While I really enjoyed this book, I dislike books that have controversial topics in it. Abby seemed to be self centered and didn’t seem to care about others feelings.

The absolute best story I have read in a long time. Will be sharing this one with everyone I know! Five well earned stars.

Abby Stern finds herself at a crossroads. A few years ago, she reconnected with her first boyfriend, who she met a summer camp many years before. Now, she is fairly confident they are soon to be engaged. But she cannot help but have qualms that she is not quite ready to settle down. When she gets an opportunity at the last minute to lead a two-week cycling trip in New York, she jumps at the opportunity to spend some time away and figure out what she wants. On the first day of the trip, Abby is surprised by two of the riders in the group she is leading -- her mom, who is prone to criticize Abby and her weight, and Sebastian, who Abby spent one night with that she has never been able to forget. Over the course of the two weeks, Abby comes into her own as a leader as she works through her relationships with Sebastian, her boyfriend, and her mom.

This is a engaging story about family, friendship, and finding your purpose when and where you least expect it.

Highly recommended!

Abby considers herself a lucky girl. She is set to marry a doctor. A handsome man she has known since high school. He doesn't make her heart leap but he understands her eating issues. After all, they had attended fat camp together. He has since had stomach reduction surgery and is now thin, she is still filling her belly with pleasure food and has a poor body image. Then, Abby spends one night with the thriller man of a lifetime. She knows it was just a lark, and life goes on. She is offered a fill-in job to lead a two-week bike excursion. The thriller guy shows up for the event and her mother. What happens in those two weeks is more than a bike journey.

I enjoyed this book. I liked the characters and the stories and even the side stories. I could have done without the political commentary. It didn't add anything to the story, the setting, or the plot and caused a distraction for me as I read what should have been one of Weiner's best stories. It remained, however, even with that, a good read.

Thank you to NetGalley for this advance copy of The Breakaway by Jennifer Weiner.I have read all Jennifer’s books and this one does not disappoint.Abby is a girl who has been big all her life.Sent to “fat camp “ as a tween she never measured up in her mother’s eyes.At camp, she meets Mark, with whom she forms a bon through the years doesn’t see again after her parents divorce and they can no longer afford camp. Fast forward about twenty years and Abby meets Mark again. He has had weight loss surgery and is now a podiatrist while Abby still works gig jobs but has also developed a love of bike riding.One night in New York ,right after she just met Mark again, she has a wonderful sexual encounter with Sebastian. Because she believes guys like him won’t go for girls like her, she leaves abruptly and doesn’t see him again until she is asked to lead a bike group from New York City to the Canadian border.There are an eclectic mix of bikers who provide lots of intrigue and drama including Abby’s mom who is looking for a way to finally connect with her daughter and Sebastian who has to convince Abby to give him another try especially after a scandal breaks out.This book is a little tedious in the beginning but kept reading you won’t be disappointed.

From my stationary bike, I felt a part of this story. It inspired me to hope that maybe I would find my way to getting a real bicycle that would work out here in the dirt road backcountry I find myself a part of.

This seems a gentle beach story at first. But soon, a person can see there are many subjects brought up from the character's point of view. A person needs to see all the layers of the story involved. Some may not agree with the views presented, but grab what you may and enjoy what you can. Mostly enjoy this young woman's life and journey as she finds her way to adulthood.

I was lucky to be able to read this Kindle edition through NetGalley. Thank you.

Another fabulous book by Jennifer Weiner. This book covers so many topics, body image, eating disorders, parental criticism, abortion, social media and more.
Abby Stern has fought her body image for years but has finally accepted herself. She was sent to "fat camp" by her mother for several summers. There she met Mark and was happy with him every summer, as he lost weight and gained it back every year.
Abby is a bike rider,so though people see her as overweight, she is healthy and happy.
Without giving to much away, Abby agrees to lead a bike tour in upper New York and a love triangle basically ensues.
Her mother also shows up and there is a mother daughter confrontation that leads to some important discussions.
You will cheer at the ending. I know I did.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my EARC.

I adored Abby!!! This book, in true Jennifer Weiner form is a win… Abby was asked to help lead a biking group, since she loves to bike and this will be her first time, well why the heck not, but then she bumps into someone from her past, someone who had left an impression on her and before she made it official with her now boyfriend of 2 years. NOW THAT was juicy AF!!!!

There are a few topics on here that can be a little triggering, I felt so bad for the characters in the book, and I kept thinking about how each of them overcame that. It was an awesome read and now I want to bike and maybe join a like minded people who want to do the same….

2.5 ⭐️ bumping up to 3. SPOILERS AHEAD: I started off, loving this book. I was really intrigued by Abby and her love story. I was also really intrigued by the Breakaway cycling group. As I got about half way through the book and learned Morgan’s storyline, I was a little frustrated. I did not enjoy learning that a 15 year old girl got an abortion and the entire group hid this from her mother, who was also on the trip, because she “wouldn’t understand”. I also found it really odd that the maternal relationships were strained for all of the main characters. I feel like this book tried to be “woke “ but it didn’t land. I loved the feminist theme behind this book, but it wasn’t executed well. I also really disliked that Abby cheated on Mark. I enjoyed the love story between her and Sebastian, but it irked me to find out that she was cheating. About 2/3 of the way through the book, I sped, read, ready for it to finish. The big reveal of Abby’s mom’s secret was underwhelming.

