Another fun book by Jennifer Weiner! This is the story of Abby as she try to figure herself out in adulthood. Abby has spent most of her life holding herself back from what she truly is capable or even wants for herself. One of her greatest joys is bike riding and she embarks on a group bike excursion as the leader. There is a a love interest, growing pains, and confidence as she finds her voice during this 2 week adventure. I truly was rooting for Abby and many of the other characters in this story and felt like I was right there with them. Jennifer Weiner does a great job of writing a light story with deeper issues intertwined. I am so thankful to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read an advance copy.

I have always loved Jennifer's books and The Breakaway was no different. I love that she features strong plus-size women and isn’t afraid to touch on hot-button issues in her writing. This book is so much more than just a contemporary romance. Abby is a beautiful young woman in her early thirties who’s trying to decide if she’s content with the life she has built or if she should take a leap of faith and see what else is out there. She is unexpectedly offered a chance to lead a bike group on a trip from NYC to Niagara Falls, riding her bike has changed Abby's life in ways she cannot explain and decides this is the perfect chance to get some distance from her everyday life and help her clear her head to make the right decisions.

I loved getting to know Abby, this book touches on so many topics, body positivity, self-love, mental health and a woman’s right to choose. If you’ve read any of Jennifer’s previous works you would know many of these are topics she touches on frequently and I personally love books that bring forth issues and encourage the conversation. Abby is 33 and I found it refreshing to see her still “figuring things out”, I loved that she took those 2 weeks to do something she loved and in turn, it helped her realize a way to make her passion a career. Abby is flawed and imperfect just as we all are and I think that is why you cannot help but root for her to find her passion and pursue it.

There are a lot of side characters in this book and we get a good glimpse into quite a few of their lives. While the scenery of NY offers some absolutely breathtaking views and Jennifer does a wonderful job of painting a picture of the setting these characters add so much to this story. Raising children is challenging and through the characters, we are introduced to 3 parent/child relationships and the contrasts and similarities are really interesting. Abby's own mother surprises her by joining the ride and we really get a good feel of who Abby is and the experiences that shaped her, however as time goes on we are also let into her mother's past which helps explain why she made the choices she did. I found these parent/child dynamics really interesting.

I will say for me the romance storyline played a much smaller role in this book. We are told early on about Abby's relationship with her boyfriend and I think it is pretty obvious that while he is a great guy he isn’t “the one” for her. We then meet Sebastian. Abby had met him at a bachelorette party shortly before she began dating her boyfriend and they had spent an unforgettable night together. Abby purposely didn’t leave her number wanting to remember the night for what it was and not give him any opportunity to taint it by not calling her. The last thing she expected was for him to show up on her bike trip. While they obviously have great chemistry and are very drawn to each other I have a hard time getting over the timing of their relationship. I really wish she would have spoken to Mark first.

I'm a big fan of Jennifer Weiner's books because of how well she addresses issues of body positivity. This book follows Abby, a plus-size woman who loves biking, who unexpectedly finds herself leading a trail ride that just happens to have her mother, and the gentleman she had a one night stand with, in attendance. There are multiple other characters (and many are going through body related struggles as well), and it's amazing how easily Jennifer Weiner weaves them together. The back and forth between modern day and flashbacks were seamlessly done, and I found myself holding my breath at each turn in the metaphorical road.
This is a great novel for anyone who's loved their body, but felt the judgment and shame from others. The 'love yourself' message is woven into the pages, without feeling like you're being preached to. I can't suggest this title enough!

Nope, this book wasn't for me. I can't stand when authors think you want or need to hear about their political views. I read fiction because I DON'T want to hear your political views.

