I am a huge Carolyn Brown fan. I find her books are so full of characters I want to be my in circle of besties. This book The Empty Nesters did not disappoint me in any way. The characters are charming and sassy. The story is emotional and held my interest from beginning to end. I highly recommend it.

“The Empty Nesters” written by Carolyn Brown. This is a really emotional book! This gifted writer is able to bring you to a place of being able to feel the emotions of each of the people on this journey! They have all just gone through life changing experiences-a husbands death, a job change, divorce, kids graduation’s from high school and leaving home, and they are all dealing with their own types of emotions and grief. They’ve been neighbors and friends for so long that they are family now. They love each other deeply and are feeling each others pain.

When a last minute question about taking road trip comes up, they all say a quick yes-but was it the right decision? They decided so quickly…they start to second guess…but this is not a typical road trip. It is a road trip of grief but acceptance, pain but healing, looking forward to a big change and baby steps into love.

This is a feel good book, a healing book…it’s about the importance of family-however your family comes together, and the deep bonds created through love and time.

Thank you Carolyn Brown and NetGalley for letting me pre-read and review this book!

Book Info
Paperback, 316 pages
Expected publication: August 20th 2019 by Montlake Romance
Other Editions (3)
Source:Netgalley EARC
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BOOK BLURB
The worst of times calls for the best of friends in this sassy novel about starting over, from New York Times bestselling author Carolyn Brown.

Dear friends and army wives Diana, Carmen, and Joanie have been through war, rumors of war, marital problems, motherhood, fears, joy, and heartache. But none of the women are prepared when their daughters decide to enlist in the army together. Facing an empty nest won’t be easy. Especially for Carmen. With emotions already high, she suffers an even greater blow: divorce papers. Diana understands the fury and tears. She’s been there.

With nothing to lose and no one at home, the girlfriends impulsively accept an unexpected offer from their elderly neighbor. The recently widowed Tootsie has an RV, a handsome nephew at the wheel, and an aim for tiny Scrap, Texas, to embrace memories of her late husband. Still grieving, she can use the company as a balm for her broken heart. So can the empty nesters.

Embarking on a journey of hope, romance, and healing, Diana, Carmen, and Joanie are at a turning point in their lives. And with the open road ahead of them, it’s just the beginning.
My Thoughts
Diana, Carmen, Joanie and elderly neighbor the recently widowed Tootsie all pile into her new RV aimed for tiny Scrap, Texas.

Tootsies nephew Luke at the wheel, the four women dub themselves The Empty Nesters.

Diana, Carmen, Joanie on behalf of their adult daughters enlistments to the Army and Tootsie because of her status after the recent passing of her husband.

For Luke the trip is a chance to get away for awhile as his life has been filled for years with only work and no vacation time. Having recently changed that lifestyle he offers to drive the RV for Tootsie and ends up with more than he bargained for, but in a way that he finds pleasant rather than a chore.

Wonderfully emotional throughout the story had me bawling like a baby more than once, madder than a hornet more than once and laughing out loud more than once as well.

Rather than just coping with life’s curve balls these women take action in positive ways that we can all admire, especially Tootsie.

Loved the ladies, enjoyed their camaraderie and their loyalty to each other, loved the trip locations and especially thought the ending epilogue was exactly right for this book to complete its message of new beginnings.

Carolyn Brown remains one of my all time favorite story tellers, her way with the written word is magical to me!

[EArc from Netgalley]

On every book read as soon as it is done and written up for review it is posted on Goodreads and Netgalley, once released then posted on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles as well.

