Reviews

Mrs. Everything by Jennifer Weiner

katec9999's review against another edition

4.0

Mrs. Everything follows the lives of sisters Jo and Bethie, from their childhood in 1950’s Detroit to the present. Growing up, Jo doesn’t understand why she can’t dress the way she wants, or play with the black kids; Bethie is the golden child who does everything right. As they mature their roles start to change, as Bethie deals with trauma and Jo comes to terms with her homosexuality.

I really enjoyed the time I spent reading this book, and when I finished it Jo and Bethie felt like friends I would miss. There were parts that struck me as unrealistic, and small details that were incorrect for the time, but these faults didn’t detract from the story. I feel that Weiner has moved from her chick-lit label to literary writer with this novel.

siol4929's review against another edition

2.0

wanted to love this...the storyline and content are my cup of tea (following a family over a few decades, women trying to find their own way/voice) but I finished this just so I’d be done with it. I kept expecting it to get better, but it was too long and overall I did not like.

hokiegal2k's review against another edition

5.0

"We lose ourselves, but we find our way back." Mrs. Everything is a decades long story of two sisters losing and finding themselves, while trying to share their wisdom with the next generation of family as they do the same. Jennifer Weiner does an excellent job of flowing through time and major societal issues, without lecturing the reader. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the way it made me think about supportive female relationships. We're all losing and finding ourselves; how lucky we are when we find people who are gentle enough to remind us when we may stray from our intentions and strong enough to help get us back on the right path.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

#MrsEverything #NetGalley

megaleemart's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

burningupasun's review against another edition

4.0

Definitely TW's for rape and sexual assault, but this was a good book, overall. I enjoyed reading about Jewish characters, even if they did kind of trail off on their Judaism as adults... I guess that's relatable lol.

shailydc's review against another edition

3.0

I think I would have liked this book more if I hadn't read it so soon after [b:Ask Again, Yes|42201996|Ask Again, Yes|Mary Beth Keane|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1557052821l/42201996._SY75_.jpg|60897878]. The styles are similar but AAY does it much better.

aejohnson85's review against another edition

3.0

This book was a lot heavier than I was expecting. Overall, a good read but some of the characters were beyond frustrating (Lila particularly - why was she so awful?! I didn’t find her redeemed at the end at all). While I didn’t always agree with Jo and Bethie’s choices, I was happy with the way things turned out for them both!

leslmiller's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad

4.0

sofi0518's review against another edition

4.0

I really loved this book. This is the story of two sisters growing up in the 50s and 60s and making their way through the 70s and beyond, dealing with societal issues that are still very important today. This book illustrates just how far we have come as a society yet still have so much more to go. What I loved about Jo and Bethie is how they are real women. I loved and hated them by turns. They had their good moments and their bad moments like all of us. A lot of books tend to portray their character as either "good or bad" - Weiner makes them plain human.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

wellfleetbooks's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25