Looked forward to reading this as I enjoyed Small Admissions so much. This was not a disappointment. Such a sweet story! Loved that it was about musicians and enjoyed the family dynamics.

I adored this story, maybe in part because I am a musician myself. The story was super sweet and I enjoyed the family dynamics. The family was charming and fun to follow along throughout their summer.
I enjoy Amy’s writing style!

It is summer with musicians. Bridget and Will are 2/3rds of the Forsyth Trio, a longstanding group they began as students at Julliard. This chamber trio is in major need of a marketing face lift and a new member. Bridget, who is also the daughter of the famous (and confidently arrogant) composer and conductor Edward Stratton, heads to her country home in Connecticut. She is looking forward to eight weeks away from Manhattan with her boyfriend Sterling. Unfortunately, Sterling breaks up with Bridget, and Will comes to offer a shoulder to cry on. While there, he falls for a local florist. Add to the mix Bridget's grown twins, her father and his lady friend, a handsome builder, a wishy washy agent and a few divas and Musical Chairs is the result. This novel is a pleasant page turner, celebrating the messiness as well as the love in friendships and families. I like Amy Poeppel's writing, and her ability to craft characters that are a little bit people we know, a little bit archetypal and a lot fun to read about.

Bridget and Will are longtime friends who play in a trio they founded shortly after college, with their (now estranged) friend, Gavin. They have a lovely relationship, and many people assume they are a couple. I like their relationship - the fact that they're just friends who love each other and want only the best for each other. There aren't many relationships like this in books these days. Bridget leaves NYC at the beginning of the summer to spend time at her dilapidated country home with her boyfriend (who she's hoping will propose). But the boyfriend breaks up with her via email, Will comes up instead, and her two children descend on the home (each with their own problems). Bridget's sister, Gwen, is spending part of the summer in the area, also, staying at their father's mansion. Normally, she interviews celebrities from her living room back in NYC and consequently does a lot of name dropping. Although I know it was in keeping with her story line, it got annoying after a while. There are many characters in this story, and each has his/her own story line, so I sometimes had a hard time keeping track of who was who. Overall, I enjoyed the book - it was a light summer read, and most of the relationships were wonderfully written - and I'm going to add the author's other books to my TBR. Thank-you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for a digital ARC

This book was a complete, unexpected delight. I had read Poeppel's Limelight previously and enjoyed it. This tells the story of Bridget and Will, two members of a classical music trio and long-term best friends. Bridget is looking forward to spending the summer at her country home in Connecticut when her boyfriend unexpectedly breaks up with her. This is just the start of a summer that is completely different than she had planned. I loved the music aspects of this story as well as the friendship and family dynamics. There are parts that are laugh-out-loud funny and it is overall a heartwarming story that I cannot wait to share with others.

4.5 stars- A new book from one of my favorite authors- and it does hold up to my high expectations! I've loved Amy Poeppel's other books, Small Admissions and Limelight. They are zany and funny and compelling and so is this book. I would probably have given it 5 stars if not for the slow start and the abundance of characters that it took a little while to keep straight. Keep reading because it is a great book.

This is set in the lives of members of a classic music trio, but is not about the music (this is very different from The Ensemble by Aja Gabel). They make life and career decisions and deal with hilarious family members and situations. It reminded me a little bit of Jonathon Tropper's This is Where I Leave You, except this patriarch is getting married instead of dead. One of the elements I particularly loved was a lifelong platonic friendship between two members of the trio and how that affected other relationship dynamics in their lives. Look for other themes of city versus country living, class differences, and genetic inheritance.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy of this much anticipated and satisfying book.

This book was wonderful! The characters were so rich and dimensional- they came to life on the page. The story was unique and creative. Something we haven’t read over and over. I highly recommend to anyone who likes a heartfelt family story.

