Jennifer Weiner has been one of my favorite writers since college. After 2016’s “Who Do You Love” (which I loved), Weiner took a break from adult fiction to write a memoir and two middle grade novels.

I was thrilled to learn that she is releasing a new adult novel finally.

Mrs. Everything incorporates the themes Weiner often focuses on: sisters, weight struggles, domestic drama, but on a much more ambitious scale.

Beginning in the 1950s in Detroit, sisters Jo and Bethie’s ups and downs through life are chronicled through civil rights, the feminist movement of the 1970s, the fitness craze of the 1980s and 90s, all the way up to Hillary Clinton’s presidential run in 2016.

Along the way, the sisters face all sorts of drama from rape to coping with sexuality when the world was not as accepting of the LGBTQ community. They fall in love, not always with the best people, develop careers - or give them up for motherhood. They make bad decisions and grow and evolve as people.

While the trope of the older responsible sister and wild younger sister from her earlier books like “In Her Shoes” are present, Jo and Beth do not feel like a retread of Rose and Maggie. They are very much their own persons. Sometimes I was frustrated with decisions they made, but loved seeing how they grew and developed over the years.

The end moved me to tears and I am so happy that Weiner has finally returned to writing such an ambitious, smart, funny and moving book for adults.

"We lose ourselves, but we find our way back." Mrs. Everything is a decades long story of two sisters losing and finding themselves, while trying to share their wisdom with the next generation of family as they do the same. Jennifer Weiner does an excellent job of flowing through time and major societal issues, without lecturing the reader. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the way it made me think about supportive female relationships. We're all losing and finding ourselves; how lucky we are when we find people who are gentle enough to remind us when we may stray from our intentions and strong enough to help get us back on the right path.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

#MrsEverything #NetGalley

mrs.everything follows three generations of women through their journey—at a time when the very definition of what it means to be a woman changes with each generation. this book has a lot of heart.

Perfect. The plot was well-paced and the characters well-developed. Despite my slow reading speed and the length of the book, I finished it in a few days. And days after finishing, I co to us to think about the story and the characters.

Jennifer Weiner is back with. Sweeping saga in her unique and masterful way. Jo and Bethune were great characters to follow, though I would have liked to have seen more written about their lives in the 1980’s and in the years between Jo’s initial diagnosis and the end of the book. What’s important is that Jennifer Weiner is back, and that is always a good thing.

This tale for the outcasts—the Jews, the “Negros”, the interracial couples, the homosexual couples and, yes, women—gives a real sense of the life in the 60s and throughout the 80s with the protests, the raising of awareness and differences and injustices, the rigid roles that women were expected to conform to, and the evolving world toward the end of the 2010s. Great characters, carefully drawn and breathing their struggles across the pages, round out this well-written story filled with historical and cultural references, and the best “trip” description, ever—if that doesn’t convey “kids, don’t do drugs!” I don’t know what will! If the book doesn’t open eyes on women’s condition, I don’t know what will, either.

I was fortunate to read an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Warm thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity.

OMG this is one of the best books I have read this yr and I read ALOT!!!!!!! I found myself pausing in my reading because I didn't want it to end. I totally see a book hangover for the rest of the day from this book. You fall right into the characters lives and feel like you know them. I felt myself triumphing for them, my heart hurting with them, feeling their happiness. I don't think I've gotten this in tune with characters in a long time. Probably 6 years since Jennifer Weiner's last book lol. This novel introduces us to Bethie and Jo, 2 sisters, at a young age and follows them all through their lives. Through their trials and tribulations of life. We follow right along with them as they grow up and become women and everything that comes with. If you have never read a Jennifer Weiner novel you are solely missing out. Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for my honest review and the opportunity to read and review this amazing novel

A story which spans decades, Mrs. Everything closely explores women's roles in society, homosexuality, ethnicity, race, sexual assault, and family relationships. It is a well-written, character-driven, fast and easy read.

Mrs Everything by Jennifer Weiner. My first book by Ms Weiner which unfortunately fell flat for me. The story seemed to drag with too much detail about Jo's teenage sexual angst. Bethie's story seemed to be glossed over. While I didn't enjoy the book, I am positive Ms Weiner's fans will like it.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

I really liked this book for about the first half - a young, widow raising two daughters who were as different as night and day but ended up metaphorically trading places. Ms. Weiner sensitively posed issues such as rebellion, lesbians in hiding, racially mixed marriage, but the book ultimately felt flat and trite to me. I’ve enjoyed many of Ms. Weiner’s earlier books which were both wry and extremely funny, but in this attempt at serious literary fiction I think she misses the mark.

Had Mrs. Everything been about half as long as it is, the story could have been told tightly and engagingly, but overall , the characters were no more than the very stereotypes the characters so disdained.

I received this book as an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley.

I am a huge Jennifer Weiner fan! I really enjoyed this book although it feels a little different from her past novels. It centers on the lives of Jo and Bethie, two Jewish sisters growing up in the 1950's and it follows them through present day. Weiner explores many topics in this book, racism, sexual assault, sexual identity, the changing role of women, mother/daughter relationships, and explores whether women can ever truly have it all. This might be too much for some authors to take on in one book but Weiner succeed and the book kept me engrossed from beginning to end!

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the advance copy of this book
Being a long time fan of Jennifer Weiner's books, I was anxious to read this one.
This book followed Jo and her sister Bethie from childhood through older age.
I did enjoy the early part of the book, but found myself skimming through the latter chapters.
Sadly, this book lacked the humor that is expected from Weiner's novels.
I found her characters lacking, and the plot all over the place without a distinct sequence.

I first discovered Jennifer Weiner when my college roommate lent me Good in Bed, so I’ve been reading Weiner for a long time now. Ok, so I didn’t love the musical-theater interlude in All Fall Down, but in general, these are great character-driven, culturally Jewish fiction, about developed characters doing their best in the face of setbacks.

