Marti Geller is dying. She's had a long, happy life so she's not that sad and she's ready to be reunited with her husband who preceded her. Her main regret is leaving her three daughters. She thinks none of them are as happy as they should be and she suspects they are no longer as close as she would wish. She plans her will to try to remedy that.

Marti's instinct about her daughters is right. Becky, or Beck, is the eldest. She is a freelance journalist but it's never been more than a part time occupation as she preferred making a home and raising her children. Lately, with the children grown, she realizes her marriage is just one of friendship and she even suspects that her husband might be gay and hiding it. Clare is a pediatric cardiologist and has just gone through a divorce caused her confession to her husband that she is hopelessly in love with another man, a man she can't have. Sophie seems like a successful jetsetter with an art galley job but in reality she is thousands of dollars in debt and has been homeless for years, jumping from one housesitting job to another and doing errands and jobs for rich people. The sisters rarely talk and when they do it never reaches the realm of disclosures.

The family has had a lake cottage in Maine and all the girls have fond memories of summers there. But Marti declares in her will that the cottage is to be sold. Sophie is glad as she needs the money. Beck is distraught as she had thought she might use it as a second home while she worked on a novel and decided what to do about her marriage. Clare is indifferent but probably more on the side of selling. There is even a potential buyer, a man who also summered there as a teenager and who has returned to the area after some personal issues of his own.

Therese Anne Fowler started her literary career later than most. She had already been married and was the mother of two sons when she went through a divorce and decided she needed to go back to the university and get some credentials for a career. She thought about sociology and law but ended up in North Carolina State University's MFA degree program. Her first couple of novels didn't get much buzz but she broke out with the publication of Z, Zelda Fitzgerald, and her marriage to Scott Fitzgerald. Since then her novels have been bestsellers. She specializes in everyday issues and problems and how people work through them. This novel is about relationships, both in birth families and later with love interests. I listened to this novel and the narrator did a great job of bringing the women and their issues to light and resolution. This book is recommended for readers of women's fiction.

I wanted to like this book so bad, but it quickly lost my interest. I found myself counting the pages left which is never a good sign. I didn’t connect with the characters, which by no means is necessary, but it would have helped me with this book. Unfortunately it just wasn’t the book for me.

Family Secrets and Sisterhood

It All Comes Down to This is a thoughtful and emotionally resonant novel that will appeal to readers who enjoy character-driven stories about family and personal transformation. Fowler's skillful writing and deep understanding of human relationships make this book a worthwhile read, despite its occasional predictability. The strengths of the novel lie in its rich character development and the authentic depiction of the challenges and triumphs of sisterhood.

For readers looking for a heartfelt exploration of family ties and personal growth, It All Comes Down to This offers a satisfying and poignant experience.

This is a slow-paced family drama centered around Marti Geller's impending death and her three daughters' subsequent journeys through grief and personal challenges. The novel introduces C.J., an ex-convict, as a parallel storyline. While light on plot, this domestic slice-of-life story gradually draws readers in with its character development, despite initial difficulties in keeping track of the cast and some unexpected instances of male gaze. The book starts slowly but becomes more engaging as it progresses, making it a suitable weekend read for fans of messy family dramas, though it may not be a standout in the genre.

This book dives into the complexities of family dynamics with a focus on three strong-willed sisters, the Gellars. As their pragmatic mother, Marti, faces her mortality, secrets and long-held resentments rise to the surface, forcing the sisters to confront the paths their lives have taken.

Fowler excels at crafting relatable characters. Beck, the eldest, grapples with a stagnant marriage and a yearning to write. Claire, the middle child, struggles with a recent divorce and a secret love. Sophie, the youngest, appears to have it all together but harbors her own insecurities. Each sister's journey is well-developed, allowing readers to connect with their vulnerabilities and desires.

The looming shadow of their mother's illness adds a layer of emotional depth to the story. The narrative explores themes of grief, forgiveness, and the importance of communication within families. The summer home on Mount Desert Island, Maine, serves as a poignant backdrop, reminding the sisters of their shared history and the potential for healing.

While the novel boasts strong characters and an emotionally resonant plot, the pacing can feel uneven at times. Certain plot points unfold a bit predictably, and the ending, though satisfying, might leave some readers wanting more.

Overall, this was is a compelling exploration of sisterhood and self-discovery.

This is such an enjoyable and relatable read. This is absolutely a coming of age story…some middle age. When the Gellar sisters come together after the death of their mother their lives take center stage. Who is happily married, who loves who, who needs to get their stuff together. Each sister offers a unique perspective and are so honest and down to earth.

Great book. I enjoyed Reading it. The characters and plot were interesting life like and easy to connect with.

This is a good character driven novel that centers around three sisters. I enjoyed the family dynamic that Fowler explores and the dysfunctional nature of it all kept me turning the pages

Meet the Geller sisters: Beck, Claire, and Sophie, a trio of strong-minded women whose pragmatic mother, Marti, will be dying soon.

Beck, the eldest, is a freelance journalist whose marriage has long been devoid of passion, and she's recently begun to suspect that her husband, Paul, is hiding something from her. Though middle sister Claire is an accomplished pediatric cardiologist, her own heart is a mess, and her unrequited love for the wrong man is slowly destroying her. And while Sophie, the youngest, appears to have an Instagram-ready life of glamorous work and travel, her true existence is a cash-strapped house of cards that may fall at any moment.

But Marti’s will surprises them with its provision that the family’s summer cottage in Maine must be sold, the proceeds split equally between the three sisters. While there’s a ready buyer in C.J. Reynolds, he’s an ex-con with a complicated past and a tangled history with one of the women.

