Family drama and a setting in Maine - two of my favorite things in a novel! In It All Comes Down to This, we meet Marti and her three daughters: Beck, Claire, and Sophie. As the book opens, Marti is dying. She’s been. sick for a while and has had time to fully arrange her affairs. Your heart will be sad as she goes through this transition.
Marti’s death and subsequent revelations push the sisters together and forces them to face their own personal challenges.
There were many emotional and relationship issues floating around in addition to what you might expect after the death of a parent. They weren’t all fully developed and doing so might have added to the depth of the book. Each of the sisters did have an interesting life on their own, but my favorite character was CJ Reynolds. He played the role of interloper - a Southerner who returns to Maine to settle down and rebuke his life. The relationship I found most genuine and fully portrayed was between CJ and Arlo.
Ms. Fowler always does a good job with developing interesting stories and characters and I look forward to her next novel. Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s press for the opportunity to read It All Comes Down to This in exchange for an honest review.

Marti Geller is dying. Her three daughters have all chosen wildly different paths, but Marti hopes her final wishes as outlined in her will brings them together. I liked Fowler’s previous book, A GOOD NEIGHBORHOOD, and expected this to be a story about family dysfunction. It was that, but I have to say it packed very little punch. There were secrets revealed, but the stakes felt so low and the plot moved so slowly that would-be dramatic revelations felt tepid at best. Simply put: this wasn’t emotionally messy enough to be interesting even though it really should have been since it’s ultimately about righting wrong decisions and creating the life you want.

Thanks to @stmartinspress for this ARC. Out now (and for the past year lol 🥴😆).

Marti Geller is dying, and one of the provisions in her will is for the family’s beach house to be sold and profits split equally between her three daughters, who gather at the beach house one last time. Beck, the oldest, is a journalist who secretly wishes to live at the beach house and write a novel. Her marriage is platonic these days, and she knows her husband is hiding a secret. Claire, the middle daughter, is a cardiologist who recently divorced her husband after he found out she is in love with another man. Sophie, the youngest, is an Insta-celebrity whose life isn’t what it looks like on the outside. When C.J. Reynolds shows up with an interest in the beach house, secrets will be revealed.

This is one of those books where if people would just tell the truth, most of the problems could be immediately resolved. Instead, we just keep hearing about the same issues over and over. Unfortunately, I did not click with any of the characters, which made it hard to get into the story. If you are into family dramas with unlikeable characters, this book might be for you; it just wasn’t for me.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio ARC of this book.

Family sagas always work well for me, and the story of these sisters is no exception. The complexities of family, of sisterhood shines well throughout this story. A solid read.

The cancer part in this hit too close to home so I just couldn’t read it. Nothing to do with the writing style or author. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for this copy for review

Hmmm. I listened to the audio and was interested in the story but at some point it just fell flat for me. I wanted more from the last third. I love drama & messy family dynamics but I was just left feeling meh. It was okay! I enjoyed the writing.

A family drama about three sisters who recently lost their mother. I thought there was going to be more. I didn’t feel very interested by the mothers secret or C.J. And Becks teenage romance- it seemed way blown out of proportion for what it was, whereas a sister and brother in law dating was normal??? Couldn’t get past that!

Sisters Beck, Claire and Sophie aren't close, which each leading very different lives. Beck is a journalist hoping to become a novelist, Claire a pediatric surgeon, and Sohpie an art dealer and Instagram influencer. When their mother dies suddenly, they are forced back together to deal with her estate. They soon become aware of all that they've missed in each others' lives, and each is facing a turning point in their life. Additionally, they learn that their mother died without revealing a dramatic secret and parts of their parents' idyllic romance were tainted with secrecy.

It All Comes Down to This started out strong, and I was intrigued by the hints of each character's past. However, as the story unfolded I began to strongly dislike the sisters and their drama didn't resonate with me. Toward the end, Beck became whiny and entitled. I didn't really understand the need for the storyline with C.J. and his reason for imprisonment kind of baffled me. Additionally, Marti's deep dark secret didn't land well; the only daughter that seemed to care at all about it was Beck - Sophie and Claire seemed unaffected. All in all, the book was fine but I grew bored with first-world problems. And Beck's pivot on the subject matter for her first book made me roll my eyes.

Short synopsis: Three sisters navigate the death of their mom, and her wishes to sell their family cabin.

My thoughts: I went into this totally blind so I had little to no expectations other than the cover was pretty.

