I thought Musical Chairs was fine. This is the hardest type of review for me to write. Nothing particular stood out to me - either positive or negative. I really loved Limelight so may have gone in with expectations too high. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy.

This book was a cute, fast read. Completely predictable and contrived, but a lovely light story in these dark times.

What a fun book! This was my first Amy Poeppel book and I enjoyed it very much. I am newish to this genre, so my review might not be the best. But I breezed through this one, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I am loving books lately about fierce females, friendship, love, life and everything in between! Give me all the Amy Poeppel books! I

I really enjoyed this family story. No family is perfect and that is seen here with the Stratton family. I loved the dynamic of all the characters and how they worked together to solve their problems. I really enjoyed the music element of the plot. I would recommend this to a friend.

Pleasant, soap opera-y novel centering on the members of a string trio during a summer in Connecticut. Everybody's life changed - some in drastic ways. Some of the characterizations were broad (I particularly disliked Isabelle and Edward), but there were plenty of good, comic moments.

I admit, I only had the vaguest idea what chamber music was before picking up this lively novel but now I feel like I was a part of a chamber group before.! A convoluted gang of family and characters made for a quick-paced, fun read. Great for those who like a bit of "will they or won't they" in their novels.

I had a hard time with this book. One of my biggest issues: there were so many characters that I had a hard time keeping track of them. I do love all the books set in New England however. Thank you for the review copy.

Classical musician Bridget is ready to spend a summer of love in her ramshackle Connecticut vacation home… until a breakup leaves her very solo. But Bridget isn’t alone for long once her best friend and music partner Will joins per her request, and her adult children arrive unexpectedly and in various states of chaos. Her idyllic summer continues to shape up differently than planned when her elderly father announces his own engagement, and a musician from Bridget’s past threatens to creep back into her life. Bridget is forced to confront her own desires about her love life and career, and own the choices that shaped her family.

This book did such a great job capturing the mix of randomness, interconnectivity, fate, and full circularity that makes up real life. I was super charmed by all these characters! I found them flawed and complicated and endearing and relatable. The inner monologues of characters like Jackie really elevated the story and had me LOLing. I also loved the vivid settings of this book, both the physical contrasting locations of small town CT and NYC, and the classical musical world all these characters live in. Would recommend this to music lovers, fans of NYC, and folks who enjoy novels about family.

This novel follows a musical group and integrates their family dynamics as they attempt to navigate new stages in life. A little soap “opera-ish” drama is also thrown in. This would typically be a winning recipe for me, but I found there to be too many characters. The story also seemed to stall at certain places and I surprisingly found myself bored a few times. It’s a solid book, but it does not stand out amongst all the great pieces of fiction that have come out this year. 3/5 ⭐️ stars.

Bridget and Will are the best of friends--and nothing more--despite what everyone thinks. For over thirty years, they've been the two long-standing members of the Forsyth Trio. The third founding member, Gavin, went on to great success and stardom, leaving Bridget and Will to fill the position with a rotating crew of musicians. Before starting up the trio again, Bridget plans on spending the summer at her country house in Connecticut near her father, the famous musician Edward Stratton. But things go awry quickly. Her boyfriend breaks it off with her; her twenty-something twins surprise her by returning to the house for the summer, bringing their chaos with them; and the older Edward announces he's getting married. Will and Bridget decide to relaunch the Forsyth Trio at the wedding, but it all hinges on getting Gavin to return--someone they've both been avoiding for quite some time.

This is a charming and funny story. If it sounds all over the place, it's only because it's a reflection on Bridget's life, which is a total mess at the beginning of our tale. Each character in Poeppel's heartfelt tome is wonderful: real and true, standing out on the page as their own person. I fell easily for poor Bridget, hapless Will, the twins, and our host of side characters, ranging from Bridget's very New York-ish sister to Gwen to uppity Edward and his assistant to the local Connecticut townfolk who swarm to try to keep Bridget--and her cottage--from falling apart.

There's a lot of focus on music here--with Bridget, Will, and Edward all musicians, and it makes for a different and lovely book. While plenty of serious things happen, overall this is a sweet and funny story. I found myself smiling and laughing often while reading. There are some downright laugh out loud scenes. Bridget's inability to master technology, coupled with the helplessness of her twins, allow for some wonderful moments. But what really shines through is how much everyone here loves each other--Bridget and her kids, the whole Stratton family, and Will, who is truly part of the clan. How nice to read a book where, even if everyone might fight a day, their compassion and caring for each other shines through.

And, of course, I have a soft spot for any book featuring twins, so I enjoyed a prominent storyline featuring them.

Overall, this is delightful book that offered a wonderful distraction to the woes of the world. It's a funny and kind look at family and friendship, and it simply made me happy. 4+ stars.

Not what i had hoped it would be. I had to stop this for now but hopefully I will be able to get back into this in the future. Thanks so much for letting try!

