I found most of the characters in this book to be absolutely nerve-grating. Rachel’s mom was an obnoxious caricature of a Jewish mother. Rachel was self-centered even when she was decidedly not trying to be, and consistently immature and annoying. Rachel’s friend group each made ridiculous choices. The twins’ joke at Thanksgiving that maybe Rachel was trying to date the wrong gender? The drunken mockery of the Me Too movement and then the “fix” of her sister’s demotion by writing an article about how the Me Too movement negatively affects women? A solid miss, all the way around. Maybe I’m missing the endearing qualities of vapid late-twenty-somethings who aren’t focused on anything but themselves and finding/pleasing their significant others. Or maybe these characters were just plain awful. It felt like a cheapened, annoying retelling of Bridget Jones’ Diary.

This book started out slow. I was annoyed with the main character. But…. The ending was perfect. I ended up enjoying, and even related to her.

Unfortunately, I did not like this book. The main character was intolerable, and I just could not get past that.

I did like the narrator and I appreciate the ARC!

This book had me cracking up! I was not a fan of Christopher’s last name but I know it was to add to the humor. 🤭 such a fun light hearted romcom!

Rachel Weiss group chat reminded me what it was like to be younger and trying to find myself. Her group chat with her friends is hilarious and a good reminder of what it means to find love. The narrator did an awesome job of bringing these characters to life and helped make their story alive. This story had plenty of laughs and left you rooting for Rachel through all her crazy hijinks. Definitely give this one a chance!

This cheeky Rom-Com is about Rachel's dating life and her 3 friends' lives. They share everything with each other but especially through their group chat. Their lives are funny, messy and full of love.

Slow burn, opposites, funny, friendship and family.

Thank you to NetGallery and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very cute, I'm not super young but it's time to grow up book. Although they're was romantic elements the story focused on Rachel, her friends, and navigating being thirty something. It was poignant cute, and a reminder that we are always in control unless we give that control to others even if it's unconsciously.

The main character goes viral for making fun of survivors of sexual assault and the guy who’s in love with her … gets the video scrubbed from the Internet? Ok.

I had to read this for work and ~I got a free copy~. Really truly bad.

I liked this one. Rachel is very self-absorbed but the relationship between her and her friends is very relatable. Not sure that I loved the ending. It was pretty predictable.

Rachel’s thirtieth birthday is off to a disastrous start: a dead-end job, a string of disappointing relationships, and a meddling mother determined to set her up with the wealthy neighbor. As her life unravels, Rachel finds solace in her friends and a surprising connection with the uptight tech bro next door. Their unlikely friendship blossoms into something more, forcing Rachel to question everything she thought she knew about herself and the man she thought she couldn’t stand.

I loved this book from start to finish. It’s funny and heartwarming and genuine. I related to how messy and real Rachel is. I love how Christopher understands her and makes her feel like she can be her true self. The book is as much women’s fiction as romance, with a strong focus on family and friends. I enjoyed the audiobook narration.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Lauren Applebaum’s Group Chat is a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice, but its focus shifts away from the romance we’d expect, instead zeroing in on the messy, chaotic life of its protagonist, Rachel Weiss. Applebaum’s modern Jewish twist on Austen’s classic feels refreshing, yet at times predictable, as it navigates Rachel’s journey toward maturity and self-realization. The central thread is Rachel’s dynamic with her friends in a group chat, which serves as both a humorous commentary on modern communication and a deeper exploration of how friendships evolve. The group chat format is fun, but it sometimes limits the emotional depth of the story, leaving certain moments feeling more surface-level than profound.

Rachel Weiss herself is a character who will divide readers. She is deliberately written as selfish and messy, often making poor decisions and pushing people away. While some readers may find her “unattractive” qualities off-putting, Applebaum subtly reveals these traits as defense mechanisms, allowing for satisfying character growth as Rachel learns to confront her insecurities. This exploration of Rachel’s character is the novel’s strength, and her dry humor and sarcasm keep the story engaging. However, her character’s immaturity at times feels overplayed, making certain interactions grating rather than endearing.

The novel’s focus on friendship over romance is both a strength and a weakness. The group chat between Rachel and her friends is often hilarious, filled with witty banter and relatable moments, but the plot can feel like it meanders, especially when the romantic subplot with Christopher Butkus—who is charming but somewhat underdeveloped—takes a backseat. Applebaum hints at the potential for deeper exploration of Rachel’s relationships, but these moments are often cut short, leaving the reader wishing for more development, particularly on the romance front.

