Rachel Weiss the messy woman that you are!!! This hit a little too close to home but that’s also why I really am glad that I read it.

Rachel Weiss is in a job she hates, she has a great group of friends but after so many years, the group is starting to drift apart, Rachel's mom is desperate for Rachel to get married, and Rachel's younger twin sisters are pure spoiled brats.

At times I wanted to slap Rachel. It felt like to me that she had so little respect for herself. This is why I gave this story a 2.5 stars rounded up to 3.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a really smart, sharp novel. I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect going in with the title, but it ended up being a book I kept wanting to come back to while I was working on other things, because I wanted to find out what happened. It’s really well done and has excellent commentary on society.

i did not enjoy this book :( the premise seemed cute but i did not like the characters or the direction where this story was going. maybe i will give it another try at a different time

Rachel Weiss's Group Chat is an own voice, Jewish contemporary romance. Opposites attract, tons of character growth, and just an overall fun read. 4 stars.

Rachel is turning 30 and is nowhere near being married much to her mom’s consternation. Her parents have new neighbours and her mom soon realizes they have an eligible son that she wants Rachel to date. Rachel dislikes him as soon as she meets him so that relationship is doomed. Or is it? She is enjoying her life but is realizing her once close knit friend group is moving on and transitioning into their adult lives. I enjoyed the banter between the friend group and I found the book entertaining overall.

**Thank you to Forever for this free digital review copy.**

This story was a bit of a mess, in a very real life drama kind of way. The characters, while maybe not so much relatable to me were at the very least believable. I laughed and I felt for them (not to the point of tears, but there were funny moments and serious moments). I enjoyed the Seattle setting and the quirkiness it brought with it. The emphasis on the group chat was a fresh look at friendship that I found really interesting and relatable—even if I didn’t necessarily relate to these specific characters, I can to the idea of a group chat and what that means when things go quiet. There were moments when it felt like we’d lost the thread of the story but then it would all come back and I thought the ending was fitting. This was a fun romp at bedtime but not a story that I think will stick with me for long.

This is a delightful romance with some Jewish representation. The main character Rachel Weiss (love the oh so Jewish name!) makes so many bad decisions throughout the book, even though it all turns out all right in the end. Her mom is absolutely over the top, but in a mostly funny kind of way. There was a storyline I am glad wasn't explored more, it was a bit too much and too ripped from the headlines. I also wish we had gotten to know Christopher on a deeper level, but overall I really liked the book. Maybe I've been reading too many dual POV romances lately, and it won't bother others as much. It's out now, and thank you to Forever Publishing for the advanced copy of it.

Out On: September 24, 2024

This book was an easy read that I don't think will stick with me long term, which is honestly exactly what I needed at the present moment in a book! I thought that Rachel's life was certainly chaotic and that she had much to work on, so the fact that we got to witness her character growth throughout the book was entertaining.

I think that the mother in this story is rather toxic and I don't know if other Jewish mothers are like this, but if this is genuinely how they act about wanting their children to be married and are failures if they aren't... I'm sorry, because that is absurd. Most of the scenes with the mom made me actively frustrated for our FMC here and I genuinely didn't like those sections of the book.

If you are going into this book expecting it to be a romance, you may want to think again because the story takes a very long time to get into any form of romance that is wholesome, however it is still approached in a really strange way? I don't know, but I was not vibing with the way any of our FMC's relationships played out. They just felt weird to me.

Overall, this book was a nice read for my overtired postpartum brain, but I don't know if I would pick it up again now that I've read it. Complicated feelings about it to say the least.

Thank you so much to Forever Pub for this advanced copy on NetGalley and for the physical copy as well! 🤍

I wanted to love this story, it had been a book i had been anticipating but unfortunately it fell flat for me and i just couldn't get into it.. I think i just didn't gel with the characters. I think this is a me problem because the writing was good!

Enemies to lovers
Opposites attract
Closed door
Single POV
Pride & Prejudice retelling
Growth

A delightfully relatable read. I loved the Jewish references, diverse cast of characters, the transition from 20s to 30s and her self-growth journey. I found the closed door aspect surprising, given how open the FMC is. The ending was abrupt.

2 1/2 stars

If you can appreciate an unreliable narrator, an overbearing matchmaker of a Jewish mother, and love the idea of a book that pays homage to Bridget Jones’s Diary and Pride and Prejudice with a dash of (unlikeable) Georgia Nicolson, you’ll LOVE this book. And if instead you don’t like cringe humor, making light of sexual assault, characters who are full of themselves, or plots that are all over the place, this one’s not for you.

Single girl Rachel just wants to find a nice Jewish guy and settle down… but her lack of commitment to setting up a J-Date profile indicates she’s quite content to keep having hookups for now, especially since she’s got her "thisclosetobeingengaged" perfect older sister Jane for moral support, along with her three besties: smug married unhappily married Amy, who’s bewildered that she’s not having all the newlywed sex; Sumira, who seems to be dating someone she thinks the friends group might not approve of, and queer Eva, who just lost out on a girl because she used to date guys.

Rachel keeps bumping into Christopher, the tech bro whose parents own the house the door (the one he purchased for them with the millions he’s made with his do-gooder company). Most of their interactions are funny and thought-provoking, and he’s cute even if he has no fashion sense, but she continues to write him off, until about 30% of the way through the novel when she slides into his DMs on Instagram to ask him for dating advice for Eva. Their exchanges deepen over time, and Christopher continues to pop up in her DMs and in her life. When he confesses his feelings for her in a way that insults her and her family, they’re back on the outs, a la Pride and Prejudice.

Like Bridget Jones, Rachel makes lists, is frustrated by her job, and falls into a situation-ship with someone who strings her along (Stephen turns out to be a school and business rival of Christopher). There’s an upswing at work when Rachel challenges the lunch choices (meat and dairy) at a corporate event celebrating company sustainability, and this eventually leads to a new career opportunity. Sumira׳s surprise Indian wedding adds an influx of diversity. A subplot about Rachel’s mother blithely buying her younger twin sisters perfect SAT scores is an opportunity for Christopher to sweep in and save the day--no real accountability. And then, her perfect sister, in a drunken moment, says something WAY inappropriate about an attractive man accused of sexual assault, and gets demoted (not fired!) and now the whole family is coping with the aftermath of not taking the #MeToo movement seriously. There’s a LOT going on in this novel.

The cover, with its split-screen effect, indicates it’s a romance, but the title indicates a friendship driven-plot and sets an expectation for me lot more technical, text-message styled group chats, but the four friends get together to talk regularly, as well as having a group text. Does Instagram count—are two people a group? Why are those conversations formatted as part of the regular text (at least, in the digital galley edition), making the threads harder to follow?

Rachel isn’t always likeable, but her voice is committed and consistent; the writing is observant, sharp and honest. All told, this is a (sometimes) screamingly funny novel about dating as an almost 30-something Jewish woman who is oblivious and somehow never really has to pay the price--even work-mandated therapy turns out to be a win. As a satire with an wholly unreliable narrator, it works. On another level, it's a near miss. What can I say--I'm one Jew with two opinions on this one. You read it, and let me know what YOU think.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #RachelWeisssGroupChat via #NetGalley, courtesy of #Forever.

Sweet and sassy- heavy on the sassy! The writing and banter was so darn witty, I found myself laughing out loud multiple times. The main character is a hoot- tons of sarcasm laced with a sweet soul. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with this one!

Rachel Weiss's Group Chat is yet another modern Pride and Prejudice remake. Much like previous rewritten versions like Meet the Bennedettos or Eligible (the best IMO), we have the hot mess of a family - meddling mother, oblivious father, needy immature younger sisters, and the older single sister in need of a husband. Enter the irritating and presumptuous love interest, this time in the form of a tech startup CEO, the son of the new next-door neighbors. With an active group chat with her friends, a potential new impressive love interest, going to therapy, and finally succeeding in the workplace, Rachel thinks she’s finally on the right track to getting her life together and doesn’t need her mother’s interventions. But why does seeing Christopher at her most embarrassing moments seem to bring them closer, especially the longer they continue to exchange witty messages over Instagram, when she doesn’t even like him? As they pop in and out of each other’s lives unexpectedly over the next year, and her group chat begins to unravel, and family drama ensues, she begins to question why she ever hated him in the first place? Fun and funny, this was a easy read that was entertaining but not quite as resonating as I’d hoped.

