This is an easy read if you don't want anything too challenging... Its about a family - Mum (charlotte 71) enters a very personal story to win a holiday on a cruise ship for her and her 3 children - (all of them grown up children !) Cord, Lee and Regan. They aren't as close as they once were and she hopes that by going on this cruise she will get her 'happy family' back again. There are a lot of secrets and sadness that are unraveled as the cruise progresses - I wouldn't say it was a full on comedy book but there are some funny moments.

This was sweet but slightly depressing even though it was set on a cruise which is a setting full of potential. It reminded me of This Is Us. It begins with Charlotte Perkins who has won a cruise for herself and her grown-up kids by entering a contest. I thought it would be fun and romantic, and it felt like that at the beginning, but slowly changed direction and focused on the relationships between this imperfect, traumatized family who are trying to reconnect with each other but don't know how.
It was easy to read, but I felt a bit betrayed, thinking the book would be fun and lighthearted, but then realised its characters were all heavily traumatized and scarred.

A dysfunctional family all going in a cruise together - what could possibly go wrong? Each character has their own lives and secrets, but that also try to fit in what their family’s expectations.

Overall I enjoyed the story. Each character was unique, had their flaws and was broken in their own way. I loved each character’s POV, especially Regan’s. But Lee has the most character development.
I loved the flashbacks of the family as kids. Really good insight to how they’ve become into who they were as adults.
I finished the novel quickly. It was very easy to read.

A sincere thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for providing me an ebook copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. This is not my usual genre, I’m more of a crime/thriller reader therefore am extremely pleased and grateful for opening up my mind to something totally different. 4 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟

I didn't know anything about this going in. I just saw it was a Reese Witherspoon book club pick. Then I was offered an Arc and decided to give it a go.
After reading the synopsis I was interested.
Despite feeling like it would be a quick read I quickly realised I just didn't care or like the main characters. I read the first 25% in the first sitting. When I was finished that part I knew I would dislike this book. Since its character driven and I didn't like any of them.
Each character has issues. Serious issues. But the writing felt very light compared to the issues at hand.
The casual bodyshaming early on kind of annoyed me.
I found myself skim reading this then at 60% I just decided to give up. I was not liking anything. Which is a shame.

I did not really enjoy this book. The characters were pretty shallow, especially Charlotte, the mother of the major characters in the story. I found her storyline fairly insipid, very similar to her character. The premise of the story is that Charlotte is alone, misses her children, so enters a competition for a family cruise, which she miraculously wins, and takes her adult daughters and son with her. It is all very disjointed, convoluted and ultimately disappointing. Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin books UK for an arc copy in return for a review.

When 70-year-old Charlotte Perkins submits an essay to the 'Become a Jetsetter' contest, she dreams of reuniting her estranged children: Lee, an almost-famous actress; Cord, a handsome Manhattan venture capitalist; and Regan, a harried mother who has never forgiven Charlotte for buying her a Weight Watchers gift certificate for her birthday.

But when she wins the cruise, the reality is not quite as she expected. As they sail from sun-drenched Athens, to glorious Rome, to tapas-laden Barcelona, lovers old and new join the adventure, and long-buried secrets are revealed.

Can four lost adults find their way back to themselves, and to each other? And more importantly, can they do it without killing each other?

Unfortunately this book was not for me. I have seen this book doing the rounds on instagram with rave reviews. So when the opportunity arose to read this book, I grabbed it with both hands.

The story was flat and uninteresting, and I did not like the characters in this story. They all had issues with being honest and all were very selfish and whiny.

I really enjoyed this work of literary fiction. Following a disconnected family as they go on a cruise in the faint hope that they may reconnect.
This story didn't go where I expected it to, and I'm glad. Usually, I like my reads tied up with a pretty bow at the end however that wouldn't have suited this read. The family was messy and complicated and very real.
I did find the writing style a bit strange, to begin with, I found it to be quite disjointed but I did eventually settle into it.
Overall it was a good read, great for fans of literary fiction.

