Weiner has published maybe seventeen earlier novels, of which I’ve so far read about half, and I enjoyed the all. Her books have tended to be pigeonholed as “rom-coms” -- mostly, I think, because she’s a woman and because they always include a romantic theme -- but that’s unfairly limiting. Her books are in-depth stories about the lives of modern American women, usually in early maturity, usually East Coast Jewish, and generally possessing a voluptuous figure (what Yiddish-speakers would describe as zaftig). And her protagonists struggle with their careers, deal with their families, and attack and try to solve their problems. That may sound dull, but in this author’s skilled hands, I promise you, it isn’t.

Abby Stern of Philadelphia is thirty-three and while her college friends are now doctors and lawyers and CFOs, she’s still making just enough to pay her rent and health insurance with gigs looking after dogs and preschoolers, driving an Uber, and anything else she can come up with. She has always been told she needs to lose weight, by her mother, by doctors, by the world in general, but she’s actually strong and healthy. She’s just a big woman, not svelte, like her Mom. But she has learned to deal with that. It helps that she’s an avid cyclist, racking up a couple hundred miles a week, which makes her more athletic than most skinny women her age. In fact, taking off on a fifty-mile Saturday ride by herself is how she escapes the world’s problems.

Abby was packed off to “fat camp” by her parents at the age of thirteen, vehemently against her will, but things turned out most okay when she met Mark Medoff, heaviest boy at the camp, but also smart, funny, sweet-nature d, and he immediately fell for Abby. He was her first boyfriend, though she only saw him at camp for three years, and then she broke up with him. And now, fifteen years later, they run into each other again -- but this time, Mark is a hunk with an M.D., tanned and toned and drawing the eye of every girl who sees him. And he;’s still in love with Abby/ Could anything be better?

But at that point in things, while Abby is off at a bachelorette party in Brooklyn, she meets Sebastian at a bar, is instantly smitten, and goes home with him for the night. They have amazing sex and Abby slips away before he awakes the next morning, assuming he’ll regret the hookup when he seems her in the daylight. She doesn’t know that Sebastian has slept with half the young women in the borough, and never more than once. (He has his reasons.) Two years later, Abby (now well settled-in with Mark and considering moving in with him) is offered a well-paid last-minute gig to lead a two-week riding tour of a dozen cyclists from NYC to Buffalo via the newly-opened Empire Trail, so off she goes -- only to discover that one of the party is Sebastian, accompanied by his best friend, housemate, and fellow journalist, Lincoln. And he’s never forgotten Abby.

And that’s just the set-up. (Weiner does complex, multi-layered stories.) Over the following dozen days, the two of them will dance carefully around each other as Abby tries to decide if she should stay with the steady, reliable Mark or cast her lot with adventurous Sebastian, and as he tries to figure out if he has finally met The One -- and whether she would even have him, given the suddenly breaking scandal when his woman-collecting ways are published all over the Internet. There’s lots of witty dialogue and also lots of well thought out writing about women and body image, the meaning of love vs. just good sex, the often fraught relationship between mothers and daughters (which also brings in a coup of parallel subplots). This is very good stuff.

Yessss! The Jennifer Weiner I remember is back! This time with a story about forgiveness, loving oneself, and self-discovery. Abby has yet to find a purpose in the world, sure she has a very nice boyfriend, good friends, and her bicycle. Then she's asked to lead a group on a bicycle trip from New York City to Niagara Falls. It's on this trip that she comes to some realizations about her life and realizes she needs to make a big change. Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book for my honest opinion.

Loved The Breakaway. Another winner from Jennifer Weiner. Abby was a fantastic main character. She was a great role model for girls today and Sebastian was my favorite male! All the secondary characters added positively to the story and the plot. It was a fun summer, beach read. You knew how it was going to end for Abby, but there were some twists added that I didn't see coming. I will read anything Jennifer Weiner writes and I thank NetGalley for allowing me to preview this book. I will be recommending it to everyone I cycle with.

I received an e-arc of this book through Netgalley. Jenniefer Weiner is one of my favorite authors so I was really happy to get the opportunity to read this book early. I enjoyed this book in so many ways. From learning about how parents bring their own unresolved childhoods into their kids' lives, family secrets, long-distance bike rides, how things that sound perfect on paper are not always perfect for us. Such a great book.

Abby is at a crossroads in her life. She works a series of part time jobs and has a comfortable relationship with a man she has known since her youth. She has a tenuous relationship with her mom and struggles with self love of her plus-sized body. She is also an avid cyclist and is given an opportunity to lead a two week ride. One of the participants is Sebastian, a man with whom she had a one night stand two years prior. During the ride, Abby is faced with a choice to continue in the road her life is on or take a leap of faith and explore new possibilities.

