The main character was kind selfish and I didn't love the stereotypes that were thrown around easily.

Fun book that I flew through! Ultimately hard to believe the plot and hard to have compassion for the characters. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC! The audio performance was well done!

I totally loved this book and Lauren Appelbaum has a new reader for anything she writes in the future. This was really funny and fresh and worked extremely well for audio, which was kind of surprising becuase of the heavy lean on text messages. Our protagonist was obviously struggling with some issues but her heart made her such a loveable, relatable heroine that the reader can't help but root for her all the way.

This modern day retelling centers around Rachel, who is about to turn 30 and still single. Her mom keeps trying to set her up with the man buying the house next door, Christopher Butkiss, who Rachel immediately dislikes. Unfortunately Rachel keeps running into Christopher.
This book has some great character development and it was nice to see Rachel work on herself and grow over the course of the book. I loved her relationship with her friends, and the whole story felt relatable to being a hot mess in your 20s. Overall, this was a quick and cute read.
I was impressed by the audiobook narration done by Dara Rosenberg. I appreciated that she did a different voice for each character and was amazed by her range.
Thanks to Forever Publishing, Hachette Audio, and NetGalley for the advance copies.

Writing a less than stellar review is always difficult but this was a two and a half star read me, that I'm rounding up to three. Three stars, for me, means that while I didn't particularly enjoy it, I'm sure others will.

Rachel is on the cusp of turning 30 but her thoughts, actions, and emotions seem to belong to someone much younger. By the time I was 29, I had been married for 8 years, had built two houses from the ground up, had completed my Bachelor's then went back to earn another degree, and had two daughters; I was 25 when I had my first and 29 when I had my second. Because of that, it was extremely hard to connect to a character whose goals included smoking only one bowl of pot a day.

My other issue was how Rachel's lesbian best friend was portrayed. In the book, Rachel didn't appreciate assumptions being made about her while she did it with every character she interacted with. In one example, Rachel and her friends are trying to find a girlfriend for their lesbian friend. It states that she was looking around this club, pointing in the direction of the flannel wearing women. Then the friend ended up dancing with one of the "flannels" who had an undercut. Having been a teenager in the mid to late 90's, I love grunge fashion - having started in Seattle where the book takes place - which means I still love my flannels, baggy pants, and combat boots. And...I sport an undercut. It seemed sad such terrible stereotypes were used especially when the main female character despised being judged on the assumptions of others.

The romantic relationship seemed to be based on absolutely nothing especially after Rachel referred to others in the same profession as the possible match (tech) as being "nerds" and "tech bros."

This fell flat for me but I hope it is able to find its audience.

In this modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice, Rachel Weiss is about to turn thirty, and the story focuses more on friendship and personal growth than on romance. It’s a light and humorous read, filled with nostalgic vibes reminiscent of Sex and the City and early 2000s rom-coms.
At first, I didn’t really connect with Rachel, though I think that’s intentional. She’s self-centered, somewhat superficial, and often hypocritical. Her mother is obsessed with setting her up with a charming tech millionaire who seems to defy all the rules of modern dating—either through confidence or sheer naïveté. He knows her zodiac sign, claiming it’s because he read her Instagram bio. Creepy, right? But you get the idea.
Beyond Rachel’s personal growth, what I enjoyed most about the story was the way it explored the refuge and confinement of a bestie group chat, especially for younger women. The chat serves as an escape for Rachel’s friends from their routines but also becomes an echo chamber that eventually drives one friend to leave. Dara Rosenberg is a fantastic narrator and truly brings the story to life.

Rachel Wei’ss’s group chat is a delightful journey of a book. The characters felt real, especially Rachel. While you might not like her all of the time, there is no denying how real she was as a character. People in real life don’t act perfect Al the time. I appreciated her rough edges and the “annoying” parts of her, because I relate! I also appreciate the growth she went through throughout the novel.

I had high hopes for Rachel Weiss's Group Chat by Lauren Applebaum. The title alone should have been a warning. Weiss's? Shouldn't be Weiss' Group Chat? The main character is so annoying and exasperating. Actually, I had a hard time finding a character who I liked. There were a couple laugh out loud moments, but ultimately, it was a hard book to tolerate. I also found the narrator's voice to be a bit annoying too, but she was probably just embodying the main character.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

I ended up really liking this one! At first I hated the main character, and thought I would dislike this but overall thought it was a cute read. The narrator did a good job.

It took me a bit to get into it but once I did - I couldn't put it down. At times the MFC was not likable but I was routing for her. Her mother - was a nightmare! And gives all Jewish mothers a bad rep!

I really wanted to love this one. The concept, the title, it all spoke to me, especially in today's day and age, and yet I couldn't fall in like with the characters, found myself annoyed, wanting more.

I enjoyed this one. Despite her extreme self-centeredness, Rachel and her friends have a very relatable relationship. I'm not sure if I thought the ending was great. It was quite foreseeable. I could identify with Rachel's genuineness and messiness. I adore how Christopher accepts her and gives her the confidence to be who she really is. With a strong emphasis on family and friends, the book is as much romance as it is women's fiction. The narration in the audiobook was enjoyable.

Rachel Weiss’s Group Chat
Author: Lauren Appelbaum
Narrator: Dara Rosenberg

I was not a fan of this book. I was bored and almost dnf but pushed through with hopes that I would change my mind. It just wasn’t for me.

Thank you Harper Collins Focus and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book is absolutely hilarious! I must say being a Rachel and of course having dated in the past with the likes of a ' Stephen' this hit a bit close to home at times, but luckily enough water has passed under the bridge for me to enjoy it. My daughter did ask if this was about the lead character in 'Disobedience' which of course it is not- but I did enjoy the Jewish references. And the similarities to Bridget Jones/Pride and Prejudice to boot! Definitely recommend!

Ok I appreciate the fact that characters like Rachel exist in real life. The type of younger women where I want to scream, grow the hell up. So it’s realistic in that point.
The narrator has been used on much better audio novels….she should wipe this one from her portfolio though. Ugh.
I don’t mind a toxic character if they eventually grow up and learn…a nice character arc. Nope Rachel is an intolerable person the whole time. And each guy she is interested in doesn’t know the bullet they dodged.
My last beef with the story…..what kind of neighborhood dies Rachel live in with one income , yet a multi million dollar house is right next door? In contemporary romance/fiction these details matter.

Rachel Weiss’s Group Chat by Lauren Applebaum
Contemporary chick lit, romance. Own voice.I enjoyed this book! The main character is delightfully selfish and messy, yet she experiences tremendous growth over the course of the novel.Thank you to NetGalley and Hatchette Book Group for this arc.

2 stars.

I really enjoyed the narration by by Dara Rosenberg, but their performance cannot elevate the material in "Rachel Weiss's Group Chat" by Lauren Appelbaum. I love books with complicated and unlikable female characters, but Rachel is the WRONG type of unlikable. She's so dreadfully toxic! Rachel is SO immature, SP hypocritical, SO rude, and SO judgmental. She complains about the man her mother wants her to be with, Christopher, because he is a millionaire, but spends her life shilling for a rich company (even despite its best efforts to do good in the world) in a job she loathes. She complains that Christopher treats her friends like crap and that's what she does. Christopher would NEVER like a woman like Rachel... my god, grow a backbone, girl!!! Rachel does not grow as a person throughout the novel. As the kids say, she, and her actions, gave me "the ick." I audibly said "YIKES" on more than one occasion while listening, from her bad advice to friends to the way she treated Christopher to her horrible "jokes." There is more than one questionable plot point in this book, things that made me say "WTF?!" I am not sure how the Me Too/assault plot line/jokes about it made it through to the final cut. Like I said, YIKES. Also, I understand an overbearing mother and that this is supposed to be a "Pride and Prejudice" retelling, but I would seriously never speak to my mother if she acted the way Rachel's mom did toward me! The toxic apple doesn't fall far from the tree! The same goes for all of her friends... they cheat, talk crap, and affirm each other's toxic behaviors. Irredeemable people all around. There are a few laughs here and there, the voting stuff and the JLo joke made me chuckle, but otherwise, not a pleasant reading experience.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lauren Appelbaum, Hachette Audio, and Forever for the complimentary ALC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review

Okay… I both do and do not like this book. Am I glad I listened yes. Will I reread it probably not and so it goes. I would love to read a book that had some Jewish advertising in it and the characters do more than just mention J-Date the Jewish dating site the FMC tries with her whole heart to avoid. Then she meets this guy, well she doesn’t really meet him, he moves in next door and did I mention her mother is CRAZY and for some reason hinges her whole existence on her middle daughters relationship status even though she has an older daughter (who’s getting married, might I add) and twin younger daughters who pull an SAT cheating scandal. What. ANYWAYS… from the jump the mom is dead set on having her daughter and buttkiss be together. Yes, the MMC last name is Buttkiss. The last quarter of the book zooms by and the FMC starts this really beautiful self reflection phase, but then we circle back around to this boy she friend zones but loves. I’ve ranted way more about this book than I intended to because like I said not my most favorite book. Glad to have received it as an ARC and loved listening to the scene that had zero plot but she rode a naked and painted pink on a bike down a road in Seattle. I do love how the cover looks though. I think I would also like the text threads if I had read the book in a physical copy instead of listened on audio.

Rachel Weiss’s group chat by Lauren Appelbaum

Coming up to the dreaded 30, Rachel finds herself dissatisfied with her life. Boring job, disappointing men, overbearing mother… she finds herself strangely drawn to a man she doesn’t Mike like but he seems to see her right to her core.

This was funny as all heck and cute AF.

Rachel is the party girl who works to pay bills but she needs more. She wants more. She finds herself doing things she wouldn’t normally do and liking it. Christopher is the rich uptight son of her neighbors she bumps into him at the worst times. They are so different but their friendship is sweet and loaded with misunderstandings.

Loved it 4 stars

3.5 out of 5 stars!


A book set in Seattle? Yes! The Emerald City was home for five years, so any and all books set there bring all kinds of nostaglia. I loved how Rachel had a friend group that saw each other through thick and thin. And while turning 30 didn't hit me nearly as hard as turning 40, I could see how Rachel was having a difficult time navigating life. The work mandated therapy may have just been the key to helping Rachel solve her life's problems. Except for the fact that she keeps running into Christopher Butkus, son of her parents' new neigbhors. She wants nothing to do with him, yet her racing heart every time she sees him doesn't seem to get the memo. I alternated between reading the e-book and listening to the audiobook. Dara Rosenberg did a stellar job narrating all the characters in the book. She brought them all to life and made this rom-com feel like a movie in my ears.

I received an advance copy of this book at my request and voluntarily left this review.