Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the advanced reader copy

I liked the premise here, as a contemporary retelling of Pride and Prejudice (it was fun to catch the moments that mirrored the original novel). That said, this book felt like it was leaning too far into the humor, which made the characters feel less three dimensional and the plot feel thinner than it could have.

I was in the mood for a fun, lighthearted end of summer vacation read when I requested this one. I don't typically gravitate towards romantic comedies but the book description caught my attention. The story starts off great - I love the use of text chat dialogue and Rachel's mom is quite the character! - but somewhere around the half way mark I started to lose interest in the story. I found Rachel's self-centred focus to be annoying and her way of slamming certain individuals was just cringe-worthy. On a plus side, Rachel and her family give the story a contemporary Pacific West Coast <i>"The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel"</i> vibes, so that was fun!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

A twist of Pride and Prejudice and Jewish rep. I didn’t want to put this book down! I felt like I was in a group text chat with my best friends. There were a few characters that bothered me but I think that was the authors intentions.

A hilarious, opposites attract fantastic debut from Lauren Applebaum. Rachel Weiss's life is falling apart. She hates her job, has multiple failed relationships, and at thirty, her life is not what she imagined. When Rachel's friendships also start to fall apart, she unexpectedly begins to confide in the boy next door. A fun read, full of heart and humor.

I really wanted to love this, but unfortunately it was a miss for me. I found the main character irritating. While I was thankful for Jewish rep, it felt at times like a parody. I will give this author another try though.

Unfortunately, this book was a miss for me. I got excited for the Jewish representation but found the FMC to be so unlikable and self involved, that my excitement wavered quickly. I could see how this book may be more relatable to a young single person in their 30s, however it was not a good fit for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

Normally, I am not a fan of a meddling mother in a book. I can get annoyed very quickly. However in this book, I found her mother so funny. I think because she was self aware and unashamed.

I appreciated the realness of friendships in this. How they can flourish and how they can fall apart.

This was my first time reading Applebaum, I hope I can read more!

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

"Rachel Weiss's Group Chat" by Lauren Appelbaum is a modern, witty take on self-discovery and friendship. Rachel's journey through her thirties is filled with comedic missteps and moments of heartfelt reflection. The book captures the ups and downs of modern life with a mix of humor and honesty.

Readers will find the vibrant group chat between Rachel and her friends a highlight, adding a relatable and entertaining dimension to the narrative. This dynamic reflects the importance of having a supportive circle, especially when life feels overwhelming.

The novel's charm lies in its exploration of personal growth and the unpredictable nature of relationships. Appelbaum's writing offers a fresh perspective on the challenges of adulthood, making it a fun and engaging read for anyone who enjoys a mix of humor and introspection.

I'm afraid it's a for me. I couldn't even finish it, tbh. It's just... bad. The internal dialogue (and external too, for that matter) was way too cringe, characters trying too hard to be funny when they're really not. I tried reading some reviews in the hope that they'd give me a push to keep going but I've seen several people mention that the protagonist mocks sexual assault, and that was the final nail in the coffin. It is mind-boggling and extremely frustrating.

Unfortunately, I DNF this one around the 40% mark. Couldn’t get into it and couldn’t relate to the characters.

This was an okay read, it was intriguing but not something I would read again. Thank you for allowing me to read and review this ARC

The banter was good and being in Rachel’s head was hilarious so I actually had a really good time reading this but when I got to the end I was disappointed, my feeling was oh that’s it? It was unsatisfying because there were a lot of loose ends and things that needed more development.

My list of things that needed more development
* the romantic relationship. The scenes we got with the main characters were cute but it felt like we jumped several stages of that relationship
* Pretty much everything to do with her friends. It felt like all three of them were one character and they didn’t have distinct traits other than married and lesbian and Indian. Also the whole cheating thing was completely blown past. Also they all viewed Rachel is this indestructible force that never had hardships but she wasn’t. They weren’t really there for her either and that wasn’t really addressed.
* Another bullet point for the cheating scandal and that whole relationship. Did he spend less time on video games? She stopped being attracted to him, did she get that back? Were they not having sex before they got married if yes how did they make it down the aisle, if no what made things change?
* Sumira as a character couldn’t have been less developed
* Her mom. Why was she so mean to Rachel specifically. There was no growth at all on that relationship.
* Loved Jane as a character but the losing and regaing her job storyline felt forced

Promising description, but it just wasn’t for me. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I’ve read a few modern retellings of Pride & Prejudice lately but none with a Jewish twist! I enjoyed this debut from Lauren Appelbaum, but some of the characters in this one irked me terribly - I know that was kind of the point but it got to be a little much at times. That being said, I’m still really excited to see what she writes next!

I don't really know how to start this review, but I will be honest. It's been a full 12 hours since I finished this and I'm still so mad at it. Like yeah, sometimes comedy pokes fun at big topics and it might be hit or miss, but to have SO MANY in one book?? Unacceptable.

I could NEVER in good conscience, recommend this book to anyone. Not only because it is just Not Good and because it really misses on bringing what made Pride and Prejudice so adored into the mix, but because I would genuinely worry that anyone I recommended this book to, would maybe believe that I also have similar opinions to Big Topics presented in this novel. Some of those things being:

Capitalism. FMC Rachel hates capitalism (same) but only in the sense that SHE personally is not getting that money. She still slaves away for a cooperation and then ends up moving laterally in the company to something she "enjoys". Still capitalism. And obliquely she hates that capitalist society destroys the planet etc, but even though she TOTALLY mic drops 'fake' Jeff Bezos about not having more awareness for plant based diets in order to create a more sustainable food industry, she cannot go more than two days on a vegan diet. Because cheese, duh!