Wow, it’s really hard to figure out how to rate this one. I really really liked some parts, didn’t love others and specifically felt uncomfortable with some of the characters’ choices. BUT I have come to realize that me not agreeing with something a character does doesn’t mean the author has done anything wrong or that there is anything wrong with the story. Stories and books, like life, are full of relatable moments and full of moments that make you cringe. This book had all of that for me and I appreciated it.

And I really really want to ride a bike now.

Thank you for the advance copy!

I requested this book because I have enjoyed Jennifer’s other books and this one was another great “ easy” read. I enjoyed the story and the characters grew on me and were very relatable! It also made me want to hop on a bike!

Thank you Net Galley for an ARC of this book for an honest review.
I started out thinking this book isn’t for me it’s more for younger readers. I kept reading and started to really enjoy it. It’s thought provoking in different ways. A woman in her early thirties leads a bicycle group when she was asked to do it last minute with no experience. She’s has a relationship with a guy she’s going to marry but for the wrong reasons.. She’s not really happy even though he’s a very good person. There are a lot of different experiences that happen in the time spent with the group. I don’t want to give anything away so I won’t go into detail. She learns a lot about herself. She’s a plus size woman and her Mom has always given her healthy food growing up. She doesn’t have a good self esteem but eventually does something about that. I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to my friends.

Abby Stern spent every summer growing up, going to weight-loss camp, thanks to her perpetually dieting mother. One of the campers she met was Mark Medoff, who was the largest boy at the camp. Abby saw through all of that though, and just noticed his smile, sense of humor and how he instantly fell head over heels in love with her. They lost touch after a while, but fifteen years after her final summer at Camp Golden Hills, Abby reconnects with a half-his-size Mark, & it feels like she may get the happy ending she’s always wanted. Yes, Mark had had weight loss surgery to lose the weight, and now runs six miles a day, and refuses to eat sugar (or anything that tastes good), in order to keep his weight down. But he loves Abby just as she is - with her plus-size body, and he doesn't mind if she eats what she wants (including desserts). But on top of the issues with food, there are other things that they don't have in common, like the fact that she loves to ride her bike and he doesn't know how to ride a bike, and he loves to run and she hates to run. Also, the spark has kind of fizzled out over the past two years. She keeps thinking about two years ago, when during a bachelorette party, they were at a bar, and she met a guy named Sebastian. They ended up having a one-night-stand, and it had been the best night of her life. She snuck out without leaving her name or phone number, sure he wouldn't be interested in seeing her again, but she never forgot him.

When Mark wants Abby to move in with him, she panics. When her best friend Lizzie calls, and begs her to lead a cycling trip from NYC to Niagara Falls, she’s happy to have time away from Mark, a chance to reflect and make up her mind.. When she arrives at the meet-up point , Abby spots a familiar face in the group—Sebastian, the one-night stand she thought she’d never see again. Abby is determined to keep her distance. Then there’s a surprise last-minute addition to the trip: her mother, Eileen, the woman Abby blames for a lifetime of body shaming and insecurities she’s still trying to undo. Over two weeks and more than seven hundred miles, strangers become friends, hidden truths come to light, a teenage girl with a secret unites the riders in unexpected ways...and Abby is forced to reconsider everything she believes about herself, her mother, and the nature of love.

I am a big fan of this author's books and this one may be one of my new favorites. There were so many laugh-out-loud moments, from the rider who was hard of hearing and shouted everything, no matter how embarrassing, to the viral social media shaming of Sebastian for his serial dating ways that had left him with a long line of ticked off women. Each person on the trip had their own story, and it was a pleasure to get to know each one of them. This had an excellent storyline that kept me engaged, despite how long the book was. I definitely recommend this one!

Jennifer Weiner could write the text on shampoo bottles and I would read it and I would love it. She writes real and genuine characters because she herself is real and genuine. If you’ve ever met her or even watched one of her live events on social media, you know what I mean. Her newest novel, The Breakaway, is no different. Her ability to combine humor, drama, friendship, and family is unmatched. When Abby agrees at the last-minute to lead a two-week cycling trip, she can’t even imagine who will be joining her. As the trip progresses, so do the relationships. Gear up for one of Jennifer Weiner’s best!

