Quite different in style - and in length! - from Marian's other books. Feels like a more grown-up version? Loved it, as I've done all of her previous ones, but would've loved it more if it were slightly shorter

What I liked:

For most of the book, I really admired Amy's resilience and drive to go and just get stuff done. It's difficult to work and be a mother when your world is falling to pieces around you (I believe) but she did a pretty stellar job at it. This was especially apparent during Sofie's pregnancy.

This book dealt also with abortion and its state in Ireland (or perhaps lack in Ireland.) It's horrifying and terrifying to see it still happen in 2017, and it's great to see books start to address it. Marian portrays it fantastically here.

What I didn't like:

There were quite a few characters I didn't much like. Richie, and Hugh to an extend, was spoiled and self centred. It was heart breaking to see Neeve attempt to bond with her dad, only to be pushed away every time.

I don't like cheating tropes in books, and it did pop up a lot here in this one.

Out of five:

Four. A really great read, despite a few characters letting it down for me. Marian at her best.

The Break - Marian Keyes.

thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Slick and sophisticated, if you are a fan of chick lit this is definitely one for you.

The book centres around Amy a 44 year old married woman living in Dublin. Her husband Hugh decides to go find himself in Asia and leaves his wife and kids to do just that. major mid life crisis. Understandably Amy is devastated, especially when she sees pictures of Hugh on Facebook with other women. But while the cat’s away…

At times comic and at others thought provoking this is a fast paced read which immerses us in the life of Amy and her nearest and dearest as she has to dealt with the everyday band grapple with her self image, her passionate love affair and not least daughter’s pregnancy.

There are lots of finely drawn characters in this well crafted book and the chaotic family life is depicted with warmth and wit.

if I had a criticism of this book it would be that for me the slick wit and snappy dialogue is at times too well crafted, it has the feeling of being contrived. However, it’s a good, chunky read for a day at the beach or a night in sheltered from the cold.

A good fun story, you can relate to many of the happenings,

As Marion herself would say, well lads herself is back on form. I loved this book, both funny and sad in equal measures. The main character, Amy is every woman, happy in her life, seemingly happily married but then her husband ask for a 6 month sabbatical from their marriage, so he can find himself but promises to come back after the set time. How does PR guru Amy spin this one?? Without giving anything away, you’ll enjoy the journey she goes on.

I’ve always been a fan of Marian Keyes, ever since I picked up Watermelon in 1999. She is one of the reasons why I started this blog. When I found out that she had a new book published, I knew I had to get my hands on it right away and read it as soon as possible.

I love how Marian creates these large families for her characters and that some of them have interesting quirks and personality traits. Not only does Amy have a bunch of siblings, but she also is a mother to three girls (even though one isn’t even hers). I think I enjoyed the family gathering parts of this story the most.

The story itself is compelling, although very long. There are scenes from the present, as well as a lot of flashbacks that explain why Amy feels the way she does in the present. However, I felt she could be rather inconsistent and sometimes hypocritical. I felt lukewarm toward her most of the time, even when she was feeling incredibly sad. Amy is interesting overall and I wish I could see what she was wearing because she has such unique fashion tastes.

I liked the interactions between characters and seeing how the story unfolded, as I had no idea how things would turn out. I also appreciated the shout-out for Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (Amy and I have that in common, at least.) There is one part I wish hadn’t taken place, but it impacted another part of the story. Although I’m sure there could have been different ways to go about the latter if they changed the part I wasn’t so keen over.

If you are a Marian Keyes fan, you will appreciate the same things I did about The Break. I can tell she put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into it. It is an entertaining read, overall. If you have never read her books before (and why haven’t you?!?), I would suggest starting with one of her earlier novels and understanding her writing style and character developments before embarking on this one.

Of course, I was trying to cast this in my head (there are a lot of characters, so I probably won’t get to them all):
Amy: Emily Mortimer
Hugh: Gerard Butler
Maura: Maria Doyle-Kennedy
Josh: Christian Bale
Alastair: Ed Weeks
Neeve: Bonnie Wright
Sofie: Ella Wahlestedt
Kiara: Bel Powley
Derry: Rachel Weisz
Lilian (Mum): Ann Margret

Thanks to Michael Joseph for the book in exchange for an honest review.

As with all Marian Keyes' books this was an absolute delight to read, I thoroughly enjoyed being part of Amy and Hugh's relationship crisis. I did get a little bored in places towards the end and found myself skipping paragraphs or speed reading through some more mundane and predictable bits. However on the whole a well earned 4 stars.....just for the sheer 'girl power'!

The Break, like all of Marianne Keyes’ novels, is a delight.

Amy and Hugh are the steady, married couple people dream of being – until Hugh says he’s taking off to go travelling for six months. He’s not leaving her, he insists; he’s just taking a break from their marriage.

If Hugh is on a break from their marriage, does that mean Amy is on a break too? The drama that ensues in the following six months shows what it takes to fall in love, but more importantly, what it takes to stay in love. And in true Marianne Keyes style, it’s funny and realistic at every turn, featuring everything from Facebook “stalking” and YouTube influencers to sensitive, serious issues such as adoption and abortion.

