All That We Are is the third book in the Wyndham Beach series, set in a small town on the Massachusetts coast. If you love reading about complex family dynamics, real life dilemmas, unexpected life events that make you question everything, second chances in love, and, above all, lifelong friendships, this is a series for you. It is better to start with the first book as you would get a much fuller reading experience, but All That We Are can be read as a standalone, if you don't mind getting glimpses of the happily-ever-afters Maggie and Liddy, the protagonists of the previous two books, are living in this one.
The focus of this book is on Maggie and Liddy's friend Emma Dean. Emma, who is always impeccably dressed and effortlessly 'appropriate, has her own heartbreak to come to terms with and overcome in this story. Although she's been widowed for a long time, it is only now that she starts looking through her husband's papers and discovers that he had a long term affair with his co-worker. As the evidence keeps mounting, Emma is trying to reassess her life and decide whether she wants her son Chris even know about his father's infidelity. After all, neither of them can confront Harry who's been dead for more than ten years. My heart went to Emma who had the proverbial rug pulled from under her feet not once, but twice in this book, when a stranger rings her doorbell and Emma has to deal with the situation she never thought she would have to face.

Luckily, Emma has her wonderful system of support and I don't mean just her life-long friends Maggie and Liddy who keep reminding her who she is and what she genuinely and wholeheartedly believes in. It is the whole Wyndham Beach community with its very special atmosphere. I liked the way different generations with their different perspectives have their stories interwoven as they do in real life. If you've read the previous two books, you might also appreciate the development some characters (e.g. Grace, Maggie's daughter) have gone through in the series.
The writing is very engaging and you need this kind of style when the topic can be summarised by one word: Life. Other topics include a relationship parents have with their grown-up children, which can be a reason for anxiety, feeling guilt, or pregrets, but can also be a source of joy, happiness, and support.
Emma's age group doesn't get enough representation and it is lovely to read a well-written series giving women in their late fifties-early sixties protagonist roles.
I am now a fan of Mariah Stewart and will be looking forward to reading more of her stories in future.

EXCERPT: . . . then she reached the fourth drawer, the one marked RECEIPTS in Harry's awkward uppercase print.

There were files for almost every purchase he'd ever made - cars, appliances, furniture, clothing. Reading through them was like watching a quick movie reel of their life together. There was the receipt for the car Harry'd bought Emma the year their son, and only child, Christopher was born. A silver baby's cup Harry'd ordered to mark the birth of his sister Prudence's first child. A new chimney liner. The first guitar they'd bought Chris. Her eyes lingered over this one as she recalled how Harry had later 'rued the day' he'd 'opened that can of worms.'

Emma dropped that receipt on the desk; Chris might get a kick out of it.

There was a file containing personal purchases Harry had made for himself. A three piece charcoal suit and a lightweight summer sports coat. Three white dress shirts and a bill for monograming the cuffs. A receipt from a jeweller in Boston for an eight inch gold bracelet, and a . . .

'Wait. What?'

She held up the receipt and scrutinised the fine print. 'One eight inch fancy link bracelet - 14K gold. The price was staggering.

Confused, she reread the receipt several times. Was she losing her mind? Had he bought her such a thing and she'd forgotten? Sure, we all lose a little as we age, and forgetting some things now and then is normal. But could she have forgotten such a wonderful and expensive a gift? No, she was sure she'd have remembered that. She'd have worn it every day. She'd probably be wearing it right then.

No, Harry'd never given her a gold bracelet, and since he'd never worn any jewelry other than his wedding ring and cufflinks, she knew it wasn't for him.

And then she noticed the print at the bottom of the receipt: Add gold disk charm, front engrave: CJD 2-14-2012. Back engrave 'My heart'.

ABOUT 'ALL THAT WE ARE': In the decade since Emma Dean’s husband died, she’s maintained a peaceful and organized life in her hometown of Wyndham Beach—until she finds evidence of her husband’s longtime affair. How, Emma wonders, can a man who’s been gone for ten years still break her heart?

Still reeling from the betrayal, Emma must focus on the group of artists she’s invited to take up residence at the art center she founded, one of whom is secretly seeking refuge from her abusive ex. Toss in a charming businessman who’s returned to town with eyes for only Emma, and it’s becoming a most interesting summer.