The perception of what poverty/getting by is. Rachel complains that capitalism keeps her down, barely able to pay rent and that rich people can't check their own privilege. She herself comes from a family with a home in a million dollar neighborhood, her parents paid for two entire college educations, she CONTINUOUSLY shops at Nordstrom, buys a bottle of wine a day, etc. And while her parents aren't as financially secure as when she was a kid, it's not like she would be on the streets if she lost her job; I mean her parents let her younger sisters shop at Sephora on a whim with no spending limit. Rachel just sucks at everything in general.

The views on adultery and that it's OK for women to step out of their marriage and "try new things". I believe Rachel's thoughts were that "people no longer burned women at the stake" for having an affair. BUT THEN, to somehow make this worse, everyone agrees not to tell the woman's husband about it because they RESPECT HER DECISION. And the poor man is basically vilified and lowkey sounded out as if he deserves it because he's sexually insecure, plays Warhammer with his friends (HAVE WE LEARNED NOTHING FROM HENRY CAVILL?), and is allergic to cats. If it were me I could not be friends with said person no matter how long I've known them because I find it abhorrent to harbor a secret like that but ALSO THE MAN SHE SLEPT WITH WAS HER FRIEND'S BOYFRIEND and they're just... ok with it? Yeah, no.

Joking about #MeToo. In any capacity that's just tactless and disgusting, but then to go as far as to NEVER APOLOGIZE and NEVER VILIFY the characters who do it??? Abhorrent. For someone who hates men SO MUCH, Rachel hates women even more. And yes, HER SISTER loses her job for laughing at her #MeToo jokes, Rachel is the lead for SENSITIVITY TRAINING at her job! She should've been fired as well AT THE VERY LEAST! To make it worse, Rachel is never, ever, sorry for her comments. She's sorry she was caught and that her sister suffered for it. Scrubbing the internet of the video and then getting Jane her job back with her BIG BRAIN REPORT was basically just saying Fuck You to assault victims everywhere.

Anyway, there's more but I'm tired of thinking about it. The characters are just big fat caricatures who make absolutely stupid decisions at every opportunity, no one EVER suffers real consequences for their, often, awful actions, and tokenism is present with the token gay Eva and token diversity queen Sumira. Just - no thank you.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Forever publishing for this advanced copy, despite my misgivings of the material itself.

I am a sucker for a pride and prejudice adaptation always, but it does more than just give you the “oh that’s the Wickham character” moment. It has a lot to say on it’s own. I don’t think I’ve read a something that has ever really captured what the threshold of your thirties feels like until now. You wake up one day and wonder “how did I get here?” You question your relationships and try to show up for them in different ways. This book gets that it’s uncomfortable but is also optimistic and hilarious about it (no spoilers but the bridal shop scene is the first time a book has made me laugh out loud in ages). Don’t get me wrong, I started this book hating Rachel Weiss- I don’t get extroverts- but I think it’s a real testament to the writing that I was unabashedly rooting for her at the end and maybe even seeing a little of myself in her. My favorite read of the year so far.

I couldn't get through too much of this one and based on the other reviews I wasn't particularly motivated to power through. The prose felt super immature and even as someone in the target audience, it was too millennial cringe to be very enjoyable. After reading other comments about the lack of sensitivity regarding mental health and SA, I'm not planning on ordering it for our store.

Thank you to the publishing team and to Hachette audio for review copies. This will be a short review, I just could not tolerate the main character at all. I was all in years ago for the messy chaos of Bridget Jones, I adore all things Pride and Prejudice and the vibes... but Rachel was not quirky chaotic somehow endearingly fun... she was obnoxious and her early behaviors in the book, including mocking someone for assault, were not fun to read and she was not someone I could root far.
I will credit the voice acting though as I felt the narration truly captured the spirit and tone of the book.

I was excited to read this book as I am a fan of modern retelling of classics. I recently read a cute update of Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth of East Hampton. Do yourself a favor and read that and skip this. Honestly, this book was not for me. I had to DNF. The dialogue was awful. The mom a characture instead of a character. The FMC was intensely unlikeable and had no insight into herself. Maybe others will like it more, but it was a pass for me. Thanksnto Forever and Net Galley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you @readforeverpub and @netgalley for sending me this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
I really wanted to like this one especially because it has Jewish representation. Unfortunately, I read 18% and I just couldn't get into it. After I received it, I read that it's a Pride and Prejudice retelling, similar to Bridget Jones Diary, which I really didn't like. I definitely see the similarities. Rachel Weiss is an unlikeable main character and I felt like she was super bratty with her friends. Unfortunately, I find it challenging to read books with unlikeable main characters. I'm assuming as the book goes on we learn more about her siblings, but by 18% I didn't even know the twins' names yet. I've read that she does something awful and the reviews about that incident almost made me want to keep reading to see what actually happens, but ultimately, there are too many books to read to spend time reading one I'm not enjoying.
Because I have to give a star rating, I'm giving this a one star here, because I didn't finish it. I will not post this review anywhere else.