Her next novel, Mrs. Everything, is a family saga, beginning with two sisters in 1950s Detroit. (But did it really begin with them, or with, Sarah, their mother? Or her mother in the old country?) In Good in Bed, and then in Certain Girls, she explored some generational themes, showing how Cannie was reflected in her daughter. In Mrs. Everything, we see family relationships grow and evolve over the years.

Big sister Jo is a tomboy, uncomfortable in the mandatory skirts and dresses. The novel opens with a reference to Jo’s wife, so I knew going in that she’d eventually find happiness in a relationship with a woman, but the path isn’t smooth. Bethie seems like the pretty, pliable daughter, but as she gets older, she discovers the men, music and drugs of the sixties. The story takes us through the twists and turns of the sisters’ lives from there. Each time a new phase started, I didn’t exactly see it coming, but I though, oh, yeah, she’d do that. Bethie living in an all-woman commune? Jo teaching fitness classes? Ok, I can see that.

I had serious hopes for Jo’s first marriage, even if Bethie didn’t. Dave seemed like a friendly neighborhood boy who liked and respected Jo, and didn’t want too much intimacy so she could keep her secret. (Also, Nonie Scotto?!?!?)

The secondary characters are so well-developed, too. There are the commune women, who don’t want to participate in capitalism by making too much money from their hugely successful homemade jams. The ex-husband who won’t pay for college, but will pay for a nose job. The immigrant against affirmative action because she worked and struggled, everyone else should too.

Near the end of the novel, Jo has her beloved wife, a mature relationship with her sister, and three daughters. When they watch Hilary Clinton in her white pantsuit, there’s such a feeling of hopefulness for women and the future. It really highlights how much has changed over the course of the novel, both for Jo and Bethie personally, and for the expectations on women. Of course, the 2016 election showed how much our country really hates successful women, so I guess that’s not quite an uplifting ending. Still, there’s a feeling that Jo’s daughters and their children, and their children will continue the story.

Thank you to Atria Books for the opportunity to preview this book and provide an early review.

Jennifer Weiner, this is a shift from your other books and I like it - I like it a lot!

Mrs. Everything is a story of sisterhood, but also two strong individual stories. Jo and Bethie (at first I wondered if I had stumbled into a Little Women revamp) are two women who travel very different journeys over their lifetime - sisters who are very different but come from the same place and are thus bound together by love. The book covers an interesting arc of time and we see a lot of changes in treatment of women, sexuality, identity...

Trust me, you're going to want to read this. I recommend a reading binge over a weekend with some tea or wine and a lap blanket.

Thank you to NetGalley, Jennifer Weiner and Atria Books for this AMAZING ARC.

"We lose ourselves, but we find our way back."

I have been a Jennifer Weiner fan since "Good In Bed", and this - by far - is my favorite book. Eighteen years later (has it really been that long??), Jennifer Weiner is still a fantastic author that can weave stories and suck the reader in like no tomorrow. I can't express how much I loved this book. Both Jo and Bethie are fantastic characters, and your heart aches for them as they go through life and all the problems life throws at them.

Did I say how much I loved this book? I absolutely did. It's been four years since the last Jennifer Weiner book came out and (in my honest opinion) this one was well worth the wait.

Five freaking stars all around.

I was initially delighted to be chosen to read an advanced copy of Jennifer Weiner’s latest book. It was certainly not her best book. It was very long and drawn out. Too many generations interduced, without a good sequence. I did enjoy the early part of the book, I found myself skimming through the last third of the book. Mrs. Everything lacked the humor of her previous novels. I found her characters lacking, and the plot all over the place. I will say, due to her previous novels, this will probably end up on the Best Sellers List.

I finished Mrs. Everything last night and it was incredible. I loved the relationships and the amazing (and sometimes painful)issues that were covered. Weiners writing is always so relatable and raw and she is just such a gifted storyteller.

Mrs. Everything covers the life of two sisters, Jo and Bethie, as they struggle to find their place and identity in an ever-changing America. This would make an amazing book club discussion and I can't wait to discuss further as we get closer to it's June publication date.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ambitious and thoughtful, MRS EVERYTHING builds its emotional powerhouse from an irresistible portrait of two young women--two sisters--and paints a vivid and poignant canvas as it follows their lives. A novel with multiple rewards for the reader.

I enjoy Jennifer Weiner's books. I thought I read ALL of her books, I now see that I missed some - I will be looking for these other books.

"Journey through history - and herstory-" with 2 sisters... I want to --no I HAVE to read this one!
It has been 4 years since her last book, I have been anxiously waiting!
Now to receive her longest book, that covers the most time ... I AM EXCITED!!!

Then, I start reading the opening page... the Breast Cancer descriptions took my breath away.
Travel back to the 1950s, one sister is a tomboy where the mom doesn't understand; the other sister loved being a girl. Then begin traveling through time through segregation/integration, protests ...through the 60s; Civil Rights, Women's Rights, Protesting the Wars ...through the 70s; through relationships, school, mother issues, each wanting approval and love and to be stronger. One so hurt through many painful experiences she puts on weight to keep men away. One sister is liberated/free; the other is in chains/bondage.

I am so in love with this book, I cant keep my thoughts straight on this, I will try to get my thoughts more organized, but I think everyone should read this book.

You will become a part of this family, you will cheer, you will scream, you will feel your heart pull!

Wow. What a novel! This is my first Jennifer Weiner and I am not a huge fan. Of late, I've been drawn to books featuring sisters, as I never had one myself. This title did not disappoint. I loved the relationship between Jo and Bethie and how they faced things that are, unfortunately, still relevant today. It was a wonderful read and I can't wait to share it with my patrons.