An interesting story about family dynamics and conflict. I think the story is reflective of true life in many ways and accurate about what families can be like.

Fowler gives Elin Hilderbrand a run for her money in IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THIS. Fowler takes a well-known trope in women's fiction - daughters called together to a cottage on a lake to fulfill the mother's dying wish. But each of these women and deep, richly created characters and I really came to care about them as I read. there's Beck, devoted wife and mother, now an empty-nester struggling to figure out if she can truly be the novelist she always hoped to be. And Claire, a doctor in a chilly midwestern town whose husband recently filed for divorce, which she doesn't mind so much, but her young son does. And there's Sophie, who has strived for years for recognition - her high-flying lifestyle really just a front. As the three women explore who they are without the mother who bound them together, secrets are revealed, relationships tested, but each emerges as the person she was truly meant to be. Sentimental, but not sappy, IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THIS is a wonderful, comforting read.

This is an excellent book about family relationships. It is powerfully written, heartbreaking at times, and very compelling. The story centers around three sisters who inherit the family cabin after their mother’s death and must decide what to do with it. Life is messy, relationships are messy, and families are messy, and Fowler does an excellent job of depicting all of this is one lovely book. I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.

Really enjoyed this book! The story and characters really pulled me in. The three sisters were all very different and had their own problems and ideas.

When their mother dies, they learn she had kept some secrets from them and they were to sell a lakehouse in Maine and divide the proceeds. Each sister has a different idea about this and for many different reasons. Beck is a journalist, headstrong and confidant, married to Paul which has become mostly platonic. Claire is a divorced pediatric cardiologist with one son, she longs for a man she cannot have. Sophie works at an art gallery and is trying to be an influencer but she’s quickly running out of money and options. You are also taken back in time and find out their mother’s story too.

The ending was satisfying which, for me, is always a plus. Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for allowing me to read this book.

It All Comes Down to This by Therese Anne Fowler is the story of a mother, planning the end of her life and her three daughters who lead very different lives, but come together after their mother's death to deal with what she has left them to do. When Marti passes, she leaves her daughters a vacation home in Maine, which only one of them wants to keep. Beck feels that it will inspire her creativity and allow her to write her first novel, but her sisters want to sell so they can have the money, especially her younger sister who is deeply in debt. The novel brings their disparate (and desperate) situations to the forefront and uncovers secrets that have been hiding for years.

I felt the novel was a little slow in some places and very unrealistic in others, although it did keep me entertained enough to keep reading to the end. It did leave many unanswered questions, maybe there's going to be a sequel to answer them? Thank you to the author, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Initially, I was sure I wouldn't enjoy this book. However. I was completely misinformed and incorrect.

This is a book about family. And accepting those in your family and acknowledging that being part of a family is messy and difficult but sometimes, oh so worthwhile.

All three sisters at the center of this family drama have their own secrets and troubles, that by the end of the book are resolved nicely and satisfactorily. I also enjoyed learning about C.J. and how his own story overlapped with the sisters, but also had a different message about family, and how sometimes it's not the ones we are born into but the ones we make that end up staying with us.

Families are messy and maybe this family was a bit more messy than average, but I still enjoyed being along for the ride and certainly recommend others take the journey with them too.

Thank you to NetGalley for the electronic ARC of this novel.

Three sisters inherit their family cabin in Maine after their mother passes away. Her will indicates that her adult daughters should sell the property and split the profits. Beck would like to keep it but can't afford to buy out her sisters, Claire and Sophie. Family dynamics, personalities and life experiences make for interesting plot twists. The author's research and skillful descriptions make It All Comes Down to This a pleasure to read.

This book could have been written about a lot of families that I know. Life is just messy. There is divorce, love triangles, children splitting the week between parents, overspending, people in debt......the list goes on. This is not just a novel about one particular issue. There is so much going on, starting with a mother who would rather die alone than with family at her side. From that point, the sisters need to reunite in order to sell off the family vacation home- and that is when everything comes out. While I did not care for the sisters, I enjoyed this book although it did drag on in parts. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It All Comes Down to This by T.A. Fowler, published by St. Martin's Press, paints the story of a family. Three sisters, strong minded Sophie, Claire and Beck Geller. The sisters are back home for their flailing mother. They're different from each other, bt also have much in common.
A touching warm hearted novel of family and sisterhood, a story of heartbreak and healing, 4,5 stars.

This story starts out with the matriarch of the Geller family finalizing all her final plans as she prepares for her demise.
Upon notification that their Mother has died, though aware of her illness, yet never prepared, the three daughters return home.
The journey and dysfunction is apparent between each women as they try to navigate through what they really want from life and the assets their mother has left for them to sell. Will they all agree?
What is realistic?

This is an interesting novel and though I enjoyed it at times, I truly was not in awe of it.
It has family, friendship, romance and heartache!

An interesting and deep novel detailing fractured relationships, secrets, and hidden lies. The lives of three very different sisters are thrown together when their mother dies. The transition from envious to caring is a tough road well written and thoughtful.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Three sisters, Beck, Clair, and Sophie are brought together when their mother dies sooner than they had anticipated. They must deal with her estate and decisions around a family cottage. Each of the girls has their own struggles in their current adult life, and specific hopes for the estate settlement. This book has several storylines that intertwine with each other. I didn't feel as strong of a connection to the characters as I have in Fowler's other books.

