As a fan of Marian Keyes' older books I had high hopes for this book from reading the 'blurb' and whilst it was an enjoyable summer read it didn't quite live up to my expectations.
On the positive the book is sharp and often funny. I loved some of the more minor characters in the book.
It's a little predictable but I'd still say worth a read on holiday.

The Break. Amy and her Husband are having a break- yet her Husband Hugh seems to be the only one on it!
When he decides to leave the marriage on a temporary basis to "find himself"- Amy is devastated but has to carry on as usual.
This is a story about finding love, keeping love and changing.
It's funny and good humoured- although I really didn't think too much of Hugh leaving and the subsequent ending (won't give it away).
This is modern living at it's finest and is a great Summer read!

Marian Keyes' last few books have been a bit of a gamble -
Sometimes a bit of a disappointment, leaving one with a yearning for the likes of Watermelon and Rachel's Holiday. Fear no more! Marian is back with a vengeance with this page turner!

Amy is middle aged and happily settled with her husband Hugh, three children, and a comfortable job. All this is blown apart when Hugh wants 'a break'.. Suddenly Amy has plans of her own, and also has to cope with her daughters' lives becoming more complex at the same time. Oh, and throw in the usual madcap family and friends and it's quite the adventure.
I did find there were a few too many unnecessary family members and friends, but could soon enough keep track of who was who.
Enjoyable, predictable fun from Marian, with some serious thinking points thrown in for good measure.

I love Marian Keyes and wasn't disappointed. Hugely witty with loads of wonderful insight into the lives of these people. Such a good turn of phrase as ever. A really enjoyable read!

This is probably my favourite Marian Keyes novel since the peerless Rachel's Holiday.

Capturing perfectly the mixture of anger, shame and despair accompanying a mid life split, it also conveys the nuances of twenty first century relationships and female friendships in particular.

The gallows humour is spot on, as always.

My only criticism would be a touch of smugness in the attractive, successful, popular protagonist. Although I may just be slightly jealous.

I finished the novel in two days and would whole heartedly recommend it as an alternative to the current wave of saccharine whimsy masquerading as women's fiction.

This author always delivers humour and connection, but I think this is my favourite of hers so far. Amy's husband has a mid-life crisis and decides he needs six months off from being a husband and a father. Where does that leave Amy? But she's been having a crisis of her own.

Funny as always but also incredibly moving, Marian Keyes has captured the bittersweet nuances of middle-aged marriage perfectly.

A classic Marian Keys - warm, funny and captivating.
I enjoyed her earlier books much more than the later ones, but Marian Keys is definitely back on form with The Break. Well drawn, memorable and realistic characters, hilarious one-liners and feel-good story lines (with some quite raunchy scenes) - it's all there!
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the advance copy.

I enjoyed this book but found it difficult at the beginning because too many people were introduced in a short space of time.
I''m glad I persevered because the perception of emotions were interesting but I found some descriptions quite hard going.

I have read one Marian Keyes book before - The woman who stole my life-, and did not think much to it, but I thought this one sounded more interesting. It is the story of Amy and how she copes when her husband Hugh, decides to take a break in their long marriage. It doesn't take Amy long to find someone else for casual sex (far too much description of it) and she copes with various crises until he comes back and wants to be with her again. I had best not reveal whether he does or does not stay. Amy's character is a strange mixture of little housewife who can't cope without a man, and (literally) high flying career woman, hob-knobbing with minor celebs. Her daughters all more likeable. Hugh sounds like an idiot but he's not in it much. The irish banter and snappy dialogue grates - a lot. There are some introspective parts but on the whole the story is frivolous. Is it meant to be funny? I didn't like it at all, sorry. Final remark - what the feck does asshat mean? Is it Irish for arsehole? If you can say fuck (and she does a lot), then surely you can say arsehole!!!

I have blogged before about my love (bordering on total fangirl-ness) for Marian Keyes, and so was very excited when her next book was put on Netgalley – so I downloaded an advanced review copy for free in return for feedback!

Here’s the Amazon blurb:

“The Break is the brand new, funny, touching and truly fabulous novel from Marian Keyes . . .

‘Myself and Hugh . . . We’re taking a break.’
‘A city-with-fancy-food sort of break?’

If only.
Amy’s husband Hugh says he isn’t leaving her.
He still loves her, he’s just taking a break – from their marriage, their children and, most of all, from their life together. Six months to lose himself in south-east Asia. And there is nothing Amy can say or do about it.
Yes, it’s a mid-life crisis, but let’s be clear: a break isn’t a break up – yet . . .
However, for Amy it’s enough to send her – along with her extended family of gossips, misfits and troublemakers – teetering over the edge.
For a lot can happen in six-months. When Hugh returns if he returns, will he be the same man she married? And will Amy be the same woman?
Because if Hugh is on a break from their marriage, then isn’t she?
The Break isn’t a story about falling in love but about staying in love. It is Marian Keyes at her funniest, wisest and brilliant best.”

The central character is Amy – who at 44, is a very similar age to me, which is always a winner. She and Hugh seem to have a secure – if slightly complicated – family set up. I was concerned I’d be confused as to which ‘daughter’ was which – but soon settled in to it.

The extended friends, family and colleagues are also an important part of the storyline – and you feel like you get to know all of them – and most are really likeable in their own way.

I liked Amy a lot (although a couple of times wanted to shout at her to get a grip, or at least stand up to her mother about ‘babysitting’ her Dad when she had such a busy life already) but was always in her corner.

The way everyday references are brought in are great – social media, vlogging, internet shopping – all used in a totally ‘normal’ way. I particularly liked the fact that not ‘liking’ a friend’s Facebook posts for over a week clearly showed you were upset with them!!

