Welp. this year kind of sucks. Rachel is single as a pringle, in a job she kind of despises, and her mom wants to set her up with the tech bro whose parents just moved in next door. At last she has her friends and they group chat though! As the year goes on and her relationships seem top be falling apart, she turns to someone she never expected.

Oh man did I love this book! Rachel is one of us. The friend who is single and just living her life while everyone around her seems to be moving on and taking the next steps. While she certainly annoyed me at times, I think we have all been Rachel at one point of another, so I was able to empathize with her situation. Sadly, if you are reading this book and out of the dating scene, this book gives a really accurate depiction of it…so that’s what you are missing out on! Overall this was a fun and enjoyable read!

Thank you to @readforeverpub for my gifted copy of this book!

Diving into "Rachel Weiss's Chat Group" was like stepping into a modern-day Austen world with a fresh twist. Think "Pride & Prejudice" meets "Bridget Jones’s Diary," but with a 21st-century party girl flair. Initially, I found Rachel to be as likable as wet socks—self-absorbed, obsessed with her next fashion statement, and more interested in her next hookup than in meaningful connections. But here's the kicker: her transformation was a delightful surprise. Watching her evolve from a superficial party enthusiast to a compassionate friend and sister was like witnessing a caterpillar turn into a butterfly with a chic wardrobe. She not only charmed the socks off me but also made me root for her growth and self-betterment.

Rachel’s journey to better herself was both touching and inspiring. Her softer side shone brilliantly when she was with her older sister Jane and her BFF Sumira, adding layers to her character that were as surprising as they were endearing. Her budding relationship with Christopher added just the right amount of romantic tension, while her decision to spend time volunteering at the elderly home showcased her newfound depth and kindness. It’s safe to say, Rachel’s metamorphosis from a self-centered party girl to a genuinely caring and loyal individual was the heartwarming highlight of this debut. If you're in the mood for a contemporary spin on Austen with a hefty dose of character development, this book is your perfect match.

Love representation but very confused by Sumira? Her background does not add up.

Not much romance, didn't really buy the yearning. Like where did the love confession come from?

I understand loving your friends but some of the things that happen and are forgiven is so strange.

I enjoyed this story. While humorous, it delved into real issues people in their thirties might face. It was very relatable.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of Rachel Weiss’s group chat.

I really enjoyed this retelling of pride and prejudice. The characters felt very true to the original story.

Definitely recommend!

In this story after the proposal, they spend even less time together while she obsesses over him and the fact he liked her. It felt like she was settling for someone she was told to like and didn’t completely find boring. The chemistry, to me, was lacking.

I've been a Pride & Prejudice fangirl since my teens, so when Lauren Appelbaum's Rachel Weiss's Group Chat was billed as a "Jewish millenial Pride & Prejudice retelling with Broad City vibes," I was onboard to be an early reader!

This debut has a lot going for it, but it is a Pride & Prejudice retelling that is more in the Bridget Jones's Diary vein than in the Jane Austen classic. One of the things I enjoyed seeing was the amount of character growth in Rachel. At the outset, Rachel is a self-absorbed party girl, more concerned with her appearance, wardrobe, and complaining about her job and random hookups to her friends than with anyone else's life or circumstances. I honestly had a very hard time rooting for and even liking Rachel initially, but the softer, more loyal side she showed with her older sister Jane and her closest friend, Sumira, as well as her quest to better herself and invest more time and care in others, touched my heart. I appreciated her change of heart with Christopher, as well, and thought the aspect of her volunteering her time with the elderly residents was admirable, too.

What I wished had worked a bit better were some of the Pride & Prejudice nuances Appelbaum tried to weave into this story. While I absolutely recognized the anxiety of Mrs. Bennet mirrored in Mrs. Weiss, as well as the flightiness and selfishness of the younger Bennet girls in both Abby and Ollie, it was sometimes too much. That being said, I really did love how loyal and wonderful Jane, Sumira, and Mr. Weiss were to Rachel, even in her biggest mess-ups, and felt like Lauren nailed that!

