Review: I adore Marian Keyes books and have from reader some of her latest books preferred her older ones but this one is great. This is laugh out loud funny. When you read this make sure you are not on a train or surrounded by people, there could be a few funny looks when you do laugh out loud. Marian has again created strong and real characters that you can relate too, something she is brilliant at. I really liked Amy who is our strong heroine. This plot makes you think about the choices you make and where they lead you to. A great book.

Sadly this didn’t live up to this aurthor’s previous novels. Wasn’t for me sadly.

As expected from Marian Keyes but a far more grown up book, might be my own age making me read/see things with a different perspective but thoroughly enjoyed it.

Another gem in Marian Keyes’ chicklit crown. There’s so much heart in this story, with characters so realistic that there’s something you love and something that annoys you a bit about every single one... just like real people. For readers of Marian’s “Under the Duvet” books and “Making it up as I go Along”, a lot of the characterisation in this book will be familiar. Marian puts so much of herself in her stories, but more so than ever with this novel, and that is what makes them so relatable and realistic. A brilliant plot, with bag loads of humour but some incredibly tender moments too. I enjoyed this book so much that I’m almost missing the characters now I’ve finished it. It’s a wonderful read and I highly recommend it.
Thanks to netgalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.

I have long been a fan of Marian Keyes and was delighted to have the opportunity to read The Break. It is a story of a family from Ireland, specifically, Amy, a 40 something woman whose husband is having something of a mid life crisis and decides to go off travelling for six months which throws her life into chaos.

As you would expect from Keyes, this is much more than your standard chick lit story as it touches on themes as dark as extra-marital affairs (both emotional and physical), dementia and abortions. But, as ever, she deals with these issues in a wonderfully witty manner while not making light of any of them. It's a gift that many authors strive for but few achieve..

My one complaint is that the ending felt a little bit too neat. I'm trying not to give anything away but with the development of the story and the main character of Amy, it seemed wrong to me that she made the choice she did. However, it's a tiny criticism in what was otherwise a thoroughly enjoyable page turner.

I am an avid reader of Marian and have read all her books. I found this one hard going. It was slow and there were so many characters that it was hard to remember who was who. I think that authors should remember that a lot of readers now read books on electronic devices and it is not as easy to go back in the book and double check who everyone is!
I didn't really care about any of the characters and maybe it would have been a bit more refreshing to read Hugh's side of the story too, rather than the main character going on and on, seemed like there was a lot of waffling going on about irrelevant topics. It only really got going about half way through and there was a lot of sex in it, which I think is from the backlash of books like Fifty Shades and I feel that Marian wanted to spice it up a bit as this usually isn't her style. Overall it was ok, but it took a long time for me to read it - definitely wasn't a page turner or even anywhere near as brilliant as her earlier stuff.

This was a good story but in my opinion way too long.
It was a real drag in places and a struggle to finish.

Fantastic read from a great author.. This book tells the story of marital breakdown which kept me gripped from start to finish. The story isn't just about the breakdown there are lots of issues and heartbreaks affecting the whole family. I highly recommended this book even though I don't agree with the husband going in the first place LOL

I always enjoy Marian Keyes' writing and this one was no different. Her books deal with everything, love, loss, family and the whole range of emotions. I liked Amy and her family and it was nice to see their relationships through the novel. Hugh was awful and I struggled to like him at all. The ending was a little predictable but that's to be expected I think.

I liked it.

I was sent a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Amy's life is very turbulent and this is putting it lightly! She lives with her husband Hugh and daughters Neeve, Sofia and Kiara. Hugh's Dad has just died and then his best friend. He takes it very hard and decided to have a 'break' and go travelling for 6 months.
Amy is furious and busies herself in work and her family. She remembers a man she went on a couple dates with and starts to see him again. Hugh returns to the family earlier than expected and causes Amy to question the past year all over again. Can Hugh and Amy ever get over what they have done to each other?

What can I say...I've read every single one of Marian Keyes books and she never fails to deliver. Marian's constant take on everyday life and how people cope with situations is both illuminating and entertaining. I absolutely loved this book and read it in two days on holiday. Highly recommended!

This Book by Marion keyes ticked all the boxes for me.
I have always enjoyed other Marian Keyes books that i have read and so i was looking forward to reading "The Break " the story revolves around Amy and her husband Hugh ..the story is based in Dublin and London.
Hugh decides that he wants to have a break and trip to South East asia. He wants to be single and do his thing leaving Amy to pick up the pieces, tell the children. Amy's first child from her first marriage Neeve is living out her teenage angst vlogging and Amy's mum becoming vlogginh sensation. Her Daughters Kaira and niece sofie are well thought out characters and fill the house and extended family are such a good support to each other and to their mum Amy that she manages to lurch through the six months not sure if Hugh will come back.
I read the book over 24 hours and you sometimes felt like shaking Amy awake and give detention to the children. And when you get so involved with the characters of a book then the author has achieved their intention of gripping our attention completely. As excellent book once again by Marian Keyes. Thanks to Penguin and Net Galley for giving me the chance to read this book for a fair and honest review.

