I was absolutely drawn to this one by the cover! It is absolute perfection!

However, I wish the story was as great as the cover.

Soon I will be entering the "empty nest" stage of life, so I thought I'd be able to enjoy this mid-life story a bit more. But right off the bat, I found Kim somewhat annoying. Maybe it was the writing - it felt jumbled to me - that made think of her as such a ditz, but it distracted me and took away from my enjoyment of the story.

While I understand the back and forth switching between past and present, it somehow detracted from the main part of the book - Grant missing. That tension and build up was lacking so when it finally came to the execution of the entire plot, I felt underwhelmed.

The best part of the book: it made me want to visit Palm Desert!

This was too much of a slow burn for me and I could not get to the point where it clicked and grabbed my interest. I did not like Grant's character. While Fleishman was one of my favorite reads, which I saw this compared to, this was not for me.

The Snowbirds by Christina Clancy is a tender and thought-provoking exploration of a long-term relationship at a crossroads. Kim and Grant, together for thirty years but never married, are adjusting to major life changes—Grant’s forced retirement, the loss of his mother, and their twin daughters leaving home. Having lived apart for much of their partnership due to Grant’s work as a college professor, the couple now find themselves navigating full-time cohabitation. Their relationship’s fragility is evident, especially with Grant’s mental health challenges, which include a history of disappearing for days without explanation. When offered the use of a condo in Palm Springs for the winter, Kim jumps at the opportunity, and Grant reluctantly follows.

The vibrant and quirky Le Desert community in Palm Springs is richly depicted, filled with unique supporting characters who bring both levity and opportunities for growth. While Kim embraces her adventurous side, trying new activities and forging connections, Grant becomes increasingly engrossed in hiking the Palm Springs mountains. The first half of the novel felt a little slow for me, but it laid essential groundwork, painting a vivid picture of Kim and Grant’s individual struggles and the bleakness of their partnership.

Grant’s sudden disappearance during a hike shifts the narrative, raising the tension as Kim confronts her worst fears: is he truly lost, or has he left her for good? The discovery of Grant’s journal provides profound insight into his inner world, offering both Kim and the reader a deeper understanding of his perspective. Through this, Kim finds clarity about herself and their relationship, leading to moments of self-discovery and hope.

Final Thoughts:

Clancy masterfully balances humour and poignancy, exploring themes of midlife reinvention, the complexities of commitment, and the possibility of becoming the person we aspire to be. The Snowbirds is a touching and honest portrayal of love, resilience, and the power of being truly seen.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher, but the thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.

Christina Clancy’s Snowbirds is a compelling novel about an unmarried couple in their 50s, who after 30 years find themselves at a crossroads in their relationship. In an effort to change things up and figure out where they stand in their relationship, Kim and Grant decide to spend a winter in Palm Springs. When Grant goes missing while hiking, Kim recalls the story of their past and how they got to this point in their lives.

This book took some time to fully capture my attention. However, the rich descriptions of Palm Springs and its history added an interesting layer that helped move the story along for me. A crew of memorable side characters also brought this story to life.

Since the story was told from Kim’s point of view, I got a good sense of her character and found her easy to relate to. Based on what we learn about Grant from her point of view, I found him to be pretty unlikable and was often expecting the worst from him. This definitely impacted how I viewed their relationship, especially as much of their back story focuses on him repeatedly running off when things got tough.

As I got to know his character more toward the end of the story, I was finally able see how much he cared for Kim and was happy with way the story came together in the end.

Thank you so much to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy of this book. Overall, I enjoyed it very much.

This book was much more serious than I was expecting. I did end up enjoying it, however. The main character was pretty unlikeable for most of the book but really redeems herself in the end. This goes back and forth from present day to the beginning of the main couple's relationship. I enjoyed learning about the family and seeing how it was all going to come together. The characters were well developed, and the settings were well described.

I was given a copy of this book by NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review,

After being together for over 30 years, Grant and Kim are at a crossroads in their relationship. Now that Grant is unemployed and Kim is on a sabbatical - Kim decides that she will take her ex husband up on his offer to move into his Palm Springs condo for the winter, far away from the snow and sub zero temperature of Madison, WI. After years of spending their weeks living apart because of Grant’s job, now the ever presence of Grant in the home has changed the dynamic of their relationship. Once the settle into Palm Springs Grant becomes obsessed with hiking and on New Years Day he gets lost in the mountains; during this time Kim relives their past and realizes how she feels about their future.

I honestly couldn’t bring myself to like either main character of this novel - Kim frustrated me because she allowed Grant to walk all over her and Grant was kind of a pompous ass. While their backstory (which we learn about after Grant goes missing) was interesting and kept my attention, I just couldn’t become invested in their relationship or care if they stayed together. Both were still oddly attached to their ex spouses and it didn’t seem like their relationship was a lasting and healthy one or a relationship I wanted to root for. I preferred all of the ancillary characters (the quirky neighbors in their condo and my favorite character being Kim’s ex mother in law) to the main ones and they kept me reading this one.

3.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the ARC to review

Thank you St. Martins Press and Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

This felt right up my alley starting off. A middle aged couple together 30 years - I was ready for something deep and emotional! Unfortunately these two characters were absolutely insufferable. You can tell they only stayed together because she ended up pregnant with twins a few weeks into their relationship. I just never believed it at all. Kim never wanted to "burden" Grant and Grant only cared about himself. I wish I enjoyed this more, but I didn't believe in their relationship.

The journals from Grant were nice to read and I liked his introspection - but it took a big event to make that happen. I did enjoy the different timelines though and watching those come together!

