Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own.


I had enjoyed the author's White Houses, and so I was intrigued with this title. Following a series of characters, some biological family, some found family, across decades of world events, I'll Be Right Here is like an intimate snapshot of the various relationships within the family.

Nice message. Amy Bloom created this feeling of the reader looking in the window to watch these characters. It took me a long time to finish the novel, and I find myself without a lot to say about this book.


#IllBeRightHere #NetGalley
Publication Date 24/06/25
Goodreads Review 28/07/25

What constitutes a family? Orphaned in France during World War II, Gazala and Samir, must make their way alone in Paris. Samir works in a bakery and Gazala is adept as a masseuse. They survive the war making difficult decisions. Gazala’s patron provides her with a ticket for New York, as well as the papers she will need. A teenager, alone in NY, Gazala finds work in a bakery and meets the Cohen sisters. Eventually Samir arrives. Their family is extended and there are a variety of relationships. This was not my kind of book.

Immigrating alone from Paris to New York after the crucible of World War II, young Gazala becomes friends with two spirited sisters, Anne and Alma. When Gazala’s lost, beloved brother, Samir, joins her in Manhattan, this contentious, inseparable foursome makes their way into the twenty-first century. and a multigenerational family. The passing years are marked by the business of everyday existence and the inevitable surprises of erupting passions, of great and small waves of joy and despair, from the beginning of life to its end. Gazala and Samir make a home together, Anne leaves her husband for his sister, and Anne’s restless daughter grows up to raise a child on her own and to join a throuple, becoming who she wants to be. Through it all, they stand by one another, protecting, annoying, and celebrating themselves, steadfastly unapologetic about their desires and the unorthodox family they have created. As the next generation falls in and out of love, experiencing triumphs, mistakes and disappointments, the central pillars of their lives are the four indomitable elders they call the “Greats.”

I am not a fan of lesbian/homosexual relationships in books, yet I did like the writing and how the author developed the characters over the years. I know that I am old fashioned Christian in this day and time and I'm am sure that many will love the book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting my request to read the book.

White Houses by Amy Bloom was one of my favorites the year that I read it, so I was very excited to read her latest. Unfortunately, I'll Be Right Here was a bit too melancholic for me.

Lots of interesting characters. Some of them hard to follow. Hard to follow sometimes. Seemed to be written as stream of consciousness. I wish there had been one main character that she followed and we saw how the others related to them. Some of the inter-relationships were interesting but they didn't go very deep.

I generally love stories about chosen family, but this was so not for me. The beginning was promising. A young woman trying to survive in Paris during the war. But then we are in Poughkeepsie jumping back and for over the decades. There is incest and infidelity. I couldn't follow the plot (was there one?)

This book will definitely win awards. It is an epic family saga/historical fiction about the making and remaking of families. There is a lot of love, of the modern type. It is presented in a disjointed way with beautiful descriptions. The juxtaposition of beauty and disorganization works into an artistic story. I loved how so many characters, places, and items were revisited. Difficult to describe but definitely worth the read. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank You to Random House and NetGalley for the free digital copy.

I've read Amy Bloom books before and enjoyed them. This one was not as enjoyable to me as the others. Although there were very interesting characters and relationships and the book covered interesting themes, such as relationships that you don't read as much about (e.g. lesbians, polyamorous), it was easy to lose track of the different characters and time transitions. I found it confusing at times which made it hard to keep my attention. There wasn't a strong plot, but I did find the themes and characters interesting.

Thank You to Random House and NetGalley for the free digital copy.

Amy Bloom is one of my favorite authors. I usually like her books. I would not rate this one as one of her better ones. It was so very detailed that you had to really pay attention and reread portions to make sure you understood everything. If you didn't catch something the first time around, it was confusing to piece together. The time jumps confused the storyline and I don't think I grasped the entire personality of the characters. The book topics are as polyamorous, lesbians, romantic relationships, history, relationships, passion, interests, family, and friendships which make the book interesting.

