The California Dreamers is set in 1980s California, and shares the story of an unconventional family living life off-the-grid. While it's been compared to Malibu Rising, for me, the only comparison is surfing and Southern California.

Once upon a time, a photographer took a picture of the family against their wishes and this photo became iconic. The family shunned the fame thtat followed them. Years later the family unites and again, their haunted (and hunted) because of the photo.

I'm all for living life on one's terms, but it is amazing that child services were never called on these parents.

I really struggled to connect with the characters and the story. The story often felt disjointed and I honestly struggled to get through the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the advanced reader's copy.

This book is written in two different timelines: 1980s and early 2000s.
It gave me big Malibu rising vibes, so if you enjoyed that book I think you will enjoy this one as well.
A family living a different norm than society, no traditional school, surfing at the beach and living with brothers and your parents out of a caravan. Is it really all it sounds cracked up to be? It’s about family, secrets and navigating who we are and how our past shapes us into the present. What we want or don’t want from this life, and what our parents wanted for us in the past.
It was slow moving at times, but still kept me intrigued.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing / Graydon House for allowing me to enjoy this read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

A prodigal daughter, learning of her father's death, returns home to finally confess to her brothers and mother why she left all those years ago. The chapters alternate between the present and the family's life in the 1980s.

My description makes it sound like my review should come with trigger warnings. Rest assured, the main female character has a secret, but it is not of the trigger variety.

I like reading sibling stories and families with unconventional upbringings. For the Merricks, Cap and Mama, twins Griffin and Magnus, daughter Ronan, and baby Dylan, living in a van, driving up and down the coast of California to catch those golden waves, and letting the world be your school, seems very cool. But that kind of life does come at a price.

Sometimes, I don't like when chapters flip us back and forth, BUT the author's writing flowed nicely and I enjoyed both of the timelines very much. Also, I just really appreciated the family dynamics. I am curious what the future for all of the Merricks.

A solid novel that I would recommend readers put in that beach bag.


#TheCaliforniaDreamers #NetGalley.
Expected Publication 08/04/25
Goodreads Review 07/04/25

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC. I enjoyed the characters and this unique story line. A family growing up nomadic by a very different set of rules than others. A story about learning to appreciate where you are from even if it's different and coming to terms with flawed parents. This book really made you feel everything the characters felt and seemed so real.

this is probably a 2.5 rounded up to 3 stars for me. i’m in the minority here, but I did not think this book was amazing. it wasn’t bad, but the pacing was extremely slow, very back and forth (you’d forgot what happened in one timeline because the time you returned it would be so much later), and overall felt too long. the writing is actually very good, but the plot and major revelations felt minor - I didn’t understand why they were a big deal. lastly, I just didn’t get how the family could live the way they did without any sort of intervention - I know other reviewers have commented on this.

I was hoping this would be like Malibu Rising (it’s not) and it felt pretty slow and tedious to me at times. writing was good, though, so I see why a number of people enjoyed this story - I just wasn’t for me. thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the arc! out 4/8/25

This was such a good read. Very atmospheric and PERFECT for summer, I almost wish it came out later so I could read it and be on the beach. It reminded me a lot of Malibu rising by TJR but it was different enough that I would not call this a carbon copy. Characters had depth and SUCH interesting back stories for each of them, which kept me turning the pages and not wanting the story to end!

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin for the eARC.
I enjoyed the setting, and nomadic aspect of this book, but struggled to keep up with what was going on. Like a lot of it just didn’t make any sense to me. The beginning and ending didn’t connect, and sometimes it was painfully slow. The characters were good, and so was what plot I could understand.
I do enjoy a good historical fiction set in California. I just love the images it can create, and it sends me there without actually being there, it’s always fun and creative.
Overall, this book wasn’t bad. I just couldn’t connect with the characters and the story in a better way to better understand it.

