This was okay- 3 ⭐️
Pub date: Feb 4, 2025

Thank you St.Martins Press for an #eARC and #MacAudio2025 for the audiobook in return for an honest review! 🎧This cover is absolutely amazing and it caught my eye! I wasn’t sure what to expect when I requested this book. I like some parts of it, but overall I didn’t connect with it as much as I wanted too. I think for me this just felt too repetitive and the same situation throughout most of the book. I think both of these characters deserved better!

**PLEASE CHECK TRIGGER WARNINGS **

🌵relationship drama
🌵”I want more for myself.”
🌵found family
🌵summer vibes
🌵miscommunication trope
🌵traumatic events
🌵heartfelt moments

This is the story of a Kim and Grant and their 30-year, never married partnership. Kim and Grant have two children and have always left somewhat separate lives. Now Kim is on sabbatical and Grant’ tenured college professor position has ended. Kim wants to explore retirement in Palm Springs, California, while Grant wants his old university life back. Grant suddenly goes missing on a desert mountain hike and Kim faces Grant’s mortality.

A Beautifully written, suspenseful novel about the meaning of relationships and how are our decisions affect our relationships.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley for an early read in exchange for a fair review. 4 stars.

The Snowbirds is a novel that I think is perfect for a specific age group. It is very character driven, we spend a lot of time in FMC’s head as she reflects on her 30 year relationship while also worrying about him in the present when he goes missing during a hike in Palm Springs. The setting was interesting. The structure was a little bit choppy as 60% through we are introduced to journal entries. Overall, I think this is a good book about long term relationships, growing and changing as people through different seasons of life, and finding ways to stay together even when it’s tough.

Part missing person mystery but more so a study in a couple's decades long relationship and the ups and downs they go through raising twin daughters together and navigating their close connections to their exes. I found this slow moving and at times a bit boring but it was sprinkled with enough insights and introspections on life to make me stick with it. It also helped that the audiobook was narrated by Karissa Vacker who truly makes the listening experience enjoyable. I don't think I would have made it through a print copy reading of it. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

1⭐️ Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for an advanced copy of The Snowbirds.

A couple has two daughters and has been together for thirty years but has never gotten married. Kim decides they need a change from the harsh Wisconsin winters and decides they should go to Palm Springs. Grant is not a fan of this idea but indulges her. While there he takes up hiking and one day decides to go on his own and he goes missing for days.

I was not a fan of this book at all. I did not like the characters so I could not connect with them. Plus the relationship between the couple was full of red flags. This book was way too long for what it was. Just not my kind of book.

The first chapter was very promising and then it fell flat after that. It became very confusing with all the character names being mentioned all at once in the second chapter. I didn’t find the main characters very likeable and Kim’s POV was a bit annoying.
I might not be the intended audience for this but it was far from what I expected. Stopped reading at 20%.

I didn’t feel super connected to the characters but it was a nice listen. The complex non conventional dynamic was a bit chaotic yet also subdue. I enjoyed the juxtaposition of snow in the Midwest to the sun, dessert, and mountains in Palm Springs.

Kim and Grant are partners of 30 years in a bit of a convenient partnership which is how they have always been but as they consider officially getting married are they now thinking they don’t belong together? They escape the cold of Wisconsin for the dessert for the winter and Grant goes missing. Was it intentional? He has done this before but he always comes back. His new love of hiking may have gone too far as he isn’t trained for more than a day hike on his own.

I found it hard to believe in and root for the couple the more we see them interact with the fun people in Palm Springs, but their complex emotions make more sense in the lens of two people who really always wanted their independence.

Interesting dynamic and fun setting, I just personally couldn’t relate to their love. The you don’t know what you have til it’s gone thing isn’t super romantic to me.

The Snowbirds is about empty nesters who never got married. They have been together for years but have never lived together full time. She lived in Madison with their daughters and her husband lived closer to his work as a professor of philosophy. He only came home on the weekends. Now the college has closed and she is on a sabbatical from her job. This is the first time they have spent so much time together. They decide to go to Palm Springs for the winter. This is somewhat a crisis for both of them.

