I loved this book! It was probably closer to 4.25 stars for me, if we're being extra specific. It feels like I've read quite a few Pride & Prejudice retellings lately, but RACHEL WEISS'S GROUP CHAT definitely stood out. A modern Jane Austen adaptation with Jewish rep? I was hooked from the plot description alone. I really liked how the story wasn't necessarily a traditional romance—the heart of the book, for me, was the relationship between Rachel and her best friends (the titular group chat!) and Rachel's journey of self-discovery. I always enjoy stories where characters "come of age" outside of the typical time. They're not teenagers anymore, maybe they're in their 20s, or 30s, or beyond, but they're still figuring life out, still discovering where they belong and who they want to be, and Lauren Appelbaum really nails those ideas here. Rachel is a flawed character; she makes mistakes, she can be self-centered, for most of the story, she's stuck working a job she isn't particularly passionate about, and chasing toxic relationships with guys who aren't right for her. But over time, she finds ways to do what she loves, to be a better friend, sister, daughter, to be brave enough to pursue a connection with the right person. Her journey was so well-done and satisfying—even if you feel a little frustrated with her at certain points in the story, you will certainly be rooting for her by the end! I thought this was such a great debut overall, and am looking forward to Lauren Appelbaum's next novel, releasing in the fall of 2025! She is definitely an author to watch. Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the ARC.

I was just not a huge fan.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

This was a hilarious book. The humor in the book is top tier. Its not a romance and it only has a loose plot so its hard to describe this book but I enjoyed my time! The ending was a little abrupt for my liking though.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book and was excited to read it but overall it didn’t work for me. The FMC is a mess and not in a good way and I just didn’t buy the the relationship between Rachel and the two guys. It wasn't that believable for a Pride & Prejudice inspired story

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. While very witty, sarcastic and funny, Rachel is a head case- immature for her age nearly 30, self absorbed and cringe when she makes fun of sexual assault survivors. I didn't get the point of this absurd ploy device in 2024, or why Pride & Prejudice really inspires this author. The book is not a romance. Sad to say but I couldn't get into this book. I was looking forward to it.

Rachel Weiss's Group Chat is a modern Pride & Prejudice retelling and Jane Austen fans will appreciate all the nods to the original source material. But heads up, Rachel Weiss' story is front and center here, the romance itself takes the back seat. When you meet Rachel, you'll quickly realize that she is a bit of a mess and her life seems stalled. She is self-centered and makes rash decisions that often turn out poorly. But these "unattractive" qualities are as superficial as she comes across. They're a defense mechanism, and the book takes you along her journey of introspection and change. Lauren Appelbaum writes comedy well and Rachel Weiss' sarcasm, sense of humor and her tendency to find herself in ridiculous and hilarious situations kept me turning pages.

Rachel Weiss's Group Chat will be out 9/24. Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for the ARC.

This book follows the main character, Rachel Weiss, nearing her thirtieth birthday and the situations (and pitfalls) she gets herself in. The book centers her with her family and friend group. Navigating her egotistical tendencies and how that impacts her relationships. The first half of this book had me laughing. I like a messy FMC who is fun, relatable and confident. I don’t mind cringe moments for character growth however this book had a lot of ~*cringe*~ moments without a lot of character growth. Although this is intended to be a romcom, there’s very little romance. Rachel spend the first 97% of the book not liking the MMC Christopher only for them to hookup in the end. I would have loved to see more romance in this book. To me, this book isn’t a romcom but more chick lit, which is fun too.

Thank you Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was not a fan of this book at all. It felt more like a collection of scenes throughout a vaguely established timeline rather than a true narrative. The female main character was quite obnoxious, and all of the other characters were very one-dimensional. I had to hold myself back from rolling my eyes every time the mother showed up. I wouldn’t really consider this a romance novel either — the summary was a bit misleading. It was more of a “coming of age,” if that’s even still a thing when the main character is almost 30.

The first 2/3 of the book I found Rachel to be unsympathetic and annoying but there was some major character growth that almost felt too good (fast) to be real. The Mr. Darcy inspiration is clear but not overdone. Overall I liked the story and the ending; didn't like the 2 times the narration addresses the reader directly. They felt very out of place given the rest of the book.

Okay yall.. this book was so funny.

Definitely a through and through Rom Com. Rachel’s the main character id messy and opinionated and if she doesn’t excel in the career she is in then Rachel could make a living on being a comedian.

I really enjoyed this book and it was very light hearted and fun. Definitely a pallet cleanser from the huge Romantasy and thriller books and it felt like a breath of fresh air.

Unfortunately, this book is going to be a DNF for me. The FMC goes viral for making fun of sexual assault survivors. She loses her job, but I just can’t deal with a character who thinks it’s funny to make jokes about sexual assault and #MeToo.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC, which was provided in exchange for an honest review.

DNF I really enjoyed this book for the first half, but by the second half I wasn't feeling it anymore.

I was disturbed by this book for many times *eyes rolling*. A character goes viral for making fun of sexual assault survivors and promptly loses her job???? there was no character growth one bit. It was supposed to be a romance book? Where the f* are the romance ? … I give it a chance but can not finish it. I didn't connect with any of the characters either. The only thing I liked was that there were some funny moments until I stopped reading this book.
This was like An attempted modern day retelling of Pride & Prejudice but not not as I would have except it.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

Mein Leseerlebnis

Die zeitgenössische Liebesgeschichte, die Elemente aus “Stolz & Vorurteil” von Jane Austen enthält, konnte mich teils gut unterhalten und einige Entwicklungen wirkten auf mich frisch. Vollends überzeugt hat mich das Buch aber leider nicht, dafür gab es zu viele Störelemente.