This is a sweet story about four women and their driver making an RV trip to the vacation home of one of them. Tootsie is going for her late husband’s memory. The three other women are all recent empty nesters with their same age daughters all entering the service. One woman got devastating news before she left and is dealing with trying to cope with an impending, out of the blue divorce. Another is afraid her husband is growing apart from her. The third woman is on a trip of discovery.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Carolyn Brown steals my heart again in this heartfelt and feel good story! Three military wives and mothers move to an empty street on the base they are stationed at, only to find its not so empty as they find an amazing older military husband and wife love there also. They become part of each of their families as Tootsie and her husband take them under their wings as part of the family they never got to have. They watch these three young ladies and their families grow through good and bad. Now years later much has changed, but the love these women have for each other was what held them together now comes full circle in this heartwarming story of love, sadness, grief and forgiveness. It leaves you wishing for more! I can see this as a sequel and definitely a fabulous movie! I loved everything about this book and each character!!! Thank you Carolyn Brown, NetGalley and Montlake Romance for my ARC in exchange for my honest review. A must read ! I promise you won't be able to put it down!!

Writing style is effortless. The storytelling is enchanting. You feel like you are part of the book.
What a fabulous book that I couldn’t put down

A very enjoyable, quite laid-back sort of story, about three military wives who each have one daughter, all of whom have just enlisted and are in basic training. One wife is divorced (Diana), one has just (unexpectedly) been served divorce papers (Carmen) and the other is still married (Joanie). They have lived in the same street in Sugar Run, Texas, for years and their girls have grown up together. They are all very close to an older neighbour Tootsie and her husband Smokey, who has recently passed away, who didn't have any children of their own but were like grandparents to their girls as they grew up.

Tootsie is still struggling with losing Smokey but decides that she is still going on their annual trip to visit friends and relatives in their large RV to a house they own in Scrap, Texas, and because of the 'empty nest' syndrome and the shock of the divorce papers being served, persuades Diana, Carmen and Joanie to come with her, and gets Smokey's handsome (and rich!) nephew Luke to come with them to drive.

The rest of the story is about relationships, old and new, and how everyone slowly comes to terms with the next phase in their lives now their children have flown the nest, and some have to learn to live on their own again. There is a lovely slow-burning romance with Diane and Luke, although Diane initially resists it as he's younger than her, but Luke's easy charm slowly wears her down.

The story is all about friendships and sticking together to weather the storms and come out the other side. They all rallied around each other when one was in trouble and hurting. Sometimes it seems like everything is going wrong, but things tend to happen for a reason and work out in the end for the better, especially as in this book. Really lovely ending.

I love Carolyn Brown's books. She writes just colorful, spunky characters that it makes me want to meet them in reality. Three military wives are accustomed to being alone, but now their houses are empty. All of their daughters enlisted and are gone. Life as the women knew it is forever altered. One ends a relationship, one is moving, and the other find love again. To assist the women and ensure the family bonds endure is Toostie, their self- proclaimed protector and parent, who also endured a life transformation. The Empty Nesters is a great read and great wrap up for the characters.

Carolyn Brown's The Empty Nesters had a good plot and was fun to read. Four military wives come together to support each other as they begin to deal with an empty nest. Three daughters have left to go to basic training.
One of the women is recently widowed, one of the women has been divorced for years, and one has just received divorce papers. The four women embark on a multi-week trip in an RV that winds through Texas but also has one important stop in Oklahoma. This book was easy to read and I finished it in a day. I would definitely recommend to those that like contemporary fiction and women's literature

As with the several other books I've read by Carolyn Brown, I enjoyed this one as well. While they are somewhat predictable (HEA), there are usually some twists and turns that are unexpected. A perfect rainy day or beach read.

I always enjoy Carolyn Brown’s books and The Empty Nesters was no exception. Great plot. Cast of characters and writing. I highly recommend this book. Thanks to the publisher for my advance ebook. This is my unbiased review.

This easy read is the story of military wives who live near each other who have each raised a daughter who then also enlists. Their husbands, and ex-husbands, are on the same team and travel quite a bit. The wives, along with the recently widowed neighbor Tootsie, and her nephew, travel by RV to Tooties's country home. There, they try to deal with the issues of love, death, divorce and opportunities.

