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2.96 AVERAGE
2.96 AVERAGE
Eh. Did not love this one. I wanted to like it, but it missed the mark. Cute cover though!
Meh. Didn’t love it, didn’t hate it. Didn’t like a single character except Giovanni. An incredibly selfish family, each wrapped up in their own drama and bonded unknowingly by trauma, are forced together on a cruise. There was so much “poor me” from each character, I had no one to root for. My least favorite of Reese’s pics.
Lots of promise, very little follow through. I wish I could say I liked it or I hated it, but in honestly, I’ll probably forget all of it in a few weeks and only look back at it with a vague “I read that”.
I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review. I've read this author before, The Same Sky one of my favorite books of hers because of the topic. I enjoyed The Jetsetters more than the author's last book. Having just returned from a cruise myself, I was eager to re-immerse myself into a cruise.
Charlotte Perkins is my mom's age, she's a widow who has just lost a close friend. Her oldest daughter Lee comes to see her, escaping Los Angeles. Lee has her own problems as do her other children Cord and her daughter Regan. It wasn't so much the secrets that come out on vacation but a family healing themselves from trauma with a Mediterranean cruise. I'm glad they were able to do so even though it was a little less dramatic than I thought it would be.
Charlotte Perkins is my mom's age, she's a widow who has just lost a close friend. Her oldest daughter Lee comes to see her, escaping Los Angeles. Lee has her own problems as do her other children Cord and her daughter Regan. It wasn't so much the secrets that come out on vacation but a family healing themselves from trauma with a Mediterranean cruise. I'm glad they were able to do so even though it was a little less dramatic than I thought it would be.
Three stars because this was a quick, smooth read. But honestly, a disappointment.
Charlotte Perkins is a seventy-year old widow who feels her three adult children have grown distant. When she enters a writing contest whose prize is a free mediterranean cruise, she sees her chance at bringing them all together. Daughter Lee is a failed actress who is haunted by her role in family secret-keeping. Daughter Regan gave up her art to chase a version of domesticity that leaves her empty. Son Cord hides his true self from the family, risking his future with his love and worsening his battle with alcoholism. Each thinks the others' lives are better than their own. Each has fears that keep them from being honest with one another and, therefore, leaves them unable to help or be helped by one another.
I think the problem with this book is that Ward cannot decide whether to emphasize the family issues, the romance novel angle, or the humor. As a result, each aspect is rendered only shallowly and without satisfaction. Seven-eighths of the way through, all of the problems are present, undiscussed, unresolved, and then boom - Epilogue, one big happy family. How did they get there?
Charlotte has never known true romance, having married young to the wrong man - It just boggles the mind that she went on zero good dates between her thirties and her seventies, especially when so much page space is given to how well put-together, educated, and gorgeous she is. Even more troublesome is that she never once takes an inkling of responsibility for the family conditions she created for her children. Secrets, lies, a refusal to acknowledge feelings - but readers are supposed to swoon when she finally gets her groove on. By the time that happens, I just had stopped caring about her completely. It's too bad, because she was so interesting in the beginning, especially when shown in the context of her lovely friendship with Minnie.
Charlotte Perkins is a seventy-year old widow who feels her three adult children have grown distant. When she enters a writing contest whose prize is a free mediterranean cruise, she sees her chance at bringing them all together. Daughter Lee is a failed actress who is haunted by her role in family secret-keeping. Daughter Regan gave up her art to chase a version of domesticity that leaves her empty. Son Cord hides his true self from the family, risking his future with his love and worsening his battle with alcoholism. Each thinks the others' lives are better than their own. Each has fears that keep them from being honest with one another and, therefore, leaves them unable to help or be helped by one another.
I think the problem with this book is that Ward cannot decide whether to emphasize the family issues, the romance novel angle, or the humor. As a result, each aspect is rendered only shallowly and without satisfaction. Seven-eighths of the way through, all of the problems are present, undiscussed, unresolved, and then boom - Epilogue, one big happy family. How did they get there?
Charlotte has never known true romance, having married young to the wrong man - It just boggles the mind that she went on zero good dates between her thirties and her seventies, especially when so much page space is given to how well put-together, educated, and gorgeous she is. Even more troublesome is that she never once takes an inkling of responsibility for the family conditions she created for her children. Secrets, lies, a refusal to acknowledge feelings - but readers are supposed to swoon when she finally gets her groove on. By the time that happens, I just had stopped caring about her completely. It's too bad, because she was so interesting in the beginning, especially when shown in the context of her lovely friendship with Minnie.