Unfortunately I didn’t really care for Therese Anne Fowler’s book “It All Comes Down to This”. The storyline doesn’t flow very well and appears jumpy at times. Additionally some of the derogatory political comment could have been omitted. I will perhaps try a different novel by Ms Fowler.

This is hands down the best eARC I've had the pleasure of reading this year!
2022 better watch out because this book is going to be lit!

I loved Fowler's book A Good Neighbor!
So I was super pumped to receive the email about It All Comes Down to This widget!
Therese Anne Fowler has a way with words that simply are astonishing.

Meet the Geller sisters: Beck, Claire, and Sophie, a trio of determined ladies whose practical widowed mother, Marti, who is sadly dying and will take her secrets to the grave.
Marti has taken great care of everything and making sure everything is done simple with her estate after she is gone. Which also includes a provision that the family’s summer cottage on Mount Desert Island, Maine, must be sold, the proceeds split equally between the three girls.
The older Beck is a freelance journalist whose marriage is slowly looking more like roommates than an actual marriage!
Claire, who is a pediatric cardiologist, and the middle daughter, has always felt like the Geller misfit. Who is recently divorced.
And the youngest daughter Sophie who is living the Instagram-ready life, filled with glamorous work and travel, celebrities, fashion, art, and sex.
But truth be told her world is about to fall all around her!
And we add CJ who is an ex-con with a past of his own. And comes to town who complicate the situation.
All is not what it seems, and everything is about to change.
A story of sisterhood, heartbreak, home, and what it takes to remake a life!

A heartbreaking, compelling, and thought-provoking story with many well-developed characters.
This story deals with many important issues. Many of the conversations and situations in this novel will stay with me for a long time.
Such a emotionally powerful read I felt this was a very quick read.
A powerhouse of A story. I couldn't stop. Actually I didn't want to.
And that is worth every damn star!
The writing is just beyond phenomenal..... All to say about that. Phenomenal!
This heartbreaking story is timely and and all too plausible and the only thing that kept me going was a great
What's really exciting about this book is that my feelings were all over the damn place. In such a good way!
I could not be more thankful for the reading experience that was this book. It was such a moving experience and does all the things a true, 5 star read should.
A gorgeous book from cover to end!

Thank you so much St. Martin's Press, for this eARC!
And a thank you to NetGalley!

Thank you #Netgalley for the advanced copy.

I am a fan of Fowlers writing and was happy to get an early copy of her new novel. This book follows 3 girls who mother just died, leaving them some surprises along the way. This book took me awhile to get into until I was able to navigate the key players. We get the perspectives from Marti, the mother, three daughters, Paul (spouse of daughter) and CJ a man from the past. The group is all intertwined and come full circle after the death of Marti and visiting Camp, their cabin on the water. Each person has their own secrets and Marti's death helps unite them all together and encourages them to be honest with each other.

IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THIS is a lovely family drama sure to delight fans of Emma Straub, J. Courtney Sullivan, & Lianne Moriarty. The characters' voices won me over from the beginning and I couldn't wait to see what would happy next for Marti (alas...), Beck, Claire, Sophie, and CJ.

Fowler keeps the plot moving at a nice brisk pace, which keeps the reader turning the pages. I particularly appreciated how she kept the story feeling realistic, giving each character believable aspects to their personalities.

The ending is satisfying without being artificial or forced.

I'm a longtime fan of Fowler's work and her latest certainly does not disappoint.

I’m a little perplexed about my feelings for “It All Comes Down To This”…..
but, I really like *Therese Ann Fowler*.
I gave five stars to four other books she wrote—enjoyed them immensely:
….”A Good Neighborhood”,
….”Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald”,
….”A Well-Behaved Women: A Novel of the Vanderbilts”,
and
….”Exposed”.
….with other un-read Fowler novels, I still want to read.
So, clearly I like Therese Ann Fowler.

So….I’m puzzled by my own mixed feelings.
I had expected ‘messy-family-dramedy’…..(complicated relationships, marriages, divorce, parenting, career’s, difficulties, lies, secrets, betrayals, unfaithfulness, mistakes, unfairness, vulnerabilities, regret, loss, questions of thyself, lessons learned of thyself, A Great Undoing”, etc.)…
along with joy, humor, and a pleasurable reading experience.
Mostly, this novel was all those things. It’s a character driven (soap opera-ish novel). And although it moves unsteadily at times - I was involved right up to the conclusion.

I felt Therese captured all the qualities I had anticipated—yet, the plot was spinning in so many directions, no one thing ever happened that became the ‘main’ focus of the book.

The idiosyncratic authenticity of the ensemble cast of characters felt pretty real. Messy-but real.
Fowler is excellent at describing her characters- their personalities, their strengths and flaws…..delivering engrossing contemporary stories.

At the center of this novel are three sisters — The Geller Sisters: Beck, Claire, and Sophie….a journalist, a pediatric cardiologist, and an assistant gallerist—
Their jobs are the least of what’s interesting about any of the sisters…
Their conundrums—[their intricate particulars]—are much more mystifying.

It’s a book to have a little fun with — not to take seriously — even though serious issues are examined —
It could have been tighter — but if you go with the flow — there are plenty of micro tales to enjoy.

…A character who called herself “The Resident” (real name was Tabitha), was hilarious.
…A couple of the children ( Arlo and David) were both adorable.

This novel is a great tribute to the theme “life is messy”.
We grow, we change, life happens!

3.5 stars —