“𝘉𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘴—𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘴—𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦, 𝘢 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦, 𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘫𝘰𝘣 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨.” ⁣
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I loved this book! Jennifer Weiner has written a character-driven story about mother-daughter relationships, romance, body positivity and so much more! I couldn’t put it down. ⁣
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The author, a cyclist herself, takes the reader on a bike tour through upstate New York. Abby is in her early thirties, with a serious boyfriend named Mark who she met at “fat camp” when she was a preteen, and leading this trip for the first time as a group leader. She has a fraught relationship with her mother and is also not entirely sure that Mark is the man she wants to spend the rest of her life with. She hopes this bike trip with give her some clarity and perspective.⁣
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I loved getting to know the rest of the biking group and the multiple points of view. I especially loved Sebastian and his slow-burn romance with Abby. All of the characters were very realistic, flawed and relatable. I e particularly loved and appreciated the Jewish representation in this book. Most of all, I loved how this book inspired me to check my bike, fill my tires and go out for a ride!
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“𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦, 𝘢𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘱, 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵, 𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦, 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦. 𝘏𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳.”

This book was so much fun. I went into it with mid expectations, even though I enjoyed Jennifer Weiner's previous books, and this blew those expectations out of the water. It almost made me want to go on a bike trip.... almost. This is a great end of summer read that I would recommend to anyone.

There are a lot of topics covered in this one. Freedom of choice, body image, mother/daughter relationships, a lot of heavy stuff that you usually don’t find in a rom com but it works. Weiner has a knack for creating multidimensional characters that you love getting to know. Thumbs up! I just reviewed The Breakaway by Jennifer Weiner. #NetGalley

Abby Stern is 33 years old and in a rut. When she is offered the chance to lead a cycling trip from New York City to Niagara Falls, she takes it. Abby doesn’t exactly have a career, her apartment feels un-lived in, and even though he is the nicest guy in the universe, Abby doesn’t feel compelled to marry her former childhood sweetheart Mark, with whom she reconnected two years ago. She hopes that the cycling trip provides clarity and helps her make some decisions about a number of things. Little does she know that her mother, whom Abby blames for a lifetime of body insecurity, and her unforgettable one-night stand Sebastian, have both joined the cycling trip, muddying her chances for clarity and decision making.

There is a lot going on in this novel, and the fact that it is 400 pages long should be readers’ first clue. All of the characters that are on the cycling trip have their own subplots that range from adorably amusing to tragically heart-wrenching, but ultimately this is Abby’s journey. And what a journey it is! It may be hard for some readers to understand the pull that Sebastian and their one-night stand had on her, but I was 100% rooting for the man who made her feel like she could be herself as opposed to the man with whom she had to pretend to be someone else. Having said that, I hated the infidelity and wished that Weiner had gone a different route. Overall, however, this was a powerful book filled with body positivity, mental health awareness, strong female characters, the intricacies of mother/daughter relationships, and the importance of freedom in making choices.

Recommended for adult readers. Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I'd read the back of a shampoo bottle and love it if Jennifer Weiner wrote it, but this book was definitely a favorite of her recent novels!

The Breakaway is about Abby and a group of bike riders riding from New York City to Niagara Falls on The Empire Trail. Abby wants to take this time to decide if she should move in with her camp sweetheart turned boyfriend of two years, Mark. Unbeknownst to her, another rider has a past with her and shakes everything up.

I really enjoyed this easy beach read from Jennifer Weiner. The main character and the premise of the bike trip through New York state was super cute and made me want to take a bike trip through the Catskills.

This was a real feel good book. It really hit home with the diet culture storyline. I love how relatable the characters gets were. It was an easy read and I definitely enjoyed it.

Abby’s struggles with weight all her life, plus her mother who kept the issue alive, equal Abby feeling insecure and lacking confidence in relationships. Sebastian has had issues of his own, an alcoholic mother and the ability to hook up with multiple women without consequences, until he was outed on TikTok by a former encounter.

Abby is in a safe, comfortable relationship with Mark, a man who she knew when they were young and at their most unattractive weights. Mark is now slim, a doctor and very strict about his diet and lifestyle. Abby is healthy, but still overweight and sometimes insecure. When she is enlisted to lead a bicycle trip, the last person she expects to see is a one night stand from before Mark - Sebastian!