Another tough plot point was the #metoo situation. I felt it was timely and relevant to this modernized retelling, but I wish it had been handled a bit differently. I felt the resolution was very far-fetched, and while it served for some character growth for Rachel, I think more could have been done with it. However, I liked how strong Rachel's beliefs were, especially concerning voting and politics, and I feel like that is especially relevant and important as we head into the next presidential election in November, so bravo for that, Lauren!

The romantic nature of Christopher and his many grand gestures toward Rachel and her family did touch my heart, and his letter to her still gave me all the Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy feels. I also appreciated how Christopher and Rachel's dynamic changed throughout the book, and loved that he was there for Sumira's big day.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this debut and think Appelbaum shows a lot of promise and potential! I'm excited for her sophomore novel, coming in 2025, and I can't wait to see how her voice and writing style continue to develop and mature! Thank you so much to @grandcentralpub @readforeverpub and Lauren for my #gifted e-ARC of Rachel Weiss's Group Chat! This book hits shelves in exactly two months, so if you're a Bridget Jones and Pride & Prejudice fan, give this one a try!

This was a cute Pride and Prejudice retelling with a flawed and funny main character and an attractive Mr. Darcy. I found this book to be laugh-out-loud funny, and the main character’s journey of self-discovery charming. Overall, the romance wasn’t as main of a storyline as I expected but the friendship and family threads carried the narrative through. Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I found myself invested in the characters and finished it quickly!

This book really just wasn’t for me although I did enjoy the friendships in this book. I just didn’t really connect with Rachel. I did respect that the author wrote a true character - we all make mistakes and we all grow from them - but Rachel was just too much for me. I also didn’t enjoy the reason for her going viral. Idk! This book was a drag to get through imo.

An attempted modern day retelling of Pride & Prejudice.

I was absolutely disgusted by this book for many, many reasons. One of the biggest being that a character goes viral for making fun of sexual assault/sa survivors and promptly loses her job. Rather than learn from this experience, she makes it everyone else's problem. I can understand the attempt at social commentary, but it completely missed the mark. Especially considering the FMC is entirely unlikeable, consistently and problematically inserts herself in her friends problems, has barely an ounce of empathy and is truly unbearable. Once again, I understand the commentary on character growth and self discovery, but the execution was lackluster and felt very tone deaf.

Not even a modern day Darcy could save this book, in my opinion.

Such a disappointment. Not trying to be mean, just my experience with the book. Devastated they wrote my girl Elizabeth Bennet so horribly in this. Lizzy and Jane would never.

Thank you to Lauren Appelbaum, Forever and NetGalley for the arc.

I originally requested this book thinking it was going to be a romance, however this didn’t feel like romance to me even with a Jane Austen flair/inspiration (Pride & Prejudice).
The title was captivating to me - as a girly with a group chat of my best friends, and the cover alluded to a romance.

This book had its quirks and fun one-liners. I’m not personally a big fan of self absorbed characters even if it’s a strong independent woman (our FMC).
**For clarity ANY self absorbed character in any book just gives me the ick, it’s not this character specifically, this book, or the author.

A few predictable parts and then a very turbulent drop off in the end. The group chat dynamic was fun but again, I was anticipating a romance and in the end didn’t really get what I wanted out of it.

I appreciate the author and publisher for allowing me to read this ARC! Not every book can be someone’s cup of tea. I hope this book finds its intended readers.

Rachel Weiss lives in an interesting reality. While a normal human would look at some of the things that happen as a hot mess of a life. Rachel spins the reality to make it seem magical. Rachel knows that she is doing the bare minimum to get by in life and floats to guy to guy. Her mom is constantly nagging for her to find someone to "take-care" of her.

I loved this book and would love to read this all over again as a new read.

Thank you #NetGalley for the advance copy.

I had a lot of mixed feelings while reading this book. At first, I was put off by the author's writing style, but then I began to enjoy it and was excited to continue reading. However, I became disappointed as the 'plot' developed. It was quite hard to fully connect with any of the characters. The romance? What romance? I am still confused as to how they fell in love in the first place. There were hardly any interactions between the MCs that weren't surface-level. It was as if I was reading a summary. I'm not sure.