And the biggest surprise of all is about to ring Emma’s doorbell and turn her life completely upside down yet again.

As Emma struggles between what was and what is, she discovers that the life she really wants—however unexpected—is just within reach, if she’s willing to fight for it.

MY THOUGHTS: The standout attraction of this series for me is the fabulous and very real characters. I love the relationships between the three women - Liddy, Maggie and Emma - friends since their schooldays, they are not backwards with telling each other what they think, but they are also very supportive of one another. I would love a group of friends like this.

There are a few different threads to this story, which is centred around Emma, who has been a widow for the past ten years. A secret is uncovered which leaves her both devastated and angry. Then a knock on the door turns her and her family's lives upside down.

All That We Are is a heartwrenching story that, despite a few slow spots, held me captivated until the very end. I just have to say that I finished this read with a wobbly bottom lip and tears pooling in my eyes. It is an emotional rollercoaster of a read that had me chuckling at times, sometimes angry at the actions of some of the characters (just see if you don't get angry with Owen too!) , crying - sometimes sad tears, sometimes happy ones - but mostly hopeful that things were going to work out for everyone.

All That We Are is the second book I have read in this series. Although they can be read as stand-alones, I really recommend that you start the series from the beginning to get the entire backstory and relationship history. I am certain planning on going back to read the first, and I am hoping that there will be more books to come.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.1

#AllThatWeAre #NetGalley

I: @mariah_stewart_books @amazonpublishing

T: @AmazonPub

#contemporaryfiction #familydrama #friendship #mystery #romance #smalltownfiction #womensfiction

THE AUTHOR: Mariah Stewart considers herself one lucky son of a gun to have landed the best job in the world: getting paid for making up stories. At home. In sweats and J. Crew flip flops. Could life be sweeter?

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Montlake via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of All That We Are by Mariah Stewart for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

All That We are by Mariah Steward is the third book in the Wyndham Beach series. This book focuses on Emma, who finds out a secret regarding her husband who has passed away ten years ago. This event leads Emma to the realization that she needs something of her own, to give her life meaning again.

I appreciated how well the author painted a picture of her characters and made the reader feel like they really knew them. This was truly a story of lasting friendship and the need for friends to rely on when the going gets tough.

I really enjoyed reading about Emma and her friends, Lydia and Maggie. I didn't realize this was a series, so I think I would have enjoyed the story even more had I read the first two books, but even so, I really enjoyed this story and plan on reading the others in the series!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC copy of this book, as well as Montlake publishing for the opportunity to read this story early. This review is my own honest and fair opinion of the book.

The story
Emma Dean is going through her late husband’s paperwork when she finds evidence that points to him having an affair with his assistant. Her complicated relationship with a man who passed away ten years ago is just one of her worries. An eight year child, Winnie, arrives on her doorstep with the potential to be her granddaughter. Emma’s son, rockstar Chris is hoping to propose to his girlfriend Natalie, but life is about to become more confusing.

My thoughts
I loved the first two stories in this series - first came Maggie’s story, followed by Liddy’s story. With Emma, the three lifelong friends, navigate life at 60. Their lives are woven together with their families and their histories. Two of the friends are widows, Liddy is divorced. All has experienced loss and happiness and their close relationship and family ties makes this a lovely read. Life is messy and things hardly ever go according to plan but when you have your best friends’ backs, things all work out in the end ❤️

All That We Are by Mariah Stewart is the third book in her Wyndham Beach series. This series follows the friendship of three women in their late 50s. Each book centers on one of the friends while also telling side stories about the others as well as visiting the lives of their children. This book is Emma's story. What stands out in these books is the true unfailing friendship between the three friends as well as the respect their children have for their mothers. If one person is going through something, they are all going through it and support each other. I love all the little side stories involving the children. There are relationships being built, weddings being planned, and grandchildren showing up out of nowhere! There is even a little mystery and suspense thrown in to keep things interesting. I was thinking that this might be the last book in the series, but there are some interesting loose ends still dangling as well as some weddings promised that we haven't seen yet. However many books are left, I plan to read them because I truly enjoy Mariah Stewart's writing.

