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.

Marti Geller is dying, and one of the provisions in her will is for the family’s beach house to be sold and profits split equally between her three daughters, who gather at the beach house one last time. Beck, the oldest, is a journalist who secretly wishes to live at the beach house and write a novel. Her marriage is platonic these days, and she knows her husband is hiding a secret. Claire, the middle daughter, is a cardiologist who recently divorced her husband after he found out she is in love with another man. Sophie, the youngest, is an Insta-celebrity whose life isn’t what it looks like on the outside. When C.J. Reynolds shows up with an interest in the beach house, secrets will be revealed.

This is one of those books where if people would just tell the truth, most of the problems could be immediately resolved. Instead, we just keep hearing about the same issues over and over. Unfortunately, I did not click with any of the characters, which made it hard to get into the story. If you are into family dramas with unlikeable characters, this book might be for you; it just wasn’t for me.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio ARC of this book.

When their mother dies, three sisters must follow the instructions in their mother's will, after learning a big secret their mother kept from them. The instructions included selling a cabin that has been in the family their whole lives. Two sisters want to sell, one does not want to give it up. While trying to work through their differences, they must also deal with their mother's secret as well as issues in their personal lives. I found parts of the story predictable, but it was an easy read.
I was given an ARC of It All Comes Down to This by Therese Anne Fowler by NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
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IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THIS is a warm, keenly perceptive novel of sisterhood, heartbreak, home, and what it takes to remake a life at its halfway point, for fans of Ann Patchett and Emma Straub.

This was an okay read for me, mostly because I had a hard time with the characters of the story, feeling mostly frustrated with them while reading. While it tackles many hard themes of heartbreak, I just don't think this one was for me.

*many thanks to St Martins Press and Macmillan Audio for the gifted copy for review

I listened to this on audio and really enjoyed the narration. I occasionally find it difficult to follow audiobooks, but this book really lent itself to the format. The characters were well-developed and the plot was absorbing without being difficult to follow. I would recommend this to readers who enjoyed Fowler's previous books and readers who enjoy family dramas.

It All Comes Down to This was enjoyable enough. While listening, it felt a little like a soap opera with the range of personal problems the sisters were experiencing. I did the like the multi-generational family drama aspect but something felt a little unfinished towards the end. However, it was entertaining and I'm glad I listened to it.

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this audiobook.

folks, the moment you’ve (*i’ve) been waiting for is here: as of this post, i am totally caught up on my arc reviews! i still have a bunch of books from publishers in my tbr that need to be read soon, but i’m as up-to-date on posting as i can be! thank you all for coming on this journey with me.

today’s book, ‘it all comes down to this’ by therese anne fowler, was 100% a book i requested for the cover – i truly did not know what it was about before is started. and maybe i should have looked up the description before requesting, because this book was only fine. it’s about three sisters (beck, claire, and sophie) who come together when their mother passes. their mother’s dying wish was for them to sell the family cottage on mount desert island in maine. and while there is a prospective buyer for the cottage very early on, each sister has differing feelings about selling vs not selling, for their own reasons. the book is essentially a character study of the sisters, giving us their back stories and present-day motivations. we see their relationships (past & present), their self esteem, and how their lives play out in comparison to how they anticipated they might. family is the central theme to the book, and the story ultimately wraps up with everyone where they should be. it was a fair amount longer than it needed to be, but i was mostly engaged for the majority of the book. just didn’t leave a huge lasting impression on me.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was an okay read for me. I liked some of the characters a lot but ended up being mad at Bec most of the time. I thought she acted immature for her age throughout the book. I thought the story was very predictable in parts. I was not a fan of the brother-in-law and sister-in-law storyline.

This is a heartwarming tale of love and disaster and everything in between.

I love the interweaving stories of all the sisters and Marty. Beautiful story that hits you in all the feels

Thank you, NetGalley, for an audio-ARC of It All Comes Down to This by Therese Anne Fowler.
A story containing themes of sisterhood, family secrets, and romance made this a book that I was excited to read.
However, it didn't work for me. In this story, Fowler's characters are under-developed and not relatable. and the story tends to move at too slow of a pace to keep the reader's interest. I felt like I kept waiting for something exciting to happen.

Smart, elegant, literary bookclub fiction. I appreciated the voices and the layers. I did not finish this novel as I simply did not connect with the story, but would recommend it to others.

As a fan of family sagas and Therese Anne Fowler's writing, I was excited to hear about IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THIS! After matriarch Marti dies, sisters Beck, Claire, and Sophie must sell their family's summer cottage in Maine.

Their messiness is quickly put on display: Beck is unhappily in a sexless marriage and can't seem to make headway on her long-dreamed-of novel, Claire wants a man she can't have and is diagnosed with high blood pressure, and Sophie's in steep credit card debt.