I received an ARC from Netgalley

Seattle setting, Jewish rep, enemies to lovers, adventures of dating, family pressure/drama, self-discovery, he falls first, Pride & Prejudice retelling.

Rachel Weiss & her girls share a chat group (honestly wish there were more texts on page based on the title) where they share dating woes and support each other. I loved seeing the girls supporting each other!

Rachel is messy, has an entry level tech job, dating around, trying to find her way in the world. Her mother is pushing her to meet their new neighbor's son, a tech bro with too much money, but Rachel isn't having it. They keep running into each other & come to an agreement of sorts. He declares his lover for her which seems to come out of nowhere.

Overall a fun retelling with modern characters & Jewish rep!

Starting this book I was relating a bit with our FMC and some of the struggles of dating at almost thirty. I enjoyed getting to see the relationship with her friends. This book is not one I would put in the romance category however as there is hardly any interactions between the FMC and MMC. I would have like to see them actually get to know each other instead of the very few interactions we get. I also did not like how through this book it seems like her mother cares more about the MMC and getting her daughters married off rather than if her daughters are happy or not. Overall this book was okay but I don't think I would read it again.

Rachel Weiss’s Group Chat by Lauren Applebaum is expected to be published September 24. Thank you to Forever Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rachel Weiss’s Group Chat started out strongly but lost momentum toward the end of the book. I even highlighted the opening sentence and noted Pride & Prejudice vibes. Turns out, I was right: the book features a meddling mother hell-bent on marrying off her nearly-thirty-year-old daughter, Rachel.

Rachel isn’t quite Lizzy Bennet. She’s messier, more outgoing, and living a fun but self-centered life in Seattle. She’s also stuck in a dead-end job she hates, trying to find her way in the world. She also is trying to avoid her mother’s meddling to try to set her up with Christopher, the rich son of her new next-door-neighbors.

I was on board with the first 60% of the book, but the last 40% felt rushed. I wanted more development and interactions between the MCs, more banter, something to show how the two were getting to know each other. (Even Lizzy and Darcy get to know each other more after the first proposal). I didn’t feel the connection after the declaration, honestly. One of the acts that Rachel does is remedied by Christopher’s actions, and I was a little put off by the subject because it didn’t feel like Rachel.

Rachel Weiss’s Group Chat reads more like women’s fiction than romance. I did like the friendships between the characters and how they showed the difficulties of maintaining friendships as each woman grows and gets busier. Parts of the book made me laugh and definitely are relatable to millennials. I also liked Rachel’s attempts to better herself, and the volunteering scenes were sweet.

The first half of Rachel Weiss' Group Chat was a fun and exciting ride through Rachel's life including her dead-end job, her vibrant friend group, and her quirky af family. The laughs were piling up and the dialogue was really amusing, but for me it took a turn when it became an obvious take on Pride & Prejudice. The arrogant confession of love, the letter writing, and the family favors had me imagining Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen as the books characters and it was not a good transition for me.

Don't get me wrong, I love the book & movie, but I am not a fan of obvious Shakespearian retellings, especially if I'm not expecting them. Maybe I missed some obvious clues, but if you aren't thinking "retelling" at the outset, a wacky marriage minded parent isn't that strange.

The book tried to get me back in with some friendship drama (hello, Mr. Collins) and a scandalous #metoo bachelorette snafu, but I definitely lost my interest. That being said, I do think that there are a lot of people out there who will enjoy this modern retelling with a Seattle tech scene backdrop!

A hilarious debut! I laughed out loud at much of Rachel’s inner monologue and shenanigans. If you want a lighthearted comedy, this book is for you!

I started it out with hope for a good enemies to lovers story but it was just not enough enemies to lovers. I barely started the book and it seemed he was already swooned by her and they were becoming friends. I liked the writing but the protagonist Rachel was a little immature at times. And when her and Christopher first met she was outright mean to him. Her mom was also a little weirdly obsessed with Christopher. What I did like though was her and the girls friendship.