Enjoyable main character with positive body image. Loved conventional diet industry is ignored in the book but it’s not the topic of the entire book. Book goes through a ride that helps Abby discover what she really wants in life and how maybe some of her life decisions have been made with a skewed view while she pushes the boundaries of what is considered “normal success” in life. Easy read going between characters point of views and their past. There is also what I will call a “mad honey” event, controversial that makes you think. Secrets are uncovered and decisions have to be made all while leading a bike trip that will put everything in perspective, with time.

This has already been posted to Goodreads.

I've been reading Jennifer Weiner's books since her first novel, Good In Bed. And with every new book I'm amazed at how she grows as a story teller. The Breakaway is a story about Abby, a thirtysomething woman who is unsure of the path she should be on at this point in her life. Abby has struggled to make peace with the bigger body she inhabits for most of her life. The one place she feels free from her body, her parents, her boyfriend, and life is on her bike. As a kid her mom sent her to a camp for weight loss, where she meets Mark. At the time they are both overweight and they make an instant connection. They lose touch over the years, but when they randomly meet up in their early thirties they pick up right where they left off. Or so it seems. Enter Sebastian. Abby is at a bar when she meets Sebastian. And goes home with him for her one and only one night stand. This happens right after she's run into Mark again, but before they get serious. After their incredible night together Abby basically ghosts Sebastian and figures they will never see each other again. It's now two years later and Abby has been asked to lead a bike ride on the Empire Trail. One of the participants ends up being Sebastian. Now Abby is on a two week ride with random strangers, Sebastian, and as a last minute surprise her mother.

Weiner does a great job of telling a good story while also bringing up important issues. Not only are their multiple examples about how overweight women being treated differently, she also brings in the topic of abortion. I know some readers are finding this over the top, but I think it's important to be discussed and very timely. I can see how it feels like it was shoehorned into this story. I would read a follow up about just Morgan and Lily to see how they are doing or get more of their back story. But this story was about Abby and they were just peripheral characters. Overall this about Abby's growth to finding who she wants to be in her own story.

If you have enjoyed Weiner's past works you will like this one. If you love stories about imperfect women finding their way in the world check this one out. Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC for review.

Jennifer Weiner is BACK! After a few disappointing reads over the past few years, I am so happy that this feels like old-school Weiner. I flew through this one, and loved every second of it! Abby leads a group bicycle trip from NYC to Niagara Falls. One of her riders is a fling from her past. This is rich with character backstory, which I love. We get to hear from different characters as well. I loved this and highly recommend.

“Alexa, find me a book that is about tough mother-daughter relationships, finding your life purpose, a little bit of romance with a quirky setting.”

“I have found THE BREAKAWAY by Jennifer Weiner.”


Okay, there’s some serious hate going on around here about this book but come on, this is not a book about fat shaming. As a daughter of a mother who was weight-conscious and limited everyone else’s calories, I could absolutely relate to Abby and her relationship with her mother.

I loved the opening, the steamy night with the mystery guy, and without giving much away, I loved how everything came full circle. Abby is so much like any other 34 year old we meet out in the real world - finding her way, stuck in some ruts, and wondering if she’s really that dateable or lovable to anyone. Weiner has done it again with a truly enchanting novel, one that you can finish in a day (perfect for the book club you’re in where no one can finish the entire book)!

I liked this one. DIdn’t love it, but I truly did enjoy it and found the conclusion so so enchanting.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an advance review copy of Jennifer Weiner’s new book The Breakaway. I’ve been a fan of her books for a long time. I really found myself sucked in to this plot and loved seeing the bike tour setting, especially since they biked to places I was familiar with and could picture in my mind. I can tell already that some more conservative readers are going to HATE the hot button abortion issue and where that goes, but since her views lined up with mine there, I had no issue with it except that maybe it was a bit shoehorned in to pad out the story and/or make a point. But again, I do agree with the point she was making, so I was fine with that.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I’m sorry, as much as I love Jennifer Werner, I just couldn’t get into this book very much. The characters would probably me more relate able to someone who also rides bikes. I found it to be pretty boring. I’m sure it would be a great book for someone else though. #NetGalley

I love Jennifer Weiner. I 'met' her writing a long time ago when I read her first book, Good In Bed. I do believe I have read everything she has written since then. There was a short period when I felt like I wasn't connecting to or enjoying her books quite as much- still enjoying them but just not quite as much- but I truly enjoyed reading The Breakaway.

