What an outstanding book this is! Absolutely engrossing, I couldn’t put it down. It’s the story of a very close family of 6 who don’t live a traditional lifestyle. Instead, they live in a van and travel up and down the West Coast going to surf spots.

When I was a teenager, in Southern California, I was friends with guys who pretended they on the proverbial surfing safari (weekends only, of course!) If the waves were big somewhere off we’d go. I remember meeting some kids who were approximately my age who lived in their van. It was so far removed from my own experience they might as well live on the moon.

The book is about family, how the decisions parents make affect their children and themselves, how they stick together and protect one another and the family as a whole. The nitty gritty details of their lives qare fascinating.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley, I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. This is the perfect beach read. It gives off the California and surfing vibes. And has a great family in the middle. I loved every minute.

Amy Mason Deon is the queen of nostalgia. After reading (and loving) Summer Hours, I have dubbed her the Judy Blume for adults.
I love a nostalgic story that takes me back to a time before cellphones.
The Merricks prioritized their privacy. It would be hard to imagine a story like this taking place today when anyone and everyone can be exploited on social media.

The Merricks live a non-traditional lifestyle. Their nomadic lifestyle includes driving up and down the west coast surfing and learning from the school of life. The kids do not even have social security numbers or birth certificates. The hardest part of their life for me to understand was not being a part of a community. It seemed very lonely.

The most relatable part of the story was when the mother would go on her “rambles.” This was her way to disassociate from life. I’m very guilty of reading or doom scrolling in order to ignore current events.

Read if you like
Sibling stories
The 80’s
Surfing
Dual timelines
Beach reads
Family secrets
Slow burn

This book was a struggle for me to get through, but I also didn't want to give up because it has some lovely parts and prose, and vivid character development, but the main conflict was something that I just didn't get and found rather boring. I didn't understand how the catalyst, the picture, that broke this family apart truly would have put "the only life they’ve ever known...at risk." I kept waiting for something "bigger" or more "dangerous to happen" and it...well, didn't. I came in expecting "flawed and dysfunctional families" and that never really showed up. I found myself skipping paragraphs and not missing any plot points, which is not my jam.

This book shifted between the late 1980s & 2002. In the 1980s we learn about a family who travels up and down the Pacific Coast, finding the best waves and never staying in one place too long.

In 2002, we meet the same family and watch them navigate the secrets and lies that kept them together and one that pulled them apart for over a decade.

This story is filled with untold secrets & explores the beautiful yet complicated relationships within a family.

I really liked Amy Mason Doan's Summer Hours and The Summer List, but I ended up abandoning her last novel Lady Sunshine halfway through. I almost stopped this one, too, but I really wanted to know what all the build-up was for. I think there's something about her writing that frustrates me- I find myself having to re-read sentences a lot and am unsure of what she's trying to say in many spots. This may be just a "me" issue, but I don't seem to have this problem with other authors.

I absolutely love the concept of this novel and especially the fact that it's semi-based on (or at least inspired by) a real family. I think the problem is that while I can totally see how this family could inspire a novel, a novel often needs a narrative hook or some sort of deferred revelation that gets people to keep on reading. There's a great setup in this novel (which is why I kept reading!), but the payout didn't feel like quite enough. I finished the book saying, "so what?" and just didn't understand why the things that happened were such a huge deal.

The book took me much longer to read than it should have because it just felt sloggy in spots. But that's not to say there's spots I didn't really enjoy and, like I said, Doan did the work to make me want to keep reading.

I will say the cover of this book is pure gorgeousness and I do think the novel itself will appeal to a lot of people. I think maybe Doan's writing isn't for me and that's OK!

I think I was expecting more of a MALIBU RISING style book and while the covers are similar this is definitely not that. While written well with beautiful prose, I was just bored. The big tension in their was so minor in the grand scheme of things that I couldn’t understand why the whole family just couldn’t move on with their lives. Ultimately, this wasn’t for me but if you love flawed characters and dysfunctional families then check this one out.

Thank you to Amy Mason Doan, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and NetGalley for the ARC. My review is voluntary, and all opinions are my own.

Overall, this story was quite compelling. I did find it was slow in spots. The chapters going between 1985 and 2002 seemed to drag the story out. It was not a quick read.

Title: The California Dreamers
Author: Amy Mason Doan
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 3.00
Pub Date: April 8, 2025

I received a complimentary eARC from Harlequin Trade Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted

T H R E E • W O R D S

Summery • Atmospheric • Nostalgic

📖 S Y N O P S I S

It’s 1980s California, and everyone’s dreaming of the endless summer: sun-drenched beaches, infinite waves, and most of all, beautiful, beautiful freedom. For the Merrick siblings, this idyllic vision is their reality, as they travel up and down the coast with their parents in a van year-round, surfing and swimming their days away. But when a photographer secretly snaps a stunning photo of the family with their boards in the sand, and the image ripples across the country, the only life they’ve ever known is put at risk.

Decades after, the now-distant siblings gather on a gorgeous, wild island to honor their late father. But their reunion is complicated when a journalist, eager for the truth behind the famous photo, discovers their identity and tracks them down. As the siblings reckon with the possibility that more of their lives could be shared, a revelation about their past forces them to confront long-held heartaches. Together, they’ll have to decide whether to let the same tensions rip them apart again—or if telling their story on their own terms might just be the way to recapture the family magic.

💭 T H O U G H T S

I'd read a couple of Canadian author Amy Mason Doan's book previously, so when I read the premise for her latest release, The California Dreamers, I was definitely intrigued. The idea behind the novel reminded me of California Golden by Melanie Benjamin, a book I read and enjoyed a couple of years ago.

