This book was really difficult to read. I didn’t really enjoy it. I think the cover is misleading and the chapters are extremely short and choppy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced digital copy of this book.

3.5 Stars! Nostalgic, tender, and optimistic!

All Our Summers is a compelling, heartfelt tale that sweeps you away to Yorktide, Maine and immerses you into the lives of the Ascher family complete with all the heartbreak, secrets, smiles, tears, strength, loyalty, resentments, and compassion that surround them.

The writing is smooth and light. The characters are complex, hurt, and vulnerable. And the plot, including all the subplots, intertwine and unravel into an uplifting tale about life, love, loss, family, friendship, parenthood, infidelity, and the complex relationship that exists between sisters.

All Our Summers is a sentimental, warm, touching, family saga by Chamberlin that drags slightly in parts but overall does a lovely job of reminding us of what’s truly important in life.

This is a story about 2 sisters and their daughters. It’s filled with lots of drama. I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I wanted to but despite that it was a decent story.

All Our Summers is a novel about family and forgiveness. Author Holly Chamberlin gives universal problems to realistic, sympathetic characters in a small town setting. The drama that follows is both satisfying and entertaining. This is a 5 star read!

Carol Ascher left Yorktide, Maine and her sister Bonnie behind when she moved to New York City at nineteen to become a successful interior designer. Now, nearing retirement, she returns to Yorktide seeking a simpler, slower paced life. She plans to live in Ferndean, the family home, left jointly to the sisters in their mother’s will. However, Bonnie has other ideas. Recently widowed, she has thought about moving into Ferndean herself. After all, she has maintained the house, a summer rental for years, taken care of her late parents and husband, raised her own daughter Julie and Carol’s daughter Nicola, who moved to Yorktide when she was a troubled teenager. To Bonnie, Carol chose to lead a fairytale life in New York, surrounded by glamorous, sophisticated friends, and now wants to move that lifestyle to Ferndean and Yorktide. It doesn’t help that people in town are fascinated by Carol’s career and tend to ignore Bonnie. Cousins Nicola and Julie also have problems. Nicola is estranged from her mother who banished her to Maine after some bad behavior. She also resents the fact that she has no father because Carol used a donor to have a child. Julie was happily married to Scott until he had an affair. Although he desperately wants to reconcile, Julie can’t forgive him.

Before problems can be solved and relationships mended, many secrets are revealed and truths are told. This is a slow paced read with an emphasis on character development. I want to visit Yorktide!

Thank you to NetGalley, Kensington Books and Holly Chamberlin for this ARC.

holly chamberlin is a hard author for me to get inot. i keep trying and keep being kinda disappointed. so that's the tea on that one sis.

To me this is a great story about family. As I was reading, I would think, yep, I know someone that had those feelings or went through whatever the situation was. There is a lot of growing between the characters in this story and in themselves. Bonnie and Carol, even though sisters, are two very different people. Will they ever get to the point they really understand each other again? What about Julie and Scott? Haven’t all of us dealt with the forgiveness factor in our lives? I totally enjoyed this story and meeting these folks. I think you will too. I received this book from NetGalley, but my opinion is my own.

All Our Summers by Holly Chamberlin is the story about two very different sisters. Carol Ascher left Maine as soon as she could to go to New York City, where she became a successful interior designer. Bonnie stayed in Maine where she married and had children. Bonnie even agreed to take Carol's teenage daughter when there was trouble. Now Bonnie recently lost her husband and is planning to retire to their parents home Ferndean House. Carol after forty-five years has decided to return to Maine and Ferndean House. Bonnie is angry, she is the one who took care of the house and their dying mother. The sisters have the summer to work everything out. If you enjoy family drama, and working through family problems, give this book a try.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A wonderful family story full of drama. Sisters at odds. A house they both want. Can they settle their differences? Read this wonderfully written story filled with angst and hope. Happy reading!

I would actually give this book a 2.5 stars, but I'm bumping it up to 3 for the sake of Goodreads.

I really, really wanted to like this book. I loved the cover but was confused after finishing the book because the cover really has nothing to do with the story. I don't even remember a pool being mentioned and I think they discussed the beach maybe once?

I found this read to be very choppy. None of the characters really appealed to me. I found them to be whiny and annoying. It seems like they couldn't have serious conversations. Every time a serious conversation would start, someone would end up leaving the house or room, etc. I'm sure this is book is going to appeal to many people, I just personally couldn't get into it.

Thank you to Kensington Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This was a very relaxing read. The stories of these women happen a lot in people's real lives. It was nice to read a story that focused on real world issues women face and how they overcome them. The writing was so good that I could feel the same feelings of the women in the stories. Although, this is sort of an emotional read it was really relaxing and more laid back then what I am used to reading. I would highly recommend this book for anyone who reads general fiction.