The Break moves from serious to laugh-out-loud funny and back again. It’s the kind of book that once you pick it up, you won’t be able to put down again until you’ve reached the very last page.

Well described characters and a plausible storyline. However, I felt it was rather too drawn out in detailing virtually every day.

i've read a lot of work by this author in the past and have thoroughly enjoyed them however for me this book was disappointing and dragged on for too long.

many thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Marian Keyes is one of my favourite authors and always writes a great storyline. Found it hard to put down from beginning to end. Highly recommended

When I first started this novel, I didn't think the premise was that original. I feel like there's a movie around with a similar plotline about. However I am glad I gave this one a chance, I thought this was the first book I had read by Keyes but apparently not (as I didn't like the first book I read at all) I enjoyed the writing, I found it enjoyable and easy to read. The characters were interesting enough to keep me wanting to read the book, overall I didn't think this was an excellent book, but if you are looking for something that is light and fluffy and easy to read, this is the book for you.

I'm conflicted on this one. It was an enjoyable read, but definitely lacked the 'grab' factor of Keyes' usual work. It's not one I will reread.

It had moments of humour, but just felt a bit predictable and dry.

Couldn't put it down a wonderful read a roller coaster of emotions .

I will admit I am not the biggest fan of chicklit so my views on this might be slightly different than someone who loves this genre. Marion Keyes does write with great humour and while this was enjoyable in parts it was far too long and drawn out and I stopped caring about the characters halfway through. It's a light and easy read and it would make a perfect beach read but I would describe it as candyfloss.. enjoyable at the start but after the initial sugar rush you realise it has absolutely no substance. But if you do enjoy these kinds of books or Marian's writing in general you will undoubtedly love it, it just wasn't for me. Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin UK for the ARC of this ages ago but which I have only gotten around to reading now.

My 3* review for Marian Keyes latest book The Break. Amy's husband Hugh has run away to 'find himself'. But will he ever come back? He is undergoing a mid-life crisis following the death of his father and best friend and decides to take time out and leave Amy and the 3 teenage girls in the house but vows to come back in 6 months. But when and if he comes back will he be the same man and more to the point will she want him back?

I enjoyed this book but for me it wasn't as good as some of her earlier work. However i loved Amy and the relationship she had with her daughters Neeve and Kiara and niece Sofie who lived with them too and how they all coped with the troubles and problems that came their way. The moral issue about abortions in Ireland and what young girls have to go through if they do get pregnant was brilliantly and sympathetically portrayed and i learnt a lot about this issue that i had no idea about, so congratulations to Marian for highlighting this.

On a lighter note, Neeve encouraging her Nan to write and record a Vlog about hair, make up and getting old added a lovely humorous note to the story.

The only downside for me was that i did not like all the graphic sexual descriptions and i felt they were unnecessary and spoilt it a bit for me. I don't mind the references to them having sex but letting the reader use the imagination is a better way to set the scene/mood in my opinion.

The ending was everything i wanted it to be and certainly demonstrated girl power.

This book was wonderful, funny, heartbreaking and gripping. I enjoyed every moment of the family dysfunction and the brilliant Irish wit that goes into every book Marian Keyes writes. When it ended I wanted more of the characters!

This book tells the story of Amy and her husband Hugh, who is travelling the world to find himself and experience more of life - but he isn’t leaving her, he promises. How will Amy cope with the new dynamic? And what if she wants to try some new experiences of her own?

Read this book, you won’t regret a single page. I was kindly sent a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Marian Keyes is back! The Marian Keyes of 'Watermelon' and 'Rachel's Holiday.' The real voice of an author I cut my twenty-something teeth on; whose books I devoured voraciously and hungered for more...MARIAN KEYES IS BACK!
Just as her books of young unmarried singletons looking for love appealed to me then, so did the story of Amy appeal to me now; Amy, middle aged, previously divorced, now married to Hugh for the long haul and jointly parenting three girls. That is until Hugh, caught up in a mid-life crisis following the deaths of his father and his friend declares he would like to take a six month break from his home and marriage, alone, to travel and find himself.
Amy is horrified, but determinedly bears the shock, the shame and the uncertainty of life without Hugh. She refuses to engage in enthusiastic, man-hating criticism with her best friend and stoically carries on with her life, dealing with whatever it throws at her - until she sees pictures on Facebook of Hugh - with another woman.
As with all her books, the full story is revealed gradually, piece by piece, woven through flashbacks into the narrative of Amy's present life until the reader has the complete picture, and as always, all is not as it originally seems. Told with her trademark warmth, humour and great characterisation, this is Marian Keyes at her quirky best!

A great read for relaxing and unwinding, the perfect escape after a day at work. It's easy to feel empathy for Amy and picture her life, hectic, stressful and a reflection of many modern women / parents, the reader will quickly lose themselves in the trials and tribulations of each characters life rather than having to worry about their own.

I found this book hard to get into, and it is a long book. Well worth persevering and it turned out to be a great read