A light read and predictable. A story of a family feeling disconnected because they weren’t honest with each other. The ending felt rushed.
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
??? the sexual scenes were horrible. tragedy and drama happpen for no reason but becoming plot-devices. I see the duo???? an easy read. didn't hate it but a lot of points of improvements
The cover would make you think..."OH! This looks kind of bright and shiny." It is so far from that. These people have PROBLEMS and there is literally nothing light-hearted about how they come to terms with those problems. It's not necessarily the book I have problems with though it didn't WOW me.
***TRIGGER WARNING & SPOILERS AHEAD***
That part I understand so well -- I'm the youngest, I have always been treated like I'm a teenager because that's the age I was when my siblings became "adults". They've forgotten that eventually I became an adult, too. The interactions between the siblings and there mom are so relatable.
The suicidal dad and (later) sister though...not something I expected based on the description. Is suicide really a plot device now? Is that the trend novels are moving toward? Are authors (and their book marketers -- and I'm including Reese's Book Club as a marketer) consciously doing this? I'm an author, I'm gonna make this "unique" by including a suicide, but let's not include that in the blurb because it's gonna be a "surprise" for the reader. It's a plot twist, get it? Let's give this one a bright & shiny cover with umbrellas -- no one will ever see the dark & twisty suicide coming!
Well...you fooled me again publishers. Please stop.
Maybe I'm hyper-sensitive to this right now? Or maybe it's time I give up on contemporary novels for a bit. When they all start to became the same book, it becomes tedious and BORING. One successful dysfunctional family novel means that EVERY publisher wants to push THEIR dysfunctional family dramas to the front. Remember when Gone Girl came out and EVERYTHING WAS GONE GIRL AFTER THAT? Well, we're there with the dysfunctional family trend. It's DONE NOW. YOU'VE KILLED IT FOR ME.
I'm ready for something new. I feel like Buffy in the musical episode. Please give me something to sing about, ya'll!
If you're one of those that reads reviews before reading the book, read these instead:
[bc:Reunion|20706746|Reunion|Hannah Pittard|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1397505995l/20706746._SY75_.jpg|40026642][bc:The Nest|25781157|The Nest|Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1461354827l/25781157._SY75_.jpg|45630747][bc:The Most Fun We Ever Had|41880044|The Most Fun We Ever Had|Claire Lombardo|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1559679977l/41880044._SY75_.jpg|65105831]
***TRIGGER WARNING & SPOILERS AHEAD***
Spoiler
I'm gonna keep it pretty simple. There's two different suicides (one only an attempt) featured and LOTS of characters that should be medicated for their depression. There is no introspection, they just kind of vomit out all of their problems (or bottle them up) and assume that everyone around them didn't grow up, too.That part I understand so well -- I'm the youngest, I have always been treated like I'm a teenager because that's the age I was when my siblings became "adults". They've forgotten that eventually I became an adult, too. The interactions between the siblings and there mom are so relatable.
The suicidal dad and (later) sister though...not something I expected based on the description. Is suicide really a plot device now? Is that the trend novels are moving toward? Are authors (and their book marketers -- and I'm including Reese's Book Club as a marketer) consciously doing this? I'm an author, I'm gonna make this "unique" by including a suicide, but let's not include that in the blurb because it's gonna be a "surprise" for the reader. It's a plot twist, get it? Let's give this one a bright & shiny cover with umbrellas -- no one will ever see the dark & twisty suicide coming!
Well...you fooled me again publishers. Please stop.
Maybe I'm hyper-sensitive to this right now? Or maybe it's time I give up on contemporary novels for a bit. When they all start to became the same book, it becomes tedious and BORING. One successful dysfunctional family novel means that EVERY publisher wants to push THEIR dysfunctional family dramas to the front. Remember when Gone Girl came out and EVERYTHING WAS GONE GIRL AFTER THAT? Well, we're there with the dysfunctional family trend. It's DONE NOW. YOU'VE KILLED IT FOR ME.
I'm ready for something new. I feel like Buffy in the musical episode. Please give me something to sing about, ya'll!
If you're one of those that reads reviews before reading the book, read these instead:
[bc:Reunion|20706746|Reunion|Hannah Pittard|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1397505995l/20706746._SY75_.jpg|40026642][bc:The Nest|25781157|The Nest|Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1461354827l/25781157._SY75_.jpg|45630747][bc:The Most Fun We Ever Had|41880044|The Most Fun We Ever Had|Claire Lombardo|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1559679977l/41880044._SY75_.jpg|65105831]
This book tried to set itself up to do so much that in the end, it ended up doing absolutely nothing. This book wants what All Adults Here has.