When looking over recent Goodreads reviews for The Snowbirds (released 2/4/25) I was not surprised to see a clear divide between readers who either loved it or hated it. I think a reader needs to be in a certain phase in life and be comfortable with complex, messy, perhaps even unlikeable characters to really connect with this novel.
The premise: long term partners, Kim and Grant, have reached a crossroads in their lives/relationship. Grappling with an empty nest and questions about ‘what comes next’ put strain on their relationship. At the opening of the novel, you learn Grant is missing after a recent hike, and Kim’s cooperation with the police lead to antidotes and flashbacks detailing their past years together. I typically love a good marriage in crisis read, and the facts that this one also included a mystery component had me eager to read this release. But, unfortunately, I just couldn’t connect with or root for Kim and Grant’s relationship. While my own marriage has faced hardships, secrets, and cross-roads so I could related to the complexities associated with a long-term relationship, I just never connected emotionally to the story. However, I the writing was fantastic, the audiobook narration was stellar, and I do think there is an audience for this style of book.

This is my first book by Christina Clancy. I thoroughly enjoyed this. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy to review. A missing persons story or is it just two people, who escape everyday life? Kim and Grant’s relationship and how it has changed over the years. Despite them never marrying each other, they’ve been together for three decades, maintaining an unconventional dynamic that includes spending significant time apart. When an opportunity arises to spend the winter in Palm Springs, their unresolved issues and past traumas come to the surface, forcing them to take a hard look at their lives. Christina Clancy does a fantastic job of capturing the complexities of middle-aged struggles which are often not the norm. Many of their challenges are 100% relatable. While the novel delves deeply into their relationship—both past and present—it also features a wonderful cast of supporting characters who add warmth and humor.

Wasn't a big fan of this book. I couldn't for the life of me like ANY of the characters, especially Kim and Grant. What in the world did they see in each other? The whole book was a litany of complaints about Grant. And could Kim have been any cheaper, dowdy or sour? I waited the whole book to find something happy or redeeming. I'm married 24 years and can't imagine a day in my marriage like these two - I would have left a long time ago.

I enjoyed this book that was a really interesting story about a couple in middle age navigating their relationship. Kim and Grant are at a crossroads in their careers and their 30 year long relationship. They decide to leave their home in Madison to be snowbirds in Palm Springs for the winter. The story is told in two timelines, one earlier in the fall when they travel to Palm Springs and get to know their new community and neighbors and one in the days following New Years, when Grant goes missing while he is hiking in the mountains. We see their entire 30 year history through Kim’s eyes and we are left wondering what has happened to Grant.
This story is a rumination on a relationship but is also very suspenseful, with the ending being very much up in the air.
Thank you to St. Martins and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was super excited to read this one because Christina Clancy’s last two books were great. The Snowbirds started off strong but man I don’t think I’ve read a book where the 2 characters were on completely different pages and while that can make an interesting story; after awhile Kim and Grant were a bore. It was the same argument for years and they could never get over themselves.

I;m not a big fan of this one. I found the protagonist hard to connect with and devoid of the emotion and ticks that make people human. Her partner was much more realistic and quirky. The storyline was ok. Overall, just kind of disappointed in this book.

I ran a Q and A in my newsletter dearfiction.substack.com. I love Christina Clancy's writing and always enjoy her books. this one is no exception. :)

Have you ever read a book and when it ended you asked yourself if anything actually happened? That was this book for me. This book follows the ups and downs of a long term relationship... and what happens when their children grow up and the life that they once knew changes. Part missing story, part flashbacks, part reflection of a life lived. I enjoyed the audiobook of this more than the ebook - I thought the narrator was great. I enjoyed the story being about an older couple and the natural and normal ups and downs of life. However, I found that not enough happened making the book move very slowly. I also found the female character to be unlikeable - she was whiny and selfish and rubbed me the wrong way. Parts of this book worked very well for me, while others fell short of what I expected. 
Thank you Netgalley for my advanced reader copies.

Overall I enjoyed this book. The biggest positive was the characters. It was easy to bond with the characters especially the main characters. They were all nuanced and dynamic and I couldn't help but root for all of them. However, I struggled to stay engaged in the plot. The frequent skipping of timelines detracted somewhat from the story. While I found it a good way to learn more about the character's past I felt that at times it was a bit choppy.

I thought the cover was so cute! But the story was pretty serious. Viv and Grant have been together for almost 30 years and are parents to twin daughters, March and Dort, but they have never gotten married. Living in Wisconsin winters are brutal so when Viv gets a sabbatical from her job she grabs the opportunity to spend the winter in Palm Springs. Grant has lost his job as a tenured philosophy professor when the college closes unexpectedly and he goes with her reluctantly, pretty much complaining all the way. For most of their time together Viv has refused to move to Mounds where Grant works so he in only home on weekends while she raises the girls and works full time.