"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."
I could not have chosen a better book to dive into during my Canadian Rockies tour. I absolutely devoured The Breakaway and had trouble putting it down to look at the gorgeous scenery - I saw many bikers pass while I sat by the river while finishing this book in Banff 🚲
Abby is in her mid-30's and hasn't really figured her life out. She is called upon last-minute to lead a biking trip from Battery Park, NYC, to Niagara Falls. As with any trip, being away from her everyday life gives her both space and time to reflect on what she's been doing (both good and bad) and what she wants to do. Her path feels relatable. Equally relatable to me is her free spirit best friend Lizzie, 30 years her elder, with a scruffy pup as her number one companion.
There are two big surprises in store for Abby when she meets the bikers for the ride, and both provide ample drama. I'll let you read it and find out about them for yourself 😉
The book has an epic journey, family drama, romance drama, life struggles, along with strong feminist messaging - everything I want in a women's fiction read and I loved it ALL.
I have been reading the author's books for 20 years, and this one just really struck a chord with me, taking my back to reading her first books, Good in Bed and In Her Shoes, while I lived in the Philadelphia area for college.
Thank you to Atria for the ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. I cannot recommend this one more - it comes out at the end of the month and should definitely be added to your TBR. Thank you for such a wonderful read, Jennifer!! Now I want to bike the Empire State Trail 😍

I'm not entirely sure how I felt about this book there were some parts I liked, some I disliked and some parts I was not to sure about. It's great the main character Abby has accepted herself for who she is weight wise after her mom has sent sent to fat camp while growing up. She has a boyfriend that wants her to move but she's not sure about that she wonders about the one night stand she had a couple years prior. Takes a job leading a group of bicyclist along a trail and there is where the guy from her one night stand shows up for the ride and now there's cheating, abortion, swingers apparently, it's like little stories within the story each character has their own issue and could be there own story line. Again there were political mentions but it was to far into the book so I decided to finish it but the political mentions could have been done without in my opinion. In all this was just an okay book for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my review.

Jennifer Weiner is a "go-to" author for me and her newest, The Breakaway, didn't disappoint. At first glance, it appears to be a romance book. It's not! (or at least not all of it is) It's more of a mother/daughter relationship book. Although the protagonist is younger and it's present day, a lot of Gen X women will see their relationships with their mothers in this book, especially regarding the pressure to be thin at all costs. It's very timely in the present day as regards to the attack on women's rights in red states (don't want to give too much away, but, if you're far-right leaning, for the love of all that's holy, do not read this book. It will make you mad-mad and then you'll do something stupid about it). (

The only thing that drove me kind of nuts about The Breakaway was that Abby and Sebastian kept drinking cappuccinos after 11am. IYKYK).

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

I really enjoy Jennifer Weiner's books as she always has well rounded characters and her books are just so readable. I was drawn to this one due to the setting of the Empire Trail which is a cycling trail that goes from NYC all the way to Buffalo (my hometown!).

Abby is 33 years old and has a boyfriend who she originally met at "fat camp" when she was younger and reconnecter with him when she got older. Abby is an avid cyclist who is still figuring out what she wants to do with her life. She has a one night stand in the early days of her relationship with her boyfriend and the one night stand ends up being on the bike trip that she led. She has had body image issues her entire life, mostly due to her mother who she feels like is constantly scrutinizing her.

I enjoyed the setting and all of the characters. I thought the ending wrapped up a little quickly/ambiguously but overall a good read. I stayed up past my bedtime multiple nights reading it.

I actually liked most of the book, it was fast paced and easy to read and I'm sure there are others who will absolutely love it. I didn't care for all the politics being forced in, I understood putting in the abortion story line and I don't necessarily have an issue with reading about other opinions on issues but there were so many other little political comments just forced in that it got a little irritating to me; I read fiction novels to get away, if I wanted political opinions I would read the news or hop on social media.

✨𝐑 𝐄 𝐕 𝐈 𝐄 𝐖✨

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐛𝐲 𝐉𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐖𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫

Thanks so much to @bookclubfavorites #bookclubfavoritesinsiders for the advanced copy of one of my most anticipated reads this summer! I’ve been a long time fan of @jenniferweinerwrites & her newest book did not disappoint!! 😍🚴🏼‍♀️🧡

👍🏼: Abby, a long-time cyclist who has struggled with body positivity, still doesn’t feel she has her life or career figured out at 33. She’s also dating a wonderful guy but feels something is missing and jumps at the opportunity to take a break by leading her first cycle trip tour from NYC to Niagara Falls. When she arrives, an unexpected fling from her past has signed up and she has to spend the next few weeks in his company. I loved the unique cycling journey, learning about bikes & getting to follow the stories of several characters on the tour as they ride a crazy amount of miles each day through some well-known upstate NY towns!! I was inspired to jump on my bike and start riding 😂 This story touches on lots of deep & political topics including women’s rights, family issues, weight loss/surgery, however, the plot still felt light and funny at times! There were lots of great romance moment & healing between family members that I enjoyed too🫶🏼

👎🏼: There were quite a lot of characters to keep track of in the story, but I didn’t mind once the story got rolling! I also felt like I needed more at the end to wrap up Abby’s story on the romance-side of things, however, I was happy about how her journey ended with a variety of other factors she was struggling with!

I’ve seen some mixed reviews on this one already, but I very much enjoyed it. I thought it was unique & I love an author who doesn’t shy away from difficult topics 👍🏼 check this one out on 8/29!! 📚🚴🏼‍♀️🧡

Rating: 4.25 ⭐️
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