Overall, Group Chat offers a fun and lighthearted read with an endearing (if flawed) protagonist, but its pacing and lack of deeper emotional exploration hold it back from greatness. Applebaum’s humor shines throughout, and while the book may not be a standout in the modern retelling genre, it will appeal to readers who enjoy character-driven stories with a focus on friendship, personal growth, and the chaos of navigating adulthood. For me, it lands at 3.5 stars—entertaining but not without its limitations.

Idk if I would have finished if I was reading instead of listening but the short amount I did listen to I didn’t like the narrator. Idk if the characters are annoying or if it was just the audio.

This book had a lot of my favorite elements -- 30 somethings living in a city, messy dating and family dynamics.

I really enjoyed the friendships in this book, as well as the family dynamics -- they felt very realistic. Lauren Appelbaum captured the ebbs and flows of friendship very well.

Rachel did many things that made me want to shake her, but I did appreciate seeing growth from her. I enjoyed all of her friends and all the quirks of her mother. I didn't love the love interest storyline, that was one part that didn't work as well for me.

I will check out what Lauren Appelbaum writes next -- I am interested to see more from her.

I enjoyed the narrator and would definitely listen to more books narrated by her!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

This was a cute idea for a book! There were some parts that were just ehh for me but it was still a quick and enjoyable read!

It took me a bit to get into this narration, for a few reasons: You are following many characters via group chats, which caused me some confusion via audio. And in the beginning, the narrator's voice was not my favorite. However, once I was used to it, her flamboyance totally made the characters come alive and I felt like her voice really fit the story. The story itself felt pretty all over the place, but not in an especially exciting way that kept me wanting to keep listening. I do think this story had SO much potential and I loved the quirkiness of the characters, but overall, it wasn't a favorite.

2.5 rounded up. Honestly this book had potential. At first I found the main character over the top but funny. As the book continued, I found her more and more irritating to the point where I didn’t want to read more.

In addition, the side characters needed to be fleshed out and developed more for the book to work. I found the friend group endearing but struggled to keep them all straight.The romance felt far fetched and more annoying than anything.

I think the author has potential and I’d try her next one but I wouldn’t recommend this one to anyone.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the arc.

Why have I only picked single POV books in the last few weeks? Regardless 4.5 stars.

While this is being marketed as a rom-com I would argue it's a women’s fiction novel with a romantic plot line.

At first I was convinced (when I thought this was an actual romance) that it was coming off a little predictable around the 25% mark and I started waiting for the massive blow up I knew was coming. I was about 75% wrong and 25% correct which was super nice. Definitely not as predictable as I anticipated.

I really enjoyed Rachel's story. It was filled with inspiration and all sorts of bits I loved. Her growth is commendable, the chosen family is enviable, and I WISH I was as okay with intense family as she is.

The sister drama that feels like a climax of the book is a bit weird to me. Jane is an adult and both she AND RACHEL hold Rachel fully responsible for JANEs actions. Personally I don’t think Rachel is responsible for her sister drunkenly making bad choices, losing her dream job, or her public humiliation, thats all on Jane.

The book was super enjoyable. I listened to it in 2 sessions. This was my first book read by Dara Rosenberg, they are fantastic and I LOVED being read to by them.

Rachel’s mother was all sorts of annoying, until I realized this was a Pride and Prejudice retelling and her mother is supposed to be the quintessential Mrs. Bennett. Rachel is an almost-thirty year old single woman living her best life ever with her best friends, a job she hates, and no relationship prospects in sight. Her meddling mother tries very hard to set her up with the new billionaire neighbor, Christopher, but she hates him immediately because of his tech job, his money, and the glowing recommendation from her mother. He’s basically the Darcy character here being all stern and serious and aloof. We spend most of the book with Rachel either thriving or flailing at life with misadventures in dating and various embarrassing encounters with Christopher. It’s light on the actual romance between Rachel and Christopher, since they rarely get any page time together. It leans more towards women’s fiction to me, with Rachel needing to find her footing in the world on her own, before realizing that maybe her mom was right about Christopher being perfect for her. Audio was great!

Rachel Weiss's Group Chat by Lauren Appelbaum is a humorous audiobook that sheds light on the life of Jewish women, complete with all the family drama. The novel follows Rachel Weiss as she navigates the trials of turning thirty, dealing with a job she hates, and dodging her mother's well-meaning but intrusive matchmaking efforts.

The narration, while requiring a bit of time to get into the rhythm, is well-executed and enhances the story's charm. There are several laugh-out-loud moments throughout, and the book concludes with a satisfying and heartwarming ending. A fun and relatable listen, especially for fans of witty family dramas.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this ARC

I had to DNF this, it wasn’t the narrators fault.

Rachel the MC is truly awful, as is every other character in this story.

As someone who is a survivor of SA this author handled these themes of #metoo and SA very tactlessly and without a level of sensitivity, I couldn’t take another second.