The jettsetter by Amanda Eyre Ward

A story about Charlotte and her estranged family meeting up on the holiday of a lifetime. What should be a wonderful trip starts to all fall apart due to all the family having secre

The description of the book is very miss leading. ‘A hello sunshine book 'it isn’t. A good read although was a bit slow to start but is well written. I started reading this novel expecting a light hearted holiday read but it turned into something completely different . A good book nonetheless. Not a ‘ what said on the tin ‘description and I felt a little let down.

I don't really like this, I pick this book as this was picked in Reese Witherspoon book club. It's a drama of dysfunctional family, Charlotte with her three grown up children, Lee, Cord and Ray Ray. They all go for cruise together as one family, there are a few dramas from each of them. However, the story line just does not interest me at all.

I was really happy when I was approved for this title from NetGalley, even though the publication date had passed. It had been a book club pick by Reese Witherspoon and I had seen many rave reviews on the GoodReads and the socials.

Sadly, I was about 25% in when I came to the realisation that I was going to be disappointed. But I persevered, thinking that I must be missing something, there must be a twist, an epiphany…something.

I should be clear here, in no way was I displeased with the story. This novel was really well written, and I liked how it was told from each of the 4 protagonists point of view. Even though Charlotte’s 3 children were in their late 30s, this felt very akin to a coming of age story. Each character had to find their path before being able to come back together as a unit. Unfortunately, the problem lays with everyone who has been mooning over this book.

If you’re looking for a story full of sunshine, set against the wonderful backdrop of Europe, with some family drama thrown in…you’ll really enjoy this book. But I wouldn’t go into it expecting that it’s going to change your life.

The first thing that appealed to me about this book was the fact that it involves travel.  I also liked the idea that the main character Charlotte wins a competition and therefore can take her family on holiday with her. Charlotte has three children: Lee, Cord and Regan.  The book is broken up into chapters where each of the main characters are focused on.  They all have their own personal issues and they haven't seen one another for a long time, which made me wonder how the holiday was going to go.

It is certainly full of drama and secrets that the family members are keeping from one another.

I did like the travel aspect of this book, I thought the fact that most of it is set on a cruise ship that docks into various European ports made it interesting.

It does deal with serious issues including suicide, but it is written about in a subtle way.  It certainly doesn't feel like a depressing read.

I warmed to all the characters in the book.

Whilst i did enjoy this book, it’s not a favourite of mine. I found the characters so complex and off putting in some parts. The family involved are very dysfunctional.

I did enjoy the descriptive writing of the destinations. Very clever.

Not sure it has sold me on going on a cruise anytime soon either!

I was emailed by the publishers to see if I wanted an advance review copy of The Jetsetters – and when I saw it was a Reece Witherspoon book club pick (and she’s previously picked ‘Eleanor Oliphant‘) I jumped at the chance with high hopes.

Here’s the blurb:

“A family reunited on a holiday of a lifetime…what could possibly go wrong?
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
A 2020 REESE WITHERSPOON HELLO SUNSHINE BOOK CLUB PICK

When 70-year-old Charlotte Perkins enters the ‘Become a Jetsetter’ contest, she dreams of reuniting her estranged children: Lee, an almost-famous actress; Cord, a handsome Manhattan venture capitalist; and Regan, a harried mother who has never got over Charlotte’s gift of a Weight Watchers voucher for her birthday.

But when she wins that once in a lifetime trip, all doesn’t exactly go to plan…

As long-buried secrets are revealed, and lovers new and old appear, can these four lost adults find their way back to each other? And more importantly, can they do it without killing each other?

A hilarious and deliciously sun-scented novel about the courage it takes to reveal our true selves, and the pleasures and perils of family.”

When I first started reading it I was confused. It felt like a self published, badly written novel – and I double checked I hadn’t misread Reece Witherspoon, and it was actually a trick – and some ‘Reice from Wetherspoons’ had started a book club and I’d been hoodwinked. But no – I hadn’t.

I persevered – but it really wasn’t great at all.

The book is told with different chapters by different characters – Charlotte, Lee, Regan and Cord. None are particularly deep or likeable, all have their problems – but none of them seem motivated to help themselves. All of them needed a motivational chat to sort themselves out – probably independently of each other.

