California Girls is full of feel-good sister moments that center around starting again and taking responsibility for your own happiness. Finola, Zennie, and Ali are all dealing with the aftermath of breakups and what it means for their future. Susan Mallery meshes romance and women’s lit in this story.

Finola, wrecked by her husband’s infidelity with a pop star, feels like her life is over. She questions how she will ever be able to move on while in the public eye. Her story is relatable to anyone facing starting over. She’s been married for years and had envisioned the rest of her life with her husband by her side. She has to try and redesign her entire future. Finola does not have another romantic arc during the story and I loved that. She was able to allow herself to be angry and messy after her break up. She was granted the time she needed to focus on herself and find her inner strength.

Ali is dumped months before her wedding day and her soon-to-be husband isn’t even the one that breaks up with her. His brother has to deliver the message. From the beginning it’s clear that Ali and Daniel, her ex’s brother, have some chemistry brewing. Ali’s storyline focuses on finding love and being loved. She has spent so much time in the shadow of her sisters and hasn’t thought much of herself. She was holding onto her ex’s love because she felt like someone had finally seen her and appreciated her. She finally realizes she deserves more and doesn’t have to settle. Her romance with Daniel was incredibly sweet, slightly steamy, and so worth the build up!

Zennie has the most minor breakup. She is dumped by a guy she’s gone out on a few dates with. She worries more about what it means for herself that she’s never had a long term relationship and doesn’t feel any interest in one. She expresses that she’s not really interested in sexual relationships but the term “asexuality” is never used in the book. I wish this was something that could’ve been explored more since it’s not featured much in romances/women’s lit. Zennie’s major storyline is centered around her decision to become a surrogate for her best friend. Her friends and some family members disagree with her decision and worry about her, but ultimately Zennie knows she’s made the right choice for her.

The California based sisters all grow throughout the pages of the novels and each eventually learns that they have the power to create happiness in their lives. Each deals with a situation that they can’t control and they learn to change the things they can. This book focuses on accepting self-love along with romantic love and it’s a message many readers need to see. Susan Mallery wrote a quick, light-hearted book that readers with or without sisters will love!

Ali and Finola have a whopping bad day- the two sisters are both dumped, Finola by her husband who has run off with a pop star, and Ali by her fiancé who leaves her with the bill. Oh, and Ali also has a problem because she's sold her stuff and let her lease go because she planned to move in with Glen, the rat. Zennie, their sister, is a cool headed OR nurse whose boyfriend notes her lack of commitment to their relationship. However, Zennie is committed to her friend Bernie, so committed that she agrees to be her surrogate. How these three get their legs under them is at the core of this well written and plotted novel. That Ali recovers with the able assistance of Glen's brother Daniel is nice. It's even better that he helps her with her confidence at work. Each of the sisters is well fleshed out and you will definitely root for them. One quibble- I can't imagine why this bears the title it does. Yes they all live in California but it's not distinctly a California novel and more importantly, they aren't girls, they are women. Thanks to net galley for the ARC. A perfect read for a snowy day (or any other day!).

Review featured at www.books-n-kisses.com

Mallery is my favorite author. She is the first name that comes to mind when someone asks me to recommend an author… “Have you ever read Susan Mallery?” and most times the answer is “Yes! I love her.” From that point on I know where to go with the conversation.

First I always bring up her Fool’s Gold series, move on to the Happily Inc series and then talk about her stand alone stories. And still so many to talk about.

In this story we meet Finola, Zennie and Ali. This story takes you through every emotion a book can do. You feel the sadness and the joy that the characters feel.

Another story that can not be missed by Susan Mallery.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Finola, Zennie and Ali are sisters who have each made a comfortable life for themselves. Then, in the same week, all are dumped. Finola’s husband, Nigel, announces he has been having an affair and is leaving their marriage. Zennie has dated Clark for only a short time but there is nothing special about him. Until he tells her that he can tell she is not that interested in him and walks out of the restaurant. Ali is marrying Glen in a couple of weeks. That is until Glen’s brother, Daniel, shows up to announce that Glen has changed his mind.