Choices and consequences, mistakes and misapprehensions, obligations and desires: before long, everyone in this cast of indelible characters will have to come to terms with the ways their lives have turned out differently than they expected, as well as the secrets they’ve been keeping from each other––and themselves.

It All Comes Down to This is a story about the Geller sisters, Beck, Claire, and Sophie, in the aftermath of their mother’s death. The adult sisters learn of their mother’s wish that they sell the family’s summer cottage in Maine. Claire doesn’t mind and Sophie welcomes the influx of cash they’ll receive, but Beck is not happy. She doesn’t understand her mom’s reasoning and works to create a plan for how she can keep the cottage.

As Beck works through her plan, also wondering about the blasé state of her relationship with her husband and her long-paused pursuit of writing a novel, Sophie tries to keep calm as her funds and career plans continue to falter, and Claire grapples with feelings for someone who is definitely off limits. A familiar face resurfaces in Maine too, with plans for his own future.

I remember seeing mixed reviews when It All Comes Down to This was published a couple of years ago. While there is a progressing plot, it leans character-driven. Listening to the audiobook, narrated by Barrie Kreinik, enhanced my enjoyment of the story.

As a cherished family summer home in Maine goes up for sale, love, lies, and buried truths resurface, prompting the Geller sisters to confront their personal struggles and secrets. Beck, Claire, and Sophie navigate their contrasting lives and desires while grappling with the loss of their mother, Marti, and the impending sale of their inheritance. Beck, a journalist, seeks solace in the cottage to pursue her writing dreams and escape her stagnant marriage, while Claire finds distraction from unrequited love and Sophie faces unexpected upheaval in her life. As secrets unravel and past connections resurface, Fowler's narrative delves into complex family dynamics and romantic entanglements, culminating in resolutions that offer closure and satisfaction for the characters.

I’ve had a few Therese Anne Fowler books on my “to read” list but this was the first one I picked up. The narrative started out strong and sucked me in but I slowly started to lose some interest as I worked my way through the book. The characters were unique and well developed, I just struggled to connect with them personally. Ending was a little cliche too.

Not the book for me but I guarantee it’s the perfect book for someone out there.

Thank you @netgalley for a couple of this book for my review. I loved this book! I enjoyed all the characters. The storyline was great. I love a story about a family and this book delivered. I recommend this book to anyone who loves a family drama and fun characters to read.

This story is reminiscent of stories already told involving a dying parent with plans to reunite their children with plans in the will to sell a jointly owned inherited home. The story is different yet the same anticipated plot. The cast of characters here has the matriarch, Marti planning her funeral after her death from stage 4 lung cancer. Her husband Leo had already passed away at 66 years old. She has a secret, of course, which will only be disclosed after her death and the reunion of her 3 daughters.

Beck is an unhappily married freelance journalist married to Paul, an editor for 25 yrs with 2 adult children and a granddaughter. She has aspirations of writing a novel in the scenic Maine cottage. Claire is a pediatric cardiologist who is recently divorced but still holds a torch for an unrequited crush for years. Sophie is living the Instagram-ready life spending more money than she has to fit in with the glamorous, fashionable celebrities. She struggles to keep her IRS "irregularities" a secret. The Geller sister all seem to have drifted apart from each other and this reunion just adds stress to their already chaotic lives. They each have "secrets" or situations for which they feel embarrassed and try to present themselves as successful adults.

The façade is soon exposed when CJ Reynolds, a southern with a hidden past of his own, appears as the buyer of their family Mount Desert Island, Maine cottage. The sisters never expected their mother would want them to sell it when she died. It becomes more complicated when his relationship with one of the sisters is exposed. Again, the family need to share their secrets and lives in order to move forward and possibly reunite the family again.

The Geller sisters Beck, Claire, and Sophie are facing significant life challenges in their personal lives when they must come together upon the death of their mother, Marti. Marti's will stipulates that they must sell the family's summer cottage in Maine, with the proceeds divided among the sisters.

What follows: family drama! sisters with secrets! a man with secrets! sisterhood!

It's all very complicated. But as the sisters confront their problems, the reader also gains insight into how all the pieces fit together by the conclusion. This wasn't my favorite Therese Anne Fowler book, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it and can't wait to read her next book.

I attempted this book but did not finish. I just could not attach myself to any of the characters, could not develop empathy for any of them. Very boring.

I really enjoyed A GOOD NEIGHBORHOOD by Therese Anne Fowler, so I had high hopes for IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THIS. It’s such a different story than AGN and while I can’t say I loved it quite as much, I had a good time reading it. It follows 3 sisters, which is enough for me to really enjoy it already, as I am one of three sisters myself. It’s a very entertaining sibling group, let me tell you. The three sisters in this novel are no different. We follow them as they grapple with their messy lives and learn important lessons along the way. Highly recommend! Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for my gifted copy!

i found myself flipping through to get this book done. unfortunately there was just so much going on and i found it difficult to follow. not every storyline was interesting to me, and it seemed like the author tried to fit in too much.

I have enjoyed other books by Fowler so I thought I would like this one. It was decent. Thanks for the review copy

Another gem from this author. A slow burn, character driven family saga that I loved every page of. All three sisters: Beck, Claire, and Sophie all pulled me in and I liked each of them differently and for different reasons. Beck, the oldest, felt to me like the main character and as such I was most invested in her story. I felt so much like her - middle aged, feeling like you're so close to your dreams but constantly having to be the one to give it up for the benefit of everyone else, feeling suck, feeling like the universe is laughing at you ...
I oscillated between listening and reading this book and find myself preferring to read vs listen in the second half to give my full focus to the story and savor it as much as possible. I very much enjoyed this and would recommend for readers who enjoy slow burn character driven family drama novels and authors like Mary Beth Keane or Celeste Ng

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review another beautiful novel by this author. She's becoming an automatic read for me!