I have read pretty much everything by Jennifer Weiner and loved all of her books. This one was just ok to me. I finished the book but just barely. It wasnt one of her best books and i felt the cycling was a bit much but i know the author is into it.

The Breakaway by Jennifer Weiner is a quick read, It is very entertaining and,although it is a quick read, it does introduce topics such as abortion and body image. The main character leads a bike group on a multi day trip and without giving away any spoilers many of the characters face challenges that have very little to do with the bike rides. There is also a romance as the bike trail ride progresses. For an easy read that does challenge the reader’s ethics, on some level, it is a novel I would recommend to my friends. I would like to thank Jennifer Weiner and Simon and Schuster for allowing me to read this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Jennifer's books are easy light reads, this is the perfect summer read, fast, and fun ! I loved this read! One of her better ones that I have read lately. 4 stars

A favorite read of the year so far! Following a cross-country bike trip, the book focuses on each character involved in the trip from high school to adulthood. I found all the characters extremely believable and the book was just a breath of fresh air. Cannot wait for this to hit the shelves! Jennifer Weiner does it again!!

Jennifer Weiner does it again with an engaging story. We are guided through upstate New York with a group of avid cyclers who are lead by our main character, Abby. Each rider has their own story that has brought them on this trip which the author unpacks in the perfect way. Abby is trying to find her place in the world after growing up constantly dismissed because she is “plus sized”. She strives to be the healthiest version of herself, in every aspect, while not focusing on being slimmer. She is torn between what society has told her is the perfect like and finding the one that she feels most authentic in. Your heart will swell, you will be angry, but ultimately you will connect with all the characters and finish the book excited to share it with someone else. Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I have been reading Jennifer Weiner books for many years and think she is a fabulous author. While I very much enjoyed her most recent novel, I did feel like it held too many plots at the same time. Abby is a single 34 year old trying to figure out life when she runs into her very first one night stand on a bike trip she's leading. While I enjoyed her journey of self-discovery along with the romance portion of the plot, there were too many other story lines to follow at the same time which led to all of the stories falling flat. I very much appreciated the liberal feminism plot line and fully support the woman's right to choose; however, that could have been it's on book in itself. It felt as if the author stuck a second story within a story without intricately weaving them together or taking the time to develop the intricate character relationships.

This is definitely worth the read, but not one of my favorites.

I appreciate Netgalley for the advanced digital readers copy.

Thank you to Netgalley and especially the publisher who invited me to preview this book.

I read The Breakaway in three sittings. As a formerly fat person, I was intrigued by how Ms. Weiner was going to present the story of Abby, her self-image, and those around her who were constantly offering their unsolicited suggestions on how she can better herself.
Once more, Ms. Weiner does it masterfully. The story is about Abby, her upcoming marriage to a boy she met at a Fat Camp and have re-met as adults, and a bike trip up the Hudson Valley and west to Niagra Falls. Two years before the trip, she had an unprecedented one night fling on the eve of a friends wedding. It was the best sex she ever had. Her fling is on the bike trip. And there is so much more.

I heard my own voice in so much of what Abby was thinking as the bike trip progressed. Abby is a much braver person than I was. She acted as if she was very comfortable with her size and the sensual side of herself. This I found fascinating as most overweight women I know have no contact with their sensual side. They control, control, control what goes in their mouths until they lose control and then binge. followed by shame, regret, promises. Abby is not a binger. She enjoys her food. This makes her, in my opinion, quite unique among overweight women. She also enjoys sex, this I've never done research on but among overweight friends, this is also rare. Women are so busy hating their bodies that they find it hard to let go.

Ms. Weiner's message to all of us is that we are just fine the way we are, we don't have to change just because a mother/ a boyfriend/ a doctor tells us we'd be so much healthier if we lost weight. Abby is clearly healthy. She bikes twenty to seventy miles a day. Again, Abby isn't a binger so she doesn't pass out and lose days to a sugar hangover. She has found freedom in bike riding starting when she was very young.

There is a wonderful side story about abortion that says to me Jennifer Weiner is on the right side of history. She treated the subject beautifully and women and men formed a community of help and love for a scared teenager.

Abby, who had no idea what she wanted out of life, ends the bike trip with ideas that fit who she is, that give her purpose, and it was so much fun to have been part of her journey.

I read an ARC that had no acknowledgements or author notes. I would love to see the notes at some point. I want to know if she knows women like Abby, non-bingers who don't get sugar hangovers, who haven't crossed the line into sugar addiction. Her book made me so hopeful for young women and I hope that this book is given to young girls and possibly aid in the arresting of self-hatred, self-abuse, fat shaming, and the continued growth of the diet industry when every person alive knows that diets don't work.-- yet do them anyway.

This book was brave for taking on so many difficult topics. I did wish there was more depth to the storylines, rather than such a wide breadth of topics. I wanted to know and read more about the main characters.
The abortion storyline really made me think of how I would handle the situation and I loved that thought exercise!
The feminist perspective in this novel was so refreshing to read.