Truths are told by many on the trip, and emotions are high. Secrets revealed, friendships forged and decisions made that change lives. Will Abby’s life be one? I liked the story, the familiar locations and learning more about the sport of long ride bicycle trips.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

Jennifer Weiner always writes such thoughtful explorations of family and society and this latest novel is no exception. Abby is leading her first ever cycling trip from NYC to Niagara Falls. This trip will not be ordinary! Starting with the fact that one of the cyclists just happens to be a guy she had a one night stand with 2 years ago. Told from their perspectives along with other cyclists, their journey unfolds as well as flashbacks to what led each cyclist to this trip.

I really liked this one! I appreciated the tender and thoughtful way the author discussed topics of mother/daughter relationships, feminism, body image, fat shaming, bodily autonomy, family secrets and community. While the topics were heavy, overall the book has a light and approachable tone with elements of romance and travel that ended on a hopeful note- it would be an interesting beach read! I really flew through this one. Thanks Atria and Netgalley for my copy.

This is a good end-of-summer beach read, but not the kind of read I was in the mood for at the time I read it, so that likely affected my view. I also don't love the focus on the body-types.

I always love this author. Abby is about to move in with her boyfriend, but she isn't quite all in. She feels like she should be because he is great and has known her since they met at a health (read fat) camp when they were children. They reconnected as a adults. Abby still thinks about a guy she met two years ago in NYC and then....poof!...he appears on a two week bike ride she is leading. A few interesting side stories involving her relationship with her mother, other riders on the bike trip round this novel out well.

This book is good and it touches on important issues that are things we each unfortunately either face or are confronted with. Though it is a romance on the surface, the depth is not to be overlooked in that it touches on things that are buzz-worthy in social justice issues of our time. This book has a lot of heart and is not to be overlooked. I cannot wait to recommend it to many patrons both fans and unfamiliar with Weiner's magnificent works!

The Breakaway started strong for me and I was immediately sucked in and felt invested in where it was going. However, it left me with mixed feelings as the story progressed.

I really enjoyed the main character of Abby but felt the side plots took away from the main story and even though I am liberal, it felt a bit preachy about liberal viewpoints to me. It just seemed a little confused on what it wanted to be.

In addition, I don’t love cheating in books, especially when you are supposed to be rooting for the people cheating. If you don’t want to be with someone, break up.

I didn’t quite buy that Abby’s mom had been overweight and Abby never knew and never saw pictures from her wedding. I also didn’t love the theme that you need gastric bypass to lose weight.

Overall, I mostly enjoyed this one but felt with some more editing it could have been better. Not my favorite of Weiner’s but I have really enjoyed some of her others and will be back for more with the next!

Thank you netgalley for the arc!

Thank you NetGalley and Ateia books for providing me with an ARC copy to review. It has been a few years since I have read a Jennifer Weiner novel and The Breakaway did not disappoint. It was filled with familiar character types and body positive images. However what did catch me off guard was the inclusion of just about every social justice issue there is. While on the surface I don’t disagree with Ms Weiner’s stances, I am somewhat out off by knowing where she stands on these issues after reading a fictional novel of hers. I don’t feel it was always to the betterment of the book or the deep ness of the characters. All in all an enjoyable modern romance that involved long bike journeys which I enjoyed learning about.

This book was good. I enjoyed that it explores complex issues about body image. As someone who this is very personal to because of my own struggles with this, I appreciated the way it was handled in the book. I also enjoyed that this had two mother & daughter duos that each had to go through their own issues to try to heal their relationships. As this author usually does, there was more than one perspective in the book and I felt like the ones she chose to highlight helped move the story and develop the main characters. I do wish we had seen a little more of Morgan’s story later in the book. Overall, this was a solid read with some love sprinkled in to top it off.

I really enjoyed this book by Weiner; I have read almost everything she has written. A romance on the surface but then it dives deep into issues like mother daughter relationships, body image, sexual stereotypes, current social events and politics. Subtle at times and in your face at others. This all comes about in a bike tour that captures so much more than biking.

Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley