Great book. I was able to connect with characters and the plot. I recommend this book……………………………..,,,,.

Loved it. Not just a simple beach read but had some heart in it as well. Truly enjoyed it. I read it as a stand-alone and still enjoyed it.

I liked the characters, the setting, and the plot of the novel. It was a heartwarming and uplifting read that made me feel good.

I would recommend the novel to readers who enjoy romance.

I thought this was going to be a romance centering around Emma but it turned out to be so much more.
This follows Emma and her son, Chris and their relationships with their friends, significant others, and children.

I thought this was a wonderful, entertaining story and the characters went through a lot but came out on the other side stronger together.

This book hooked me fast! I love the characters and their big hearts.

I will say, as the book went on, there was a lot going on. The arts center and its people started out strong, and I wish we would have learned more about this. I feel the ending was rushed, especially with the part regarding Winnie’s mother. That was such a big part of the story, but the ending was left hanging.

There really are 2-3 different stories in this book that need to be told.

A fabulous beach read for those in the market for one. This book was everything I hoped for—summer vibes, a lovely cast of characters, and most importantly... some pure fun!

🌊☀️Book Review:
Title: All That We Are
Author: Mariah Stewart
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/3 stars

Eh. I listened to this book on audio, not realizing it was book three in a series. I'm not sure if that really mattered much, but I just wasn't very invested in this one.

After over a decade of losing her husband Harry, Emma Dean discovers that he had been having an affair. That would be extremely heartbreaking and frustrating as you could never confront him! Emma turns to her two closest childhood friends - Maggie and Liddy - to help her get past this hurt. She also has support from Owen, a man she has recently started dating. Then, someone shows up at her front door and throws her for a loop. This book makes me think of the saying that family is not always blood. It had a good ending so there is that 🙂.

I was lucky to receive an advance copy of All That We Were by Mariah Stewart from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review and opinion. I love the Wyndham Beach series so I was so happy to receive the third book in advance of all my friends and family. We ALL talk about these books. You will literally fall in love with the characters and laugh and cry along with them. I only hope there is more to come! :)

All That We Are by Mariah Stewart explored found family, death and grief, betrayal, and most of all love.

My favorite aspect of this novel was how Winnie's appearance and Emma's relationship with Owen helped her move past her late-husband's infidelity. Overall, I wish those two story lines had been the main focus of the novel overall.

I felt it was hard at times to feel truly connected to any of the characters because of the competing stories happening. Instead of having side-characters whose stories developed in line with the main story lines, it felt like they were all competing for a chance to be the big picture. While I appreciated that Chris's character did not fall into the rock star stereotype, the focus on his relationship with Natalie took away from Emma's story for me and did not add much value other than to shape Winnie's acceptance into the family.

Three stars from me for strong dialogue and realistic emotions from Emma.

All That We Are is the final book in the Wyndham Beach trilogy and a wonderful conclusion to the story. The series features three friends: Maggie, Lydia and Emma who have known each other since they were young girls. This is Emma's story. Emma has been a widow for ten years and was devastated to find out that her husband had been having an affair when he died. Reeling from this discovery, she isn't sure what to do, but her self-confidence takes a beating. While sorting this out, a young girl arrives at her door, claiming to be her granddaughter. Her son, Chris, is a musician and apparently, a one night stand with a groupie ended with a lovely young girl, Winnie, who is now 8 years old and has been sent to her father's family by her maternal grandmother. Throw in a handsome, wealthy man, Owen, who is interested in Emma, as well as property that Chris bought his mother for an artist's retreat that needs to be renovated, and there is a lot happening in this story.

I have enjoyed all the books in this trilogy, and I think Emma's story is the best yet. Mariah Stewart has taken multiple storylines, all involving Emma and her family, and woven them into a seamless, enjoyable read. The characters are wonderful and very well developed. Winnie steals the book for me. She is such a sweet, precocious young girl who has been through a lot in her short life. Being shunted back and forth between family and friends has to be an awful feeling and for this young girl not to have been damaged is a bit hard to believe, but I'm glad she was written that way. There is a mystery (is Chris really Winnie's father, and where is her mother), romance between Emma and Owen as well as Chris and Natalie, some angst, friendship and even an abuse story involving one of the artists. All this is tied together into a wonderful story that I could not put down. I highly recommend this book and series to everyone who enjoys stories of growth, life changes, family and friendship as well as some angst and realistic life situations. I will be watching for more from Mariah Steward as well as checking out her backlist.