1980s California and the Merrick family is living off the grid - they surf all day, live in a van and get sporadic schooling from theIr mother. Their father has warned them not to allow any photographs of them, they need to stay below the radar so no surf competitions, no formal school etc. Then one day someone shoots a photo of them without their knowledge and the photo goes as viral as anything can in the 1980s - it becomes a poster, shows up on towels and mugs. Decades later the siblings and their mother come back together to honor their deceased father, even Ronan who ran away when she was 17. Only together as a family unit for a few days, a journalist is set on finding out who the photographer was, and during the search, family secrets come out and old wounds are reopened.

I loved the beach vibes as well as the underlying story but I found this one to be a bit slow. I started by listening to this but there were a few too many characters and I couldn't quite map all the relationships so I was glad I had the book to go back to for clarification - and I then ended up reading about 1/3 of it. I liked the narrator but I was definitely confused at times between the time jumps and the multiple characters (I was not at all confused once I picked up the book though). So this was a really like but not love one - although I will try others by the author because I liked her writing and the underlying story.

3.75 stars

Thank you to HTP, Grayson House and NetGalley for the ARC to review

This was such a beautifully unexpected and nostalgic read. One that captured the 1980's California beach time, surfer vibes, absolutely perfectly.

The Merrick family was not your standard family - sure, it was a mom, father, 3 boys & a daughter but instead of living in a home they lived in the Gull; an old van that became their home. They lived by the ocean and seriously embraced that lifestyle - surfing, exploring (or going on rambles), and just learning by what they see and can explore. It sounds magical, and I'm sure that in so many ways it was, but it also sounds lonely - especially for the daughter.

When a photographer is caught taking their photo and their father reacts - pretty badly, well, a lot of things seem to change. Later on a photograph is released of the family going out to surf and the family goes through a lot as they're forced to become "celebrities" and their nomad ways draw a lot of attention. The daughter ends up leaving, at the age of 17, and sets to make her own path in this world.

I loved the weaving of the past with the present. The loss of their father, and the questions they had for their mother were so poignant and I was so curious of why they had lived the way that they had. It was very thought provoking and the authors note just made it all come together and be explained.

All in all this was a wonderful read that I hope many people will pick up and read when it's published next week. It's a read that would be great to discuss with others as it brings up so many questions, so many things to discuss.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing / Graydon House for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Nostalgic, captivating, and thought provoking. Not everyone grows up behind a white picket fence. Some grow up in very unconventional ways. The sea, the sand, the waves and the van, are what the Merrick family called home. I thought Amy Mason Doan did a tremendous job of capturing the beachy surfer vibe of California in the 1980's. The surf, the way sunlight glitters on the waves, the sand between your toes, the freedom of being in nature, and riding the waves is captured beautifully. I can almost smell the salt in the air!

The Merrick family was not your average family. They traveled the coast, surfing, living, and surviving. They became celebrities of sort when a photograph is published. Years later the siblings will gather to say goodbye to their recently deceased father, but they will not be alone. They will be joined by a journalist who wants to know about them and the famous photograph.

I enjoyed wondering what it would be like to live life as the Merrick family did. Traveling in a van, sleeping in the van and/or on the ground. What would it be like not to attend a traditional school? What would it be like to not put down roots but to travel here and there up and down the coast? What would it be like to be the only female sibling? What makes a home- is it where you sleep or who is in your life? Does how one is raised affect the rest of an individual's life? How do you ever go home if you never had one? The author tackles these questions sand then some.

This plot ebbs and flows like the waves of the ocean. We are shown glimpses in not only the past when the siblings are younger but also in the present day as the siblings come together for their father's final send off. This was a captivating and thought provoking coming of age story about Ronan who left her van living nomadic family at 17 and returns when one of her brothers informs her of their father's passing.

This is a book about family, secrets, identity, love of nature, choices, unconventional lifestyles, and relationships. I found this book to wonderfully written, well thought out, and thought provoking. Be sure to read the author's note at the end to learn what motivated the author to write this riveting book.