The story follows friends/army wives. When Diana, Carmen, and Joanie’s daughters sign up for the military. The women become empty nesters. Tootsie and her husband Smokey who had passed away recently had befriended the families when they had moved in. Tootsie decides that the women should go on a road trip when one of the wives husband asks for a divorce. It is a journey of hope, love and woman power.
I really enjoyed this book. I read it in two days.
Thank you NetGalley and Montlake Romance for providing this book. I gave my honest opinion on this book.

A story of army wives who have stuck together for the last 20 years as their spouses serve in a special forces group. The ups and downs of life are prominent through out as they raise their daughters. They live in a neighborhood with an older couple; Tootsie and Smokey who adopt them as their own children. When Smokey passes away Tootsie decides she needs to still go on their yearly trip and convinces the wives to come along in the big RV. Lots of changes for all of them as they venture out and enjoy the ride.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. This review is in my own words.

I LOVED this book. Well, actually I usually love anything Carolyn Brown writes. Another reviewer make a statement that she didn't think Carolyn Brown could write a bad story and I am in total agreement. Just some are a bit better than others and this was one of the really GOOD ones. 5 stars worth! Can't wait to see what we'll get next.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Montlake Romance and Ms. Brown for an ARC of this great book in exchange for an honest opinion.

This tale cover a myriad of military family situations. Divorce, separation, wives in charge of the home with little support from a spouse on a mission, and the friendships that make that type of life bearable.
An older military couple became a grounding force for the three couples, more like surrogate parents. The Colberts made the wives' adjustment so much easier and became pseudo grandparents to their daughters.
Ms. Brown's clear descriptions of the people and scenes bring them to life as you read. I fell in love with Smokey and Luke, as far as I'm concerned, they are perfect.
Smokey supports Diana, Joanie and Carmen, so much so that they felt his support as much as Tootsie after he passed.
Tootsie's solution to deal with his death, all three daughters enlisting, and Carmen's bad news...was to go on a road trip, one she'd planned with Smokey, with the three women...and her nephew, Luke.
The trip heals them all, a little at a time, and gives birth to to a love story. A forever happily ever after one.
Don't miss their remarkable journey, full of love and laughter. I predict it will hit and top the bestseller charts for the journey it takes you on, and the feel good ending.
I requested a NetGalley Arc and plan to buy several as presents upon release.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from NetGalley. All opinions are given freely and are completely my own.

The Empty Nesters tells the story of three military wives turned military moms, Diana, Carmen, and Joanie and their mentor/mother hen, Tootsie. Brown tells their stories of love, loss, and heartbreak as the group set off on a road trip with Tootsie in her RV while their daughters head out for basic training.

I absolutely adored this book and could not put it down. It was a lovely story of sisterhood and friendship, proving that blood isn’t what defines family. The characters where well developed and likeable and honestly? It was just a well written book.

The Empty Nesters
This book was such a fun read. It really hit home, I too was raised in a military family. So I know the feeling of the being called away on a mission, not knowing when or where my Dad was going and when he would return. I had many friends when we lived on base, I too have a very close friend that we have kept in touch with over the years 50 plus to be exact. We met last summer in New Orleans and have not seen each other in over 50 years what a hoot. I loved the closeness of the friendships that held these women together. They shared happy times, sad times and had the love of a close knit family, but were not blood related. I would definitely recommend this book, I could not put it down and read it in 3 days.

It’s not easy being a military wife, but Carolyn Brown writes how friendship between wives can help with the loneliness of separation and worry of danger months on end. Diana, Joanie and Carmen have become fast friends each with daughters the same age. Through the years, the women deal with marital problems, more separations and now when their daughters are graduating from high school, have learned their daughters have enlisted in the army. On a whim, facing more lonely days and nights, the wives accept the offer of traveling together on a long road trip in an RV with a special neighbor. This trip ends up being a chance for each of the women to find a new reason for living and that family doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to be born into it.
This was another very enjoyable book that I have come to expect from the author. Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book for my honest review.

This book is about friendship and a variety of emotions. Carolyn Browns pens characters that I wish for friendship with. I would like to be on that RV road trip with them!
Many thanks to Montlake Romance and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.