I enjoyed this book and following both sisters from childhood to adulthood. This book kept me engaged and wanting to read it all day long. The characters are developed and multi-dimensional. The mother daughter relationships made me explore my own relationship with my mother.

I really liked how the chapters went between the two sisters and through their lifetime. This was an interesting read that I really liked. I was surprised that this was a Jennifer Weiner book. It is very different from other books I've read from her.

I hope Jennifer Weiner writes more books like this one. I would definitely read them!

Mrs Everything was a very different story than what I’m used to reading by Weiner. The story spans the life of a family, two sisters and their mom from the 1950’s to the present. It’s definitely a slower paced story that was surprising and also very powerful. The two sisters go through tragedies and heartbreaks that mold the course of their lives. Lots of heavy topics covered in this one; death of a parent, rape, drug use and homosexuality. I really enjoyed the book. It was just a bit on the long side for me, otherwise it would have received a 5 star.
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to review this story.

Always a popular author with our patrons. However, I find that this was just your standard chick lit without much else going for it. It was all very..meh. I know Jennifer Weiner can do better than this, and hope to see a higher standard in the future.

Mrs. Everything really surprised me, and inba great way! Not to say that I was expecting a terrible book, but I just hadn’t read much of Ms. Weiner preciously. This was such a lovely book about two sisters, Jo and Bethie, and follows them from their childhood in the 50s in a cookie-cutter “perfect” house with their parents and then throughout their lives. Both girls are so different, and I saw myself in both of them, at different times throughout their lives and my own. I didn’t grow up during the time of “free love”, Woodstock, and such but I felt like I was living their experiences right along with the girls! This book really makes you think about how we, as women, feel the need to put ourselves in little boxes of conformity, and what happens to us as we deal with life, heartbreak, and tragedy.

4 out of 5 stars for Mrs. Everything by Jennifer Weiner.

A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read and honestly review this wonderful book.

I'm extremely impressed. This is so different from the other books I've read by Weiner, pleasantly so! It's a telescopic novel flipping between perspectives of two sisters, Bethie and Jo Kaufman, spanning 60+ years from the 1950s through 2022. Though there were some instances where I felt like Weiner was using a more general idea rather than specifics to glaze over a few subjects, I was still floored by how epic the coverage was, following along through the early and sudden death of the girls' father, the respective strained relationships with their mother, Bethie's childhood sexual abuse and her wild pre/post college years, Jo's struggles with accepting her sexuality and her future potential as "just" a woman, and beyond. Can't say more without revealing too much, but there is A LOT going on. It bordered on excessive, but the style of retrospective voice which effortlessly described what was happening in the scenes the reader doesn't get to see firsthand, provided a steady balance to both summarize and explain the fullness of these character's lives. Well done, Weiner.

Normally I find it easy to pick up and put down books, dabbling in a few at a time, but I found it difficult to not compulsively read more and more of the girls' lives, wondering how the changing time will affect them, if at all, and if they, Jo especially, would ever make the selfish choice to be herself despite her family's discomfort with who that is. It was a pleasure to cheer on the pair as their paths diverged and overlapped again and again. I think it spoke accurately to how special and fragile a sibling relationship can be.

Read so soon after I devoured Ask Again, Yes I couldn't help but compare these two spectacular books. I'd recommend both for anyone looking for a grueling, emotive read as I'm sure either would deliver.

In “Mrs. Everything” Jennifer Weiner uses some aspects of “Little Women” with the characters of Jo and Beth, but her book covers the 1950’s onward. By subtly referring to “Little Women” it highlighted both how much and how little things have changed since then. That proved to be one of the most thought-provoking and angry-making aspects of the story (the lack of change, not the book!) I would describe the other novels I’ve read by Jennifer Weiner as chick-lit, but “Mrs. Everything” goes beyond that to an epic family novel with outstanding characters and a broad sweep of American history and life over the past 70 years. Well worth reading and it would make a great book club choice.

My review was posted on Goodreads on 7/10/19

I loved this epic following sisters from kids to adults! It was interesting to see how Bethie and Jo swapped in and out with being the “good” sister vs the one in trouble, and I found myself agreeing with some of their choices and disagreeing with others. The book felt very realistic in that way – no one is entirely one way or the other. I also loved the historical context into which their growth was placed, which made for a kind of history of feminism that took us to the present day. This was really different than Weiner’s usually light chick lit reads, but I loved it!

This was a great book that I did not want to end. Jennifer Weiner's creates characters that you love and never want the book to end. The story follows a pair of sisters and their mother thru life. The spans from the 1950s to the present day. So many events that happened in the story are similar to my experiences. I really enjoyed this book and would love a sequel revolving around Jo's girls.