4 1/2

First there were Gazala and Samir, French Algerians in Paris during World War II, being raised as siblings by Gazala’s father who taught them to be survivors. Gazala goes to work for infamous–and extremely complicated–writer Colette, where she becomes first an observer and then a participant in resistance activities. Colette sends Gazala to the US, where she befriends the Jewish Cohen sisters, Anne and Alma, the beginning of a life-long friendship, or more correctly, the forming of a found family based on the sisterhood of these women.

Amy Bloom gives us I’ll Be Right Here as a series of interwoven short stories, if you will, that leap about through the years, moving back and forth, told in different POVs, with the latter being those of the younger generation. Unfortunately, I felt so enthralled and invested in Gazala’s Paris episode with Colette that I felt a bit of a disappointing jolt with the POV and location changes. However, that didn’t linger–although I do have to say the wartime scenes with Gazala and Colette, the intrigue and interactions were some of the most memorable in the novel. Also, the structure could also leave the reader feeling a tad lost, which is unfortunate with a novel that has so very much to offer.

I’ll Be Right Here introduces us to many different complicated relationships: Anne’s marriage to blond Protestant Richard, which dissolves into divorce after Anne falls in love with his sister Honey. Sweet Alma’s big-as-the-whole world love for her kind Izzy Taubman. Gazala’s life long love for Samir who was raised as her brother. And then their children, some also found like Bea. Yes, the situations are frequently complicated but they never feel overly so as if time has tinged them sepia and lessened the emotional precipice.

Indeed, having just read another historical depiction of a lesbian relationship, I felt like the complications of having a same-sex relationship were gentler. But perhaps that is I’ll Be Right Here in a nutshell. It is a gentler take on life.

What it does bring home, however, is the importance of the relationships we build, those outside of our family that will remain with us and sustain us. That there is integrity with age that should be respected. And that was one of the most solid ideals I took away from this book. The “Greats” were respected for all they had gone through, learned, and given in return, the sharing of their knowledge whether it was baking or gardening or philosophy on life. Part of the beauty of this telling was the emptiness the younger generations knew they would experience as the Greats passed, but it was a bittersweet emptiness. Whether you believe the phrase or find it a laughable cliché, this is the instance where it is better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all.

Amy Bloom brings that to us in I’ll Be Right Here with a heart-warming style and embracing humor that hopefully makes us reach out to those in our lives who have made it better, richer, and hold all of our Greats closer and close in our hearts.

Many thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy.

This book started out in WWII Occupied France where Gazela works for the writer. Colette. After a few brief chapters about the Jews who were sent to camps and attempts to gain their freedom, the book jumps to NYC where Gazela has moved and she meets the two Cohen sisters - Alma and Anna. Soon, her lost adopted brother Samir joins them and the foursome become lifelong friends.
The rest of the book is a confusing mix of multiple characters situated is different years and places, and I have to admit that more than once, I thought of just not finishing this short book because there really was no story.
I thought there were too many characters which were poorly developed, and - for me- my biggest objection was the time jumps which did not serve the story well as each section seemed like a vignette of a person, but showed no depth or reasoning for the inclusion. This book covers about 70 years and three generations, plus just about every consensual relationship that adults could have - ranging from adultery, incest, infidelity, homosexuality, polyamory, oh - did I mention marriage and divorce?
The lack of a real plot, the timeline disorganization, and poorly developed characters added up to an unsatisfying read for me, that I really would not recommend.
I received this ARC from NetGalley and Random House, and am leaving my own opinions voluntarily.

Although I normally love Amy Bloom's writing, I'm afraid that this one didn't grab me. I may try it another time.

Title: I'll Be Right Here
Author: Amy Bloom
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 1.75
Pub Date: June 24, 2025

I received a complimentary eARC from Random House 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

Intimate • Complex • Messy

📖 S Y N O P S I S

Immigrating alone from Paris to New York after the crucible of World War II, young Gazala becomes friends with two spirited sisters, Anne and Alma. When Gazala’s lost, beloved brother, Samir, joins her in Manhattan, this contentious, inseparable foursome makes their way into the twenty-first century, becoming the beating heart of a multigenerational found family.

