Beautiful simple cover.
But the story was interesting, and good.
I liked the characters, but it was not as funny as it felt like it tried to be.

I loved this book! It was my first book by Carolyn Brown. I was hesitant to buy it at first because of the Army theme and I am not a fan. But I was very pleasantly surprise by the story. Love the solidarity and friendship between the women! Great story of forgiveness. The only thing that a like less was all the talking about food but not enough to stop me of reading it! I will definitely look at more books by this author,

The Empty Nesters is a story of friends and army wives, Diana, Carmen, and Joanie and their neighbour and surrogate mother Tootsie and her husband Smokey. The three friends have been through a lot, but raised their daughters together with the support of Tootsie and her husband. Time has passed and Tootsie is now a recent widow and all of the women have daughters who are enlisting in the army together. As they face empty nests, Tootsie and her nephew step in and invite the women on a trip to small town, Scrap, Texas, to embrace memories of her late husband. Tootsie is still grieving, she can use the company as a balm for her broken heart. So can the empty nesters.

I enjoyed this story of female friendship that is more like chosen family and how they love, support and embrace each other as they deal with changes in their lives. Diana has divorced and is moving on in her life, Joanie is a happy military wife, but would love her husband to retire, and Carmen is reeling from receiving divorce papers after twenty years of marriage. Saying good-bye to their daughters as they head off to bootcamp has left them unsettled. While the four woman deal with the changes in their lives, they find the strength and hope to move forward and find the happiness they all deserve. I absolutely loved this story. This was an emotional story that had me in tears one minute and laughing the next. This is a story that deals with so many stages of life and love. It is a story of friendship, facing challenges, new beginnings and love. The characters were all realistic and relatable and I would love to meet up with them and celebrate life. A wonderful book that I recommend to those who enjoy contemporary women's fiction.

Carolyn Brown takes us back to small town Texas with a story about women, friendships, love, loss, and hope for the future. A sweet book w/a lot of sass from 4 women traveling in a RV to Tootsie's house (the matriarch of these friends). Never saw a bunch of women so easily moved to tears and it was refreshing!

An adventure in an RV leads four women and one man on different journeys, though they have the same destination. As each person comes to certain realizations about their life, the support of their friends and loved ones will help get them through the difficult times.

The biggest problem that I had with The Empty Nesters was that the author tried to cover too much ground. As the book spanned many years, from young marriages, to divorce, to death, and to the eventual adulthood of their children, the author lost sight of the central premise. With so many main characters with their own side plots, the story becomes muddled. The addition of a romance did not do the book any favors, as this periphery story pulled the focus from the essence of The Empty Nesters. In the end, it was a decent book, but I doubt I will remember the story or the characters by month's end. For these reasons, I would be hesitant to recommend The Empty Nesters to other readers.

Disclaimer: Montlake Romance and NetGalley provided me with an Advanced Reader's Copy of The Empty Nesters. The choice to review this book was my own.

Great story of friendship, healing, and love. This is a really lovely book, which is likely to bring a few tears, and some big smiles too, particularly if you are over the age of forty.

Tootsie and Smokey Colbert had alot of neighbors over the years . Carmen's husband Eli is in the army and they just moved off base. Smokey and Tootsie instantlyove the new neighbors. The new families are all military and have young children.the young girls all grow up to enlist in the army themselves . I loved that the girls joined the Army. I loved seeing how the women dealt with the girls leaving for bootcamp and also divorce. The ladies decide to take a road trip ending with the girls bootcamp graduation. Diana is trying to decide whether to have a love life again. I loved that the girls were doing well in the army.

I found this book warm and very true to life. You never know what curveballs are coming next. Friends are a blessing.

THE EMPTY NESTERS drew me in and was an emotional read from start to finish. The prologue set the stage, and the epilogue tied up loose ends, but I would have loved the book to go just a little further. This was a quick read that had me turning the pages far into the night.

We first meet Carmen, Diana, and Joanie along with their military spouses and daughters when they move into their new homes in Sugar Run, Texas, away from the military base, thirteen years before. The ladies’ husbands were in a Special Forces group. Since they were on the same team, the men were gone at the same time, often for months at a time. The families lived on the same street and met their new neighbors, Tootsie and Smokey, on their moving-in day. They all got along fine. Tootsie and Smokey never had children so they “adopted” the new families as theirs, and we watch how their friendships deepen throughout the years.

As their lives change due to deployments, death, growing up, and the wisdom that comes with age, we are there every step of the way. When their daughters all decide to enter the military, just like their fathers, their empty nests are looming for the ladies. Tootsie loses her husband the month before and invites the ladies to travel with her to say goodbye to Smokey. As they embark on their great adventure in Tootsie’s motor home, none of them are aware of how their lives will change.

Smokey’s nephew, Luke, who travels with them as their driver, is a nice addition to the story. I liked how Tootsie talks to Smokey all the time, and how she hears his responses. I also thought it appropriate that some of the others continue to hear his wisdom whispered in their ears at just the right moment.