You know when you are reading a book and you can't wait to pick it up again, and read a little bit more at every possibly opportunity? Yep, I felt that with this one. Just a thoroughly enjoyable read from start to finish.

I had a difficult time with this book. Abby was a great character but some of the others just weren't that relateable.

I could relate to Abby's relationship with her mother, the "professional dieter." Coming from a similar background, it rang true.

The plot was just okay

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC. This is my honest review.

If you love Jennifer Weiner, you may love this book. With characters that are relatable and a story familiar to real life, it has all the usual trappings of a great novel by Ms. Weiner. So why did I give it only 4 stars?

Our heroine Abby has a great personality and seems like a lovely person. So why is she stuck doing part time jobs that pay very little, even though she has a degree? Not sure. Sebastion, the protagonist to Abby, seems terrific; handsome, a writer for a blog he and his friend started. So why is he a jerk to women, with one-night stand after one-night stand? Don't know. I wanted to like them, but they were frustratingly bland, and I kept wondering why they were in their early thirties and still floating through life like driftwood?

Around the middle, it got a bit preachy (i.e., boring), even though I agreed with her take on the subject matter. Several things are hashed over: abortion, diet culture, becoming an internet sensation (in a bad way). I could have used more storyline and less lecturing, but it was a decent book for whiling away an afternoon.

I also felt the ending was pretty ho hum. I may go back and re-read In Her Shoes, but probably won't be re-reading this one.

Another solid read from Jennifer Weiner. Not really sure where the negative complaints on Goodreads about topics are coming from, since most of her followers would know how Jennifer voices her opinion on these matters. I think the book was written well and was a great summer read.

I so much enjoyed this book! Let me begin by saying I am not a cyclist, nor am i in the same age group as the main characters, but I couldn’t put this down!!
Abby is in her 30’s, living a life that she feels is more like a college student than an adult. Her relationships with her boyfriend Mark and her mom give her pause and again she wonders where she is in this adult world. I loved all of the real obstacles that Abby runs into during the story . All of the characters are well written, to the point that I was picturing them as I read. I also appreciated how Abby loves what she does and pursues that, even if it isn’t what others might want.
Thank you to NetGalley, and Atria Books for this ARC in return for an honest review.

Unfortunately, as much as I like Jennifer Weiner’s books, I am so sorry to say this was not for me. I could not relate to the characters and just didn’t enjoy it.
Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC for an honest review.

A good novel, but certainly not my favorite by Jennifer Weiner. As someone who is not an avid (read can't make it down the street without running into a mailbox) cyclist, I found a lot of the novel to not be relatable. I enjoyed the love triangle between Abby, Sebastian, and Mark, but felt the mother-daughter story lines were a bit contrived and unrealistic.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

This beautiful book tackles one of America's most controversial topics. It is probably not a story for all but will hopefully reach some who might be toeing the line. No one should get to speak for your body except for you.

2.5 Stars

So many reviewers have already described this novel perfectly. It's a novel filled with angst, secrets, poor choices, misdirected loathing, the joy of cycling, and the unlikely plot of a woman who meets on man in camp as a teenager and then meets up with him again as an adult. This woman also has a (and this is in the very first chapter) heated one-night stand with a man she has picked up (for lack of a better word) while on a bridal party outing and then meets up with him years later on a cycling trip she is leading.

I could not connect with many of the characters, I found the politics to be annoying (and I'm all about a woman's right to choose), and some of the shenanigans on the trip concerning certain teenage people to be forced and potentially horrific.