The decades are marked by the business of everyday life and the inevitable surprises of erupting passions, of great and small waves of joy and despair, from the beginning of life, to its end. Gazala and Samir make a home together, Anne leaves her husband for his sister, and Anne’s restless daughter grows up to raise a child on her own and join a throuple, becoming who she wants to be. Through it all, and the tumult of these decades, the four friends, and their best beloveds, stand by one another, protecting, annoying and celebrating each other, steadfastly unapologetic about their desires and the unorthodox family they have created. As the next generation falls in and out of love, experiencing life's triumphs, mistakes and disappointments, the central pillars of their lives are the indomitable people they call "the Greats".

💭 T H O U G H T S

Every now and then I request an ARC based solely on the cover and I'll Be Right Here is one of those times. Sometimes it works out, while others it doesn't. This was my first time reading Amy Bloom and it was one of those times where it just didn't work for me.

This felt like one long and confusing tangent, where I didn't necessarily care for or about any of the main characters. While it explores a wide variety of relationships and the theme of found family, there's no real story here. I was often lost in both time and place as it spans 80 years and various continents.

I appreciated the exploration of love in many forms, however, it seemed like the author was eager to include every type of relationship possible. Instead of representing variations in couples, it ended up feeling like checking the boxes on a list. I was expecting more of a historical fiction book but got more of an exploration of passion, attraction, and sex in all of its forms.

At the end of the day, I'll Be Right Here was a long, drawn out saga that I wish I had DNFed as I didn't gain much from having read it. It's quite possible if I'd actually taken the time to read the synopsis ahead of time I'd have foregone picking it up altogether. Live and learn right? Honestly, the cover really was the best part.

📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• found family
• learning about relationship types

⚠️ CW: infidelity, sexual content, polyamory, grief, adoption, war, death

Bloom’s latest novel opens with “the Greats,” the dying Gazala surrounded by her brother, Samir, and her sisters, Anne, Alma, and Honey. We are then transported back to 1930s Paris where Gazala declares that her neighbors are “criminal masterminds” for denouncing the Jews. We move ahead to 1942 Paris where Gazala, “the little Algerians with the good hands,” is hired by the famed French novelist Colette to address her crippling arthritis while Colette’s Jewish husband hides from the Nazis in Gazala’s attic room.

After the war, during which Gazala claims to have single-handedly killed three Germans, Colette gives her the funds to come to America where she finds work in a Manhattan bakery. It is there that she meets the Cohen sisters, Anne and Alma, and the three become inseparable. “The Cohen girls and Mrs. Cohen and Mr. Cohen . . . gave me my American life. Without them, I would have stayed the lying, thieving murderous corpse that I was when I met them.” In 1947, a painfully thin Samir arrives at Gazala’s doorstep after having served in the war in Algeria.

We move ahead to 2010 and learn that Samir and Gazala had bought a store and a house and maintained strict rules regarding their relationship. Bloom recites the resort vacation the two enjoyed in 1984 in Oaxaca, Mexico, where Gazala just “wants to lie with the love of her life and be naked together, naked even though Gazala cannot say much for their nakedness, at this late date, but it is theirs. . . .”

At the halfway point of the novel, Bloom expands the scope to encompass Anne, an accomplished woman who obtains a law degree in 1960, her wife, Honey, the sister of Anne’s ex-husband, the lackluster Richard Anderson, Richard and Anne’s daughter Lily, “the Jewish Grace Kelly,” Lily’s ex-husband, Roy, and their son, Harry, the “lover of sparkly outfits and showtunes since birth.” Lily, who once referred to herself as a “workaday secular nun,” enjoys a polyamorous relationship with a couple with whom she owns a bakery named Gazala, and a competitive relationship with Bea, the granddaughter of Gazala and Samir’s realtor and the “daughter they would not, could not, have. . . .”