The story is filled with emotion as the journey is as much emotional as physical. But always, the four women are there for each other. And Luke turns out to be there for all of them. The travelers begin to hold weekly meetings of the empty nesters, providing that emotional connection and plenty of laughter. Their lives continue to change both on and off the trip, even once they arrive home. There is some closure with the epilogue and changes coming, and it’s a heartwarming story even with the few tears I shed along the way. I would love to be reunited with the characters a few years down the road in a holiday novella (hint, hint).

Ms. Brown has fast become one of my favorite authors, whether she’s writing women’s fiction, contemporary, historical, or cowboy romances. I have added some of her books to my always growing TBR pile. I look forward to reading them all!

I rated the book 4.5 stars but rounded up to 5 stars here and on other sites.

Book was good. I enjoyed the story and was pulled into the story quickly and stayed interested throughout.

5 Stars for Empty Nesters by Carolyn Brown! Find your big fuzzy blanket, wool socks, and quiet corner to dive into this one. This is the perfect "feel good," read as fall quickly turns to winter. This book was charming, funny, heart-wrenching, and everything you want this time of they year.

Three military wives have lived in the same neighborhood since their girls were 5. Now, following in the footsteps of their fathers, they've all signed up for the military given their mamas a lot to deal with. The mamas will have to lean on each other and their neighborhood granny, Tootsie to get through all the feelings that come with divorce, death, second chances, and acceptance. When they all pile in Tootsie's RV, they embark on a journey full of equal parts laughter, tears, and strength. They remind us that home is what we make it, with those we love. And, that with the right friends beside us we can weather any storm life throws our way.

There was a lovely surprise at the end, one I was hoping for and the way Carolyn captures the voice of her Texas characters is charming and just right.

If you're looking for a lighthearted, warm, and feel-good book, this is it. This book was released earlier in the summer but I'm really glad that I didn't dive into it until now.

I was provided this book in exchange for an honest review by @netgalley and @carolynbrownbooks. I'll be looking for more of Carolyn's books and suggest that you do the same :) #TheEmptyNesters #netgalley #5stars #bookreview #booklover #instabook #instareader #bookstagram #bookaholic #readmorebooks #tistheseason #bookworm #oakcity #booked #montlakeromance

The Empty Nesters

by Carolyn Brown

Having just finished a nonfiction book about the empty nest season of life, I enjoyed reading a fictional take on it. Carolyn Brown’s The Empty Nesters is a smiling, wipe a few tears kind of book. Four neighboring military families provide support for each other with retired and childless Tootsie and Smokey taking on a grandparenting role. The three other men are part of a team that frequently leaves for extended secret missions so the wives are left behind to raise their daughters.

Life is not always easy. We join their story with each of the four women at a different stage of the empty nest. A road trip in a mobile home to Tootsie’s old family home helps the women sort through various problems. The younger women have all just sent their daughters away to basic training. One mother is divorced and still has trust issues. Tootsie is recently widowed and still grieving, and the other two fear for their own family dynamics. Luke, Tootsie’s nephew, drives on the trip. He is handsome, single, rich but down to earth, and kind. These characters are people you would like to get to know from Diana who has decided love is not in the cards for her to Carmen who takes out her fury over a cheating, scumbag husband by splitting logs for hours.

You’ll enjoy the meetings of the Empty Nesters as they share with each other and support each other. Watching them work through calamities and successes makes you feel like you are a part of the group. We don’t get to know the daughters very well, but they reflect well on their mothers who worked hard to raise them right under difficult circumstances.

I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Montlake Romance for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5/5

Category: General Fiction (A), Romance

Notes: Includes some mild swearing

Publication: August 20, 2019—Montlake Romance

Memorable Lines:

It might have seemed strange to someone else, but with all the recent events, his comment was a life preserver in the midst of an ocean—a simple compliment to hang on to when the stormy waters of life were sweeping over her.

“When we get old, the biggest blessing in the world is simply to be needed”

Tootsie brought out a bottle of wine from her secret stash on the top shelf of her closet and piled sugar cookies high on a platter. Meetings weren’t held in the South, especially Texas, without food and something to drink, so it was only right that the first official meeting of the empty nesters should at least have something.

Sometimes a book is just not for you. This was that book in my case. The story was ok and I mean just ok. I didn’t feel close to any of the characters or even the plot. I was a bit disappointed in it to be honest. It was well written and all but just not for me. While I have read other books by this author and liked them this one I can’t say I liked that much.

I found it tedious and boring. Just not the book for me. I’m truly sorry.

Thank you to NetGalley for this copy.

I give it two stars, one for finishing it and one just because.

Great book about escaping (or finding) life after the kids leave! Fun romp. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for honest review.

What a great novel - a perfect weekend read! I was so invested in the outcomes of each woman's story and absolutely loved Tootsie's character. Written with charisma and Brown's trademark charm, this title had lots of sass and spitfire attitude wrapped in heartbreaking vulnerability with a powerhouse cast of strong female characters bound together through the ties of womanly sisterhood.

The Empty Nesters is a great read. I enjoyed the story, the friendships, the laughs, and that your never to old to find oneself. The characters are genuine, and I liked their friendship. This is the first book of this authors I have read and I'm looking forward to reading more of her stories.

I received this book from Netgalley.