I finished this book, but I'm not at all sure that I liked it. Fans of this author, and perhaps the younger set, will likely love this novel. It just wasn't my cup of tea.

*ARC supplied by the publisher Atria Books, the author, and NetGalley.

I liked this, but didn’t love it. It’s fine - just maybe a little basic. The Planned Parenthood plotline felt kind of shoehorned in there. And everything was too neatly resolved at the end. So, meh.

This is a very solid novel by Jennifer Weiner. Our main character Abby is overweight, but she's also extremely active as a bike rider. Abby is engaged to her doctor boyfriend, and her history with him goes all the way back to fat camp together as a kid. Two years ago, right before she became official with her doctor boyfriend, she had a one night stand with Sebastian.

When Abby is called in at the last minute to lead a bike trip, of course her one night stand Sebastian is on the trip. Eek! What I really liked is that we learn a few people's stories/perspectives on the trip that were very impactful.

1. This novel does have an abortion plotline. I know that plotline isn't for everyone, so I think it's worth calling out and not dancing around it. I thought this plotline was handled very well. It's not really skippable if you're just hoping to skip it because it is very much threaded through the novel.

2. I really loved how mother/daughter relationships were handled in this book. In the end, both mother/daughter relationships features were essentially handled in the same way despite being different topics.

3. I really liked how the book handled weight. Abby is more active than the vast majority of people. Just because she bikes hundreds of miles per week doesn't mean that she has to be 100 pounds.

In my romance novels, I do like nuance, particularly in the male characters. Mark's big downside that is stated over and over is that he doesn't ride a bike. I suppose the real issue is that he's not willing to learn a bike for even short trips to make his fiance happy, but it comes across as simplistic. Sebastian, the one night stand, has had hundreds of partners, but we are supposed to believe that Abby, who he didn't even really talk with before jumping into bed with her, is SO different from all the other women. I'd have to say my biggest problem with the novel is the men.

Overall, I found this novel very propulsive and a great summer read. The characters were interesting, and I really enjoyed the camaraderie that these folks had over the course of a bike trip. It weaves in contemporary issues and everlasting issues (mother/daughter relationships) in a seamless way.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Atria Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have been late to the game with reading Jennifer Weiner's books, I think this is only my 3rd & with her most recent books, so I am not sure what her earlier books are like. I quite like her style, a little humor without being silly, some romance & some serious topics thrown in.

Abby is what I guess we would call a full figured woman, has struggled with her weight since childhood, but mostly has struggled with other people's perception of her weight. She is also an avid bicyclist & has a steady boyfriend.

I can't say too much as I personally don't like very detailed reviews, which could include spoilers. But of the things I listed above, each of those items are included in this book, along with a group bike trek across NYS.

I really loved Abby & how she was within herself, no matter what other people thought she was & decided on who she was strictly based on her physical appearance.

I guess my one complaint was that a few things tied up a little too fast & tidy but overall an enjoyable story.

This was an adorable and fun read. I enjoyed reading about all the relationships, new and old. Along with current issues and how they effect relationships. There were some nice scenic descriptions too. Overall, this book was delicious! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

This started out slow for me, but then became compulsively readable. There were a few things that didn’t work for me, but overall I ended up really enjoying it.

Abby has been dating a handsome doctor who doesn’t mind that she’s a bigger woman, even if he does sometimes toss her leftovers away before she was done with them. No, the sex isn’t as great as the one-night stand she had with a handsome stranger two years ago, and no, her career is definitely not where it should be, but basically life is going well for her. She’s healthy and loves cycling, she just also doesn’t mind carbohydrates. When she’s asked to fill in at the last minute to lead a cycling tour, she agrees, and is dismayed to learn about a couple of the folks on the trip she’ll be guiding. One of them is the one-night stand she had two years ago.

This is told mostly from Abby’s perspective, but also from some other of the cyclists on the trip. I sometimes found their stories more compelling than hers, but in the end I found it a satisfying and timely read.

NetGalley provided an advance copy of this novel, WHICH RELEASES AUGUST 29, 2023.