This was a great book to kick off "summer reading season" this year. Musical Chairs takes place over June, July and August in New England (with a very small part of the book taking place in New York City) at a country house that has been much loved but has seen better days. Bridget Stratton had planned on a summer with her boyfriend, eating good meals and drinking rose. Instead her boyfriend breaks up with her via email, her two adult children come home because they are avoiding their lives and Bridget's 90 year old father decides that he is getting married.
This is a story about complicated family relationships, which in some books means that the characters are awful and don't like each other. Thankfully, that is not the case for Musical Chairs. The characters are likeable, and they genuinely like and love each other. I found it to be an enjoyable read, especially in this weird time we are living in when everything is so stressful and life in the summer won't be happening like it usually does. It was nice to be able to escape for a couple of hours and live vicariously through Bridget and her family members.

Musical Chairs would make an enjoyable film. The characters are fairly strong, each unique yet relatable on some level. Multi-generational family dynamics are at the forefront and the Connecticut country house setting seems perfect. Each generation (almost to a person) is on the brink of a new direction – either in personal relationships, career, or residence. First-world problems seem to rain down on this privileged family which at first made me uncomfortable. But then the humor in Poeppel’s writing started to shine through and I breezed through the novel on a rainy Sunday. There are classical music references sprinkled throughout and I wondered if all readers would appreciate them – but, hey, isn’t that what the internet is for?? At any rate, I became invested in seeing how things would play out for these people. Again, this would be a film I’d see.
3.5 stars

4.5 stars rounded up to 5. I really enjoyed this character-driven book! There are so many important themes in here (non-romantic relationships and atypical family structures being the biggest) that aren’t found in many other books. The writing was great and gave me a strong sense of place both in Connecticut and in NYC (pandemic free NYC that is). I liked most of the characters. I don’t have a musical background, but enjoyed those plot points nonetheless. My only complaint is that the coincidences were very far fetched, even in a small world like classical music, but really didn’t take too much away from the story. I plan on reading more by this author and I will recommend this book to my friends and family.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read from start to finish-- the zany, well-developed characters, the relationships, and the heart and the humor. Parts of it, for me, reminded me of one of my favorite old-time movies, Auntie Mame with Rosalind Russell, and I laughed out loud more than once.

I liked Musical Chairs, but didn't love it. I can't pinpoint what exactly, I just felt like it was missing something.

I was looking for a light book that was going to make me smile and feel things, while not focusing on the world around me. Musical Chairs delivered. There are a lot of characters, which confused me at first, but I quickly sunk into it and eventually couldn't put it down. I loved Amy Poeppel's last book, and Musical Chairs didn't disappoint.

Bridget is looking forward to a romantic summer away from the city in her Connecticut home with her boyfriend. However, things get complicated and the summer ends up looking nothing like what Bridget envisioned. She gets dumped via email, her adult twins decide to move in light of their own quarter-life crises, her well-worn home needs endless repairs, her aging father has some dramatic news, and her 30 year old musical trio with her best friend, Will, is on the brink of disaster. Oh, and the father of her twins might be a sperm donor... or another man that is about to reenter her life. It’s drama! It’s comedy! It’s chaos as we are placed smack dab in the middle of this complicated group of individuals’ lives. ⠀
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The story shifts perspective constantly and there are quite a few characters and subplots to keep track of. Just as I got invested in a point of view, I was pulled away and taken somewhere else! And, to be honest, I loved these characters and wanted to dive deeper into each of their storylines. I want details about Isabelle’s summer romance! I want to hear more about Jackie’s life! I want to see Bridget’s character grow once summer ends! I wanted more. There was a lot going on and I would’ve appreciated digging deeper. ⠀
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I found myself laughing out loud throughout the novel. I loved feeling like I was in the midst of endless chaos as more and more unexpected guests (and animals) entered Bridget’s summer home. It witty, it’s light, and a great summer read.⠀
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Amy’s other books have been in my TBR pile for some time now, and I’m very excited to check them out! Her sense of humor is so much fun! ⠀

Musical Chairs is a fantastic read! The relationship between the characters of Bridget and Will is really easy to relate to and the comedy that come with the falling-into-shambles cabin house make the reader laugh out loud often.

This is the fist book that I have read by Amy Poeppel and I have to say that I will definately add her to my 'to read' author list.

This is the story of Bridget and Will. They have that kind of relationship that everyone hopes to have with their partner. They are loving, compatible and completely devoted to each other. But wait, they are not married. This is one of the things about this book that I really liked. So much happens in this book. The Stratton family has a life changing summer when they spend it at Bridget's house. Now not only their family will experience this but also their group of friends. This book isn't just a rom com. This book give you very real take on how it all comes out, and dep insight to how what we want later in life is going to be different than what we wanted when you were young.

I am definately ging to recommend this book to my friends. I think they will enjoy it as much as I did.

Thank you NetGalley & Atria publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Amy Poeppel's sophomore novel, Limelight earned a spot on my favorites list a couple of years ago. So I was excited to check out Musical Chairs: A Novel. It easily follows on the heels of Limelight in terms of a well-developed novel.

This was a fun story overall. People and settings were easy to visualize throughout. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and seeing them through different eyes. At first I wasn't sure I liked the extra perspectives (aside from Bridget and Will's), but then I started to look forward to finding out who was going to be featured next. New York City was almost its own character in a way, based on how much it was loved and revered by the main characters. I am big into music, so I liked that aspect too. (Oddly enough, I'm reviewing this after re-watching Mr. Holland's Opus.) The story kept me on my toes, as I had no idea what would happen from one moment to the next. It definitely was not predictable.