I love Christina Clancy and this book was no different! I felt like it touched on a real life problem that couples face but isn’t often discussed (growing apart). But, it also bounced around a bit and found myself getting lost or distracted. Overall, a good read though!

unfortunately, I DNF'd this -- and it pained me to do it because i hate DNFing but I couldn't get myself to care about these characters. it was extremely slow and the characters were so unlikeable it just made it hard to keep going. i made it to 33% before I called it quits. thank you so much for the eARC, i never take that for granted!! maybe i'll pick this back up when i'm more in the mood.

This was a highly anticipated book for me, as I have LOVED both of Christina Clancy's previous novels. As a Wisconsin-ite at heart, I love how she weaves place into her novels. The Snowbirds, as the title implies, follows a couple as they head to Palm Springs for the winter-- but never fear, there are plenty of references to Madison throughout the novel (also trying to figure out exactly what small town Mounds is based on!). I'm not sure if it's because of a lack of ability to relate to the characters who are in a different life-phase than me, or because I just didn't like either of the main characters, but this book was much harder for me to get into than her previous novels. I enjoyed the last third of the book the most, when the husband's perspective was incorporated much more through journal entries.

Christina Clancy will absolutely remain on my auto-to-read list, but I will hope for something more similar to Shoulder Season or The Second Home. Thank you to St. Martin’s and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Last Thing He Told Me meets Fleishman Is in Trouble in this page-turning story of a couple who flee winter in the Midwest for Palm Springs, where they find their relationship at a crossroads. This book really hooked me at reality of mine myself.

I'm shocked to write this as a 4-star review, because for the first ~30% I was positive I would skim to the end. Kim and Grant are completely unlikeable as characters. Honestly, I wanted to shake them and scream, "JUST TALK TO ONE ANOTHER!" I'm here to tell you that the book got soooo much better after that point and I really came to enjoy it. Grant's journal made me like him more. Kim's relationships with the Le Desert residents made me like her more. The supporting characters are the kind of quirky, Stars Hollow-esque vibe that I love. Palm Springs itself was a fun character, and I absolutely LOVE when authors make the setting of the story into its own character. Now I need to visit Palm Springs!
I will be recommending this to others, with the caution to power through the first third because it does get so much better.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC!

I really struggled to get interested in this book. The first third of the book did not build suspense for me in a way that made me want to find out if Grant would return and why he went missing. The structure of the final third of the book, when we finally got a dual-perspective through his journal, was much stronger.
Neither character was likable so they were a difficult pair to root for. The references to Madison were kitschy and there were far too many, especially considering the novel takes place in Palm Springs.

Thank you to St. Martin’s and NetGalley for an advance readers copy of this book.

A decent book, easy read, nice character development. But not for me. It was marketed as a romantic thriller and while there is some mystery there it is just not quite that. It is more of a cozy humor.

Interesting story told in a dual timeline of sorts. It was slow to capture my interest but ended up a pretty decent story. A Midwestern couple decides to winter in Palm Springs, where a quirky cast of secondary characters may change their lives in a dramatic way forever

A really interesting story of a complicated relationship and what it takes to make a relationship work. Even though it wasn't a traditional marriage, I did enjoy reading about these older characters and their relationship story. It was sort of a coming of age 2.0 story. I also really enjoyed the extended cast of characters that they met in Palm Springs. I enjoyed this one!

I thought this would be an easy, somewhat mindless book but it ended up being so much more! Entertaining, funny and thought-provoking, this book has it all. Perfect for winter reading!

In the present-day storyline, there’s a mystery surrounding Grant, who goes missing after taking a hike—an activity he had only recently started. He’s gone for over three days, and while the book markets this as a thriller, it’s really not in that vein at all. I was intrigued by the mystery: Did he get lost? Did he leave intentionally? Or was something more sinister at play? That sense of uncertainty did a good job of holding the story together, but the resolution didn’t quite deliver for me. By the end, I was left feeling a bit detached from the characters and the snowbird setting, as if the emotional payoff never quite materialized.

This book sounded like it would be fantastic and the cover really drew me in, but I just did not enjoy this like I imagined.

Thank you to St. Martin’s and NetGalley for an advance readers copy of this book.

This evocative and engrossing exploration of a long, loving relationship opens in Palm Springs. Grant Duffy, a newly avid hiker from the Midwest, is lost in the winter mountains surrounding the city. As his long-time partner, Kim Hastings, waits anxiously for word of his safety, she unspools their relationship in her mind, going over past events and present possibilities.

Kim and Grant are in their mid-late fifties, living in Madison, WI, and have been together over 30 years. They have never married, but have lived as a family, raising their twin daughters who now are young adults. Grant was a philosophy professor at an historic, small, Midwestern college, which has just closed, leaving him, at 59 years old, without a job. Kim, 55, who works for a non-profit, is due for a sabbatical, given to compensate for the low pay of her important work.

At her insistence, despite Grant’s reluctance, they go to Palm Springs for her time away from work.

Early on, it is clear there are bumps in their relationship. They have not actually lived together all these years, as Grant has stayed in the small town housing the college, which is over an hour away. Kim has raised the twins in Madison, with Grant home for weekends. She often feels like a single parent, and is not sure if she now can spend all the time with Grant alone. Also, Grant wants them finally to be married, though Kim still is not sure. Much as she loves him, she is more aware of and focused on the cracks in their relationship.

The novel explores what they both learn as Kim waits for Grant’s rescue or recovery. The Palm Springs condo where they live adds a cast of colorful but believable characters whose interactions help both of them learn and grow.

Occasionally episodes or events seem a little too predictable, but overall, there is a liveliness and thoughtfulness that make the story engaging and well worth reading.