While I haven't read a ton of Jennifer Weiner's books, the ones I've read have always felt light, and fun with elements of mystery and romance. The Breakway felt different than other books I've read by her. It dug into some tough issues including weight and body image, diet culture, abortion, religion, and so much more. I felt that this book was incredibly poignant, while still being easy to read and digest.

Per usual, Weiner's characters were fabulously developed and they completely came off the page. I loved Abby, and love that Weiner always has a plus-size character featured prominently in her books. It's so important to normalize that every body is beautiful no matter the size, and I love how she always does this. It means a lot to me, especially as a plus-size curvy woman.

This was dramatic, raw, and incredibly well-written, and I enjoyed every second of it.

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.
4.5/5 stars

Another gem by Weiner. I enjoyed The Breakaway and its modern take on living in a larger body in this society.

When Mark and Abby met, they were teens at a weight-loss camp. When they reconnected 15 years later, Mark was half the size he was when they met, and Abby is (mostly) at peace with her plus-size body. The two fall fast for each other again and are on the track to happily ever after.

Only, Abby can't quite put her finger on why this doesn't feel *quite* right. Or why she keeps thinking about a sexy one-night stand she had two years ago with a man named Sebastian.

When she's asked to fill in leading a cycling trip, she jumps at the chance for some time away to clear her mind and figure out what, or who, she really wants. Things get complicated when Sebastian shows up as one of her cyclists. And they get even more complicated when Abby's mother signs on as a last-minute participant.

The group will pedal 700 miles together, where more than one secret will come to light. At first glance, this may seem like "just another rom-com," but Jennifer Weiner does a fantastic job writing about the complicated nature of life, love, and mother-daughter relationships.

I’ve been reading Jen’s latest The Breakaway, and loving it as I have all her books! Her novels feature body positivity, believing in yourself, and finding those positive friendships and relationships. The Breakaway is a story of motherhood, raising daughters, women’s rights, and finding your own strength. A fantastic book for the time we are in now, with all the heartfelt issues of real life.

The plot veers on too far fetched and not believable. But the the steamy scenes are well written and will get your heart rate up’

Such a cute rom com! I love every single book that Jennifer Weiner publishes, and The Breakaway was no different. Love the conversation around the plus size character!

Thank you for allowing me to read this book as an ARC.
I have always liked Jennifer Weiner's books and this one is no exception. Cute story that reads quickly but provides a powerful message. I loved the characters and the story of the protagonist becoming the bike tour leader and, not to give anything away, what she does with her hobby and enjoyment!
The book reads fast and is fun yet pushes the reader to see what a 'bigger' girl might be exposed to from others and how it makes her feel. I also loved the 'reveal' towards the end and how it makes our protagonist feel.
What I didn't enjoy and what I hate with every book I read...authors need to leave their political opinion out of books! It has no place and shouldn't be there! It makes me rate the book lower than I would have done otherwise.

This was a light-hearted, though not frivolous weekend read for me and though I didn't connect all that much with the characters, it certainly kept me entertained from beginning to end!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.

Unfortunately this was not my favorite and I was not able to get into it. I wish the author much success with this novel.

First of all, thank you so much to the publisher for sending this my way! I absolutely love Jennifer Weiner so I was eager to read this book. It was a great read with a fantastic storyline- highly recommend!

Jennifer Weiner successfully explores many of the similar themes of her previous books with fresh eyes. Abby Stern is a thirty three year old woman who has checked all of the boxes of her life necessities but she still feels that something isn’t quite right. The book has a strong focus on body positivity and mother/daughter dynamics. It is well written and really shows that there is often more than meets the eye.

3.5 stars - I liked this one much more than Jennifer Weiner's last two books. It started out pretty strong, but I think in the middle it got lost to just doing too much. I also had a hard time with how the main character treated people. Without spoilers, I felt like she made some selfish choices because of her self-loathing, and it wasn't cute. It really annoyed me, so I couldn't bump this one up to 4. But overall, it was an easy, quick read and showed some of the charm that I've come to love from Weiner's books in the past. This makes me hopeful that Weiner is getting back into her groove again.

I absolutely loved this feel-good fiction. Abby Stearn has good friends, her bike, her bike club, and has come to terms with her plus-size body. When she is given the chance to lead a group bike trip from New York City to Niagara Falls she is happy to have the time to make some hard life choices.

She loves her fiance but cannot help questioning if he is the man for her. And if he is, why is her one-night stand from years ago still haunting her thoughts? When he shows up on the bike trip and her mother shows up as well, Abby will have to deal with a lot of truths.

This is a book that deals with body image and mother-daughter relationships with Weiner's signature charm and humor.

Jennifer tackles some tough topics in this book. Loving yourself, parent child bonding mental health and pro life/ choice. I love main character Abby who has a lot going on in her life but feels that something is off. She is in a relationship but can’t stop thinking about the one night stand she had and she goes on a biking Adenauer where her worlds collides. Liked the romance aspects of this one and the relatability of the characters and the struggles we all face as we try figure out this thing called life.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of The Breakaway by Jennifer Weiner.

I have read many of Weiner's books, and this isn't one of her best. She's hitting some of her long-time themes like body image, weight loss, and worthiness of love, but the bike setting just didn't feel fresh enough to examine them from a new angle. I'll always keep an eye out for her new title, but this one was an unfortunate skip for me.

Abby Stern is happy even though she doesn’t have a set career, but she has an apartment that she loves, good friends and her bike. She’s more comfortable in her own skin than ever before and she’s set to marry Mark, her childhood sweetheart, who she met one summer at the weight-loss camp her mother forced her to attend. It seemed like fate when she reconnected with Mark more than a decade after their last summer at camp.

Abby has everything, but she feels like something is still missing. She often thinks about Sebastien, a man she met two years ago one night in NYC. A chance to lead a last-minute cycling trip might be just what Abby needs to put her life in order and some distance between herself and Mark to ensure her life is heading in the right direction.

To Abby’s surprise, the one person she never expected to see again is in her group—Sebastien. The second face she never expected to show up is none other than her mother. When it comes to light that Sebastien’s a serial dater, Abby decides she’ll keep her distance.

The hundreds of miles of cycling allow unlikely friendships to form and secrets past and present to surface. The miles also allow Abby to reevaluate what she wants for her future.

I enjoyed this book and the mother/daughter bonds that came to light showing us that our mothers had lives and pasts before we ever came into existence and that that has shaped how they raised us and the truths they may have kept hidden and their reasons for doing so.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for allowing me to read an ARC of this novel. #NetGalley #TheBreakaway

Very likely a top 5 book of the year for me! Jennifer Weiner has been a must read for me for years but this book may be my favorite of hers by far!

I was such a fan of good in bed and the depth the author reached in her characters. And since then it has been an up and down ride for me. Loving some and others not so much. But this one was a yes.

I liked getting to know the complex characters. Abby was relatable and Sebastian was flawed. This is ultimately a little bit romance and a lot of finding your place and being comfortable in your own skin.

Some of the plots for the side characters kind of muddied the read for me. And this one falls into a current trend that I am not of fan of. Taking characteristics of the main character and then never letting the reader forget it. For Abby it is her weight, but I've also seen it with a character's sexuality or a neurodivergent character. The reader is told over and over again what makes them different instead of letting the reader experience what it is like to be them.

But overall, I liked spending time with Abby and Sebastian and learning what makes them tick.