The premise of this book and author Jennifer Weiner, added to the my interest in this book. This story spans across the life cycle of two sisters and how different they are.. In a changing time, of female roles and societal expectations, this story questions a lot about who women are and how we should be. I enjoyed reading the story however, a lot of painful events occur which make the story sad and depressing.. I think this book gives a lot of food for thought and would make good dialogue in a book club.

Jennifer Weiner's newest book is the story, of two sisters growing up in Suburban Detroit. Told in the voices of each of the sisters, the story follows them from childhood through adolescence and into adulthood. Shared confidence, old rivalries, and family dynamics all help tell the story. I loved that so many issues facing women and children during the 1950's and beyond were dealt with...education, marriage, drugs, cancer, sexuality, friendships. This book captivated me from the beginning. The parts of about Jo's breast cancer recurrence were not believable, as Weiner did not seem to fully grasp the facts and the science behind breast cancer; that part was disappointing, especially as so many women are truly affected by breast cancer. Otherwise, I appreciated reading about the two sisters and they compromises they make in their lives, as well as the lies they tell themselves and others on their ultimate quest for fulfillment and contentment. A good read!

A special thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Growing up in 1950s Detroit, sisters Jo and Bethie Kaufman lived in a picture-perfect house. Jo was a passionate tomboy, with a love of books; Bethie was the pretty, good girl, with aspirations of being a star. She enjoys the privilege that comes with beauty.

Things rarely end up how you imagine them to be. The sisters survive unspeakable trauma and life's tragedies. Coming of age in the time of free love, Vietnam, and women's lib, Bethie embraces the more free, hippy lifestyle, balking traditional roles. Instead it is Jo that becomes a mother, stuck on the sidelines of her life. Neither sister has the future they envisioned, but is it too late for them to live an authentic and purposeful life?

Jennifer Weiner's newest work is her most ambitious to date and it is a risk that pays off. When a novel spans decades—in this case from the 1950s to present—there is a risk of the author losing the plot and also getting swallowed up in pop culture references, but Weiner doesn't suffer these fates. What happens instead is a remarkable journey of self discovery through the ages. Her writing is rich and fluid with deeply developed, layered characters.

What is so remarkable is that in our ever-changing society, decade after decade, women are still facing the same issues. Especially with how we decide to live our lives—women are constantly berated for their own life choices whether it be to get married, to have children, or work outside the home when they are a mother. These are things that women are consistently being judged for and they are nobody's business. Let me repeat that for those of you in the back...your choices are nobody's business.

Told in dual narratives, Weiner explores the complexities of female relationships, the difficulties woman face, as well as the expectations placed on women. She tackles some heavy issues: sexuality, racism, abortion, religion, drug abuse, etc., and because of this, both Jo and Bethie's stories are engaging and important.

Jennifer, I applaud you for telling stories that so many can relate to. I understand that this book was also personal in that there is a little bit of your mother in Jo. This novel is not only timely, but incredibly moving and poignant. Appropriately titled Mrs. Everything, this book is a bit of everything for every woman.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book - it was wonderful to see main characters who were Jewish and watch them grow from childhood through adulthood. As an only child, I've missed out on having a partner in crime, someone to hate and someone to love (sometimes all in the same day). While touching on so many taboo subjects (that are still a hotbed today!), the story is so well written that subjects that may make you uncomfortable seems natural...

An engaging exploration of sisterhood, the Sixties, and ever shifting gender roles in contemporary America. Vivid, character-driven women's fiction at its finest. Book groups: gather ye vintage jello recipes and hunker down for astonishing discussions. This book may actually crack through generations of silence, family secrets, and hidden layers of self-awareness. Full review on BookBrowse.

I loved this book so much! Definetly one of the best books I have read this year. You find yourself rooting for pretty much every character in the book. I loved how Jo and Bethie's paths are so different from each other and so different from how you think they would go.

I have tried to get back into this book more than I care to admit but unfortunately it kept falling short. I found the characters to be a bit over the top and hard to connect to. Mrs. Everything follows three generations and their struggles.

Thank you to NetGalley, Jennifer Weiner and Atria Books for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

Do we change or does the world change us? Jo and Bethie grew up in the 1950’s in a typical American household of Detroit. Jo is the tomboy and rebel and Bethie is the- would be star that enjoys dreams of a traditional life. The truth turns out to be much different than either girl imagined as they go through traumas and tragedies. Bethie becomes the wild child travelling around and Jo becomes the traditional housewife. Neither woman inhibits the life they dreamed of, nor a life that gives her joy. Is it too late for them to stake a claim on happiness?

I haven’t read a book by Weiner until this one so I wasn’t completely sure what I was getting myself into, but there were so many good reviews that I had to give it a try. I found this novel extremely long, but there were so many good moments and good life lessons to be found if you could tough it out. I loved both of the characters and the differences in their adult lives and it made me so sad to see how the world viewed woman and gays at this point in time. This work is important for woman and girls even in this time because of the messages. I savored this novel and enjoyed seeing how each woman dealt with the cards she was given and how they tried to make a life worth living for them and the next generation.