This book's nonsuccess with me was due to it being totally forgettable. I've read many great messy family dramas lately, and unfortunately, this one's writing, plotline, and characters were boring and not memorable. I hope it finds it's best audience.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

4.5 stars.

When I first started this book, I thought it would be a solid four stars. I was enjoying it, but it took me a while to read it. But something as time went on got me so hooked on the story, I couldn’t help but give it five stars. I just loved the characters so much. It helps that I love a good sibling story, and so much of this revolved around the kids.

This reminded me of “Malibu Rising” with the surfing and the family drama. Though “Malibu Rising” was more fast paced.

I could picture the scenery very well. It would be an amazing movie in my opinion!

This is a very character driven novel.

The dynamic between these characters was just so interesting. Between Ronan and Dyl, the twin’s with each other, Ronan with Griff and with Mag. Cap most of all. I can’t help but dislike him for what he all did, but at the same time he was such a fascinating character. I didn’t hate him though, especially because the kids didn’t hate him.

Charlie fit into their lives so effortlessly, it was seamless and perfect. I wish we could have seen more of her, but I know the family was the main point.

It was a very, VERY, slow moving plot. So don’t expect a lot of action. You just have to go with the flow of the story. If you like the characters and are intrigued by their life, you’ll enjoy this book. If you don’t connect to any of the characters or don’t care to learn their story, you might as well put the book down.

It felt like I was reading 10 pages in 2 hours, that’s how slow it was. I don’t mean to deter people from this book, because I did really enjoy it, I just wish it had a faster pace. It was so nuanced, you really had to take your time with it.

I loved the Field Journal’s. They felt so poetic. I thought there was another person writing one than just Dyl, but I wouldn’t have expected who it was!

There are a couple things I would have changed. There could be some spoilers, so be cautious reading the next paragraph:

I personally think Ronan didn’t need to have a family, she could have just let the guilt keep her away from her mother and siblings. She could have had other lovers, but I’d rather she have been alone, or at least with no kids. Her separated husband and kids had no point to the story. Other than brief mentions of them here and there, it was just an extra part of the story that didn’t need to be in there. Despite how long it took me to finish this book, I wish we got a little more at the end, especially since Charlie seemed to disappear at the end. I wanted to see more of her and Ronan hopefully being together! I guess the point is they probably wouldn’t, especially because Ronan has another life with her kids, and they established it would be pretty hard to have both. That just proves that she shouldn’t have had a family and just lived on her own this whole time. Then she could have started a relationship with Charlie. Maybe Charlie was too wound up in the past that Ronan was trying to escape from that it never would have worked, but I wanted it to so badly. I loved them together.

It was interesting to know this was based off a real family! I had no idea.

If you love books about families and an ocean setting, this would be for you!

Set in 1980s California, this novel follows a family leading an unconventional life, living in an RV while trying to escape the unwanted fame that follows them. Despite their best efforts to remain anonymous, the world refuses to leave them alone. I felt there was a disconnect in some parts of the story and it took a while to get through this book.

Set in 1980s California, this novel follows a family leading an unconventional life, living in an RV while trying to escape the unwanted fame that follows them. Despite their best efforts to remain anonymous, the world refuses to leave them alone. Their journey unfolds gradually, exploring themes of freedom, privacy, and the challenges of living outside societal norms.

The novel’s slow, deliberate pacing allows the story to unfold naturally, though at times it may feel sluggish. The atmospheric writing captures the tension between the family's desire for solitude and the relentless pull of public attention. While this unconventional lifestyle is often romanticized, the book also hints at its struggles—though not always in a way that feels fully grounded.

One of the biggest challenges for me was the disconnect between the novel’s beginning and its ending. While the journey is engaging and thought-provoking, the conclusion feels somewhat detached from the story’s initial setup. Additionally, the portrayal of the family's nomadic existence sometimes leans too heavily into idealization, glossing over its harsher realities in a way that felt unsettling.

