MoMo’s Book Diary highly recommends this author’s latest release “The Break”

Marian Keyes has given us many brilliant novels – some of which I have ‘laughed out loud’ embarrassing my mother while on holiday in strange places. I have many happy memories reading Marian Keyes while on holiday.

I haven’t read anything by this author in some time and was excited to be given the chance to read and review for NetGalley and Penguin UK – Michael Joseph. It is a well paced book that is difficult to put down but I found that unlike some other books I have read recently I was able to put it down and take a break for normal life stuff… maybe it is due to this being a longer book that most that I read these days? Or maybe I have been reading too many crime based books that this just didn’t hold my attention as much as Marian Keyes did in the past. Don’t get me wrong I really enjoyed it and do recommend it as a novel.

It is a long read – enjoyable – and funny.

If you have read Marian Keyes in the past then you really don’t want to miss this one!

Thanks NetGalley and Penguin UK – Michael Joseph for the opportunity to read and review this fantastic novel.

At 660 pages, this is quite a long book, compared to what I usually read. I ended up alternating between the paperback, kindle and audiobook, depending on where I was reading. The audiobook had me laughing out loud in the garden numerous times. It’s narrated by Aoife McMahon, and her voice suited the book perfectly.

The book is split into 3 parts-Before, During and After. I found the first 130 pages a bit slow and it didn’t really get going for me until Hugh left for his ‘break’. A lot happens for the family while he’s gone, especially for Sofie.

The vlogging featuring Amy’s Mum was a funny storyline and I hope she reappears in a future book.

This book is the usual mix of laugh-out-loud moments, mixed with some serious issues that you expect from Marian. She’s not afraid to tackle some controversial subjects, which makes her books all the more interesting.

I was left in two minds about this book, it took me a really long time to get into, but then I read the second half of the book in one day.

I found in the first half that I was getting bored and thinking “only 20 days since he left? Out of six months? This is gonna be a loooong book”. I was also slightly annoyed with the frequent references to Amy needing to find an ambassador for advertising incontinence pads, it was a long setup for a mild five minute payoff near the end, seemed a bit like padding (excuse the pun) rather than actually adding much to the story.

However once we got to learn more about the past and the nuances of Amy’s relationships with her daughters, Hugh and Josh, I found I kept wanting to know more and had a late night to finish the story. I was happy with the ending, after so much anguish throughout the book it felt good to leave the characters in a happy place.

I love Marian Keyes – she’s always my go to author when I need a book that I know I’m going to get completely engrossed in. I’m so happy to say that The Break lived up to my hopes for it.

I’ll admit that it took me a couple of attempts to get into this book. The first time I picked it up I just wasn’t feeling it and I ended up putting it down. However, I picked it up again a few weeks later and found myself completely swept away by the story and the characters. I ended up really, really loving this novel and am so glad that I gave it another chance.

Marian Keyes is so good at exploring what makes people tick, and for always writing well-rounded, believable characters. I love the way I started off thinking Hugh was completely selfish and that Amy should have just told him that if he wanted to go then he should go and not come back. Over the course of the novel though we get to see more of Amy’s back story, and also come to see how the death of Hugh’s father has impacted him and it comes to feel really balanced. These two characters felt very real to me and I was curious to see whether their marriage would survive everything that had happened, not just while they were on a break but all of the things they’d faced in the years since they first got together.

Amy is feisty, and the part of her that feels downtrodden at times gets through because of her rise-above attitude. I felt that I could identify with a lot of her traits and was willing her on throughout the novel to grasp what made her happy. As the novel progressed I came to understand Hugh too, I don’t condone his running away and having a break from his marriage but I know how intense grief can make you feel the need to completely re-evaluate your life, and to explore what happiness is and whether the life you’re living is the best life you could have.

The issues of separation, and grief are dealt with so sensitively but also with the characteristic humour that you expect from Marian Keyes. She captures the reality of life so brilliantly. The Break was an emotional read at times, and I did shed a few tears but ultimately it’s a wonderful exploration of relationships in all their forms and I adored it! I highly recommend this book!

Absolutely loved this novel by Marian Keyes - she never fails in writing a great book - very current and relevant to what is happening in Ireland right now. highly recommend this book as a summer read you wont be disappointed.

Lovely feel-good book that asks some thought-provoking questions about long term love.

It takes a while to get going but once it does it’s a great read, full of humour, pathos and story telling. You really do want to read to see what happens next.

This is my first read by this author and overall thought it was a great book. There were times I couldn’t wait to get to the end but then the book gained momentum again and I was hooked. This didn’t come across as a scorned woman who is then a doormat but of a woman who loved her husband deeply and couldn’t imagine her life without him. Everything you do has the ability to change a relationship and this was a great example of that. Even though mistakes are made sometimes it takes the mistake to realise what you actually have.