I enjoyed this book! Musical Chairs is a light-hearted, fun read that follows well-off people as they navigate not-so-serious problems and let me tell you- it was exactly what I needed as a distraction from the agony of real life. Almost all the characters are likable, the stakes are low, and the setting is tranquil. Much like a good telenovela, towards the end things got tied up WAY too quickly and conveniently in scenes that were completely unrealistic. If you're okay to just go with it, you'll enjoy the ride.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. If you enjoy books about complicated families, you'll appreciate Musical Chairs by Amy Poeppel. I must admit that I was not immediately drawn into the story, but after a few chapters, I began to enjoy the the read. There are a great number of characters, each with their own set of problems. I didn't love the personalities of the characters, finding most of them self absorbed and entitled. However, I did like the deep and platonic friendship that existed between two of the main characters, Bridget and Will. I also liked that all of the characters found happy endings to their various problems. Because most of the story takes place over a summer vacation, of sorts, its a nice title to put on a summer reading list.

Musical Chairs is the perfect family drama to read this summer. I originally heard about this book through Anne Bogel and the Modern Mrs. Darcy Summer Reading Guide. The cover drew me in with its bright colors as a flautist, the name of it sealed the deal.

Our main character, Bridget, has planned a relaxing summer at her cottage in Connecticut with her boyfriend. Little does she know that life is about to turn upside down, resulting in her adult children coming home to stay, her boyfriend breaking up with her by email, and her ninety year old widowed father deciding to get remarried. Bridget is also a member of a classical trio with her best friend Will and throughout this book they are navigating through unknown waters as they decide what is best for their musical group.

I loved the drama and relationships between the family members. I loved the friendship between Will and Bridget that also had me rooting for a romantic tie between them, and I also loved that this story was told through multiple points of view. Highly recommend for anyone who likes a good character driven novel!

This was my first book by Amy Poeppel, and I wasn't quite sure what to expect. With an unusually large cast of characters, we spend the summer with Bridget in the New England countryside and experience the ups and downs of their lives in that moment. The book is written as a comedy of errors, and reminded me of the physical comedy TV shows of the past - one thing after another goes wrong, but it's written in a very humorous style. Thanks to Netgalley and Atria books for the advance digital copy!

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley.

I enjoyed each character in this disfunctional family. I thought I knew where it was going, but there were a few turns I didn't see ahead of time.

New York-adjacent.

I received a free digital advance review copy of this book from Atria Books via NetGalley and am providing my honest feedback.

Musical Chairs presents an ensemble cast of quirky characters during a summer where vacation plans unexpectedly go awry, making this book an apt read for the current season.

Bridget's hopes for a romantic escape from New York City with her boyfriend Sterling at her summer home in Litchfield, Connecticut, are dashed when Sterling abruptly breaks off their relationship. The summer house has fallen into disrepair, first one and then both of Bridget's adult twins unexpectedly arrive on her doorstep with their own personal crises in their wake, and the future of Bridget's musical trio and therefore her career as a cellist is in jeopardy as she and her best friend Will can't seem to sustain a third member. If that's not enough, Bridget's summer home is in the small town where her father, Edward Stratton, a wealthy and legendary conductor, lives.

One of the best parts of Musical Chairs was the perspectives provided by some of the secondary characters, such as Marge, the family's longtime housekeeper/nanny, and Jackie, Edward's newly hired assistant. Seeing the family's personalities and antics through these characters' eyes provides some laugh out loud moments, and in connecting with the more minor characters, I found myself also caring more about the main characters as well.

The story and characters did not hook me until I was about 25% of the way into the book. In the first five chapters, I found it hard to feel invested in the characters. For example, while I loved the author's vivid description of Bridget's bumpy car ride up the driveway, including the grocery bags toppling over, sending produce rolling around the car floor, I initially had trouble relating to Bridget as someone who is heading to their second/summer home and fielding calls from her needy adult daughter who is living abroad and can't seem to navigate life on her own. I am glad I continued reading as my initial impressions of the characters evolved as I got to know them better, and I found the latter part of the book much more absorbing than the initial part.