When I initially read the synopsis of this book, I wasn’t immediately hooked. I scrolled by it several times but something kept pulling me back. It was a quick read and I was interested in the storyline. I do feel that the author introduced too many different conflicts with the supporting characters; however, it was an enjoyable read and I especially enjoyed the ending.

Jennifer Weiner never disappoints. A great beach read for the summer or for a hot day under the umbrella. Finished in one afternoon

Many thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book felt a little all over the place with what it was trying to accomplish. In my opinion, the author toyed around with too many serious topics to do any one of them justice. I really didn’t like how the MC treated her boyfriend, I and especially didn’t appreciate the love interest’s total disregard for the position he put her in. In addition, some of the time lapses seemed way to long to be plausible. I understand that there was past trauma the characters had to process through, but I was still left feeling like they were very immature their age.

The Breakaway started off strong for me. I was really into the book and around the midway I became frustrated with a predicament that a teenage girl had on the bike trip.

I wasn’t upset by the choice of this particular character, I felt she made the best choice for herself- but what upset me was that the mother of this character had NO idea what was going on with her daughter while most of the other women in the book DID know. The women who knew the young girl’s secret, just assumed that they girls mother wouldn’t understand so they kept the mother in the dark. In the end, the mother found out, and was understanding. I didn’t care for how that particular part of the book was glossed over, because when it was all said and done, the mother that they all felt was super conservative and not understanding- DID understand. I just felt that mother deserved more credit.

As for the rest of the book- it was just okay. The main character Abby was somewhat rude to her own mom at times, as well as to her boyfriend, Mark.

The parts I enjoyed were Abby’s friendship with an older woman named, Lizzy. Also, the spoken’ 4 and Lincoln were all entertaining and likable characters. I loved the food descriptions and the ending was also satisfying.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced readers copy.

Once again the classic summer beach read is brought to a much higher level as Weiner interlaces her romance with some serious topics. Healthy weight vs society’s view of women’s bodies, mother/daughter relationships and abortion for young women are all addressed along with a sparkly romance and Weiner’s obvious love affair with cycling. I devoured this book in two days.
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC- my opinions are my own

This is such a great book about empowerment and belief in your abilities. Not looking for love on bike tour love caught up with the two people that needed it in their lives.

It isn't summer without a Jennifer Weiner book and The Breakaway doesn't disappoint! Great themes and a slow burn romance. Enjoyed the PP side story as well.

Another winner from Jennifer Weiner. This one doesn’t have the sharper wit that characterized her early novels like Good In Bed. But like Weiner, her characters have matured with her. Abby is a sweetheart who can’t commit and has no direction. Her life is safe and quiet. So when the one wild moment of her life, suddenly reappears two years later, she is a mess of indecision and unwanted desire. And just when she thought it couldn’t get more complicated, her mother appears. My only criticism would be a little less cycling information and a little more back story between Abby and her mother and her family dynamic. With the multiple voices, it was harder to delve deeper into each of the characters. Morgan in particular feels like an add on with her mother Lily. The book has two mother/daughter storylines but Morgan and Lily feel forced there to move the storyline along sometimes.

I am a fan of Jennifer Weiner from way back. Her most recent books have been hit or miss with me.

This book was a hit with a slight miss.

Once again I find Jennifer Weiner trying too hard to put everything in her book. Several stories and points of view are used here. Here's what I didn't like:

I really wasn't a huge fan of Abby. I know, I know - she is the main character. I get it. But there was just something about her I didn't care for. I loved that she was a cyclist - that part of the book was good. But I also really had a hard time warming up to her.

I didn't care for Morgan and Lily's storyline. Having their POV included in the story detracted from everything else. Once their story was 'over' - we didn't hear anything else from them. They just disappeared from the story and reappeared briefly at the end of the book.

I'm not saying I didn't like their story or how it unfolded, but to me, if the storyline is important enough to give them their own points of view, then that POV should carry through to the end - not just disappear mid-way through the book. Or, perhaps a sequel with their story as the main story along with Abby on a different ride.

I enjoyed reading about the journey and upper New York State. I read this book while on vacation and it was an easy read. Even though it does touch on sensitive topics, I would recommend.

The main character of this book, Abby, a plus size woman in her 30s, is feeling happy enough but necessarily fulfilled. She’s sort of meandering through a series of part time jobs, and although her boyfriend Mark looks great on paper, the thought of moving in with him fills her with dread. She’s an avid cyclist, so when she’s offered the chance to lead a two week bicycle tour, she jumps at the chance to do so. But then one of the participants on the ride, Sebastian, turns out to be a guy she had the one and only one night stand of her life with a few years ago. Oh, and her mother surprises her by showing up off the ride too! The book is told from both Abby and Sebastian’s perspectives, along with occasional perspectives from some of the other people on the tour as well.