A contemplative, atmospheric read that explores the complexities of fame and solitude, but its slow pacing and disjointed ending may not work for all readers. While it offers moments of depth and intrigue, the romanticized portrayal of an unconventional lifestyle left me with mixed feelings. Enjoyable, but not entirely satisfying.

Doan Does It Again. I titled my review of Doan's LADY SUNSHINE "Cinematic" and my review of her THE SUMMER LIST "The Boys Of Summer", and I can tell you that despite the few years away, Doan has not lost a single step in her storytelling. This tale is just as cinematic and just as evocative as either of those prior books, and does a phenomenal job of showing one particularly extreme lifestyle... and the repercussions it can have as kids raised within it grow up and begin making decisions of their own.

As with much other fiction - and particularly as I write this review on the day that news breaks that, yet again, Augusta, Ga has arrested a parent trying to make a better life for his kids because he placed them in a safe area for a few minutes while going to a nearby spot for a job interview - yes, there are absolutely elements of this story that would not play in the real world of the 2020s. Yet this book also isn't set in the real world of the 2020s, instead being set decades earlier, in a period where I myself lived at least very certain specific elements of this life both in and out of the trailer park. Identifying which elements goes into spoiler territory, but suffice it to say that it involves what was truly a common practice among working class families of prior eras - even if it may be criminalized by Karens and bureaucrats today.

Still, even with these elements taken as the fiction they are, the story they work to show is itself quite powerful indeed, and Doan truly does an excellent job of showing how halcyon days may not have been as perfect as were remembered... and perhaps we didn't know all that we thought we did in those days either. Doan just has a way with coming of age stories, clearly, and yet again it truly shines through here in so very many ways.

Come for the beautiful, evocative prose that captures the best of (what I imagine to be, having never actually experienced it) the California summers, both back in the 80s and again in the early 2000s. Stay for the all too relatable story of children confronting what they think they know about their own childhoods and all the family dynamics this brings forth in adult children dealing with their parents.

Very much recommended.

A somewhat atmospheric family drama. This one is a slow burn but captures your attention as it’s so relatable. Who hasn’t had kept a secret or had a complicated relationship with their family.
The characters were well developed and kept the story interesting. The ending kinda missed for me but the story itself was interesting and relatable.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is a well written domestic drama about a family with four kids who travel up and down the Pacific west coast in their van ("GULL"), living off the grid. The book alternates between the 80s and 2002, when a reporter catches up to the family after they became accidentally famous in a viral photo. Be prepared for family drama and secrets as you are pulled into their eccentric and sometimes erratic life!

This is a picturesque read where the scenery immerses you in the California coast! Wonderful!

Immersive and sharply observed tale of a wild family that was surprisingly relatable.

I especially enjoyed the pivots from past to present and how each sibling gets their moment to shine.

Great for me to read in frigid Michigan in February and I can imagine this one on a lot of chaises this summer.
4.25 rounded up for vivid coastal scenery and strong writing.

Storygraph 4-5

As a mood reader, I have to be in the mood for a book and I haven’t been in the mood to pick this up for a while now. So, I decided to put this down at 50% in. I really wanted to like this but I just don’t think what I got so far, was worth me to keep reading. I dreaded picking up this book and it wasn’t even that bad. I just think the story was very slow. Also the alternating POVs and timeline has me very confused.

The writing was beautiful, I will definitely try this author again. The setting gave the ultimate beach vibes. But the mystery, was just not intriguing enough for me as an avid thriller lover.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for this advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review!

A tender and surprisingly layered story about a woman who grew up in a fitted-out van wandering coastal hideaways with her private, idealistic parents and four brothers.
I took a chance on this one as the cover reminded me of Malibu Rising and I am going on a vacation in California soon.
It was so much more moving & thoughtful than I had expected. The ending was just right for these dear characters.
Solid characterization & lilting prose made for an enjoyable reading experience. Highly recommended and thought provoking for book club settings.

5
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers HQN for an advanced reader edition