I also enjoyed the Strictly references – knowing that the author is a superfan (and quite frankly a joy to watch every time she’s on It Takes Two!) – I could almost hear her reading out that section of the book!

There was also an amusing section about people bringing round casseroles in time of trouble (although maybe the casserole is an Irish thing – as when a friend was having a tough time it was mince and tomato based meals in Worcestershire!!) – but the principle was totally the same.

I really enjoyed that throughout the book you didn’t know what was going to happen after ‘The Break’ – exactly as Amy didn’t. And obviously I won’t give away what does!

There are so many interesting characters in the book, this could quite easily turn into the start of a series?? #wishfulthinking?!

Overall this is another great book from Ms Keyes – I would definitely recommend you read it when it comes out in September. Now – to see if I can shoehorn it into my 2017 Reading Challenge!

I have not read anything by Marian Keyes before so was very interested in this book. I felt I really understood all the characters in this book and wanted the best for them all. Well observed characters with feelings and thoughts you easily identify with. I found it a little too predictable though.

Not up to her usual page turner standard, but still a pleasant read.

As a massive Marian Keyes fan I was beyond excited to be able to read and review her latest book The Break. I settled down in the cosy corner of the sofa seat that my dogs don't give up too often and started reading as soon as I could - and didn't stop again until I'd finished! It's a sign of a great book when I pay no attention to the percentage sign on my kindle. I just couldn't stop reading! I feel like I've been put in the washing machine on an 'emotional' setting - Hughs break was so difficult to read about. I couldn't help but be heartbroken on Amys behalf! There were plenty of laugh-out-loud moments though with a big Irish family and interesting characters to keep us entertained. Another fabulous read from Marian Keyes! I can't wait to write my blog review for this one!

This is a hard book to review, but I've concluded my feelings of uncertainty are entirely appropriate. Life is not all about perfect, predictable endings and there aren't clear rights and wrongs. Marian Keyes captures this exactly. As with the other novels I have read by her, she can tug at the heart strings, leave you reeling with anger or have you laughing out loud. And yet this book felt like a more mature exploration of life and love than some of her previous narratives and captures perfectly how life can throw unexpected curve balls your way and no one should be able to tell you the right ways to react. At certain points of the novel I thought I knew how I felt about the characters and yet my mind changed as quickly as the protagonist's. It was great to read a book about a character who made mistakes that were excusable and human rather than selfish and unforgivable. A likeable and sympathetic narrator with a full cast of funny and lively characters. Pleasingly lengthy yet I was gripped to the last line (and there are some great one-liners!)

Thanks to NetGalley and Michael Joseph for a preview copy of this book. It was an enjoyable read, but a bit predictable. Having said that, once I started reading couldn't put it down. It was certainly thought provoking and in places very amusing. Am sure this book will appeal to any Marian Keyes fans, though does not rank in my list of personal favourites by this author.

Yet another fabulous book from Ms Keyes. I have yet to be disappointed by this authors fantastic stories. This particular book is bursting with brilliantly developed characters, each playing an equally important role. The plot of the story is bitter sweet as sad times and happy times come together and illustrate the complexity of modern life. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

I have read several previous books by Marian Keyes and have followed her growth as a writer and have long admired the honesty with which she has handled sensitive subjects such as her battles with alcohol abuse.

This book deals with the difficulties a middle aged couple face in their marriage when the husband decides he needs a gap year leaving his wife to cope with their three teenage daughters as well as her own problems of anger, grief and guilt. I have no idea if it is based on the author's own experiences but it feels raw and real. Subjects such as abortion in Catholic Southern Ireland are handled with great sensitivity. Despite the often difficult subject matter, the style is mature often with a light touch and a good deal of humour. I was left guessing the outcome until the end.

I’m not normally interested in mainstream romantic fiction but Marian Keyes is one of those writers who transcend genre. Over the years she has managed to combine some very dark issues (domestic abuse, addiction, bereavement) with sharp humour and zeitgiesty references (though she does write rather more about shoes than I would like).

The Break is about Amy, a woman in her forties with two daughters (and care of her niece) and a loving, responsible husband, Hugh. After a crisis in his life, Hugh suddenly decides he wants to take six months off and backpack round Asia. Amy is left in Dublin to cope with her busy PR career, the three girls, the machinations of her friends and extended family and her own emotional turmoil.

The Break has all the Keyes staples. It’s packed with the usual cultural references. There’s a big, eccentric Irish family (with more than a passing resemblance to the Walshes, who feature in many of Keyes’ other novels) and lots of stuff about clothes, minor celebrities, YouTube vloggers, social media sensations and the ever-shifting norms of middle-class life. Amy is a tougher, more pragmatic heroine than in some of the other novels and so, despite her sadness around Hugh, you feel like nothing too terrible will happen (although conversely there weren’t so many laugh-out-loud moments).

I whizzed through it and mostly enjoyed it but I did feel that it lacked something – and that something was probably a good editor. The period between Hugh saying he’ll go and him actually going drags on for far too long. There’s a lot of the repetition that goes into a first draft as the author’s writing out her preoccupations that should have been smoothed out on a rewrite. There are plot points that are set up but never paid off, some of the reversals come from nowhere, Amy has a superfluous sibling who adds nothing to the plot and becomes just another name to remember (perhaps not coincidentally, there are also five Walsh siblings and Keyes herself is one of five). Key events lose their impact because they take place off camera.

All in all, The Break has an episodic feel, more like a soap than a novel. Big issues are raised, dealt with and then forgotten, rather than contributing to a building of the narrative.

Despite these reservations, it’s a fun, breezy read, with some good set-piece scenes and hardcore Keyes fans will love it.