I’ve read a lot of books by this author but not for a few years. I’m not sure why – they just haven’t been on my radar for some reason. So I was really looking forward to reading this. I remember from previous books lots of funny, real women, with real lives and believable problems. And this does deliver – some of the time. But it just misses the mark for me.
I really like Amy, and really enjoyed the antics of her Irish family – something that Keyes always writes so well. I thought Amy was well-drawn and her reactions to Hugh’s bombshell were very realistic. I felt so angry with him, but as the narrative progressed, I began to feel a little bit of sympathy. And I think it’s a real strength of the book that Amy isn’t completely blameless.
There are some great characters here, and lots of really interesting and entertaining side plots. And Amy’s relationship with her daughters and niece, and their relationships with each other bring a real warmth to the story.
I see that the author has been criticised for the storyline around abortion. I thought this was really well done – sensitively handled and not at all preachy. Travelling to England for an abortion is the reality for many women in Ireland – it actually happens, and the consequences can be dreadful. Well done to the author for showing what this is like. Novels should highlight the social and political issues of the time and place in which they are set – and any story set in Dublin that has female characters of child-bearing age surely is the place to show what this can be like. There has always been an edge to Marian Keyes’ work that lifts it above other novels in the genre – and that is what she has done here.
So great characters, great storylines and lots of fun and drama, but it was just a bot too long. And I really didn’t like the epilogue. It was too much, and I think the book would have been stronger without it.
It is definitely worth a read though, and I do recommend it.

When I got the advance copy of the latest Marian Keyes, I was so excited. Ever since I read Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married I’ve been a huge fan and her 13th novel (yes, really) The Break is one of her very best. Amy is happily married, crazily busy at work and enjoying her life. You could literally knock her over with a feather when husband of 17 years, Hugh announces that he wants a six month ‘break’ from being married to go off and ‘find himself’ after the death of his father. We follow Amy as she begins to rediscover herself after years of being Hugh’s wife with the help of a gallery of lovable characters in typical Marian Keyes style. This is a fantastic read that asks the reader to think about happiness and how we can sometimes find it in the most unexpected of places. By the end of The Break, the O’Connell family feel like your own extended family and I’d love it if she returned to them in one of her next novels. The Break is for fans of light-hearted family drama with a thoughtful and warm-hearted centre. It’s sure to please her army of fans and win her some new ones into the bargain. Go on, treat yourself!

There is no doubt that Marian Keyes appeals to a huge amount of people and I have read some Keyes books before however, I just could not get into this book. The characters didn’t hold my attention sadly and I soon lost interest in the story. Sorry Keyes fans!

I'm unable to give a review as when I got this a short while later my kindle broke and I never got the chance to read/finish the book.

Apologies for not being able to review this book.

Hopefully I'll be able to go out and buy the book at a future date!

(I've given it 3 stars so it doesn't get marked down hopefully)

This one was funny, compelling, emotion and so good to read.

Another good read from Marian Keyes, funny and fast paced. I love the way it is written in ''Irish'!! Amy's husband Hugh is the one taking the break. A few twists and turns with a satisfying ending. If you like Marian Keyes then you will love this book.

As always Marian Keyes reaches out to the reader and brings them in to her world. She is current, witty, clever and her characters have depth enough that you have empathy or distrust of them. Always a subtle twist and an enjoyable read.

Amy and Hugh are a couple quietly denying they are in crisis. After suffering a series of bereavements Hugh announces he’s opting for a mid-life break, stepping away from family responsibility along with the constraints of married life. As he ‘finds himself’ travelling the Far East, Amy is stuck at home coping with the challenge of juggling a stressful career as well as the dramas involved in supporting their three almost grown daughters. Reading a Marian Keyes novel is a joy as her warm ‘Irish’ voice encourages the reader to empathise with her flawed, fully rounded characters as they make mistakes and face difficult choices. I found myself rooting for Amy, then Hugh, at different points in the novel. Keyes trademark humour lightens even the saddest of situations. Amy and Hugh’s is a modern family drama, following a couple of who’ve lost their way whilst caring so dearly for others.

I started reading The Break with a sense of trepidation as books which are marketed as “funny” so often aren’t. This however was a breath of fresh air. The protagonist, the self deprecating Amy, has a very comical turn of phrase and I found myself reading in an Irish accent (don’t ever make me do that out loud). I sometimes wanted to give her daughter Neeve a slap but in the main the characters were charming and well rounded (unless they weren’t meant to be... charming that is). This is a fun light read... enjoy... I did!!

I just Love Marian Keyes books. Her Lastest book The Break was just as Brilliant as her other books. Before I knew it I had finished it. Didn't realise it was over 500 pages. I had to purchase it so I can read it again in the future.
So, Amy and Hugh are having a break. Not a romantic few days away kind of a break away from everything. Hugh has decided he wants a break from the marriage, his beloved family and his home. He then flies away to the South East Asia and goes on a lovely backpacking holiday. Amy os out of her mind with worry and is devastated. Has she done anything wrong? He first husband waked out on her now Hugh. Can Amy trust anyone else. Hugh tells her he will be back in 6 months. But will he?
This book was Brilliant and you could feel for Amy
Excellent 5 Star read.

I love Marian Keyes, and this book was as good as any of her previous ones. She has a gift for immersing a reader into the lives of her characters, and I felt that I knew them all so well. I found myself rooting for one love interest and then switching my allegiance to the other and then back to the first again. It's one of those books that you never want to end. The main character and her behaviors were so relatable, so real-life. I thoroughly recommend this one.

Reading a Marian Keyes novel is like meeting an old friend after a long time and this was an enjoyable novel with a supporting cast of characters that were worthy of being the protagonists of their own novels. A ideal winter read or save for the summer as a beach companion.