My sincere thanks to Montlake and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read All That We Are and give my unbiased opinion of it in the above review. I plan to continue to recommend the Wyndham Beach series to those who want a touching stories about older women who are living their best lives.

All That We Are is part of the Wyndham Beach Series by the tried and true author, Mariah Stewart. She pulled out all the stops in this delightful story. I will admit I wasn’t sure where I thought this story was going with Emma Dean’s first surprise but I couldn’t stop reading once the knock on the door happened. Emma may have thought that life had changed ten years ago but boy, did it change for her now. With true friends and family by her side, the only way to react to change is open your arms and embrace it. Change should encourage you to change with it. Emma does just that in this story.

I appreciated the character of Emma who could have sympathy for someone who would have been considered the bad girl even ten years later. How she could open her heart to include others is a true gift of hers. I loved her group of friends and their children. In fact, I loved everything about this story.

One amazing story that I read without having read the previous books. No worries it reads well as a stand-alone except like me you will want to buy the previous books which I have now done. Just the sunny book to read in the dead of winter, in the summer, or really anytime you need to meet a character with a “picture memory”. I loved that Winnie, too!

An ARC of the book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley which I voluntarily chose to read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I Absolutely LOVED the third book in the Wyndham Beach series!! A story full of Friendship and laughter I loved the new characters that were introduced!! What stood out to me from the others is that we got background stories of all three friends and where they came from and we got to know a part of each one of them in the three different books!! Fast paced story that we stick with me for a long time the relationship with their daughters I left like were sweet and they all seemed to get along!! I would really love a short story for chris’s wedding I LOVE these characters and I really hope there is more 5/5 Stars⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Anytime I get to read a new Mariah Stewart novel it’s a treat. I am very invested in the community of Wyndham Beach. Maggie, Emma, amd Lydia are best friends and it’s been an adventure to peek into their lives.
Emma has a whirlwind of change happening in a short amount of time. She uncovers a devastating secret about her dead husband Harry, a despicable cur and a polite pint size package upends her summer plans.
The supporting cast offers updates in Chris and Natalie as well as Grace and Linc.
Slipping back into these characters lives is like sliding into a comfortable lounge outfit so one can read in comfort.
I never know how many bends in the road Stewart inserts in each book, but I’m looking forward to the next one.

This is the third book in the Wyndham Beach series centering around three lifelong friends and their families. Emma’s life takes unexpected turns over the summer. Emma’s story has so many plots; Emma’s art center and retreat for promising artist (with one artist with an abusive ex); Emma discovering her dead husband’s infidelity; her romance with Owen, a wealthy businessman; and the surprise that arrives at her door. Overall, I enjoyed most aspects of this book, except for the Owen romance. All of the other plot lines seemed cohesive, but the romance seemed contrived. I haven’t read the first two books in the series, and if I had, perhaps I would see the chemistry between Emma and Owen. Reading this as a stand-alone, Owen’s character doesn’t seem fleshed out. I really enjoy this author’s writing style, which made it easy to jump into this story. Overall, an enjoyable read. I received an arc of this book from NetGalley for my honest review.

This book touched my heart in so many ways
Touching, heartfelt, amazing family and friendships.
This is how stories should make you feel all warm and fuzzy. Sad but happy to see the story end if you read it you will know what I mean.
Definitely all the stars from me.

I found this book to be a slow and easy read. It was great for a palate-cleanser after reading a heavy nonfiction book. Sometimes that's exactly what we need.

This is my first time reading a book by Mariah Stewart. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The characters have so much depth and each add their own importance to the flow of the story. She is a very descriptive writer and doesn't leave the reader hanging as to how a character feels or reacts. That also goes for the setting. My mind "sees" where the story is taking place, rather it's at the kitchen table, the beach or the bookstore. I look forward to reading another book by this author.