So blieben die Hauptcharaktere meiner Meinung nach etwas blass und ich konnte die Gefühle zwischen ihnen nur teils spüren. Dadurch konnte ich mich nicht voll auf die Liebesgeschichte einlassen.

Auch empfand ich die Mutter der Heldin als unmöglich und sehr anstengend. Szenen mit ihr haben mich extrem genervt.

Darüber hinaus wirkten die Interaktionen zwischen der Heldin und ihren Freundinnen auf mich teils verwirrend. Und auch was in Bezug auf den Beruf der Heldin so abging, kam mir teils unglaubwürdig vor. Es wurde immer mal wieder erwähnt, dass sie sehr besorgt um die Umwelt sei, das kam aber nur hier und da durch.

Rückblickend blieb der Held zudem zu blass und vieles im Buch wirkte nicht ganz stimmig.

Da ich den Schreibstil als angenehm empfand und ich an der Geschichte bis zum Ende auch interessiert war (überraschenderweise!), vergebe ich gerade noch 3 Sterne. Eine klare Buchempfehlung kann ich aber definitiv nicht aussprechen.

🖤🖤🖤

Für wen?

Wer moderne Versionen von “Stolz & Vorurteil” mag (lose angelehnt an den Klassiker) und kein Problem mit anstrengenden Familienmitgliedern hat, für den könnte der Liebesroman eine gute Wahl sein.

This is for anyone who has ever had a group chat and understands the underlying issues that can be within one but also gets that life is so much less fun without one. Rachel is an interesting character and you can see such great growth throughout for her. By the end of the book, I was rooting for her to get the guy and for her friendships to be totally solid!

Such a good read that I enjoyed! I'm so glad that I got the chance to read it early and will definitely be recommending it to multiple people who enjoy these types of novels. I enjoyed the characters and especially enjoyed the writing by this author. I'm excited to see what the author comes out with next as I'll definitely be reading it! Thank you to the publisher for my early copy of this book!

I received an ARC from the publisher (Forever, @readforeverpub) in exchange for an honest review.

This is a contemporary novel written in first-person POV, focusing on Rachel Weiss, a Jewish Millennial woman nearing her thirtieth birthday. While Rachel is perfectly content with her single status, her mother is not, and attempts to set her up with Christopher, the son of their new neighbours . However, Rachel isn’t impressed, quickly labeling Christopher as a tech bro who seems indifferent to environmental concerns and the impact of capitalism on society.

I valued Rachel’s strong sense of confidence and relatable self-absorption. She often describes herself as a "sex goddess" and "flawless," and has the confidence to do so. She is well-meaning, through - not a brat!

What sets this novel apart from many standard romance books is its focus on Rachel’s relationships with her friends and family, not just on romance.

Her friend group is diverse in personality and life experience, with exploration of love, expectation, marital problems…

The one flaw in this enjoyable book, is that the eventual romance didn’t have enough of a believable build-up; suddenly these characters declared love… but it wasn’t really explicable. They weren’t enemies to lovers, nor had they spent much time together. But I do enjoy a HEA.

The premise of this story was really promising, but the execution didn't quite hit the mark for me. There were a ton of characters with too many side quests, so it felt a bit all over the place. A lot of the action didn’t really add much value to the main storyline. That said, it was still a super fun book to read. Every character is just so over the top!

I loved how the story focused on Rachel’s family and friendships. Even her job was a well thought out part of the story. But the romance and chemistry between Rachel and her two book boyfriends didn’t really do it for me. In the original Pride & Prejudice, Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth don’t spend much time together before his failed proposal, but in Austen’s story, there were balls, run-ins, and dinners that led to in-person interactions—not just Instagram comments and an awkward profession of love over a run-in on a family vacation. I’m not sure I’d categorize this book in the romance genre, perhaps women’s fiction.

I did appreciate the author writing such an authentic character—someone who makes mistakes, doesn’t have everything figured out, isn’t quite sure what she wants from life, and only starts learning from her mistakes after facing some pretty serious consequences. Because Rachel was such a mess, it made her character feel more genuine and real to me.

Unfortunately I did not enjoy this book. I was looking forward to it as the cover is very fun and the description. I would not say this is a romance book at all, more of a coming of age but the FMC is 30, and acts like a teenager (a brat). I found it hard relating to anyone in this book. I don’t feel like the FMC grew up enough or had enough growth throughout the story to be redeemable. Regardless of a joke, I do not think making a joke about the #MeToo movement and victims is ever funny and in very poor taste.

This was fun and quirky and over the top at times. I didn’t totally connect with the FMC but that’s ok, I’m sure some will. I did expect more romance based on the cover and description but it’s more of the FMC finding herself and her own journey. Overall, cute and funny!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this arc.

This fell short for me for a couple of reasons. One, I didn’t like the FMC- she seemed immature for her age and I just didn’t feel a connection to her and it’s hard to read a book when you don’t like the main person you are reading about. Two, I wanted more of the pride and prejudice type of plot that I got from the description but didn’t feel that in the plot. And three, I know it focused a lot on relationships as a whole and growth, I guess from the description I was looking for more of a romance and didn’t get that..