Told through dual timelines, this novel paints a picture of one family's unconventional upbringing on the California coast during the 1980s and a long held family secret that risks tearing them apart. The plot was certainly interesting, as the four adult siblings reunite in the wake of their father's death, yet I never felt a deep connection to any of the characters, which kept me at a distance the whole way through.

I particularly appreciated how this novel is structured, with little snippets of the past being revealed bit by bit. It created a sense of mystery and intrigue. However, at times the plot seemed to drag on making the novel appear a lot longer than it actually is. A few different sections could have easily been edited down to make for a more consistent flow in the reading experience.

Overall, The California Dreamers was an okay read for me. It certainly delivered on the family drama and I felt the summer vibes of the California coast, however, it didn't feel like anything fresh. I definitely think it would make a good vacation read, especially when travelling to a beach or a place where surfing is prominent.

📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• sibling stories
• 1980s California
• the surf scene

⚠️ CW: death, grief

Very unpopular opinion, but this book moved way too slowly for me. I found myself struggling to stay engaged and connected. I thought the insight into an atypical family lifestyle was very interesting. I enjoyed learning details of life then and now. The story follows the merrick siblings who grow up living in a van, surfing and swimming. Their lifestyle is at risk after a photo is taken of the very secretive family. Decades later the siblings reunite for their father’s funeral. There secrets are unearthed, which threaten to tear the family about. A story about family, secrets and a lifestyle that may differ from the norm.

Thank you NetGalley for my advanced reader copy.

4.5 rounded up. There was a lot to love about this book including the vivid imagery and tight knit family. The bond was deeply evident with supporting details throughout the book. Enjoyable but I truly didn’t get the secrecy and wide chasm in the family.

Advanced listener copy provided by Graydon House but all opinions are my own.

This book was so easy for me to sink into. I love historical fiction and I loved the setting of California in the 80s. The Merrick Family’s story was so interesting and each character was well developed, which made it easy to become invested in the story. I think this is a great choice for readers looking for a beachy family drama to read this summer.

Great book. A bit of a mystery along with family drama. Thought provoking about how the choices we make impact our lives.

This gripping family saga masterfully weaves drama, mystery, and suspense into a story that transports readers straight to the sun-soaked beaches of California.
With a richly atmospheric setting and complex characters, it’s a powerful tale that keeps you turning the pages.
Emotional, layered, and utterly engrossing—this is the perfect summer read.

I have to say that the cover and San Diego location are the two things that made me want to read this book.
It was an interesting story about a nomadic surfing family that lived in a van in the 80's. I found myself very surprised and wondering throughout the whole book how the parents of all these kids were never arrested or never had the kids taken away based on how they were living. Especially after some of the "truth" comes out later in the book when the one child that got away to make something of her life came back to spread her father's ashes with her siblings and mother and admitted what she did.
It was an interesting take on family and how when you are older the secrets don't really hold the power they did before you told them.

thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

A family of 6 going up and down the California coastline, swimming and surfing in the 1980's. Got to know what that was like for them and then also, the memories that they took away from that very unconventional lifestyle and how it effects their lives going forward. I love reading about family life in the 1980's and the sun and fun in California made this a real sensory experience.

I have read all of Amy Mason Doan’s novels and was thrilled to read The California Dreamers. I knew I would be challenged and drawn into the story, and I was not disappointed. Set along the California Coast from near the Mexico border up past San Francisco, this is the story of the surfing Merrick family, as told through the eyes of their daughter, Roan. Much like the van they live in, named “The Gull,” this story travels back and forth, with chapters alternating from the 1980s (including when Roan leaves the family at 17 and creates her own life in Oregon) and the year 2002, when they, including Roan, gather on an island near Santa Barbara to say farewell to their recently deceased father and scatter his ashes. Secrets are revealed, and the relationships among all members of the family are put to the test. Will the family that was broken apart be able to come together?

The family, including parents Cap and Mama, twin sons Magnus and Griffin, Roan, and Dylan the youngest boy, stays off the grid, moves to new beaches frequently, eschews interactions with others, who they refer to as “civilians,” and absolutely do not allow anyone to take their photos (which ends up being a major plot point and ultimately thrusts the family into the spotlight). No formal schooling for them, instead they are taught by their parents, and life experiences (for better or worse) comprise their education.

There were times I wanted to stop reading, but Ms. Doan’s gift is that with nearly every chapter, she left enough “bread crumbs” to entice me to keep going. I had to continue going along for the ride, and, as someone who grew up in Southern California and still loves to travel along the coast, Ms. Doan’s descriptions of the beaches, surfing, even just looking up at the stars at night illustrated the delicious freedom we all can experience. I went back and forth about my feelings for the parents and the lifestyle they chose for their children, but ultimately, what came through was the love they had for one another. Like her other books, The California Dreamers is well-written and thought-provoking, with realistic dialogue and three-dimensional characters.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing/Graydon House and NetGalley for providing me with this advanced reader’s copy. I am voluntarily providing this honest review, and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

First I would like to thank Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC of this novel.

Overall, I enjoyed this novel. I loved the setting of this book especially the parts that took place in the 80’s. I feel like the author did a great job capturing the time of California surf setting. I could feel myself wanting to climb back into the time period.

This book has a little bit of everything: family drama, a little romance and a mystery that is waiting to be solved. I also think the author did a fantastic job by the end of the book being her theme across about judging others and how they live their lives.

My biggest complaint is that the book is a little slow. While I really enjoyed the past in this book the present was slow for me and I found not much happened and even with the family catching up with either other it felt like they didn’t do much of of. So many things left unsaid..

Overall, I will be recommending this book.

3.5/5 stars rounded up to 4 for this review.

Incredibly atmospheric and full of interesting, unique, and complicated family dynamics. There are some frustrating and heartbreaking moments that make this a story I felt invested in.