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beepeachy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Moderate: Body shaming, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Cancer, Abortion, Homophobia, Addiction, Terminal illness, Sexual violence, Fatphobia, Grief, Drug use, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Racism, Sexual harassment, and Sexual assault
grantsharpies's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Graphic: Abortion, Addiction, Body shaming, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Cancer, Grief, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Bullying, Death of parent, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Pregnancy, Racism, and Sexual assault
leahvanert's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This novel follows two very different sisters from their picture perfect (but not really) childhood in the 1950s all the way up through the older sister's death in 2016. There are many predictable parts of this story, but it makes sense because their family could be ANYONE'S. So many parts of this story are relatable.
I think what I liked reading about most in this story was about the parenting relationships throughout the years. How parents are just trying their best, but they fail and then try again. It's heartbreaking and hopeful at the same time.
Moderate: Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Toxic relationship, War, Cursing, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Grief, Rape, and Sexual assault
kelly_e's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Author: Jennifer Weiner
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 3.75
Pub Date: June 11, 2019
T H R E E • W O R D S
Intimate • Layered • Realistic
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Mrs. Everything is a multigeneration story following sisters Jo and Bethie over the decades. Born in the 1950s, they lived the 'Dick & Jane' life with clearly defined roles within the family. Jo was the tomboy with a passion for making the world a more equitable place. Whereas, Bethie was the pretty one and dreamed of a traditional life. However, things don't turn out how either of them has imagined. A story filled with trauma and tragedies, love and loss, family and secrets.
💭 T H O U G H T S
I'd always thought Jennifer Weiner wrote "Chick Lit", but after reading That Summer in 2021 I came to understand there is much more depth to her writing, and this multigenerational exploration of sisterhood, motherhood, love and feminism certainly delivered a complexity beyond my expectations. I was engaged in Bethie and Jo's lives through childhood and college, however, for some reason I became less interested as the years progressed. Perhaps it's because Mrs. Everything could have easily been made 100 pages shorter. My other main issue was the ending. I didn't feel it justified the emotional depth and turmoil the characters endured throughout the book.
One thing in particular, I really liked was the exploration and realistic presentation of women's history over time. Additionally, one of the smaller aspects I thought really accentuated the message and themes of this book, was the title. Upon finishing, I couldn't help but nod my head at how fitting it was and is for women in general.
Jennifer Weiner packs a lot into Mrs. Everything and I certainly needed time to digest it afterwards. Although it deals with many tough topics, I am glad I picked it up as it was definitely worth my time.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• fans of multigenerational sagas
• readers who enjoyed Firefly Lane
• bookclubs
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"She wished she’d spent more time teaching her girls that women should forgive themselves, showing them how to take care of themselves with kindness. The world was hard enough, would beat them up enough without them adding to the pain."
Graphic: Rape, Body shaming, Lesbophobia, Eating disorder, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Homophobia, and Fatphobia
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, Racism, Abortion, Pregnancy, Antisemitism, Drug use, Sexism, and Sexual content
Minor: Death, Death of parent, Grief, Cancer, and Infidelity
ebknits's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Moderate: Drug use, Body shaming, Rape, Abortion, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Eating disorder, and Cancer
mcasey11's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Cancer, Child abuse, Death of parent, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, Death, Sexism, Racism, Abortion, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Pregnancy, and Sexual assault
melarareading's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Rape, Abortion, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Sexism, Racism, Racial slurs, Pregnancy, Fatphobia, Eating disorder, Dysphoria, Death of parent, Death, Cancer, and Alcohol
Moderate: Body shaming, Cancer, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, and Lesbophobia
emmadub's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
“We lose ourselves,” she repeated, forming each word with care, “but we find our way back.” Wasn’t that the story of her life? Wasn’t that the story of Bethie’s? You make the wrong choices, you make mistakes, you disappear for a decade, you marry the wrong man. You get hurt. You lose sight of who you are, or of who you want to be, and then you remember, and if you’re lucky you have sisters or friends who remind you when you forget your best intentions. You come back to yourself, again and again."
Graphic: Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Cancer, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Grief, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Pregnancy, and Racism
bookwormfr_t0's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75
Graphic: Drug use, Eating disorder, Abortion, Racism, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Death, Body shaming, and Antisemitism
Moderate: Rape, Infidelity, Homophobia, and Cancer
kizzy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Sexual content, Death of parent, Drug use, Adult/minor relationship, Abortion, and Addiction
Moderate: Antisemitism, Body shaming, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Rape, Misogyny, Grief, Eating disorder, Vomit, Terminal illness, Sexism, Racism, and Cancer
Minor: Blood, Bullying, and Car accident
Graphic lesbian sexual encounters