I found both of them unlikeable. Kim kowtows to Grant because she doesn't want him to leave but she won't marry him and at any sign of conflict Grant just walks off, sometimes for days at a time. At about 75% of the book I decided I didn't' care about them at all and was only interested in the outcome. The writing was fine and Le Desert sounded delightful with some interesting characters and the description of the desert sounds breathtaking and dangerous.

I rate it more as 3.75 and maybe it would have been more if I liked Kim more.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a digital copy.

This novel is about discovering who you are by yourself and with others. It is about accepting that life does not follow a defined path but ebbs and flows. Be fluid with the journey.

This story is told during two timelines. The lines do intersect, but it is the past catching up with the present that brings this story together. Kim and Grant are "snowbirding" in Palm Springs at the home of Kim's first husband. This is an experience for Kim and Grant, and the other snowbirds and residents they meet are a unique bunch of individuals. However, it is just what they need to discover who they are after some changes back home. The "past" chapters give us depth into the characters and their situation. The "present" chapters focus on a search for Grant, who has gotten lost in the mountains on a hike. Is Grant lost, or did he disappear after an argument with Kim? 

I would consider this book women's fiction with a hint of a mystery, mainly regarding Grant's disappearance. I found myself relating to their relationship and how they processed their emotions and interactions, yet still loved each other deep down and did not want to lose that after thirty years. There are times when Kim and Grant really connect, but then there are other times when neither can seem to say the right thing. We all have moments like that.

I thought that sometimes the "past" timeline dragged, and there was too much information to process. It does provide a foundation for Kim and Grant and their relationship, but sometimes, I felt like it went on too long. I was more invested in the search for Grant and whether they would find him in time.

Melody, Kim's former mother-in-law, is an interesting character. She is wealthy beyond imagination and loves to name-drop. However, she is the kind of person who doesn't know how to manage her life independently now that she is a widow. This is where Kim comes in, and while she initially told Basil (her ex) that she would check in on Melody, they become friends and it is more about their relationship away from Basil. 

I enjoyed reading this novel and found it a cautionary tale for anyone in a relationship not to take it for granted.

We give this book 4 paws up.

I was so excited to get an arc of this author's new book, but sadly this one just didn't appeal to me. The main characters, Kim and Grant were not especially likeable. Thirty year relationship, but reading the details made me wonder how! The beautiful winter setting of being a snowbird in Palm Springs was so enjoyable!

Christina Clancy has once again written a book that will be hard to forget! The title of her new book is The Snowbirds. I will be thinking about this book for a long while. There are many aspects of this book that will be making the rounds though my mind until I come to terms with everything that happened and all the different personalities that are introduced to us.

If you don’t know, I love the characters I meet in books. I love people with different personalities and reading books brings me into contact with many more of them than I currently meet in my everyday life. People have always been fascinating to me and you will meet your share of wonderful characters in The Snowbirds. I have to give this author credit for developing a truly diverse bunch. You’re gonna love these people. They are truly amazing in so many different ways!

This book also gives us an up close look at a couple who have an unconventional relationship. They have been together 30 years or more and have made their set-up work. Grant has lost his job just when Kim is about to go on a sabbatical. She is desperately looking for time alone to figure out her future. Now she finds herself headed to Palm Springs with Grant for the winter in the ex-husbands condo. They have a lot to figure out including how their future is going to look. Palm Springs winds up being a turning point in their lives and frankly one they were looking at even if they had stayed at home. Many of us find ourselves at turning points even when we don’t want them.

I found myself questioning if I could have lived their life and what I would want if I was in their position. This book made me think about things and made me realize there are many situations that are outside of the norm that work out for one reason or another. If you like a book that makes you think outside of your comfort zone, makes you wonder how you would handle a situation and leaves you in awe of the people you just met, then this is a book you should read. I highly recommend this book and hope you get a chance to read it. Let me know if you do. Until next time…Happy Reading!

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I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author, Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press. The opinions I have expressed are my own and I was not required to write a review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

This book wasn’t good or bad. It was meh. I feel like 90% of the book was about the main character trying to decide if after 30 years together she loved Grant, which frankly got boring after the first 100 pages. I did enjoy some of the side characters though and their stories.

I found both Grant and Kim to be selfish and had a hard time understanding their dynamic. I was happy the book had a happy ending though. I would have been disappointed otherwise.

