No one writes messy family dramas as well as Therese Anne Fowler. It All Comes Down to This revolves around the three Geller sisters and while there are many secrets and lies to keep you turning the pages, there is also a strong sense of love and family. This book reminded me of the movie The Family Stone. An easy read with lots of emotion - the perfect summer book. And the cover is to die for!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

A story of three sisters who did not grow up particularly close to one another. Each has issues in their private lives. As secrets are revealed, none are who the others thought they were. The author writes the characters with many layers and has you turning the page to see what will be discovered next. This was an okay read for me. The writing is wonderful, I just didn’t connect with the characters though as the story continued, I did find myself more vested in their lives.

Reviewed by Comfy Chair Books/Lisa Reigel (June 6, 2022)
eBook ARC provided by publisher via Netgalley
Print copy bought via Brenda Novak Monthly Book Club Box for August 2022
#ItAllComesDownToThis #ThereseAnnFowler @thereseannefowler #sisterfiction #familyfiction #stmartinspress #bookstagram @stmartinspress

Having loved Fowler’s A Well-Behaved Woman: A Novel of The Vanderbilts, I looked forward to reading It All Comes Down to This. Unfortunately, I really struggled with this story. I liked the beginning with CJ Reynolds, who was just released from prison, arriving on Mount Desert Island in Maine. He plans to start a new life. He appears to be a part of a mystery that needs to be solved. The story then moves to New York City and we are introduced to Marti Geller who is dying after suffering with cancer for several years. She does not want her three daughters there. She has made arrangements in her will for Beck, a journalist; Claire, a pediatric cardiologist; and Sophie, an assistant galleria’s and social influencer; to get together after her death to settle her belongings which includes a camp that is located on Mount Desert Island. At this point in the book, the story was working for me. As each of the daughters are introduced to the reader in very long chapters, I found that each one seems o be very unhappy and some of the plot lines just did not work for me. I think shorter chapters and more intermingling of CJ’s chapters with the three sisters would have helped. I also wanted the sisters to show some redeeming qualities. For as long as the plot dragged on, the ending was abrupt. Maybe an epilogue ten years later would have saved this story for me. My thanks toSt. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are my own.

It All Comes Down to This is a family drama featuring the Geller sisters, Beck, Claire and Sophie. Eight years apart and leading very different lives, these strong women are brought together by their mother’s death. The will states that the family cottage in Maine must be sold and the proceeds must be split, but the sisters have different ideas about the matter and when potential buyer, CJ Reynolds comes into the picture, the future of the cottage and the Geller sisters, changes yet again.

This book had some entertaining moments, but I often found myself very confused. New characters and plot points kept being introduced throughout the book and I couldn’t figure out their importance or how everything was connected. I was hoping it’d come together at the end, but I still felt like a lot of pieces were missing. I was excited about this book, but struggled following both the physical and audio copies.

Beautifully written story of family love and loss. I literally couldn’t put this book down and felt like the characters were family by the time I finished the book. The Geller sisters have all taken different paths in life, but are still in touch and try to look after their mother. When their mom passes and has specific ideas about how her estate is divided the women must make hard choices. Fast paced and heartfelt book.

Three adult sisters grapple with the drama of their own lives while sorting out the estate of their recently deceased mother who has specified they sell their beloved vacation home in Maine.

I was really looking forward to reading It All Comes Down to This because I've enjoyed author Therese Anne Fowler in the past. I found this book to be quite a departure from her previous novels even though each one is unique in its own right. Fowler suggested she just wanted to write something fun and entertaining and I think she's done that. It All Comes Down to This is a serviceable family drama though I didn't find it to be a stand out among similar stories.

IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THIS by Therese Anne Fowler is engaging and emotional story of family, home and second chances. It is the story of the Geller sisters, Beck, Claire and Sophie, who have just lost their mother, Marti to cancer. Marti knew she was dying and decided to do it on her own terms. She has planned everything down to the last detail so the sisters, who are not particularly close, can mourn their loss and move on with their busy and messy lives. In the will, Marti directs them to sell the family’s summer cottage in Maine and split the proceeds. But the cottage means different things to the women and they may not be able to agree to uphold their mother’s dying wish. They soon learn from a deathbed video message to them that their mother has been hiding shocking secrets that make them question everything that thought they knew of the past and even their own choices in life. Told from the perspectives of the three sisters, the story relays their individual struggles in a complex yet relatable way. It was intriguing to watch their journeys play out over the course of the book. I enjoyed this multigenerational family drama and look forward to reading more this author. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read and review an early copy.

This book was not for me. The writing was "cluttered" and it felt like it took forever for the point of the story to emerge. I did read the whole book, but it was not enjoyable.

What a wonderful read! I really enjoyed this book-the story was great, and the character development was excellent. Once I started, it was hard to put down, and I look forward to recommending it to our patrons.
Now I plan to go back and read the author's previous books.

Beck, Claire, and Sophie must face that their mother, Marti, is dying from cancer. While dealing with her decision to pass without them at her side, they learn about secrets that Marti kept all of her adult life. On top of this, they have issues in their personal lives to resolve. Will the sisters grow closer or end up further apart than they already are? Read the book to find out.

I received a free copy of this book to review through NetGalley.

This is all about secrets and sisters. Beck, Claire and Sophie come together to mourn their mother Marti and sell the family cottage on Mt. Desert Island Maine. These three women are quite different from one another in outlook. Beck is a journalist who wants to write a novel, Claire is a physician and Sophie is-wait for it- an influencer. All three of them have struggled with love. Then there's CJ, who once had a relationship with Beck turns up. The plot lines for the sisters might seem familiar but they are all likable and there are a few surprises. Each one of them has to face up to their past and form a new future. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

This book is an intriguing story about a widowed mother who is dying and calls her three daughters to tell them that she is going into hospice. Each of the daughters has problems and secrets of her own. As they try to execute their mother's wishes after her will is read, they will have many struggles and situations to solve. The author fully develops each character and keeps the reader turning pages to find the solutions and life changes that the three women make. It is an enjoyable, contemporary tale of three middle-aged sisters making a new future together and adjusting to a life without their mother. I did enjoy reading this e-book which I received from Net Galley for my unbiased review.

It's been a while since I have read a women's fiction book. After several romances and a paranormal romance, this would have been a great palate cleanser. However, it was sad. Sad was the primary emotion I felt while reading. Sad for the Geller sisters who lost their mother. But sad also for the lies they all told. Even among themselves, they were superficial. They knew nothing of their real lineage until Beck went digging. Sophie lived behind a smoke screen, lying about her residence, her finances, her posh life. Claire's marriage disintegrated because she loved someone else. Beck thought her husband Paul was gay. I just found it so sad that none of them could be real with each other until it was almost too late. I know...better late than never.

Running parallel to the Gellers' story was CJ Reynolds' quest to start over. Out of jail having served time for attempted murder on his father (his aimed toward not at), he's starting over. He wants to buy the Geller camp. As luck (or is it fate?) would have it, coming back to Mount Desert Island brings him full circle with Beck, the girl from that one summer as a teen. He also finds companionship with young Arlo and his grandmother. As someone who was largely misunderstood his entire life, CJ feels kinship with Arlo and proposes an unconventional plan to keep Arlo in his life.

It wasn't until the last 20% of the book did I start to find some peace with these characters. They told their truths, shucked the baggage that had been weighing them down individually and collectively, and made peace with each other. It was regretful that the Geller sisters did not find their way back to each other while their mother was alive. Maybe it was her death that allowed the weight of regret to be lifted and their mother's fabricated life story to also be buried with her.

Bottom line, I liked the book.

I received an advance copy of this book at my request and voluntarily left this review.

I’m a sucker for sister stories and this didn’t disappoint. I have 2 sisters if my own and know how different we can all be from each other. Much like these three sisters we’ve had our differences of opinions, our own takes on what is meant or not meant when in a heated conversation. When our parents passed away, however, it drew us closer together.