The writing was so well done, and the stories of each woman and their different struggles was so raw and emotional.

I enjoyed the different perspectives from each woman as we delve into their histories and current struggles. I wasn’t sure how C.J.’s story would tie in, but I did enjoy his story as well. Overall, great family drama!

I especially loved the ending, where we are told life is short. Life is rough but there is beauty to be found in all aspects, especially during hard times.

Read if you love:
* Family Drama
* Multiple perspectives
* Difficult life situations
* Hidden secrets
* Jewish representation

Thank you St Martins Press for a copy of this book!

I was excited to read this one but was left disappointed.

It was fine.

I found the plot to be unorganized and the pacing was off.

I so loved The Good Neighborhood and was eager to read this next book by Fowler. It All Comes Down to This didn't hit, for me, the same way that I'd hoped for. And I'm certain it will be a just right book for a lot of readers.

I had really enjoyed Fowler's previous book, A Good Neighborhood, and was excited to read this one. Clearly it's unfair to go into a book with expectations based on the author's previous books and this one left me flat. I struggled to stay engaged. For whatever reason, I just found this book to be boring and personally I would tell book friends to go with one of her other books.

I was so bored so early on that I knew that I couldn't continue on in a book this size. A book this size needs an attention grabber and not sleep inducing start.

I truly enjoyed this novel about sisters and getting what you need even if you don’t realize it. Each sister will remind you of yourself or perhaps your sibling or someone else you know. Their struggles are real and will resonate with readers.

I do hate to say this, but I had to DNF this title. I am not even sure I can put my finger on why, it just didn’t hold my interest, to the point where I would completely forget I was reading it.

I enjoyed the settings of the book and the pace but there were way too many characters and storylines to keep up with. I had to keep track of three sisters (plus spouses and exes), the parents' storyline, and another three people in Maine. It would have been so much better pared down. And the very ending of the book was just a little too over the top for me--rolling my eyes --as to "what are the odds?" Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book.

I enjoyed the last book I read by this author so quickly grabbed this one.

A family drama that will keep you turning the pages. Fast paced and very well written. You will feel like you know each of these sisters. Their mom is dying and wants them to make up before. To be there for each other. Not to hold grudges or anger.

You will feel like you are a part of this family. Whether you love them or hate them these sisters will worm their way into your heart.

Loved it.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

I did like this one but I felt like there wasn’t ENOUGH of each storyline. Like so much happening at once that nothing really happened. I almost would’ve preferred fewer plots but they were more detailed and drawn out. I felt like the man wanting to buy the house didn’t even play into the story much and his storyline wanting to adopt the child is so unrealistic!

This storyline focuses on three sisters following the loss of their beloved mother and navigating life after the fact. This is a very character-driven novel., which I typically enjoy as a reader. I didn’t find the sisters to be very likable, which had me feeling a bit detached from my interest in their outcomes. The characters did display some growth and the author did a good job of showing how a significant event, like the death of a parent, can make people take a step back to reevaluate their life. All three sisters displayed some level of discontentment with their current situations and it was nice to see them open to change and growth. I loved the Jewish representation this book had and the many references to it throughout. It was nice to see. Overall, I didn’t connect to this one as much as I hoped but think others may find it to be enjoyable,

If you enjoy familial drama, sisters in the midst of their middle-aged lives seemingly thrown into turmoil by the passing of their mother, then you will certainly enjoy IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THIS by Therese Anne Fowler. Thank you @stmartinspress for my copy of this novel!

Upon the passing of Marti, her 3 daughters must navigate life after her. She drops a few bombshells on them and the Maine home they’ve fondly referred to as “the Camp” for decades.

What ensues is clearly a mother trying to prod her children into taking those leaps of faith within their middle-aged lives, without seemingly telling them to do so.

It is all quite bizarre how each sister has her own “struggle” that becomes neatly tied up at the end of the novel. The writing is well done though, and I was most happy for Beck’s ending. I found the infidelity woven into the storyline to be a bit much and just unrealistic, even yucky at times (Paul…ahem, YUCK).

I enjoyed the Jewish culture and history as it was woven into the storyline and the characters’ history and I loved Maine. There is a great supporting cast of characters. Fowler’s uncanny ability to write internal monologue definitely kept me in the game with this one! She’s a master.

Loved the audiobook version and that is mainly why I stuck with the novel! The narrator is just fantastic!

There are trigger warnings, reach out if you want to talk more about them.