What didn't work as well for me was that Bridget was financially well-off, but she seemed to complain about the cost of all her house repairs and maintenance after she was the one who neglected to take care of it in the first place. I would have felt more sympathetic to her about this if she wasn't easily able to take care of it.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this novel and felt like I was right in the mix of everyone's drama, like I was part of their family or circle of close friends.

Movie casting suggestions:
Bridget: Pamela Adlon
Will: Will Swenson
Gavin: Ethan Hawke
Gwen: Carla Gugino
Isabelle: Taylor Misiak
Oscar: Graham Phillips
Jackie: Ariel Winter
Edward: Christopher Plummer
Nicholas: Colin Firth (he was described that way and then it was all I could think of)

Thank you NetGalley for Musical Chairs by Amy Poeppel. I’m conflicted on how I feel about this book. I’m debating between three and four stars. Did I enjoy it? I think so. The story wasn’t all that interesting, however, the characters were believable and likable. The book was the right length and I didn’t lose interest. I do feel the ending was perfect and felt good about it. I’m glad I read it.

I love big extended families and country homes, which Musical Chairs by Amy Poeppel is full of! Set in the Connecticut countryside full of cats, dogs, horses, sheep and chickens Poeppel crafts a world of easy summer days. This novel contains a big cast of characters including Bridget and Will, two members of a long running musical trio and best friends since college, Bridget’s twin children: Oscar and Isabelle, Bridget’s sister Gwen and famous conductor and composer father. Bridget’s best laid plans for the summer fall apart when her boyfriend breaks up with her and her son and daughter announce they are coming to live with her. After a literal electric shock that lands her in the hospital and the shock of her father having a bad fall and learning he is getting married again, Bridget begins to repair the house and think about what she wants in her personal and professional life. The book switches narrators giving you a deeper view into the characters thoughts and motivations. Perfect summer read!

There are a LOT of characters to keep track of in this book. From Bridgets extended family, her best friend Will, her adult children and a man from her past who she thought she would never see again.

I read this book during the covid-19 quarantine period in New Zealand. It was a great read for taking my mind off current events.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love finding wonderful new authors. Amy Poeppel surely did not disappoint. I'm excited to find more by her to add to my collection. Thank you for literally making me laugh out loud. Only the best books are capable of such things.

Bridget and Will have a relationship in which they are everything to each other, except married. They make up 2/3 of a talented musical trio, and they find themselves once again looking for a replacement third part.

There are many characters to keep straight as people are coming and going (it can be confusing at first but is worth it once you determine who's who.) I love a good character-driven book and this certainly fit the bill. Everyone feels like someone I know.

My first read from Amy Poeppel did not disappoint. First, I must say it was fun to read a book with a main character that has the same name as me - that was another first in my long reading career! This book was fun, witty - I had several laugh out loud moments - and all the characters were delightful. How nice to be able to root for everyone! As we followed Bridget and Will as they navigated new directions in life and music, we got to learn a lot about the supporting people in their lives. I love that the book was broken up by summertime month - I can definitely see this being the book of the summer this coming year. I know I will definitely be recommending it to my friends! Many thanks to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the ARC; all opinions are my own.

I thought that I would enjoy this book based on the description and what I heard from others, but in the end it just wasn't for me. I enjoyed the author's writing style and the general genre of the book - family relationships. There were too many characters and too many plot lines, all of which were dealt with superficially. I didn't get to know the characters as well as I wanted to, and felt like this was a case when less would have been more. Additionally, there was a twist in one of the storylines that I felt was completely unbelievable based on the way it was casually integrated into the story. It should have been a much bigger deal and it was a missed opportunity to really dive into that particular plot point.

An absolutely lovely story of a family and their friends. The change in narration kept the story fresh and introduced new perspectives which was quite appreciated. The musical setting was very interesting and provided an understandable thread to tie everyone together. Highly recommend!

Musical Chairs is the whip smart, witty story of Bridget and Will, life long friends and musical partners, who find themselves in dire need of a musician to round out their trio and (hopefully) give their career a jump start. In the mix, are Bridget's adult children, who have both unexpectedly returned home for the summer, her famous & aging father who has major life changes of his own; and a host of supporting characters, each endearing in their own right. Musical Chairs is about old secrets and past hurts mixed with fresh starts and new perspectives. Amy Poeppel has just found herself on my "must read" list, headed to her backlist now!

Bridget is the main character in an ensemble cast of family and friends. She is a cellist. Her best friend Will is a pianist. They are two-thirds of the Forsyth Trio, which is on the rocks.

There are a LOT of characters in this book. To be honest, even near the end I still had to stop sometimes and try to remember who was who. I think some of them could have been left out, although it was interesting to see how each one fit into the story.

The writing seemed to drag a bit at the beginning, when we were getting the backstory. But it picked up and went at a good pace.

Overall a good book.

Thank you to Net Galley and Amy Poeppel for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of Musical Chairs.
This book took me into the lives of Bridget and her family and friends.
Bridget had her summer all planned out to spend it at her country home with her boyfriend. But that was not to be when he abruptly ends the relationship. Instead her grown children move back home. With them returning they each bring life’s problems and joys they have going on.
I got to become part of their lives while reading the story. There’s a lot in the story to learn who is who and how they all are connected to Bridget.

This was the first novel I have read from Amy Poeppel and I look forward to reading more.