Bridget has her summer planned out. After a busy year of playing her cello in the Forsyth trio—a chamber music group she’s been a part of since Julliard—she is going to her house in Connecticut to relax. She is taking her 2 cats, and her boyfriend Sterling will be joining her. He thinks the quiet country life will be perfect place to work on his novel. They won’t be completely alone, as Bridget’s best friend and musical partner Will plans to visit on occasion, and her father lives just down the road.

But life rarely goes as planned.

Instead, Bridget, slightly electrocuted and dumped by Sterling, finds herself hosting her 2 grown children, her son’s 2 dogs, goats, chickens, a local handyman, Will and his new girlfriend, and her father’s new assistant while also juggling her 90-year-old father’s incredible news and trying to find a new violinist for the Trio.

The summer certainly doesn’t go as Bridget planned, but it went exactly as she needed.

Musical Chairs is a symphony of delights, from the bucolic setting to the varied and never dull cast of characters to the intricate dance of relationships that develop and grow over the course of the summer. Author Amy Poeppel has brought together this beautiful cacophony of random pieces that all somehow blend into a beautiful masterpiece. It crackles with the excitement of a conductor just raising his baton, ebbing and flowing, waxing and waning, hitting all the right notes all along the way.

This is exactly the book I needed right now. It’s no secret that this is a difficult year, and apparently I needed some time on a farm with a crazy group of family and friends. This charming, warm, uplifting novel opened my heart and reminded me of the power of letting go of trying to control things, following my heart, and believing in the serendipity of the universe to make things right again.

(Also, I can’t wait for the movie of this, to see just how a team of fabulous designers make that—being vague here to avoid spoilers—event with those outfits in that place—come to life on screen! Hollywood, please make this happen for me!)

Egalleys for Musical Chairs were provided by Atria Books/Emily Bestler Books through NetGalley, with many thanks.

I think this was a matter of right book, wrong time. I have been in a reading slump all summer and this one just wasn't for me. I fully intend to try again later. Thank you for letting me try!

I got through the first chapter and knew this book would not be for me. Unfortunately, I will not be reading this book as I could tell Bridget would not be a character I want to read about.

Such great storytelling! The title is so clever and although “Musical Chairs” is referenced at a specific point in the book, the title really embodies the whole feel of the story. Set partly in NYC but mainly in Connecticut, I felt drawn into the whirlwind of a summer experienced by the Stratton family.

Amy Poeppel is an author that always writes a book that is full of larger-than-life characters. I was a fan of Limelight and was anticipating Musical Chairs.

Musical Chairs is full of characters that have secrets and intense relationships. The story is set in the summer in Connecticut. Bridget is the family matriarch who is the cellist in a trio that has had it ups and downs since their inception after college.

I love the musical aspect to this story.

I did struggle to relate to any of the characters. I felt at times they were pretentious and entitled. Even with this struggle, Poeppel wrote a story will be enjoyable for many.

I enjoy the premise of the book and the relationship between Bridget, Will and Bridget's family. I thought the characters were all uniquely developed and I could see beautiful scenic locations in my mind. I also found the music aspect very compelling and fascinating to read but I am giving it 3 1/2 stars because, for me, it dragged at times. I enjoyed it enough to want to know what would happen but there were points I felt that just went on too long. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really wanted to like this book. it was on my TBR to review for a long time, but honestly once I read it, it was just okay. The characters were pretty one sided and it was all very predictable. I did really enjoy the story itself but for me if the characters don't pop, it doesn't make me care enough to read it, unfortunately.

Musical Chairs is Amy Poeppel's most ambitious and best book yet.

There's a whole cast of characters in this book, mostly set in Connecticut - Bridget has grand plans to spend the summer there, lounging with her boyfriend. Soon enough, however, he's in the rear view and the focus is on her family, as well as her future.

I don't want to list any of the plot points because, while they're not necessarily spoilery, it was so enjoyable for them to all play out as I read (it'd been months since I read the synopsis, so I began Musical Chairs without a sense of the plot). There was enough action to keep me engaged with the story, but not so much as to feel unrealistic. Indeed, everything that happens (especially Will's building being sold!) felt like it really could happen in a summer.

Recommended for readers looking for fiction that won't break their hearts. Musical Chairs is more entertaining than touching, though there certainly are moments that may tug the heartstrings! An enjoyable read.

I finished Musical Chairs and absolutely loved it. For some reason I considered giving it 4 stars, but wasn’t sure why. I loved it, I always looked forward to picking it back up, and I couldn’t think of anything I didn’t like about it - so 5 stars it is! ⁣
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I loved so many things about this book - eccentric New York musicians, a beautiful country setting, family dynamics, friendships and some sweet and heartfelt love stories.⁣
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I’m usually skeptical of platonic relationships and was waiting for something to slip up between Bridget and Will, for someone to reveal some weakness or feelings for the other, but they had such a real and sincere friendship. This is just one of many things that the author just gets right in this book. I was pretty much smiling as I read this book from the first page to the last. ⁣
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Thank you @netgalley and @atriabooks for the advanced copy. ⁣