I think this book may be a hit for those looking for a light yet dramatic read, but it doesn't seem to be for me. The first quarter hasn't been enough to reel me in, and a weird passage made me want to put the book down. (After saying he supports a colleague exploring their "nonbinary identity and ungendered pronouns," the character flubs the difference between female and woman, and makes some gross comments regarding their server's body.) I so wanted to root for these characters but it feels like they keep giving me reasons not to (I'd already continued past a comment about there being a first for everything, including "unwanted sex"). I don't necessarily need likable characters to find a book worth reading, but in the absence of those, I need a more engaging plot.

Credit goes to narrator Barrie Kreinik for bringing me this far. Her narration is well done and really carries the book along.

DNF at 28%

Melancholic and moody from the very start, this title will draw you in like no other. It’s hard to describe how the author paints this family dynamic and characters other than the cringeworthy “vibe” but this story is quite the vibe.

A story about sisters - how family ties them together but how everyone's story is individually unique. I really enjoyed this book at the beginning, but soon found myself losing interest as the story progressed. Honestly, it was a little hard for me to finish. That characters were overall well-developed. but something was missing for me. I think it might have been that while the characters felt real, it was a story about human connection, and these connections lacked the level of depth I was expecting.
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Thank you to the author, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. #ItAllComesDownToThis #NetGalley

Brilliant novel! Loved it. I actually went back and forth between this audio copy and the physical copy and it was perfect. Great narration though and wonderful character development. I adored this book!! Thank you so much for this opportunity, I’ll be sharing my review soon on social media and will tag you all🖤

I really enjoyed the story as an exploration of grief. It was really beautifully written. I appreciated the characters and the beautiful setting. A really fantastic read.

A Satisfying Family Drama about The Messiness of Life

SUMMARY
Marti Geller’s doctor told her to get her affairs in order. She has been playing whack-a-mole with cancer for several years, but now there is nothing else that the doctors can do. Marti made all her own arrangements so that her three daughters, Beck, Claire, and Sophie, have nothing to worry about once she is gone. Marti has a long-hidden secret, which she intends to have revealed upon her death. What will her daughters think of this secret revelation? Marti’s last wish is to sell the family’s cottage on Mount Desert Island. This wish will come as a shock and a surprise to her daughters.

The three sisters' lives and their relationship with each other are complicated. Their mother was not the only family member with long-held secrets. Beck, a journalist, and the oldest daughter, is in a loveless marriage, and her secret dream is to write a novel while staying at the Maine cottage. Claire, the middle daughter, is a pediatric cardiologist and is recently divorced, and has been in love with another man for many years. The youngest, Sophie, hangs with celebrities and is an Instagram blogger, but she struggles financially to keep up with this fast-paced life and is way over her head in debt.


REVIEW
IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THIS is a satisfying and nicely built family drama about the lesson learned from the messiness of life. Beck, Claire, and Sophie are all attempting to make the most of the lives they have built. Their secrets keep them stagnating. Their mother’s death makes them realize that now might be the time to come clean and embrace new possibilities.

The story is skillfully written, and the characters are well developed. The story's point of view alternates between the various characters, so be prepared to keep up. Their lives are filled with complications, difficulties, betrayals, and mistakes. You might even want a glass of wine to accompany this dramatic read.

Author Therese Anne Fowler has plenty of tricks up her sleeve here. She is also the author of the New York Times best-selling novel Z: a Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald (2013). Raised in the Midwest, Fowler migrated to North Carolina in 1995. She holds a BA in sociology/cultural anthropology and an MFA in creative writing from North Carolina State University. Additional novels Fowler has penned include A Good Neighborhood (2020), and A Well Behaved Woman (2018)

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an advance copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. I listened to the audiobook for IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THIS and found the narration and the performance entertaining.


Publisher St. Martin’s Press/MacMillan Audio
Published June 7, 2022
Narrated Barrie Kreinik
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com

An enjoyable, easy-going, character-driven read. Three sisters dealing with the pending, then sudden, death of their mother. Each, including their mom, having secrets and revealing said secrets. The secrets and some reevaluation taking each on a different path than what they thought they would be on at this time of their lives.
This would be a great uplifting book for your vacation!
Thank you #Netgalley #St Martin’s Press and Therese Anne Fowler for the ARC.

It All Comes Down To This is a character-driven story. This type of book is only enjoyable to me if I like the characters or at least one of them. Unfortunately I could not make a connection with any of the characters and did not finish the book.

I was really looking forward to this book after reading A Good Neighborhood, but sadly, I was disappointed. The story of the women grappling with their mother's death and their own relationship with each other, should have been amazing, but I left feeling empty. I didn't empathize with the characters and they felt very flat to me. The relationships and motivations felt contrived. I would have DNF'd the book but wanted to see how it all ended. It wasn't a worthwhile read for me.