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Abby is getting through life, she has a boyfriend, part time jobs, is overweight but she is an avid bike rider
When she has the chance to lead a bike ride, she jumps on the opportunity.
During the ride she gets a blast from the past, Sebastian, her one night stand from long ago. Oh and her mother joins the trip!

I enjoyed this book as I do enjoy this authors style of writing!

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I liked this book a lot!

I was a little hesitant, because I did not love Jennifer Weiner's last release (the summer place). Some of the family drama was inappropriate to the point of being off-putting. I enjoyed Big Summer and loved Mrs. Everything, so I felt this was worth a go.

Redemption! I loved the setting of the book taking place during a bike trip. I read a lot, and can't say I've ever read anything quite like that. I enjoyed all of the side characters and learning their stories... especially the young women dealing with her unwanted pregnancy and all of the women on the trip eager to support and comfort her.

Usually infidelity in books is a major cringe factor for me, but it didn't bother me too much in this book. Although I don't know that it was critical to the story for her to cheat.

The romance in this book was nice, but I moreso enjoyed reading about the main character and her confidence and growth throughout the bike trip. And how her and her mom's relationship evolved throughout the story.

4/5

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Jennifer Weiner's characters come alive for her readers. They are current with problems and issues we can all relate to on one level or another. The Breakaway kept me interested until the very end. For me it was a book about not giving up or settling for less than the best.

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What a nice find. This was the first book I've read from this author and I really enjoyed it. The story was different from anything I've read recently and really captured my attention. It was so well written and the characters were fantastic.

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Thank you Atria for the copy of The Breakaway; I have long been a fan of Jennifer Weiner ever since her first books and her engaging main characters, her openness with body image themes, and her social media and NYTimes engagement.
The Breakaway honors what I know is the author's newer passion for bike riding and I love how she talks about why bike riding matters to Abby (main character); how this theme develops really works for me and I love how it expands into a bigger theme about women's lives and how it connects to another theme about women's bodies and identities. That is the biggest win for me in this book.
There are intersecting plots and stories involving secondary characters, the ever present maternal figure who tends to manifest in Ms. Weiner's work in interesting ways, and of course a romance that is nicely developed. I will say I would have been happy to have a little less of the secondary characters in places, not because I didn't like them but because they felt underdeveloped (esp the Spoke'n Four, great characters but not sure they were needed to move the story forward and felt like they need their own book instead!).

The story follows some predictable patterns but that is welcome, the themes are still strong and predictable as I always say doesn't mean bad, it means comforting and engaging in this case. This will be a nice end of summer read for late vacations, Labor day BBQ breaks, and for the last days by the pool.

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Abby, by all accounts, has a great life. Still trying to figure out what exactly she wants to do in life, but she has a supportive boyfriend, great friends, and a complicated relationship with her mother.

***

The only problem Abby has is herself. I'm a Jennifer Weiner fan, so I was excited to get my ARC of her newest novel, however, this was just painful to read. It just felt so empty. None of the characters were sympathetic or even compelling. I wanted to DNF, but felt obligated to finish it.

First and foremost, the way that Abby treats Mark is inexcusable. Without getting spoilery that's all I can really say. And I appreciate why Abby has issues with her mother, and it was stupid of her to ambush Abby on a work trip, but somehow Abby still comes out looking worse here as well.

Don't even get me started on the love interest in this story, which also just fell flat.

Disappointed in this Weiner novel, but definitely willing to try her next one!

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

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This novel is not your average Romance novel. It contains little side stories that add so much to the narrative. The ending was especially enjoyable. If you are looking for an uplifting empowerment story that is an atypical narrative, this is for you. Thank you, Net Galley, for the opportunity to breakaway for a pleasant day of reading.

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I liked The Breakaway. It was a bit cheesy and predictable, but sometimes I enjoy that sometimes. We will be buying for sure -- we have a lot of Weiner readers at our library. Thank you!

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Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book! I really enjoyed it! The book is about a plus-size cyclist named Abby, who is asked to lead a bike trip from NYC to Niagara Falls. The trip has a few surprise guests including Abby's mother and a one-night stand Abby previously had.
The book was a good blend of serious and light. It was a relaxing read and a different type of lead than most, which I enjoyed.
I think there were more political points than I would have preferred but overall I enjoyed it and would recommend.

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I've read other books by Weiner, so I had high hopes for this one. Unfortunately, it missed the mark for me. I was looking forward to the plus-size MC, but, overall, I found the characters shallow/lacking in depth. There were far more hot-topic issues than I expected, and that did turn me off, as I read to get away from some of the politics. It felt like they were included solely for the author to make a statement. Rom-coms do tend to be cheesy, but this one was overloaded with the cheese factor. This wasn't the breezy beach read I expected it to be.