One of the most appealing and unique aspects of this book is that it centers on Bridget and Will's long-standing platonic friendship. It was refreshing to see a male/female relationship portrayed in this way. Over the course of the book, the characters are faced with choices about the course of their careers, where to make their homes (city or country, US or abroad), and whether to pursue or sustain romantic relationships, choices that ultimately affect their fundamental happiness. As Edward aptly observes at the end of the book, "the recipe for happiness [is] hope, and enterprise, and change." Bridget and Will,'s ultimate decisions by the end of the book put this recipe into practice, showing that while some aspects of life may not stay the same, true friendships nevertheless can endure.

Overall, I liked this book and would recommend it to someone looking for a lighthearted look at characters navigating the sometimes absurd circumstances that life throws at them.

I really enjoy reading Amy Poeppel’s last two books so I was excited to get Musical Chairs. In this well written book I was able to escape my current mundane landscape for the beautifully written New England countryside. It was funny that I was escaping and so were the characters in the book, hence the connecting with the landscape and characters.

Amy’s Musical Chairs is a story that will tug at your heart and have you laughing. This book was very entraining and I look forward to reading more from Amy in the future!

This was a cute story about life's many changes. Bridget is looking forward to a relaxing summer at her rural Connecticut home, but soon she is dealing with the unexpected influx of her grown children, the demise of her love life, her elderly father's unexpected wedding, the possible dissolution of her professional relationships, and a house that seems to be falling down around her. There are a lot of characters in this novel and parts were a little slow for me, but anyone who believes in second chances will find someone to root for in this book.

I'm a fan of Amy Poeppel and her newest book delivers again. Really enjoyed Bridget, Will and the supporting characters and I liked learning about the life of a working musician.

I liked Bridget and Will, but I think the huge cast of characters was too overwhelming for me and I would have preferred to stick with them as the main story. While this didn't work for me, I loved Small Admissions, so I'll be back for her Amy Poeppel's next book.

What happens when you are expecting a romantic summer at your property out of the city, and things turn upside down? Bridget is ready to spend some quiet time with her boyfriend, until her bails on her, and her grown children come back to spend the summer. Along with them (and their problems) comes the fact that her career is at an impasse without one of the key players in her musical trio, the other player also decides to show up since his NYC digs are being sold, and her elderly father springs upon her the fact that he is remarrying. That's a lot to pack in to one story, but the author does it deftly. I never felt confused with all the characters (the pets, and who belonged to who was a different story!), and the story flowed really well. I loved the descriptions of the house and barn remodeling projects. While I liked some characters more than others, none of them was outwardly irritating (except Sterling, but thankfully we get rid of him early on!). Did it tie up a bit too smoothly at the end? Perhaps, but it was still satisfying without being too cheesy.

A fun family drama with lots of moving parts. It reminds me a lot of the new Emma Straub novel All Adults Here. I think if you like that one, you will also enjoy this. It was engaging for me.

I’ve previously read three other books by Amy Poeppel, enjoyed them all and absolutely loved this book. Her characters are always so well developed and interesting, and this one was so much fun.
Bridget and Will have had a trio group since college, but have never been able to keep a steady violin member, and they are currently desperate to find someone before they flop into obscurity. They live in NYC, but spend a lot of time at her beautiful old summer home in Connecticut with multiple dogs, cats and Bridget’s twins, and her nearby father, a famous musician and composer.
This is a lively well written and well researched novel, with beautiful descriptions of musical instruments, concert venues and the world of classical music. It’s a journey through old well used houses, children, parents, friends and lovers, that keep this story going. I just felt like I was living the summer with all the ups and downs and the crises that threatens to damage families and relationships, while strengthening the love of those close.
Amy Poeppel is a masterful storyteller that keeps you engaged from beginning to end. I want to thank #SimonandSchuster and #NetGalley for my ARC. All opinions are my own and easily a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

***Band Nerd Alert***
I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend. I loved the characters and the life they built together and that the house and property was a character of it's own!! Lastly, I loved loved the music references. I never developed the obsessive need to practice constantly (well maybe in 6th grade but my mom squashed that!) but i loved the musicians dedication to their art and I fancy myself a music nerd but the title-dropping in this book just shows me I need to up my game!!

I received an ARC from NetGalley for my honest opinion of this book. My opinion is this is a great book and you should read it.