I am a longtime fan of Jennifer Weiner - I’ve literally been reading her books for more than 20 years, her books have made my top ten of the year list three times, and I’ve read all of her adult novels and her memoir! So when I got lucky enough to get an e-ARC of this one from the publisher, I couldn’t resist reading it right away even though it doesn’t come out til August 29th! And, I’m happy to say, I really enjoyed it.

If you have read a bunch of Weiner’s books, you’ll definitely see familiar themes in this one - a plus size woman working on self-acceptance, a somewhat fraught mother-daughter relationship, the struggle to feel worthy of love, etc. Abby and Sebastian are definitely both flawed people, but I found myself rooting for them anyway (even though Abby was in a relationship, so warning to those who don’t like cheating storylines). I’m not sure the perspectives of the other characters were really needed, but I enjoyed their stories as well. Not my most favorite of her books, but a solidly enjoyable read.

Every new book this author writes is better than the last one. The Breakaway rounds up interesting characters from all walks of life that are together for a weeks- long bicycle tour. The protagonist leads the tour, but is also surprised when two people she knows happen to be on the tour. This isn’t a book that should be taken at face-value as there are many layers here- the book tackles current topics such as weight issues, body image, abortion, and religion. It also tells the side story of what happens when teenagers are cut off from abortion providers. A great read and the perfect pick after reading Weiner’s short story, Golden Hills, where the same characters collide. Thank you NetGalley for an ARC.

Abby Stern agrees to lead a bike tour through upstate New York, as a chance to think about her life, and her almost-inevitable upcoming engagement to a man she first met at fat camp as a teen. While Abby is still plus sized, Mark is now half his old size.

On the first day of the trip, Abby is shocked to see one particular rider. Sebastian was her one and only one night stand, and their connection still haunts her. But Sebastian has a bad rep as a serial dater; he's definitely not husband material.

Over the next two weeks, strangers become confidantes, hidden truths come to light, and a teenage girl with a secret will unite all the riders in surprising ways—while all of Abby’s certainties about herself, her mother, and the nature of love are challenged. Highly recommended, #TheBreakaway #NetGalley #SaltMarshAuthors

As a fan of Jennifer Weiner's previous work, I knew this would be a hit...something that gave the reader a little bit of romance, but also unmasked the characters and developed them in such a profound way that left you wanting more.
While the story itself focuses on the bike tour, you are left learning more and more about each of the people on the tour, and what is going on in their own lives...from Abby's own mother, Eileen, to Morgan, the 15-year old girl looking for some guidance. The reader is brought in to the fold, and feels like they are on the bike tour with them.

Jennifer Weiner is a popular author I have read in the past. This book about Abby shows her love of cycling and trying to figure out her life.
I thought it was a good read, but it was a lot going on.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC

The opening prologue was really a sweet way to introduce Abby. I'm normally annoyed by prologues or left wishing we were told that story instead, but I did really enjoy this one.

Abby herself is likeable, and I was definitely rooting for her to find love and figure out her life.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the ARC.

Thirty-four-year-old Abby Stern has made it to a happy place. She’s got good friends, her bike, and her bike club in Philadelphia. She’s at peace with her plus-size body—at least, most of the time—and she’s on track to marry her childhood sweetheart, Mark, whom she met as a young teenager at a weight loss camp. Mark is arguably the perfect boyfriend- loving, kind, and attentive---and and he's a doctor. Mark is ready to move their relationship to the next level and have Abby move in with him, but a one-night stand a few years earlier with Sebastian, a playboy from Brooklyn, has left her with doubts about Mark being "the one".

When Abby is offered the chance to lead a 2 week bike trip on New York's Empire Trail she decides time and space from Mark are just what she needs to sort out her feelings. The bike trip consists of 14 different characters of varying age groups and backgrounds, including Abby's mom (a last minute surprise) and Sebastian. Some of these characters are very well fleshed out and others are mentioned so infrequently that I found myself saying, "who?" when they would come up again.

There were a lot of plotlines, perhaps too many. I didn't really like Morgan's plotline. I feel like that could have been a whole book by itself and having it stuck in here just seemed weird and like it didn't really do it justice. There was also a bit of preachiness and too much social/political commentary attached to this storyline for my liking.

I also felt like Lily and Eileen's backgrounds were just a little too neatly tied up. Everything was just a little too convenient for me.

I liked Abby and Sebastian as characters and I felt like they were both believable and nuanced. I liked reading about a plus sized girl who was comfortable and fit and happy. It's refreshing.

Overall, I enjoyed this book, despite a few criticisms. There are definitely a few triggering topics in it so readers should be aware of that and do more research before diving in. Thanks @netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!