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Abby is a 30 something who is struggling with self-esteem issues & trying finding out who she is, and what she really wants. She meets Sebastian on a bachelorette party, and the chemistry is instant. But she walks away the next morning wanting to keep that night a happy memory out of fear he wouldn’t want her the same when he woke up. Two years later, serendipity brings them back into each others lives and had Abby questioning everything.

I adored this book! It was such a charming story that was really well written. I had no issue visualizing what the writer was presenting, and I really appreciated the many perspectives! I also really liked how the ending was left open to whatever happening off page. We, as the reader, can make up our own “future long term” ending. 4 star read for sure!

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There is a reason why Jennifer Weiner is an auto-buy author for me. The Breakaway combines all the elements of family drama, hidden secrets, and personal struggles while hitting on some deep topics. Abby Stern's happy place is on her bike. She has made a life out of it, even if it's something her fiance can't stand. Abby's other happiness is with her fiance Mark who she met at a weight-loss camp when she was in her teens and of the most awkward age while on paper things should be great with her life, she can't shake the feeling that things just aren't the way they should be.

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Although her life isn't fully together, Abby is excited to be newly engaged to her childhood best friend Mark, who she met at a weight-loss camp her mother forced her to attend. Yet, Abby still can't seem to shake the memories of Sebastian, a one-night stand from years ago. When Abby leads a group bike ride from New York City to Niagara Falls, she is shocked when both her mom and Sebastian are participants. Now Abby must navigate the group while avoiding Sebastian and dealing with her years of body insecurities which she blames on her mother.

If you want to read about shallow characters talked about in depth, The Breakaway is the book for you. Meet plus-size cyclist Abby who cheats on her perfectly nice boyfriend with the hot ladies' man Sebastian, who has slept his way through Brooklyn. All while she decides whether she should move in with that perfectly nice boyfriend who loves her. Add in the hot-topic issue of abortion rights for your side characters, for no other reason than Weiner wanted to make a statement, and you have a hot mess of a summer read.

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I love Jennifer Weiner’s books. This one was a page turner. While leading a bike tour Abby realizes one man in the group is one she shared an incredible night of sex with two years ago. But she already has a man to come home to. This book takes you on a romantic ride. I highly recommend this book.

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Jennifer Weiner is a favorite author of mine, and reading The Breakaway shows why. She highlights the complicated relationship of mothers and daughters in a few different ways, as well as a sharp take on the ways women are viewed and valued by society and how that molds our perception of our selves. I thoroughly enjoyed the book!
It was at turns moving and funny, with a well rounded cast of secondary characters.

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This was such a cheesy rom com with way too many coincidences. It had several things I took issue with, but I read it in a day and I had fun reading it because it was such a page turner. Half of the problems in book could have been solved if the characters just talked to each other and were honest about their feelings, but that doesn't make for a book with tension, right?

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Thank you Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the advanced reader's copy of this publication.

Jennifer Weiner always authors great books. Easy to follow, simple stories with meaning and enjoyable characters. This one focused on relationships from pasts and how we sometimes fall into the easy way and then shift when new love happens.

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I really like Jennifer Weiner. Her last few books have been… a lot. I am glad this one was a bit lighter. While still dealing with current topics. As a fat lady who enjoys biking and has lived within walking distance of the Erie Canal my entire life, this book was written for me!
I was absolutely captured at the first steamy scene and was disappointed when mom showed up on the ride that there wouldn’t be more!
It’s not lost on me that the scenes where a young woman needed access to reproductive health care in and around the “birthplace of women’s rights” because she had lost those rights in her own home state. The conversation between Lily and Eileen about how far we’ve come and how far we have to go resonated.
I liked Abby and Mark together but I knew in the back of my head that she shouldn’t make the safe choice. I enjoyed that the ending didn’t necessarily have the happily ever after typically associated with novels like this.
I did think that it was a little cheesy in the way it hit all the fat positive talking points but if those are new ideas to some readers then I’m glad they were there.
Overall, it was a good read and I would recommend it for fans of romance and women’s

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What happens when you are leading a bike tour along the Empire Trail and realize that one man in the group is a man that you shared an incredible night of sex with two years ago? The guy you thought you had a real connection with but left before he woke? What happens when you realize that he is now social media fodder for his many sexual conquests? Further- how can you feel anything for this guy especially when you have the perfect man waiting for you to come home and move in with him? Okay.... maybe the perfect man is not so perfect for you (maybe boring?) and maybe the not so perfect man is just perfect for you? Full of a cast of great characters and written with warmth and depth, "The Breakaway" Will take you on a memorable trip!

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I was so excited for this new setting, a scenic bike trip sounds like a great idea. Lost loves reuniting! However the book felt forced on relevant topics and too political for me. Not quite the summer beach read I was hoping for.

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