Amy Mason Doan’s The California Dreamers is a beautifully written, nostalgic journey through the sun-soaked beaches of 1980s California and the complexities of family, identity, and the price of freedom.

The novel follows Ronan (Ro) Merrick, the only daughter in a family of surfers living off the grid in a van, moving from beach to beach in search of the perfect wave. Their unconventional existence is upended when a photographer’s candid shot of them goes viral, exposing their private world to the public and setting off a chain of events that ultimately fractures the family. Decades later, Ro—now living under a different name—must confront her past when she reunites with her estranged brothers to honor their late father. As secrets unravel and long-buried tensions resurface, the Merricks must decide whether to heal or remain divided.

Doan masterfully captures the allure of California’s coastline, making the ocean feel like a character in itself. The dual timelines—Ro’s coming-of-age in the 80s and her present-day reckoning in 2002—add depth and suspense, revealing family secrets at a tantalizing pace. The relationships, especially Ro’s bonds with her brothers Charlie and Dyl, are richly drawn and deeply moving.

Inspired by a real-life nomadic family, The California Dreamers is a poignant meditation on what it means to belong. It’s perfect for fans of atmospheric, character-driven stories about love, loss, and the unbreakable ties of family.

#TheCaliforniaDreamers #AmyMasonDoan #HistoricalFiction #FamilyDrama #CaliforniaVibes #SurfCulture #ComingOfAge #BookReview #BohemianLife

I enjoyed this book! The family dynamics with the van life and nomadic mom/family made for an interesting storyline, but the California vibes are what I enjoyed the most! The narrator did a great job and this was a very enjoyable audiobook to listen to!

This book is a must for your beach bag this summer!! A family with four children traveling the coast of California spending the days surfing the various beaches. They are a nomadic family living in their van completely off grid. The story is told in past and present timelines. The atmospheric description really set the setting for the book and this family. I just felt like I was living with these kids in the van as they experienced life. This had a little bit of mystery, family dynamics, and secrets.

The audiobook was narrated by Ann Marie Gideon. She did such a great job telling this story and I just found myself living with this family and spending my summer at the beach.

I loved the narration on this book. I listen to audiobooks at a faster speed & even with that, the pauses between chapters are so long, I thought something was wrong, it had cut off or something happened.
The story of the Merrick family was interesting but I feel like so many holes were left out, so many unanswered questions on this nomads daily lifestyle. I found parts of this book exciting but others very boring. It was hard to connect to each character because there was never evough info on them. We don’t even know much info on the main character Roman. What about her husband and kids. That was just glossed over so fast and this is a very long book. I also don’t love books that go back and forth in time. Some do it better than others, this one left lots of confusion.