Being a New England Girl I can not turn away a book that is written in Maine, add in some sister drama, and to me its a recipe for a perfect beach read. I enjoyed how the author weaved in multiple generations as she told the story of two estranged sisters who were more alike then they realized. While the premise of the story was great and I wanted to know what happened it was a bit long for my liking and dragged in parts.

I received a copy of this arc from NetGalley for an honest review. This was an okay summer read, but not my favorite, but since Chamberlin is a well-loved author, we will purchase a copy.

Another beautiful summer read by Holly Chamberlin. Beautiful beaches and fun summers with friends and family. These are the type of books I love to pick up going into the beautiful sunny months of the year. Especially by local authors (local to me)

I loved this upbeat story of family, love, & getting back to yourselves!!!!!! This was my first Holly Chamberlin novel & it was great!!!! Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington Pub for my honest review.

My favorite part of this story was the number of generations used to tell the story. Even though at times I was trying to remember who everyone was and who was related to who, I don't think this story would have been the same if it only focused on the two protagonists (Carol and Bonnie). The supplemental characters brought this story to life.

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. I went into it hoping it would evoke the same feelings as Summer Friends did when I read it last summer. Personally, I've often struggled with stories with complex family dynamics with some drama. As an only child from a small family, I can't really envision let alone relate to the characters or storyline. I also think that as a 30-something this novel would be received much better by someone who is older or has experienced complex issues within their own family. With that said, I don't think others should write this book off as something they shouldn't read. I think Holly Chambers has an audience for this book.

Although this book had 141 chapters, I appreciated it because it allowed me to read small bits at a time and not leave off in the middle of a chapter. But sometimes the chapters were so short the story seemed rushed and left me with some questions.

Overall, I had higher hopes for a more dreamy, light beach read based on the title and the picture on the cover.

All Our Summers by Holly Chamberlin is the latest book about Yorktide, Maine. It is a small town on the coast near Ogunquit. The Ascher Family has lived there for generations in a house named Ferndean. Holly Chamberlin’s previous books have focused on various family members, while this novel focuses on Carol and Bonnie. They are sisters who were left Ferndean from their parents. Carol left home at 18 and moved to NYC. She ended up starting her own company and became wealthy. Bonnie stayed in Yorktide and married young.

Forty-five years later, Carol has returned to Yorktide and has decided she is going to live in Ferndean and reconnect with her family, including her daughter who she sent away when she was 15. Bonnie had just decided that she wants to live in Ferndean, where she should be able to live as she has taken care of it for years. Carol and Bonnie had no idea what the other was thinking, because of how estranged they are. Neither is really able to listen to the other and both believe they are right. The slow erosion of their relationship does not stop people from learning to grow it back.

Holly Chamberlin’s book introduces us to the idea of kin keepers. The person who keeps the family together is the kin keeper. It is an interesting idea that I admit has taken over my thought process. All Our Summers by Holly Chamberlin is a wonderful family drama/beach read.

Lots of drama in this novel about two sisters- Bonnie and Carol- and their daughters Julie and Nicola. Bonnie is furious when Carol announces that she's moving back to their ancestral home after 45 years in New York City. It hits hard because Bonnie is a recent widow and , to be honest, because she's resented her sister over the years. Bonnie's daughter Julie is dealing with a cheating husband and Carol's Nicola is unable to decide what to do with her life. Readers of this genre know there's going to be secrets, conflict, and ultimately, everyone will find a way forward. It might not be neat- and in this case it's not- but family always wins. This has short chapters, which will make you think you should keep reading just one more. There's a lot of privilege and the women are often annoying but I read the whole thing, at times shaking my head. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

I was over halfway through this book and wondering why it was boring and then I realized it was not a Kristy Woodson Harvey. I was not a fan and I honestly cannot remember what this book was about. I skimmed until the end.

Two sisters Carol and Bonnie are joined in a battle over a stately provincial homestead left to them in equal measure. This book examines each sisters reason to claim Ferndean as their own. Bonnie feels unappreciated after all her time caring for a mother and father in their last days. Carol left without a backward glance and now appears with plans that do not include her sister. Family dynamics are rarely smooth and these two are no different. A distant daughter who was sent to Bonnie by Carol also comes to grips with her own life decisions. Over the course of the summer misunderstandings are discussed and a medical emergency offers a chance to put old hurts into perspective . Old girls learn new tricks and a family is renewed.

Unfortunately this was a "Did Not Finish" for me. I felt like the conversations being had and the thoughts being described were going in circles - round and round, but nothing ever happened. I kept waiting for something to happen to hook me but sadly I just wasn't invested enough to see this one through.