I really wanted to like this book but I just couldn’t get into the story.. I was expecting something different.

This book was amazing from beginning to end. All of the characters were developed well and I enjoyed their complicated relationships with each other.

As an avid traveler who has recently booked my own European cruise, I was very excited to read this book. Unfortunately, there wasn’t as much focus on the destinations in this book, which is fine, as the focus of the story was set around the dysfunctional family featured in the story. How her, I felt like the chapters where way too short and choppy. The narrative bounced around so much I felt unstable as I was reading then book. And the end had just a huge dramatic ending that felt so rushed. It was not expected and I don’t feel that it was flushed out well.

This was an interesting women's fiction read. I found it the characters to be believable and ones that most women can somehow relate with. There were humorous accepts of the novel as well as serious moments. I enjoyed learning the twist at the end of the book, which really did take me by surprise.

I love Ward’s writing style, but this book fell flat to me. The characters didn’t seem to have many redeeming qualities, and for someone who showed almost no human emotion, the mother seemed oddly sex-obsessed. Not my personal cup of tea, but I can see others enjoying the story.

I don’t like it but I didn’t hate it, too. I’m Switzerland right now. It’s okay read but not the marvelous book I’ve dreamed of so it means three let’s have a vacation with one of the dysfunctional families stars.

Smooth, soft, mediocre, entertaining, beach-side reading for me (even though Halloween, I still enjoy feeling the sea breeze on my face) but it’s not a book I compassionately flip the pages and so intrigued to learn more facts about the characters. I think the progression of the story-telling and presences of unlikable characters didn’t work with me. I found it a little light for my expectations and twisted genre taste.

Charlotte, widow, 70, great prize winner of Mediterranean Cruise, is gathering her family members to join her for the vacation. Eldest daughter Lee has problems to find a proper acting job. When her carrier floats away, she needs to face the secret she kept about their late father.

Middle sibling, Cord, keeping his sexuality as secret and youngest child, Regan, is my most dislikeable character has a problematic marriage. Her husband confesses once upon a time he fell in love with her sister, Lee.

There are too many dramas, arguments, emotional breakdowns… bla… bla… bla… Final the family members facing their secrets and resentments and we got our unexpected but quiet enjoyable ending. (Actually ending was the best part of the book.)

I didn’t like those family members and I didn’t stand their dramas and their over exaggerated problems. I didn’t find the story as a sincere, poignant, emotional family drama but also I didn’t find this as a chic-lit kind of entertaining, smart reading. But at least I didn’t get bored and the idea of Mediterranean Cruise travels around the marvelous cities of the world is a refreshing plot. (Like last remains of sunshine at the dark and rainy day)

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group to share this ARC COPY with me in exchange my honest review.

4.5 Stars!!!


This is the novel I never realized I absolutely needed! The Jetsetters had me from the very first page!

The Perkins family was dysfunctional (at best) 30 years ago! Now present day, the matriarch of the family, Charlotte, is thrilled when she wins an all expenses paid European dream vacation! She immediately invites her 3 children on a 10 day cruise through Europe...what could go wrong?!?! Ohhhhhh my, my, my!!!

Ok, so what surprised me the most about The Jetsetters was how relatable this novel was! No, I haven’t been through the same experiences as the Perkins family had, but I feel there is a lot in this book that readers will find themselves nodding their head and thinking I’ve been there! I felt Amanda Eyre Ward did a great job with the pacing, I was on the hook the entire way through! The Jetsetters is a 4.5 star novel that had me completely tuning out everything and everyone—such a fantastic read!

After seeing this compared to The Nest, I was so excited to receive a galley in exchange for my honest opinion. It did not disappoint! Life has been pretty heavy lately, so I was in search of a light-hearted novel to escape for a while. What I got was a story that made me laugh out loud and took me out of the present moment. Highly recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a hilarious book about family dynamics with a depth that surprised me! I was expecting a light vacation read and got more than I bargained for! The Jetsetters features a Grandmother who wins a cruise and invites her dysfunctional family along in an effort to unite them. Her three children each harbor a secret that will be uncovered over the course of the book. The family bickering felt real and scenery along their cruise in the med will make you envious. Some characters were definitely more likable than others (loved Cord's fiance). However, all of the characters felt real with their issues and flaws. The resolution wasn't as satisfying as I would have liked. Overall, this is a 3.5 star read for me!

I highly recommend reading this book about quite the dysfunctional family who "win" a cruise trip to travel to Europe. A lot of secrets come out throughout the book, ones that change the course of their lives forever. It was very witty and yet at times, depressing but I enjoyed following their stories.

