The pacing of this book was too slow for me. I couldn’t connect to the characters. The storyline was boring and didn’t hold my attention

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I have chosen to write this honest review voluntarily and it reflects my personal opinion.
The information provided on this book attracted me but I struggled to get into the story as the narrative style was not to my liking. It seemed very wordy (half a page to tell the reader that Claire valued predictability, including 'For example: in middle school ....' and 2 paragraphs on snow, including 'So. Much. Snow') so I felt the book could have been cut by over 100 pages. Marti's daughters seemed juvenile, rather than in their thirties, with Beth's "I feel like I'm going to lose my mind" reaction to her death and news that Paul was executor, Sophie falling into bed with someone she met 2 hours earlier and Claire's reaction that the blood pressure machine must be faulty even though she is a cardiac surgeon. There were quite a few references I didn't understand as I'm not American, such as Zumies and Hulu; looking these up ruined my flow of reading. By 22% I gave in and decided not to finish the book.

I do enjoy a good domestic drama and I have a soft spot for stories in New England -a place I’ve never been to but that is always described as stunningly picturesque and tranquil. So, I was delighted to be sent a gorgeous hardcover of It All Comes Down To This by the lovely people at Headline Review.

Marti is dying and she knows that it would be best for her three daughters if the summer cottage in Maine is sold and the money is split equally. Eldest daughter Beck has always dreamt of writing her novel in the summer cottage and recently her relationship with her husband has started to feel like that of siblings. Middle daughter Claire is recently divorced and the victim of unrequited love that she can’t seem to shake. Youngest daughter Sophie has the picture-perfect life on Instagram but the reality is very different. Can the sisters navigate the arrival of a mysterious stranger with an interest in the summer cottage and their intertwined futures?

I can definitely see how the Austen comparisons have been drawn, as the dynamics between the Geller sisters do resemble that of a comedy of manners. They are all very different women but equally brilliant at what they do and with equal amount of insecurity. I really enjoyed the scenes where they were all together, as they all seemed to slot into roles that they’ve clearly held all their lives. It felt very authentic, which made it easy to believe in them as sisters and as people.

Beck struck me as a very typical writer with a desperate yearning for time and space to get stuck into her passion project. The summer cottage offers the perfect setting for this but her longing to shut herself away isn’t just about writing her book -she wants to run away from the problems in her marriage too. I got the feeling that Beck was afraid of being hurt and her relationship imploding, so she was trying to create a distance between herself and Paul to soften that blow when it inevitably landed. In fact, all of the sisters are running from things that they simply can’t outrun and the story follows their slow realisation of that.

C.J. is an interesting character. He is a released prisoner who is trying to build a new life in a remote area with his art and do good things in the world. The summer cottage is depicted as a haven of solitude, creativity and serenity, so it would be a great place for him to do that. Unfortunately, C.J.’s thread wasn’t as well-developed as the sisters’ ones were and there were points where I forgot that he had his own thing going on and I didn’t get to know him as well as I wanted to.

It All Comes Down To This is a detailed character study of sisters who are all complicated, morally grey people, coming together for the sake of their family. They aren’t likeable but they are interesting and that’s what keeps the pages turning. It’s a thoughtful book about fearing change, forbidden love, loyalty and learning that life is rarely what you expect it to be. Ending on a hopeful note, it’s a drama full of secrets with an aftertaste of satisfaction.

What a delicious treat of a book this was! Three middle aged sisters are brought together when their mother, Marti, dies, and asks them to sell their summer home on Mount Desert Island and share the proceeds. Meanwhile, CJ Reynolds, newly released from prison and planning to start over, has his eye on the house. The place means different things to the family and has played a significant part in Marti’s early life, which has been a secret until now. All the potential crises of mid- life are here- failing marriages, career problems, money, unfulfilled dreams- and these all come to a head as the sisters rediscover their bond and find a way forward. The characters are well-drawn and likeable and there was a real sense of hope and the possibility of new chances after mistakes and mis-steps in youth. Wealth is revealed to be potentially toxic and families are portrayed as sometimes harmful as well as supportive, but the love between the sisters shines through. An engaging read.

I am late with this review as it took me weeks to read, which is very unlike me. I found my mind drifting a lot when reading which probably isn't a good sign yet I didn't dislike this book.

I read A Good Neighbourhood by Fowler two years ago and absolutely loved it. A wonderful read , cleverly told and I had really high expectations for It All Comes Down To This as a result. The book tells the story of the Geller sisters, Beck, Claire and Sophie. Their mother dies at the beginning of the book and her will stipulates that they must sell their family summer cottage in Maine. The book explores the lives of the sisters and their relationships. This book started really strongly and initially I was really enjoying it. Each sister is very different from the other , yet I didn't feel I got to understand them and as a result I was never invested in their story. About a third of the way in the book shifted to a snails pace and while its well written after a couple of pages I was finding myself distracted and I found myself reluctant to return to it.

I am glad I persevered though as I enjoyed the conclusion. Good beginning and ending but a very long and slow middle. I am not sure if I would recommend this one but I would 100% recommend this author's previous book, A Good Neighbourhood, the originality that shone in that book was sadly lacking in this one.

Whilst Therese Anne Fowler has been on my radar since her novel about Zelda Fitzgerald published, It All Comes Down To This is my first time reading her work - and I'm happy to say it won't be the last. The prose is assured and there's a lightness of touch that belies how difficult making each character seem equally reasonable can be.

