Author: Elizabeth LaBan and Melissa DePino
Publisher: Lake Union
Genre: Fiction
Source: Little Bird Publicity
Goodreads: On a cozy street in Philadelphia, three neighboring families have become the best of friends. They can’t imagine life without one another—until one family outgrows their tiny row house. In a bid to stay together, a crazy idea is born: What if they tear down the walls between their homes and live together under one roof? And so an experiment begins.
Celia and Mark now have the space they need. But is this really what Celia’s increasingly distant husband wants? Stephanie embraces the idea of one big, happy family, but has she considered how it may exacerbate the stark differences between her and her husband, Chris? While Hope always wanted a larger family with Leo, will caring for all the children really satisfy that need?
Behind closed doors, they strive to preserve the closeness they treasure. But when boundaries are blurred, they are forced to question their choices…and reimagine the true meaning of family.
Ope’s Opinion: I started out reading this with a little skepticism. The thought of three families living together seemed a little odd to me. As I read, I bought into the idea. The families seem to really meet each others needs. The authors had convinced me this was going to work. Then too much intimate details of their sex lives was written into the story – this added nothing to the characters or to the story line. At that point, I was frustrated. I did finish the book. The ending left me up in the air.