Author: Susan Mallery
Publisher: HQN
Genre: Fiction
Source: HQN ( Netgalley )

Goodreads: One woman takes the vacation of a lifetime in this poignant and heartwarming story about the threads that hold a family together from #1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery.

Single mom Robyn Caldwell needs a new plan for her future.  She has always put her family first.  Now, with her kids grown, she yearns for a change. But what can she do when her daughter has become the most demanding bride ever, her son won’t even consider college, her best friend is on the brink of marital disaster and her ex is making a monumentally bad decision that could ruin everything?

Take a vacation, of course. Press reset. When her great-aunt Lillian invites her to Santa Barbara for the summer, Robyn hops on the first plane to sunny California.

But it’s hard to get away when you’re the heart of the family. One by one, everyone she loves follows her across the country. Somehow, their baggage doesn’t feel as heavy in the sun-drenched, mishmash mansion. The more time Robyn spends with free-spirited Lillian, the more possibilities she sees—for dreams, love, family. She can have everything she ever wanted, if only she can muster the courage to take a chance on herself.

Ope’s Opinion: I was very excited to win this book from HQN, as I am a fan of Susan Mallery’s books. I expected this to be one of her great reads.

This one was a bit of a disappointment. It took me over half the book before I liked any of the characters. They did grow on me as I kept reading. I had no idea why Mindy was in the book at all. She was suppose to be Robyn’s ( MC ) best friend – not a very good friend and added nothing to the story. The unnecessary explicit talk about sex felt forced and thrown in there at awkward times.

The last part of the book saved the story for me. I enjoyed Mason, the kids grew up and the story got better. Lillian made the book for me.