I won’t spoil for you what happened with these three, but encourage you to read it for yourself. It is a tad slow at times, but I was impressed by Fowlers talent and her gift of stringing those words together. Look forward to her future endeavors.

My thanks to my favorite publisher, St. Martin’s Press, and of course to NetGalley for my early-release e-copy.

It All Comes Down to This is a story for women in their 40s trying to figure out how they got to 40. It is the age of wondering how much longer you will have your parents, did you choose the right partner or the right profession. And in Beck, Claire and Sophie’s case- what to do with their childhood summer home in Maine. Fowler let’s us see the best and the worst of each of these sisters and still love each of them. Not always a happy read but a beautiful one.

This book was just very slow. I could not get invested in any of the characters or their lives. Honestly, not much happened in the book. The characters are whiny and many frankly got on my nerves. Maybe that was the point, but for me it backfired. I hoped that over time the book would improve, but it didn’t. I half listened to this book and half read it - and I struggled with my interest in both versions.

Marti Geller is dying and part of her estate is that her 3 daughters must sell the summer cottage in Maine and split the proceeds. The three girls all struggle with their mother’s decision - as well as their own lives. They are all hiding their own challenges and secrets, trying to live picture perfect lives. The sale of the Maine cottage adds to their woes.

PUB DAY: June 7, 2022

Thank you Netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

I’m a sucker for a messy summer drama, especially with a summertime setting. IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THIS follows three adult siblings as they navigate the death of their mother and their various imploding lives.

I was initially drawn into the storyline and enjoyed meeting the three sisters. As the novel progressed, I thought the story lost momentum and not all of the characters were fully developed. I enjoyed Beck’s sections and I wish that I had connected with the other characters in the same way.

The final reveal didn’t occur until later in the book and felt anticlimactic. The ending didn’t justify a 350 page build up, in my opinion. While I found the pacing to be off, I did enjoy the writing style and I am definitely planning to pick up the author’s debut, A GOOD NEIGHBORHOOD.

The audiobook was well-narrated by Barrie Kreinik, although additional narrators to distinguish each sister would have been a nice touch. Overall, if you’re looking for a leisurely-paced family drama, this could really work for you.

RATING: 3.5/5 (rounded up to 4 stars)

Many thanks to Macmillan Audio, St. Martin’s press and Netgalley for advanced electronic and audio copies in exchange for an honest review.

This slow paced family drama might have been too slow and too undramatic for me. When Marti Geller dies at the beginning of the story, her three adult daughters struggle with the loss and with the instructions that Marti left them in her will.
The three sisters - Beck, Claire, and Sophie - could not be more different and the character development was done really well but I felt like I was just waiting for anything to happen. The main conflict comes from whether or not to sell the family home, and when the sub plots come to light everything is resolved almost instantly. It felt like a lot of build up and then it was just over.
I thought CJ was going to play a bigger role, but he feels glossed over without the same development as the sisters.
The writing is great, but this story just wasn't my favorite.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the arc.

This novel had interesting characters and I liked the relationship between the three sisters. It was also well-written Unfortunately, I didn’t find the plot very compelling. There were two main storylines and I found one of the storylines to be underdeveloped and wanted ti know more about that character.

Sadly, this book just didn’t do it for me. I was initially sucked in by the Gellar sisters and their mother, Marti’s, death, but I quickly grew tired of the selfishness of all three of them. I expected a family drama where 3 sisters lean on each other while mourning a loss and, instead, I got soap opera drama with love triangles, revenge sex, and arguments over wills/money/who-needs-what-more. I couldn’t figure out if the sisters were close or not… all this backstory from Marti’s viewpoint of the girls sharing one bedroom and growing up in the city yet they were all so self-absorbed.
It All Comes Down To This just feels disconnected to me. Stories didn’t add up and it swung from sweet to drama too quickly. I guess if you’re into family dramas and themes of independence and self discovery, it’s probably a good read… but if you’d deal with a family death by supporting your loved ones vs. focusing only on yourself, this one might get under your skin.