A beautiful story. How could you not love Winnie? Emma thought that her marriage was strong, even though she and her husband had not agreed about their son's choice in career. Ten years later, Emma finds that her husband wasn't faithful to her. Then her doorbell rings with another surprise. As Emma is dealing with all the things that have come her way, her friends are there to help her. All three women are strong but know when they are having a hard time, the other two will be there to shore them up. For the first time in years, Emma is attracted to a man who is only in town once in a while. He says that he will be retiring and wants to be around more. Her friends have found love, can she? Her husband's infidelity has caused her to doubt herself. Can Emma find that happy-ever-after?

This book was pretty good. I liked the fact that it was a continuation from previous books. That way I was familiar with the characters.

This is a story about family, friends, community, and an eight-year-old girl who arrives at Emma's door, all by herself because no one wanted her.
The book kept me reading because it seems to be most are at crossroads in their life, and they have to decide what they are going to do. Like life, there are struggles, disappointments, hope, mistakes, and lessons to be learned. I had read what the book was about and was happy and surprised at all the other things this book had going on. For a moment or two, I was disappointed in Natalie, but once you read the book, you will understand why.
I received an ARC from Montlake through NetGalley.

This is the fist book by Mariah Stewart I have ever read and boy did she surprise me. Her writing is amazing and she keeps you entrapped the entire time you are reading. The story start out with Emma cleaning out her late husband’s office and she finds a receipt for a bracelet she never received from her husband, if she didn’t give it to her then who did he give it to. This was what Emma though to be a shock of a lifetime until a knock on the door reveals an addition to the family she never knew she needed.

Thank you to Net Galley for the advanced copy of this book. This is the third book in the series and I really enjoyed it. I like that it is about "older" women and that they are all strong characters in their own right. I loved the way all of the characters are intermingled in one way or another and I also loved the strong lasting friendship that exists between these three women. The story also had some interesting sub plots which helped to make the story strong and gripping from start to finish. This book seemed to tie up quite a few loose ends so it may be the last in the series but suffice it to say I would not be disappointed if there were more books in this series!!

DNF'ed at 70 pages. This one was just not for me. I couldn't get into the character's story and the writing style didn't do anything to capture my attention.

I've been reading this series since the beginning! I so hoped Emma's story would be as good as the other two and it is!!

This is a story about life-long friendships, the betrayal of marital vows, the heartbreak of loss, the revelation of a possible new family member, the love of family, and the acceptance of new opportunities. It was wonderful.

It is a very busy book, with more than one storyline. It all revolves around Emma. She is the hub and the other stories are the spokes of the wheel. We get to take a peek at Emma's friends who's stories we've already read, and her son and his family, Emma's new venture with her artist in residence program, a new love, and so much more.

I think this series needs to be read in order to be able to keep everything and everyone straight. There are still tendrils that still need to find their anchor, so I'm hoping this series will continue.

I loved this book!

Abiding friendship and a second chance at romance is the theme for this trilogy. Emma Dean appeared to be the most content and settled of the three friends, but it appears that she's got some curved balls heading her way but her story despite the twists and turns it might take will get her to the same place that her friends have managed to get to. 
Emma is hopeful that her life seems to be falling into place nicely. Her romance with Owen Harrison seems to be going well to the point she's packed a toothbrush and a change in her purse when he invites her to dinner. Her son is on the verge of asking her best friend's daughter to marry him and her project to invite six artists for a summer of painting is getting off the ground well.  Then come the not so nice surprises.
A search for more file storage leads her to clean up her dead husband's filing cabinets only to find that he was having an affair that she never even suspected. Then her doorbell rings to announce a possible 8-year-old grandchild who's been abandoned by the only family she's known to date. As if that wasn't enough one of the artists that she's invited is escaping from an abusive relationship. Oh, and Owen Harrison might have some not so nice hidden depths. Well, well, all this can only add spice to a summer by the beach. 
I love the compassion that leads Emma to give an eight-year-old girl a home and love.  I love that even knowing that she is not his biological daughter, Emma's son adopts the eight-year-old to give her a life she could never have gotten with her biological family.  I am envious of the bone deep friendship between the three ladies and celebrate the romance that they have all found. I loved the romance of the beach wedding of Maggie and Brett who have finally found their way back together. 
The story might be a bit slower paced than I might have liked but the overriding message of love, compassion and human kindness just won me over.