The descriptions of European destinations are SOOOOOO written by an American – it was hideous to read. Yes – Europe has loads of history (most countries apart from America do!) and No – Europeans aren’t naked at all times on the beach. It was written like some voyeur marvelling over a guidebook of Europe.

It also made me 100% definite that I NEVER want to go on a cruise.

It flirted with some sex scenes without ever getting down and dirty (it made me wonder if it was a ‘Christian’ romance – but I don’t think so?)

I persevered, hoping to find whatever Ms Witherspoon had seen in it, put I didn’t particularly care about any of the characters or what happened to them.

Overall a waste of a few hours – and I wouldn’t actively read anything by this author ever again.

Not often I am negative about a book – but this was poor. But thank you to the publishers for an ARC – and for letting me prove I’m not always gushing about books!!

Charlotte Perkins is in her 70s and her best friend has recently passed away. She enters an essay writing competition to win a cruise round the Mediterranean and when she wins, she invites her 3 grown up children to join her in the hope that it will be a bonding experience for them all. It transpires that the family is a truly dysfunctional one and all of them are harbouring their own secrets.

I enjoyed many aspects of the book - each chapter is based at one of the ports they visit, and really bring them to life, and the description of life aboard the cruise ship is often highly amusing. I enjoyed the story being told from Charlotte and her three children's point of view. I enjoyed the fact that it was a lighter story and a relatively easy read that tried to deal with some more serious themes. However, for me the ending fell a little flat, with too many unresolved issues.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I'd firstly like to thank NetGalley and Penguin Random House for giving me an ARC of this book in return for my honest review. 

I have never read anything written by Amanda Eyre Ward before but I am always open to new authors. After reading the synopsis I thought it would be great to read about a nice sunny holiday and family adventure seeing as that is the closest I am probably going to get this year! 

After winning an essay contest Charlotte Perkins sees this as the perfect opportunity to get her dysfunctional family together and wow do they have some baggage! Each member of the family harbours a dark secret, obsession or need and it is clear that communication isn't this families strong point. 

I loved the layout of the book, having it split between the different countries made it really easy to follow and I enjoyed reading the story from the different characters perspectives. The places they visited and the tours they did made me envious of their holiday but it's also made me put a few places on my list to go and see. Of all the characters my favourite was actually Giovanni. Whilst he wasn't a main character I found his energy very refreshing and he brought a smile to my face. I found all of the children intriguing and wished that someone would just shut them in a room so they could talk honestly with each other. In my opinion Lee was the glue of the family and carried the heaviest of burdens. 

All in all this is a great quick read, especially if you are yearning for some sunshine, all be it artificial!

Well, this was not quite the light-hearted read I was expecting. Charlotte seemed like someone who I have probably met once or twice so I found her POV's easy to read. Her children not so much. I didn't click with Lee, Cord or Regan at all. Yes, I felt sorry for them in one respect but that was all.

I didn't love the author's voice in it however the cruise aspect seems to be spot on in some respects as an ex cruise specialist this stood out to me.

I would have liked to have seen more of an epilogue as I think things were quite wrapped up in a nice little bow. Some parts were a little darker than I was expecting and although I didn't like the children I did like how they all came together to help one another.

Thank you Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

The cover and the title led me to believe that this would be a nice holiday read, quite light, a bit like Chris Manby's series of books about a families misadventures on holiday...however it was quite a sensitive story that covers alcoholism, suicide, loneliness, sexuality and adultery to just touch on a few of the themes in this story.

By the time the Perkins family board the cruise ship the author has done a great job in helping us to connect with the characters.

I particularly enjoyed the parts of the story set on the ship, especially as some of the ports mentioned I have visited on holiday on a med cruise so it brought back lovely memories.

Thanks to netgalley for the opportunity to review this book, this is my honest opinion.

The story of Charlotte and her three children, all on a cruise together after Charlotte enters a story in the jetsetters competition.

Told from each of their point of view, and skipping between childhood and present day. You understand why they are the way they are, but will they still be talking to each other by the end of the cruise.

A good read, but I would have liked more of an epilogue.