Tootsie is an elderly recent widow. Her hubby Smoky was a patriot and a veteran. If it wasn’t for her “adopted” daughters in the neighborhood, she would be having an even harder time facing widowhood. She talks to her dead husband all the time and even hears his advice and responses, most of the time. Joanie, Carmen and Diana live close by and have a bonded sisterhood since their hubbies are usually on special secret assignments elsewhere in the world. They each have a daughter that they’ve had to practically raise on their own as their husbands are career men. Tootsie has taken them under her wing in the past, now it’s their turn to take care of Tootsie.

When the daughters of these 3 military wives enlist in the Army right after high school, the women are shocked and having a hard time coping with their empty nests while their daughters are in training. Diana is divorced, Carmen thought her marriage was fine until she got served with divorce papers, and Joanie is the only happily married of the three whose devoted husband is the only one worth his salt. Diana’s been sour on relationships since her divorce and Carmen is struggling, crying and having temper tantrums as her hubby has left her for a younger pregnant soldier.

I had hoped to get an uplifting and comforting novel for my granddaughter who is also the wife of an officer in the Army. She also has a toddler at home and is oftentimes frazzled trying to cope with life’s busy demands. This novel is not it. It has too much whining, even though warranted, and more about how hard it is to have a spouse in the military, than it is uplifting. Not what I was looking for.

The message here is how to go on after life throws you a curve ball, and how much it helps if you have true friends to help you through it. If you are a Carolyn Brown fan, you will find here a sweet love story, some down home good cooking, you will chuckle at her hokey-southern-dialogue and you just know you will get a happy ending.

Change was supposed to be good for the soul, and turmoil created patience, but sometimes accepting either wasn’t easy.

If I had to pick one word to describe Carolyn Brown’s books, I’d pick delightful. Or maybe charming. Heartfelt? Heartwarming? Okay, so it’s hard to pick one. Because The Empty Nesters was all of those.

For almost two decades, Diana, Carmen, and Joanie have developed the tightest of bonds. As army wives and mothers of daughters who are all the same age, they’ve weathered a lot - loneliness while their husbands were away together on top-secret missions, the struggles of raising children essentially alone, and marriage woes. Now their daughters have all joined the army and left for basic training on the same day, leaving them with empty nests. The situation becomes even more distressing for Carmen when she’s also stunned with divorce papers on the same day.

Tootsie has been a de facto mother and grandmother to the three ladies and their three daughters since the three families moved onto the street fifteen years ago where Tootsie and her husband, Smokey, lived. Smokey’s unexpected death a month ago hit them all hard. But Tootsie is determined to load up her RV and take the trip she and Smokey had planned. With her three honorary daughters feeling out of sorts after their daughters’ departure, and now the crisis with Carmen’s marriage, Tootsie decides they can all use some time away. After a bit of convincing, Tootsie is able to load them all up - along with her husband’s nephew, Luke, as their driver - and embark on an adventure that gives them the chance to ponder their futures, and heal from past hurts.

Ensemble books can be tricky, as it can frequently seem like one person is the main character and all the others side-characters. But that wasn’t the case here. All four of the women get equal time to work through their individual issues: Tootsie is adjusting to life without her beloved Smokey, Diana is healed from the crushing hurt caused by her husband’s betrayal and their divorce five years ago and now has a chance to find love again, Carmen is going through all the stages of grief when her marriage implodes and she’s learning to stand on her own two feet and make plans for a future she wants, and Joanie struggles with guilt for having a husband who still loves her dearly but is faced with drastic changes for her future. It was delightful, charming, heartbreaking, and heartwarming to watch them be there for each other, through the ups and downs, and help them get to the other side of their struggles and be happy.

When it seems all women are capable of doing these days is tearing each other down, it’s refreshing to read a story where women build each other up and stand by each other’s side through thick and thin. Yes, parts of this story were hard to read. It’s never easy to watch a marriage disintegrate, especially when one of them is so blindsided by someone being so cruel. But the mark of a good author is that she can take you to such a low before leaving you on such a high. I also give props to the author for the surprise ending, which was what I was really wanting to happen, and didn’t think would, but then did without any of the usual hints and set-up that would usually come with what happened. (HA - how’s that for vague and nondescript?! Gotta let the surprise be a surprise!) With great dialogue and lovable characters, this book just left me feeling happy. And you can’t ask for much more than that!

* thank you to NetGalley and Montlake Romance for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review

This is one of my favorite story lines. Friends through the years, good times, bad times and all in between. I loved the intro where Tootsie meets Diana, Carmen and Joanie. You know right from the start that these 4 women are going to be important to each other. I also liked the military theme throughout the book. I guess I loved Tootsie the most, she was a glue that held the women together. Maybe Carolyn Brown will have a sequel with the daughters' stories. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Carolyn Brown never disappoints me. Empty Nesters was definitely a different book for Ms. Brown to write. They was not much romance in this one as usual, but it truly was a story about empty nesters. However, she leaves in her normal recipe for strong women, small towns, and southern charm. I loved the characters as they came together on what they mutually know - how to be an ARMY wife. In need of a quick, but truly thoughtful and sweet read... pick this one up!