This is a book of secrets that everyone is oh so willing to reveal. It All Comes Down to This follows four main characters as their lives intertwine. Our first three characters are wildly different sisters who are brought together after their mother expectedly passes away. Our fourth character is a mystery man who has been in the sisters' past and now present. Will he be in their future? Who knows (aka no spoilers), but also this isn't even a main plot of the book. Each character is well developed with their own motivations and flaws.

This novel takes the idealism of a summer vacation love but ~30 years later. Even though the premise is sad and each character is at some kind of tumultuous turn in their lives, I would dare call this book fun. From the beginning, I was hooked and wanted to know how everything would come together. This reminded me of Emma Straub's All Adults Here.

Representation in this book includes a Jewish family.
Trigger warnings include the death of a parent and mention of abortion.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for this ARC

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.

TW ~ cheating

When Beck, Claire and Sophie's mom, Marti dies of lung cancer the girls are heartbroken. All grown and have their own lives, Marti states in her will she wants them to have one last hoorah at their summer cottage in Maine before it's to be sold. They're, also, thrown for a loop when Beck's husband, Paul, is named the executor of her estate, instead of one of them. Beck is the only daughter that wants to keep the house in the family. There is a bit of family drama in more ways than just about the house.

This was a little on the slow side for me. Although I enjoyed getting the backstories and learning the secrets of the characters, I felt like it could have been condensed down a bit.

It's on the longer side of a listen at 11 hours and 37 minutes, easy to follow along at 2x. Barrie Kreinik was a perfect narrator.

This is my first time with this author and I would give her another try because maybe her other work would be more up my alley.

This was more of a 2.5-star rating for me, rounded up to 3.
I loved the narration, it was brilliant and emotional. I was able to easily distinguish the characters, and the male character voices did not make me cringe which is often the case when it comes to the audiobooks.
Unfortunately, the story itself did not work for me. It was difficult to follow all the events and who did what, and who loved whom. Jumps between timelines were confusing and didn't have a clear cut between them. There were some hurtful cliches voiced that definitely did not help with my enjoyment.
I would say some people would love this book, it has a character; but this just did not work for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for a free copy of an audio book.

Sisters Beck, Claire, and Sophie, have a complicated relationship. Beck, who is the oldest, is a freelance journalist and is married to her high school sweetheart, although their marriage hasn’t been intimate for many years. Claire, the middle sister, is a pediatric cardiologist and is secretly in love with Beck’s husband, Paul (although he doesn’t know it). The youngest sister, Sophie, seems to be living a glamorous life, but she’s really struggling to survive. She’s maxed out all her credit cards in trying to keep up with her lifestyle of celebrities, travel, fashion and art and now finds herself in a financial bind.

All three sisters come together after their mother, Marti, passes away. They need to agree on how to handle the sale of their family’s summer cottage on Mount Desert Island in Maine. Many things come to light as they work through this process and not everyone agrees on the sale of the property. To complicate matters, an ex-con named CJ Reynolds shows up in town and offers to buy the cottage, but a past relationship with one of the sisters complicates things.. Nothing is as it seems and many unexpected truths are about to come out.

This was the first book I’ve read by Therese Anne Fowler. The story didn’t keep my interest as much as I’d hoped it would, but there were some parts I enjoyed. Many thanks to #netgalley and #macmillanaudio for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy of this book.

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.

have really enjoyed some of TAH’s books in the past….but this one left me feeling like I was glad it was finished. I love family drama….and the premise of this promised to be a great read….Mother dies and her three very disparate daughters have to satisfy a last caveat.

I did not feel any type of attachment to any of the characters and did not really feel a connection to the story. It was a miss for me.

Thank you to Net Galley for this ARC

#Netgalley

This is my first experience with an audiobook through NetGalley. It was honestly a mistake because I didn’t realize that I clicked on an audiobook, but I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the narration and sound. I even asked a friend if they had a physical copy because I didn’t think I’d enjoy listening. Instead, I was captured by the story and the characters and loved listening to the story on walks, while folding laundry, and commuting to work. What a delightful surprise and it certainly won’t be the last audiobook I request.

Thank you to Therese Anne Fowler, Macmillian Audio, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an exchange. Also, thanks to Barrie Kreinik for narrating the book.

This book puts the drama in family drama. There was certainly a lot packed in here, but even still the middle dragged a bit. Maybe because of my current stage in life, I didn't feel myself connecting with any of the characters in a meaningful way, and it was easy to get irritated at the things they brought in themselves. I've you're looking for a messy family, you'll like this book. ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 I read and listened to this and enjoyed both formats.

I was looking forward to this- generational family dramas are often among some of my favorites. So maybe my expectations were too high. This was simply okay. There was a lot of build up and self discovery, but very little resolution and change. All of the characters learned things, but they didn't seem to actually apply the lessons and grow. So, after the conclusion, it seems like I wasted my time. What did happen was predictable throughout.