It was supposed to be a new adventure: being snowbirds in Palm Springs for the winter. Kim and Grant’s relationship needs this and escaping their midwest winter sounds perfect for Kim. However, Grant goes on a hike and ends up missing. The story goes back from there, rolling out how Kim and Grant got to Palm Springs and the months in Palm Springs leading up to his disappearance.

The story has a slow build in understanding Kim and Grant’s relationship. This cuts back to the present day to show how the search for Grant is going. This book is mostly exploration of them as a couple mixed with the mystery element of Grant being missing. At times I thought the detail about Kim and Grant’s backstory was a little slow but overall was an enjoyable read. I could pretend I was in the warmth of the desert while actually stuck in a cold midwest winter myself.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Christina Clancy, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Kim and Grant have been together for 30 years and have two daughters. They each have been married previously - but are not married to each other. Their relationship is built on a deep love for each other, but Kim wonders if that is enough as Grant feels it is time to finally get married. Grant lost his job and Kim is recovering from surgery and hates winter in Madison - so she decides its the perfect time to take up her ex-husband Basil's offer to winter in his home in Palm Springs. Grant is not overly excited about it - loving winter in Madison - but together they head to Palm Springs. The chapters show us the changes they encounter in their lives in Palm Springs that seem to make them both better - and then Grant disappears while hiking. And then we learn more of the back-story of their relationship's up and downs over their 30 years. I have to say - I was not a big fan of Kim and felt some of their issues reflected poorly on her attitude. At the same time - Grant was pretty much totally in love and couldn't understand her hesitancy. Which means Clancy did a wonderful job in exploring their relationship - both the beautiful and the ugly, making them very realistic. The peripheral characters brought into their lives totally rounded out the story and led to interesting interactions. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this advance reader copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #NetGalley #TheSnowbirds

The Snowbirds by Christina Clancy is a thoughtful exploration of midlife transitions, marriage, and self-discovery set against the backdrop of Palm Springs. Kim and Grant, longtime partners navigating an uncertain future, embark on a snowbird season hoping for renewal—but instead, they find themselves drifting further apart. While Kim embraces the vibrant community of Le Desert, Grant remains withdrawn, leading to a crisis when he vanishes on a hike, forcing Kim to reevaluate their relationship and her own identity.

Clancy’s writing shines in its depiction of midlife reinvention and the quirky, interconnected snowbird culture. However, the pacing drags in places, and Grant’s character often feels underdeveloped, making it difficult to fully connect with his struggles. The novel raises compelling questions about change and commitment but doesn’t always deliver the emotional depth needed to make them resonate. A solid read for those who enjoy introspective relationship dramas, but it left me wanting just a bit more.

Although the premise is trying to find a missing husband, this is a quieter novel. Great for those that love reading about ordinary people through a timespan of 30 years, I highly recommend for literary fiction fans! Would also be a great book club pick.

My Bookstagram review (cross-posted to Goodreads, both links added below):

Synopsis: “The Last Thing He Told Me meets Fleishman Is in Trouble in this page-turning story of a couple who flee winter in the Midwest for Palm Springs, where they find their relationship at a crossroads. Kim and Grant are at a turning point. A couple for thirty years, their “separate but together” partnership is running up against the realities of late middle age: Grant’s mother has died, the college where he taught philosophy was shuttered, and their twin girls are grown and gone. Escaping the bitter cold of a Midwestern winter for the hot desert sun of Palm Springs seems as good a solution as any to the more intractable problems they face. When they arrive at Le Desert, a quirky condo community where everyone knows everyone’s business, Kim immediately embraces the opportunity to make new friends and explore a more adventurous side of her personality. Meanwhile, Grant struggles to find his footing in this unfamiliar landscape, leaving Kim to wonder if their relationship can survive the snowbird season. But when Grant goes missing on a hike in the Palm Springs mountains, Kim is forced to consider two terrifying outcomes: either Grant is truly lost, or this time he’s really left her. Is it ever too late to become the person we wanted to be-and is there still time to change into someone better? The exhilarating, but often confusing transitions of midlife are pitched against the promise and glamour of Palm Springs in this tender, honest story of what it takes to commit to someone for a lifetime. With compassion and humor, Clancy explores the redemptive power of finding ourselves, and of being found.”

This was a pleasant surprise and quick read. I loved the plot mix of part mystery and part study of Kim & Grant’s relationship. I think the description makes it sound like a mystery, but this is really more of a “light-on-the-mystery” and “heavy on the emotion.” Definitely a worthwhile read, and it would be a great summertime beachside/poolside read!

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the arc of this book. All opinions are my own.

I really loved this one! I am not the best at writing reviews sometimes, but sometimes books take you by surprise and this one did just that. I got invested a few chapters in and couldn't put it done. It was so good! I highly recommend this one.