This book is a romance in traditional Susan Mallery style. It is also about so much more. The lives of the three sisters, destruct and then are put back together. The metamorphism that occurs in gradual but astounding. Travel with them as they go from self-absorbed to seeing the world around them as it truly is.

This was a good book which was easy to read. It had poignant moments and laugh out loud scenes. The characters are well developed and contain richly developed thoughts and emotions.

This is a must read for anyone who enjoys a good, clean story about love, relationships, self-awareness and what it takes to truly belong. You will not be disappointed.

In this emotionally charged new read by author Susan Mallery we meet three sisters who all seem to be going through a difficult time, at the same time. Finola, the oldest, learns that her husband is cheating on her with a famous singer who happens to be a guest on her tv show the day she finds out. Zennie gets broken up with but for her she just wasn't into it anyway, she thinks that she is her best self alone and not in a relationship. She's happy with the way things are so when her best friend, who can't have children, asks her to not only be her surrogate but also the egg donor, she thinks no problem. Then there is Ali, the youngest of the three whose fiance dumps her a couple of months before their wedding. How does he do it you ask? He lets his brother tell her because otherwise he was just going to leave her standing at the alter alone and confused. Follow along in this emotional read as these three women all work through the happenings in their lives. Will Finola be able to get over the betrayal of her husband, will they end up back together or will she move on without him? Will having a baby for her best friend but in reality is really hers become an issue for Zennie or will she be selfless enough to give her friends the gift of a child? Can Ali learn to be a stronger person and stand up for herself or will she turn to food like she has in the past? This was a wonderful read that truly touched on the relationships between sisters and the one they have with their mother. I laughed throughout and I cried throughout and in the end I was happy with each road that the sisters took. It was a fantastic read that shows the situations that a family can go through and how they deal with each problem. I look forward to seeing what Mallery brings to life next.

California Girls is brilliant! Three sisters get dumped in the same week and as a consequence go through huge changes in their lives over a short time period. Each woman goes through upheaval in facing different challenges of their new found status. The book is funny, thought provoking and thoroughly engaging, I loved it and didn’t want it to end and would definitely recommend this book.

It was the first book I read by this author and it was a great discovery.
It's an enjoyable and entertaining book that will make you laugh and move.
You cannot help rooting for the lovely and well written characters and be involved in their story.
I loved how the plot was developed and was hooked since the first pages.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to HARLEQUIN - MIRA and Netgalley for this ARC

You can always expect a super read by this author such was the case with California Girls. I found myself laughing and crying. I highly recommend this book. I received an arc from Netgalley and this is my unbiased review.

Susan Mallery is one of my favorite authors. She always sweeps me into another world. I always know that it’s a book that I am going to get lost in.

Great read! This Susan Mallery story is about three sisters experiencing heart break. I liked that the story jumped from each sister's point of view. Really easy read, I sped through it but didn't want it to end. Highly recommended!

Susan Mallery definitely has a winner with this book. Three sisters, three very different relationship breakups brings these sisters closer together and more understanding of each other’s different choices. As the story flowed back and forth between this family, it was easy to follow and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

Three sisters who each get dumped on the same day. What follows for each is the heart of the story. This sends each on a very different path. I enjoyed meeting the three and their slightly off center Mother who just wants to be a grandmother. For each of the sisters the result is not what they expected. This follows them for a year and the result for each is a bit of a surprise. A nice contemporary romance that has both serious and light moments.

I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.

Good fun read. Three sisters and all their problems and how they came together. Really good story.