This book was a great lead. I have always enjoyed Amanda Eyre Ward’s novels and this one did not disappoint. It is about a dysfunctional family of four heading off on the cruise of a lifetime. Their mother was lucky enough to win a first class cruise for four and a random contest. Prior to the Cruise, several family members were estranged. The characters are well developed, and the plot kept me interested as it jumped from character to character, yet never leaving the reader wanting. I would highly recommend this book to friends and family thank you so much for my advance copy.

I've loved all of Amanda Eyre Ward's novels, but this is my new favorite. Suspenseful, witty, smart, and moving, this is a novel about families--the things we don't say to one another, the various allegiances formed by siblings, the way our childhood dreams and disappointments inform our adult selves. It's an insightful, hopeful look at a complex family with many moving parts.

I’m afraid of boats but I’d take this cruise anytime...it’s the full Charlotte Perkins!

**Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the advance copy!**

Let's start here: I fucking LOVED this book. Straight up. This is a story about a dysfunctional (aka: mostly normal) family and their life. You see a glimpse of a childhood scene, and then the remainder of the books are the three children as adults and their aging mother as they go on a cruise together.

What I most appreciated about this story was that literally every one of them was fucked up in some way. They felt like real people, rather than those characters you sometimes get in a novel, where it's fun to read but not super realistic. This was realistic, with lots of character flaws and bad decisions and moments that leave you wondering why someone is doing the thing they're doing (horror movie style, where you're screaming internally DO NOT DO THAT THING!, and then they do it anyway).

Pub date is early next year, so mark it on your to read list now!

The matriarch of three young adult children wins an all expense paid cruise. She invites them all along, hoping that the trip will bring them together. Everyone's got issues to spare, the process is far from simple or peaceful, but things do get resolved in a surprisingly satisfying ending. This book is presented as light and fun, but the author explores some pretty serious issues, which give the book more depth, but may put off a reader who is looking for something more fun. Still a great read.

A big shout out to Ballantine and NetGalley for the chance to read this book. Charlotte Perkins, a 70-year-old widow, writes an essay so she can win a Mediterranean cruise for her and her children. She’s sure the time together on the water and in Italy will bring the dysfunctional group closer together. The oldest, Lee, is a washed up actress who thinks she’s pregnant. Cord, the only son, has never admitted to his family that he’s gay and about to be married. Regan’s husband tags along and pays his own way. Matt doesn’t join the family on many of the shore excursions, which turns out to be just fine with Regan.

There’s lots of bickering. This was my second dysfunctional family book in a row so I didn’t have much tolerance for their nitpicking. The places they visited sounded beautiful and were all well described. Told from the point of view of each family member, the dynamics were talked about frequently. The most well-drawn and dimensional character was Cord’s fiancé. I would have liked to see more of him. When he appeared in a scene, he made it pop.

This book was just not my cup of tea. I tended to skip through all the introspection to get to the good parks. Although the end had some intriguing twists, I didn’t feel any one’s issues saw a resolution.

This book is a surprisingly deep family dramady disguised as a lighter book. A somewhat estranged family of a mother and her three adult children take a European cruise and take all their baggage. It was light and an easy read but also had plenty of depth and was well written. I enjoyed it a lot.

Thanks to Netgalley for the free, advance copy.

When Charlotte wins a dream European cruise she is elated to try to glue her dysfunctional family back together, only one sibling knows the true story behind their fathers death, which has traumatized her for life. Another sibling in a troubling marriage. The book was well written, but somewhat predictable.

Dysfunction in this family requires more suspension of disbelief than I would have liked. Great cover and an author who has written good books before but
somehow for me the story totally fails to be humorous or redeeming. Whiny, narcissist characters with no ability to self reflect has a
cloying seasickening effect. I was hoping for Magigie Shipstead meets Emma Straub with a 2019 twist and was totally let down.

Charlotte Perkins decides to enter a contest in which the grand prize is a Mediterranean Cruise. Charlotte believes this is just the thing to reunite her dysfunctional family. When Charlotte is named a grand prize winner she and her family gather onboard for steamy, alcohol imbibed adventures at sea. Eldest daughter Lee is feeling washed up in her personal life and career as an actress. Cord is madly in love, but afraid to admit to his mother he is gay. Youngest child Regan seems to have her life together, yet it seems something is remiss with her perfect family.

This book is an often humorous, tongue in cheek look at a family together on vacation onboard the excessive fantabulous cruise ship Splendido Marvelouso. For ten days mother and children embark in onboard over-the-top adventures to glamorous Mediterranean destinations. As their story unfolds, tempers flare and patience wanes. A really satisfying, unexpected ending ties all the unraveled, loose knots of the Perkins family back together..

I started this novel with high expectations but found it very disappointing. It’s the story of 3 siblings and their mother going on a dream vacation. It was predictable from the start. I found the characters one-dimensional and cartoonish.



Thank you Netgalley.