I can see how this may be something good to read as a comparison to pride and prejudice. But I think I might just be completely over P&P comps.

Also, I understand that these days, injecting stances on political or social movements is a given. The social commentary is everywhere now and inescapable. However, usually it’s a one or two off topic. This had so many topics?? I just felt taken out of the book every single time

thank you netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review. hard no. this 1000% read as YA and not adult contemporary romcom. who would make fun of sexual assault victims

I love Pride and Prejudice retellings, and this was a fresh take on it. It had very Bridget Jones’ Diary vibes, if Bridget lived in modern Seattle. I appreciated the growth the character of Rachel made, and loved Christopher, the male main character. The book was really well paced and entertaining to read.

While I approached Rachel’s growth, it was a tad hard to like her. She is very self-involved. I also found the mother’s character very one dimensional. At the beginning I found her mother amusing, but toward the end I found her toxic.

Rachel Weiss has a job she isn’t excited about, no solid romantic prospects and is about to turn thirty. She has a group chat with her friends, but as they move forward in their respective lives, Rachel feels like hers is falling apart.

3.5 stars rounded up.

3.5 stars rounded up.

I don't really know how to summarize this book, other than it follows main character Rachel and her group of friends through their trials and tribulations. Rachel's mom is set on getting her together with the new neighbor's son, a rich CEO, and Rachel spends most of the book working to ensure this doesn't happen.

It may be a "me problem" but I just couldn't connect (dare I say I disliked) with the characters, especially Rachel. I'm not sure what else to say other than I wish I liked the book more.

Thank you Forever for providing me with Advanced Reader’s copy on Netgalley.

Rachel is an extroverted, happy-go-lucky person, but her job doesn’t inspire her—it barely covers the bills. She’s thirty and having the time of her life hanging out with her besties and meeting people on Tinder. Her sister Jane, the responsible one, has a great job and will likely get engaged soon. Rachel, meanwhile, loves being the life of the party. However, her mom has started pressuring her to get more serious about life and consider dating the new neighbor’s son, a self-made millionaire. As soon as Rachel meets him, though, she can’t stand him or his family.

Rachel’s friends are maturing, and the dynamics with her besties are starting to shift. Her friend Amy is married, and Sumira has been quieter recently, making Rachel feel like things are changing around her.

The book is filled with banter and lively conversations between friends, which I really enjoyed. I loved the dynamics of Rachel’s friendships and the strong connection she shares with her sister. While Rachel is slower to settle down, her friends are transitioning into the next chapters of their lives. It was fun to read about her chaotic life and watch as maturity slowly sank in, helping her become a more grounded person.

Rachel is Jewish, and I appreciated reading a book with Jewish representation that wasn’t centered around the Holocaust, but instead focused on Jewish joy.

There is a romance element in this book, but I didn’t feel like the main focus was a romcom. To me, it felt more like a coming-of-age story, and I really enjoyed that aspect.

Rachel Weiss is about to turn 30 and her life is nothing like she thought it would be. But at least she has her three best friends and their group chat. But now her mom wants to set her up with the tech entrepreneur son of their neighbors, Christopher Butkus (who is inexplicably always referred to both of his given names). And her friends slowing start to drift away as they enter into new relationship or deal with marriage problems. How can she get her life back on track?

This is a loose retelling of Pride and Prejudice with none of the depth or charisma of the original. The characters all were one-dimensional and weren't developed beyond stereotypes. There is literally no chemistry between Rachel and Christopher (or any of the couples for that matter). Yet everything gets wrapped up in a big bow at the end. I only stuck around until the end because I was using it for one of the titles in a reading challenge. It gets a second star only because it made me laugh a few times.