"All That We Are" by Mariah Stewart is a captivating novel that explores the complexities of human relationships and the power of forgiveness. The story follows four friends who are brought together by a tragic event and must navigate the challenges of life, love, and loss.
Stewart's writing style is engaging and emotive, drawing the reader into the lives of the characters and making them feel a part of the story. The characters are well-developed and relatable, each with their own unique struggles and strengths.
What sets this book apart is its exploration of the themes of forgiveness and redemption. The author does an excellent job of showing how forgiveness can be a powerful force for healing and growth, even in the face of great pain and suffering.
Overall, "All That We Are" is a thought-provoking and moving novel that will stay with readers long after they have finished reading it. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys character-driven stories that explore the complexities of the human experience.

This is book 3 in the Wyndham Beach series. It can be read as a stand alone because I have not read the first two books. I think they are mostly unrelated except for the location . Emma's husband has been dead for 10 years and she is finally cleaning out his office. She comes across a receipt that shows he was having an affair. Her life is totally upset and she is in the midst of turning her home into an artist retreat. With the help of friends she gets her new retreat going. A good story of older women and friendship.

Emma found out her death husband had a relationship with his secretary on the his 10th death anniversary. He was the local bank’s president and has left her well off and taken care off. She felt bitter and struggled to overcome the betrayal despite that it happened long ago and her husband is no longer around as it makes her questioned their relationship and the life that they shared together. While all this happening, she found a little girl at her doorstep claiming that her father is Emma’s only son, Chris. It comes as a shock to her and she can’t possibility asked the little girl to go back to where she come from before they find out the truth about her existence. While all this thing going on, Emma get support from her 2 close friends, Maggie and Liddy and her possibility of closer relationship with Owen consumed the rest of the story.

This story explores on complexity in relationship about betrayal, family and friendship. The main characters are relatable and story line realistic and flow easily. The mystery surrounding the little girl make the story make me hard to put down my kindle. The friendship between Emma, Maggie and Liddy is clearly strong in this book and the way they supported each other is something that make the reader envious. Overall, it is an enjoyable read to me.  

*review post scheduled to be posted on my blog on 5/5/23*

A very satisfying conclusion to this series. The characters really came to life in all of the books, including this last one. The relationships were strong, and made you want to be part of them. A close knit community, one that invites you in, one that you can picture being a part of.

Unfortunately I did not realize this was part of a series and was very very lost at the beginning. I think this series is not meant to be read as standalone. It was well written and a good story, I just wish that I had read it in the proper order.

Part of a series best read in order to get a proper sense of the friendships and community. A heartwarming story and a good read.

I did not realize that this was part of a series. I was confused and found it to be long. I will go back and read the others to see if it makes this one make more sense to me.

I am a long time reader of Mariah Stewart's books and I was glad to see this new series. The build up to this character's book was very intriguing. In fact of the three women Emma Dean was the most appealing. The young girl showing up on her doorstep was the perfect plot device. She really tugged at my heartstrings. The woman running from an abusive husband added to the story too.

The only thing that really disappointed me was the conflict between Emma and her romance interest. It just seemed contrived. Maybe if the characters had been younger, the lack of communication wouldn't have been so jarring. And yes, I know people in their 60's have problems communicating too, but in my mind, I expect them to have learned how to talk through issues by that age.

Overall, a solid read.

Thank you for the ARC! As you’ve read from the blurb, the book sounds intriguing and the reality lives up to the expectation. This book is the third book of a series but I think it can be read as a standalone. I haven’t read the previous ones but it didn’t affect my understanding of this book. Our MC, Emma is your typical pious courteous lady in a country club. Her son is a rockstar and her husband died more than. 10 years ago. When she found out that he had a long term affair with someone she knew, it shattered her world and I really feel for her. This book basically shows us how she came out of her shell.

this book was really boring becuase there was a lot of unnecessary exposition there.

i felt the characters were flat and didn't have much of an arc. i found myslef disliking some of the characters.
i did not like nathalie - i found her to be borng and insecure.and she did not have a single quality to redeem herself with.