California Girls was my the first Susan Mallery book I've read and I am officially a fan now!! This book tells the story of three sisters who have all experienced a breakup at the same time. While all of these women are very different, their heartbreak unites them and they become closer. This was a quick read, can't wait to read more from Susan Mallery.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

Finola, Zennie and Ali, three sisters who will suffer through life changing events and learn so much about love and life. Ali is busy working and planning the wedding of her dreams. Zennie is not interested in being a “couple”, but has her exciting life as an operating room nurse and a great group of friends. Finola has her own local television show and is planning her trip to Hawaii with her husband where she will tell him that she is ready for them to start a family. In one week, their lives will implode in unexpected ways. Ali is stunned when her future brother-in-law arrives to tell her that his brother, her fiancé wants out of the wedding. Zennie will be asked by her best friend, who is unable to have children, to be a surrogate for her and her husband. Finola will find out in the most-cruel way that her husband is having an affair…with a much younger pop star. A wonderful, heartwarming story about the way the three sisters deal with their changed lives. Will they be strong enough to survive their challenges? Whenever I read a Susan Mallery novel, I “sigh” when I finish the book and want to read it all over again. Another masterpiece by an author that takes you through every emotion possible. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)

A very pleasant read. Sort of romance, sort of a domestic drama this book was fun. Reading women who are fully fleshed out - they have friends and careers and hobbies and families was a pleasure. It's the sort of book you can just read for pleasure, it doesn't need a lot of thought or analysis. And while there are love stories in there, this book does not posit that the solution to every problem is a man.

Thanks Netgalley and Harlequin Mira foor the ARC, which I received in exchange for an honest review.

California Girls was a nice read from author Susan Mallery that contained some likeable characters that grab reader’s attentions..
Review copy received via Netgalley

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin-Mira for an e-ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review. I was worried this book might veer into too much "romance," for me, but I shouldn't have worried. The character development was spot on with this book, and I felt like I knew the characters, even to the point of their relationship dynamics feeling real to me. Three sisters, each with their own problems (some are major!) and flaws. I loved watching each sister change, together and apart. Highly recommended.

I really enjoyed this book about three very different sisters and the dramas in their lives. I think I got thrown off track with Susan Mallery a bit with a couple of so-so Fools Gold books that I wasn't that keen on, but this is definitely Susan Mallery at her best.

The three sisters, Finola, Zennie & Ali, are all very different but have each recently split with their husband/fiancee/partner, although Zennie may have split up with a guy she was seeing but she wasn't that bothered about him anyway (or so she thought!) so she was the least affected by it.

Finola is a TV presenter whose husband has recently left her for a young famous singer and she's really struggling with how she feels and 'what everyone thinks'. She was definitely the hardest sister to like, she came across as a bit selfish and it was all about her. Zennie did her own thing and didn't really care what people thought, until she agreed to be a surrogate for a friend and while some people thought it was great others thought she was mad and really judged her for it, which she hadn't really expected. Ali was my favourite sister. Her fiancee had dumped her weeks before the wedding and left her to de-organise and pay for everything. His brother though jumped in to help and he was lovely, even though Ali had felt he didn't like her when they'd met before.

The whole story is really about relationships, the sisters, their friends and family. The girls mother, and father/step-father actually, were both quite 'interesting' characters. Their mother especially seemed quite a selfish woman, probably why Finola was her favourite as she was quite like her.

Each sister developed over the course of the story and came out stronger and closer to each other by the end of the book because of the drama in their lives. Even though it didn't seem it at the time every cloud (eventually!) has a silver lining. Very enjoyable.

Sisters Ali, Zennie, and Finola are having a rough time in the relationship department - they've all been dumped in the same week. Ali's fiancé sent his brother to break off their engagement; Finola finds out her husband is having an affair with a pop sensation who is a guest on the talk show she hosts; and Zennie just doesn't see the point in dating, a fact her latest date notices before he breaks it off with her.

Each sister copes with the breakup in her own way. Ali tackles the task of unplanning her wedding, luckily she has lots of help in the form of the once-future-brother-in-law who keeps showing up. Finola hides from the press while she tries to figure out what went wrong with her marriage. And Zennie, not really heartbroken but definitely still over the dating scene, skips to the next step and gets pregnant (she agrees to serve as a surrogate to her best friend).

In the typical fashion of Susan Mallery characters, the sisters learn more about themselves than ever before and grow into the women they truly are, all while repairing their relationships with each other.

I love Susan Mallery's books; they are always such quick, light-hearted reads. The Fools Gold series is one of my favorite to visit. California Girls does not disappoint - definitely a must-read, especially if you're looking for a feel-good story.