I am a huge Marian Keyes fan, but I have to admit the size of this book put me off reading it for a while.  Published last September, I chose the Christmas holidays as a good time to finally get stuck in.

Keyes books always have a wonderful mix of the very, very real and the incredibly witty and this book was no exception.  Set in Ireland and focusing on Amy - along with her large and loveable family - this was perhaps the most real book of Keyes I have read.  I wasn't that far in before I actually felt that these characters were real life friends of mine whilst also feeling like I was eavesdropping on conversations.

Amy goes on a huge journey in this book - although it is actually her husband who flies off to Thailand for months.  It was interesting to see her relationships with her daughters, family and friends shift and alter now she was 'on a break' from her marriage.  However, aside from Amy, the book also touched on the Irish law against abortion, its effects and consequences and people's attitudes to it, as well as dementia and its wider effects on the family.  All of which made this a poignant, thought-provoking, sophisticated novel that made me laugh (a lot!) and cry.

On finishing the book I felt a little bereft and almost wanted to phone or ask someone how are Amy and Huw getting on? What are they up to know?  If you haven't read a Marian Keyes book yet, then you need to fix that as soon as possible, and 'The Break' is a great one to start with.

Not my usual sort of novel, (I’m more of a literary fiction kind of person), but I was intrigued to read as I had heard Marian Keyes on the radio and been impressed by her wit, warmth and intelligence. I remember Marian Keyes saying she hated the kind of snobbery that sorts books into a hierarchy of genres, with hers often classed as “chicklit”, a horrible, dismissive and sexist term. So, with this in mind, I gave “The Break” a go. The wit, warmth and intelligence I’d heard on the radio was all in evidence in this well written novel. She is a natural storyteller, with a keen, yet compassionate eye for men and women’s weaknesses.

I read The Break at the right time - on a long haul flight, where it kept me entertained for a large part! Marian Keyes' books are always better than they can be described. Fundamentally, it's a story of a middle aged couple who are in the middle of a crisis. Or, more precisely, Hugh, is in the middle of a crisis. He wants to go and find himself, spend some time alone, away from Amy and the kids.
It sounds trite, and straightforward, and boring. It was definitely not any of those things - Keyes can write heart and soul into her characters which made me shed tears along with them, for happy and sad. If you enjoy and know Marian Keyes, you'll like this. If you enjoy stories of people dealing with complicated, human stuff with some light touches along the way - you'll like this.

Amy and Hugh are taking a break from their marriage, Hugh's choice. He feels he needs to take a break and travel to sort out his life. Amy is not happy about his decision but fails to persuade him to change his mind.

I found this book really good, mind you I would not have been so accepting of his decision, it would have been a permanent break as far as I am concerned!

I started this book not expecting much but found myself enjoying it quite a bit. I normally go for thrillers or crime novels so wanted a change and was pleasantly surprised. The story is about a woman who’s husband suddenly wants a break. It’s an emotional rollercoaster for her and ends up being an opportunity for her to explore a different life.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and would definitely read about her by Marian Keyes.
Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for the ARC.

I am a huge Marian Keynes fan so I jumped at the chance to read this however from the beginning I struggled to engage with this book. The characters are unlikeable and the back stories frequently go off on tangents that don't seem relevant to the story. Unfortunately I gave up on this book halfway through as I just couldn't get into it.

Marian Keyes at her best. A truly relatable and easily digestable tale. You will not be able to stop reading once you crack the cover as you will want to know how our character's tales end.

When I was a teenager I devoured everything I could get my hands on in the 'chick lit' section of the bookstore, but it's been almost ten years since I've ventured into that section. This book makes me kick myself for leaving it alone for so long. The Break was everything good I remembered about the genre, and so much more.

Amy's life is turned upside down when her husband, Hugh, announces that he's taking a break to travel for six months and 'clear his head'. In his absence, she must juggle the needs of her eccentric and loveable (but rather stressful) family, keep it together for her daughters, boss it at her job to keep a roof over their heads and work out her feelings about the whole 'break' thing. It's clear that things will never be the same, but can their marriage survive the break? 

I read it in a day, and it made me cry on so many occasions for so many different reasons that I felt that I'd been wrung dry. The depth of emotion was astonishing, and the whole cast of characters were so endearing and vivid - I didn't want to leave them at the end of the book and I find myself still sometimes thinking about them. I loved the emotional realism of the novel; I identified with Amy (not just because of the name!) despite being at such different stages of our lives - I just felt like I 'got' her and I wanted the best for her, even when it felt like that was impossible. This is a story of when everyone is trying their best, but it's still not quite working out with a happily ever after - and I urge you all to read it. It's a true triumph.