In the novel we meet three sisters who are quite different in personality - Beck, Claire and Sophie. They're not that close but have come together after their mum passed away. Each has their own problems and whilst they're all devastated by their mum's death, they each are at a crossroads in their own lives. How will the ripple effects from a secret their mother has kept from them, and the stipulation in her will that they sell their summer house influence each sister as she navigates rough paths?

I was reminded a little of The Paper Palace, although this book features far fewer trigger warnings and is a gentler rumination on life and love. I've seen a few readers who struggle to connect to the characters, but I think missed connections are part of what make the story interesting - the characters at the start of the novel haven't been honest with each other in some time which gives the relationships a nice complexity (even if being honest would have helped them be happier sooner). I found how compassionate each character could be really touching. Not entirely sure the shift to first person at the end works, and the story has something of a fable quality to it which is also why the characters feel the slightest bit intangible I believe.

Perhaps, things work out almost too neatly and there's one plotline that really should be appalling but that the author somehow manages to convey with sincerity and makes it seem quite acceptable. This read like a summer read for someone who wants a literary flair to the language, and a preoccupation with character rather than fast-paced plot, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a well written family story.

My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

If I had to pick this book myself, I don’t think I would. However, I’m grateful for this ARC as well as the opportunity to have read it and actually enjoying it.
At first I found the 3rd person narrative confusing, it always took me a while to go along with the narrator and follow the story but the more I read the more I got into it. At the end, I really enjoyed following the sisters , CJ and Paul and have access to their point of view - especially Paul, which for whatever reason unknown, is my favourite character.
The writing is chef’s kiss. Seriously amazing. From page one I loved how the story was written with all the metaphors and stuff. I found it fun and interesting and definitely makes you want to continue reading.
Now, unfortunately I did find that it took a long time to get to the action. We get a lot of background story, random facts and although all that is interesting, it gets to a point where I had to skip parts.
Additionally, the ending had me rolling my eyes. The story was wonderful - although I would have loved to have known more of Sophie and Claire at the end - but the ending was cliche to say the least. Found it as though a forced moral of the story was shown to us.
Nonetheless, great read, great characters. Very cozy and I think I’ll be rereading it soon. Maybe I’ll have another perspective on it.

Beck, Claire and Sophie are the main characters in this story.

Three sisters that bound after the passing of their beloved mother.

Her last request is for them to spread the gain of their summer house after selling it. But there's much more at stake and some secrets will come up to life.

Each sister has a very different life and story to tell. There are chapters where we get to read more about them and how their life is changing throughout this grieving period.

It's an interesting story about family, relationships and how one event can release the gate to other unpredictable moments. There are secrets and quite a few scenes where I must admit that I felt like this was a bit too much. I can't say I connected with any of them, but the author has created some quite compelling characters and personality traits that blended together made for an interesting read.

I found myself intrigued by each one of them and how different they were. Being from different generations and living such different lifestyles made sense to me.

As for CJ, he was really intriguing and I haven't got to read him through or make any assumptions in the beginning of the story, but I’m glad that he proves to be a good one and not the villain.

If you enjoy family dramas, this is a story for you.

A beautifully written story of three sisters following the loss of their mother. The first book I've read from his author and it certainly won't be my last.

The daughter's were all grieving the loss of their mother whilst dealing with their own issues. I found them credible, honest and some may find them relatable. Sadly I found myself unable to connect to any of them.

When I started reading the book I couldn't get enough of it, but towards the end I found the story didn't hold as much of my attention.

A contemporary family drama of finding love, loss and revelations.

Many thanks to Headline Books for my tour spot.

Rating ⭐⭐⭐💫

I wasn't sure what to expect with this read, but it definitely did not disappoint,

The beginning is startling and I was very intrigued where this might go.
An unusual concept where a character who drives the narrative is dying.

This really is a tangled web of family life, with secrets, unknown and sitting tensions between the sisters. Their stories are very individual yet also very tightly woven into each other. Clever writing.

Surprising, tense, twisty.

The line that drew me into reading this book was 'How differently the Geller sisters' lives would have turned out had C.J. Reynolds not been released from prison that February. . .' I was intrigued, did he kill them all, did he commit massive fraud? No, he was a kind man who wanted to buy their house. Not really the edge of the seat stuff I was expecting.

The author describes this book as a warm, uplifting. It was written during the pandemic when all we wanted was reassurance that the world was a lovely place really, and we were all going to be OK. I expect that if I had read this in those strange months I would have clutched it like a security blanket and revelled in its mundaneness. Now the masks and hand sanitiser have been packed away it feels too saccharine, I was left with the same feeling after having eaten the last box of Christmas chocolates in mid January just to get them out of the house - too full of sweets and craving some vegetables.

My hopes were once again raised by the mystery of the mother's past - would CJ end up being a long lost relative or perhaps they would meet up with this family. But no, that was pushed to one side as the three sisters worked out that they really did need to sell the house - something we were told right at the beginning of the book.

All in all it is fine, there is nothing to scare the horses, but nothing to excite them either.

A matriarch and her final decision that is bound to change the live sof three sister with their own hidden motives and some secrets that are going to spilled out. Taut and immersive, the writing and the characters pull you in to this compelling plot. A book I definitely would recommend.

This novel follows three sisters in the aftermath of the death of their matriarch, whose last request might change everything... A wonderful and incredibly rich novel. Powerful writing and a wonderful premise make this a novel you’ll simultaneously want to savour and race through.

I read this book really quickly, I think it may actually have been one sitting. It was well written with a compelling and captivating storyline and well developed characters that I loved. A book about family secrets and the relationship between three sisters made this a completely gripping read. I was turning pages so quickly I thought my kindle might break. I loved it and will definitely be looking for more from this author.