Barrie Kreinik did a good job narrating. I find her narrations solid- nothing special or flashy, but very dependable.

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a well-written book that was beautifully narrated. Anyone who enjoys women's fiction and a deep dive into the complexities of adult relationships: sisters who must see each other as adults outside their roles as daughters, and the struggles both husbands and wives have to fill the roles in their relationship while still seeking and sorting what personal fulfillment means to them.
I enjoyed this book and the quirks that make the women interesting and relatable. Couldn't help but root for every one!

Something about this story just didn’t work for me. The characters were so unlikable but not in a fun or interesting way, and I’m just not sure why I was supposed to care about them? Also confused as to what all these storylines had to do with each other/why certain characters were needed at all. I usually like rich people problems but these were not handled with enough awareness of privilege in my opinion. I would definitely read other works by this author though because while I didn’t like the story at all, I thought the writing was quite beautiful!

This had all the ingredients of a great book-- I love messy family stories, especially ones involving sisters-- but it really didn't come together for me. I just couldn't escape the feeling that it was all somewhat pointless. I didn't care what happened to these people at all. Maybe if I'd learned more about the mother's secrets it would have been more interesting. The daughters' lives were just not compelling at all.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance audio copy of this title.

I did not finish this book. I wanted to like this one because I have enjoyed her previous books but every character was so unlikeable that I couldn’t keep going because I really didn’t care to see where they all ended up.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for this ALC! The narrator does a really nice job!
.
I really, really loved Fowler's previous novel, A Good Neighborhood, so of course I wanted to read her new book, It All Comes Down to This. I must say, the two are drastically different. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, but in this case - it was for me. It All Comes Down to This just felt like a whole lotta nothing? This is a character-driven story which I really, really like - but I also like when at least something happens. And honestly I didn't feel like anything really happened. The character build-up leads the reader to thinking that something monumental is going to occur for these characters, but in my opinion, it did not feel like anything out of the ordinary. Reading about ordinary life is fine, the story was just very anticlimatic. I enjoyed the character development and found certain parts interesting, but not enough to truly hold my attention.

It All Comes Down to this was not my favorite by Therese Anne Fowler. The writing was good and the story was interesting but I just didn’t feel connected.
I really thought the narration was great and it helped me enjoy the story a bit more.
I think many will enjoy this family drama.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook for an honest review.

Audiobook narrator was excellent! Great reading speed and voice inflections.

Review of book below.

A sweet, homespun story about family, love, and loss.

I confess that I did not read the summary or description of this book at all; I just really wanted to read Fowler's newest book because I thoroughly enjoyed her most recent preceding novel, A Good Neighborhood. For me, A Good Neighborhood was pretty fast-paced, so I was expecting the same from It All Comes Down to This. Instead, it was slow to start but picked up in the second-half. Still, Fowler weaves the characters' stories together really well. I remember wondering what C. J. had to do with anything (the book even starts by contemplating his impact on the Geller sisters' lives) and being more than satisfied by his role in the story.

I ended up really enjoying this book, but I agree with other reviewers that Marti's "big secret" was underwhelming. Her secrets that revealed earlier in the story were more shocking to me. I do wish we had gotten more about the sisters growing up; we just learn that they're are spread apart in age so they don't really relate to one another, but not enough of their interaction or relationship with their parents. (I also thought C. J.'s storyline felt a tiny bit forced, but I let it slide.)

Overall, I would recommend this book. All of the characters seemed real and (mostly) relatable, and there were some quotable nuggets of wisdom throughout. But despite the summer release, this felt like more of a fall read. It's a "cozy up on the couch under a blanket with a fire going" kind of read, one that you take your time with. If you're looking for the type of intense feelings and explosive conclusion A Good Neighborhood delivered, you'll want to manage your expectations. It All Comes Down to This is completely different, but still very good. I'll definitely be checking out Fowler's backlist and looking forward to her next works.

This is the first book I've read by Terese Anne Fowler. I had a difficult time getting through this book. It seemed the author was telling not showing the story. The sisters were usually arguing which grew tiresome. I couldn't relate with her characters. Most of the dialogue didnt engage me. Much of the inner thoughts felt like I was listening to long essays. I'm glad to read positive reviews about other books by this author or I might not read her again.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This books centers on a trio of sisters and their dying mother (well, mostly told in the aftermath of her passing), as well as what'll happen to her beloved cottage. Daughter one Beck, a woman in a content but passion-less marriage who wants the cottage as an oasis to write her books. Daughter two is Claire, the doctor who was recently divorced and is in love with another. Daughter three is Sophie, the single Instagram influencer.

There was a lovely amount of drama, but paired with a lot of heartfelt sweetness.


(Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest feedback)