Out now!

This book depicted the struggles women have been going through for years and years. It shows that even though we have made huge strides, we will have a long ways to go. This book immediately got you invested in the characters and what happens in their lives. I would highly recommend.

Thanks to @atriabooks for sending me this free copy! I’ve never read anything by Jennifer Weiner, but after reading this one I have a multitude of holds at the library. ⁣
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#MrsEverything has been described as “unputdownable” and that is exactly how I would describe it. ⁣
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It’s an engaging, unapologetic feminist novel that follows two sisters over the course of seventy years—a multigenerational tale of love, loss, family, and womanhood—and it’s an exploration of women’s rights. ⁣
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If you have ever wanted to read a novel about how it feels to be a woman, this is it. I absolutely loved this read and it’s one I’m adding to my reread shelf because I feel that there are so many parts that resonated with me. ⁣

Bestselling author Jennifer Weiner says she has been thinking about the story of Mrs. Everything "for a really long time." She always knew that she wanted to pen a historical novel with "a lot of sweep and a lot of heft that would cover not just women in the present, but would cover generations. That started to feel a lot more urgent after the 2016 election and rise of the MeToo movement." Her goal was to use her characters to explore "the story of women in America -- where we've been, where we've gotten and, as the mother of daughters, where we still need to go." With Mrs. Everything, Weiner has achieved her goal in entertaining and absorbing fashion.

Mrs. Everything is a saga that plays out across more than six decades and examines the journeys of Jo and Bethie, two sisters who are, of course, total opposites. Bethie is pretty, feminine, and loves to be in the spotlight. She learns at an early age how to get what she wants from boys using her female charms. In contrast, Jo is athletic, political, and although she, like Bethie, has boyfriends, they don't interest her much. At an early age she discovers why, painfully aware that she will always have to keep her desires secret, hidden away from a society that won't accept her as she is.

Jo is a constant source of exasperation to their long-suffering Jewish mother, Sarah. When their father dies suddenly, Sarah is forced to take a job in the local department store to support the family. Jo feels their father's absence acutely and it strains her relationship with Sarah further since he ran interference between the two of them. But both girls step up to assist with Jo taking a job as a camp counselor while Bethie signs on to perform household tasks in their uncle's home after school.

A horrific event forever alters the course of both of their lives. Jo comes to Bethie's aid, scuttling her plan to travel abroad with her girlfriend when she uses the money she had saved to help Bethie. Shattered, and so unsure of who she has become or what the future holds for her, Bethie wanders the country and eventually ends up living on a commune, while Jo decides that convention is the safest route. Through the years, the girls' lives are beset by molestation by a relative, gang rape, abortion, an eating disorder, drug use, sexual harassment in the workplace, a shocking betrayal by a friend and spouse, and cancer, all against the backdrop of sociological changes. including the sexual revolution, women's liberation, and the fight for reproductive and civil rights.

Weiner's portrayal of the sibling relationship is believable and sometimes makes for painful reading. Typical of sisters, they go through periods when they barely communicate with or see each other, but remain bound together in the mysterious, inexplicable way that only sisters can be. They harbor grudges, resentments, and anger. At one point Bethie exclaims to Jo, "You think that I ruined your life? Well, I think you ruined mine." They confound each other. But they also come together when one needs the other, their loyalty forceful and, ultimately, unbreakable. Both characters are fully drawn and empathetic -- deeply flawed and aggravating, but also endearing. Just like members of one's own family.

Mrs. Everything is an ambitious, compelling, and unsparing look at sexism, stereotypes, conventional roles, and women's ongoing drive for the freedom to unashamedly be true to their own spirits. In 2016, now in her 70s, Jo ponders all the strides made by women during her lifetime, wondering, "Would the day ever come when simply doing your best would be enough?" Through Jo and Bethie's experiences, Weiner challenges readers to consider how a woman should be in the world while remaining true to herself. To emphasize the conundrum, Weiner concludes the book in 2016, a watershed year for women by any measure. But a year in which it became obvious just how much farther women have to go.

Weiner says she hopes her readers will find everything they have come to expect from her writing in Mrs. Everything: "That it will be funny and engaging and observant; that it will have characters who feel like women you know." In many ways, Mrs. Everything feels like quintessential Weiner, but it is much more. With Mrs. Everything, Weiner has clearly stepped out of her comfort zone and into edgier, more controversial topics and a deeply moving examination of her characters and their motivations. Mrs. Everything constitutes a strong declaration about the current state of womanhood in the United States. It is sure to be deemed one of the best books of 2019.