The Breakaway, by Jennifer Weiner, is a cozy yet realistically messy romance novel with an interesting exploration of self-worth, body image, and societal expectations for adults. This book feels like embarking on a loving journey of personal growth: one that helps you realize you don’t have to have your life perfectly figured out for it to be enjoyable—simply listening to your heart might just be enough.
Abby, the protagonist, is a thirty-three-year-old woman who is having a difficult time adjusting to adulthood. She is without a stable career, lacks a good relationship with her mother, and is in a somewhat unhappy relationship with her long-term boyfriend. When this boyfriend, Mark, asks her if she’d like to move in with him, Abby realizes that, maybe, what she needs is to take a step back to think about her future.
In a favorable turn of events, Abby is hired to lead a team of cyclists on a trip through New York. Abby uses this opportunity to take some time before answering her boyfriend and consider her options as she travels on her bike. Abby couldn’t be any happier as she leaves her convoluted life in Philadelphia behind, giving her a chance to truly reconnect with herself through several days in nature, doing the sport she enjoys the most, away from all distractions.
What she doesn’t realize is that she already knows one of the cyclists that she will be leading: Sebastian, a man who she had an incredible night with two years earlier, is on the very same trip Abby planned to use as a distraction from unwanted romance. Though initially nervous, she eventually allows herself to reconnect with him—but is quickly met with the harsh reality that Sebastian is not who she believed him to be. For his part, Sebastian, now desperate to prove that he’s more than just a player, instead realizes that he might have helplessly fallen for Abby all those years ago.
It’s not long before their romantic spark is reignited, and it becomes increasingly evident that our protagonist will have to make a choice: will she choose to join Mark’s conventionally successful lifestyle, or will she follow her heart and pursue the sparks she feels with Sebastian?
The Breakaway covers more than just Abby’s love life; it’s also an exploration of her relationship with weight and diet culture as she cycles through nature, pondering her past experiences. While her mom might have been responsible for much of her trauma regarding body image, it is ultimately up to Abby to attempt to fix old wounds. While she first expects to undergo this journey alone, she is unexpectedly joined by her mother during her trip, who wishes to spend more time with her daughter after reaching the same age as Abby’s grandmother when she passed. Their relationship, although rocky, might prove able to heal as they move towards a healthier future together.
The novel also provides new perspectives through the stories of the cyclists who Abby is joined by. Because the point of view of the story changes throughout the chapters, the characters feel richer. We get to see the struggles and mindsets of people who initially don’t seem to have much in common but ultimately come together to create an unforgettable experience. While Abby is convinced that she’ll have to embark on this journey alone—both emotionally and literally speaking—she soon realizes that these people have become her community—a community that embraces her and cares for her exactly as she is. She understands that this type of unconditional love might be exactly what she always needed, even if she was too afraid to receive it before. It is through this journey of self-acceptance that she can finally accept the love she deserves.
The Breakaway is a comforting reminder that, while we might be afraid of exploring new circumstances or breaking societal expectations, it is often the unexplored paths that lead us to the happiest version of ourselves: a version which we may never see if we don’t push past the fear of what others might think of us. Breaking what is expected might be uncomfortable, especially if we’ve encountered failure in our past, but Abby serves as a hopeful reminder that everyone’s dream lives are already waiting for them; one simply has to take action to make it happen.
You can find out where to purchase a copy of The Breakaway and other novels by Jennifer Weiner on her website.
The Breakaway
Jennifer Weiner
Atria Books
August 29, 2023
400 pages