Bloom has crafted a multigenerational tale of found family that spans decades and continents. The story that she unfurls is hardly linear, and she shifts perspectives from character to character and from point of view, but she expertly highlights that which is necessary at the appropriate time. Although kind Alma seems to get short shrift, for example, in just a few paragraphs, the reader learns all that they need to understand about this character — Alma confidently marries Isidore, the owner of a modest chicken farm and “the Toscanini of carving,” their daughter dies in infancy, Alma and Izzy comfort each other in their grief, and Izzy passes away just as Gazala is wearing down. Bloom’s embrace of love in its many forms is showcased in her depiction of an unconventional family whom she presents with humor and compassion. These are characters who will be remembered long after the book is closed. Thank you Random House and Net Galley for an advance copy of this moving saga of an irresistible family.

1.5. Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. While I have liked other books by Amy Bloom (specifically, “In Love”), this book did not work for me. Upon reflection I get the message of the importance of family…the one you’re born into and the one you create along the way with important people in your life. But this whole book felt like almost all it was about was how the different characters came into each other’s lives and stayed… without really much context or nuance as to why these people were important or how they became so important. There were also far too many tangents and parenthetical descriptors that didn’t add much. And it seemed to try too hard to include so many types of “different” relationship…incestuous, LGBTQ, polyamorous, adultery…and no monogamy. I think that in 2 weeks I won’t remember much of this book.

3.5 stars, rounding up to 4. This was a complicated tale of love and loss and love and loss. Somehow, despite all thoughts to the contrary, Bloom manages to weave these deeply moving lives into a story underpinned with hope and meaning. As I read this, I was struck by the idea that, despite the timeline of the novel—from WWII to almost present day—the characters' friendships and non-traditional loves are embraced in their time, or, at least, mostly. Not sure if this was a too-gentle and accepting depiction of the era, or just in such stark contrast to the frightening times we find ourselves in today. Love is love, everyone.

I’ll Be Right Here sweeps the reader from a little girl’s life in Occupied France during the Second World War in all its austerity through the very long life she builds and also into the worlds of the family members she acquires along the way. Once in America, Gazala quickly befriends and joins forces with the Cohen sisters, Alma and Anne, and the book follows not only them but their spouses/life partners, children, grandchildren and other family members that are garnered through the years.
It is Bloom’s near-magical writing style that carries this romp. I particularly enjoyed a depiction of early spring where she specified “It is not yet the fat, green grabby heart of spring “. I did have a hard time keeping track of who was who and how many of the characters fit into the big picture. I felt that I was reading a number of individually crafted, engaging vignettes.. These definitely drew me in, but I was just not tying these individuals that she wrote about into a cohesive whole.
All in all, I would say that my time spent with I’ll Be Right Here was very well spent. I just wish I was better able to string the various components together, as I feel that there’s something there in the totality that I am unable to grasp.

This book sounded right up my alley, but it felt a little too heavy and deep for a summer read, or what I was craving at this moment. The reader really has to pay attention as there isn't much dialogue and timelines are kind of all over the place. A winter release might have been better!

I enjoyed reading I'll Be Right Here by Am Bloom. You will fall in love with all the characters. I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely. Happy Reading!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest novel by Amy Bloom. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 3.5 stars!

In 1942 Gazala, seventeen, works for Colette, a writer. She immigrates alone from Paris to New York after WWII, and becomes friends with sisters Anne and Alma Cohen. Gazala’s adopted brother, Samir, later joins her and the two become lovers. These four characters become life long friends and a family to each other.

I have really liked all of the books by Amy Bloom that I have read, so I was very anxious to read her latest. As expected, the writing was gorgeous but I struggled a bit to keep up with so many characters and many different timelines and locations. At its heart, it's a beautiful story of found family and love in all forms. There was a bit of a feeling though that there was a checklist nearby to include all forms that love may appear, which seemed a bit forced. It was a short book, but felt longer because I struggled some. It's getting good reviews, so be sure and read them as well.