This is the story of a long time relationship. Everyone in a long relationship wonders at times if they should stay together. In this story one couple grasps with the question of getting married after all these years and whether they really belong together. They are both struggling and we get to see this. I found the book a slow start for me. But by the second half I was invested in their story. It is nice to read about long relationships instead of the romance books where just meeting is exciting. I did enjoy reading this book.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #ChristinaClancy, and #StMartinsPress for a copy of this book.
#TheSnowbirds

As a long-time admirer of Palm Springs, largely inspired by my cherished memories of reading "P.S. I Love You" by Barbara Conklin over 40 years ago, I was eager to explore The Snowbirds—especially as I embrace the empty nester phase of my life. However, despite its stunning setting, I found myself somewhat disappointed. The characters, in their attempts to navigate personal challenges, lacked the depth I had hoped for, making it difficult to fully connect with their journeys.

That said, Clancy’s writing still offers poignant moments of reflection that capture the complexities of this transitional life stage. The tranquil yet layered backdrop of Palm Springs enhances the narrative, providing an atmosphere that some readers might truly appreciate. While the plot development was sluggish at times and could have benefitted from more engaging twists, there are subtle nuances in the storyline that mirror the messy realities of adulthood. The relatable theme of searching for purpose as an empty nester may resonate with many, even if the characters themselves don’t always evoke empathy.

Would I recommend this book? Probably not. Although it had the potential to resonate with me, it ultimately fell short.

@stmartinspress and @netgalley provide the advanced earc of this novel for me to read and review.

The Snowbirds features a middle-aged, domestic partners, contemplating marriage after 30-years and two daughters all while escaping away to Palm Springs. At a crossroads, Kim and Grant escape the winter of Minnesota to the sparkling, sexy city of PS. There they encounter a unique cast of characters and escapes so they can figure what's next.

For readers looking for a realistic look at being empty nesters, this story features:

Duel Timelines
A middle-age relationship
Realities of motherhood
An alluring city, eclectic cast

Thank you, St. Martin's Press

I just couldn't really get into this book. I think it was just bad timing on my part. I have read a lot of great thrillers lately, so I was probably just comparing it to those. I just didn't really care about these characters and what happened to them.

I found myself very engrossed in this story and the complex dynamics between the characters. While reading, I tried stepping into both Kim’s and Grant’s shoes to understand why they weren’t on the same page. Kim embraces winter in Palm Springs and Grant really struggles to find his footing.

When Grant goes missing, Kim has to ask herself if he is really lost or if he has chosen to leave her.

Christi’s writing brought to life this enthralling story. I always love reading about the complexities in relationships, whether it’s romantic partners or family. The dual timeline made it all the more

The Snowbirds by Christina Clancy is a poignant and compelling exploration of love, identity, and the complexities of midlife transitions. Kim and Grant, a couple married for thirty years, are facing a crossroads in their relationship. With their children grown, careers shifting, and the loss of Grant's mother weighing heavily on them, they seek escape from their fraying connection by fleeing the cold Midwestern winter for the warmth of Palm Springs.

In the quirky condo community of Le Desert, Kim quickly embraces the chance to reinvent herself, forming new friendships and embracing a freer, more adventurous side. Meanwhile, Grant struggles to adjust, leaving Kim to wonder if their marriage can survive this period of change. When Grant goes missing during a hike in the desert, Kim is confronted with the terrifying possibility that he may have left her for good, and that their relationship may have reached its final chapter.

Clancy skillfully weaves a narrative that explores the desire for reinvention, the complications of long-term partnerships, and the challenges of midlife. With a perfect blend of humor, heartbreak, and insight, The Snowbirds delves into the question of whether it's ever too late to change and if relationships can withstand the changes we undergo. The story is both emotionally rich and thought-provoking, capturing the redemptive power of self-discovery and the vulnerability that comes with truly being seen by another person.

This novel is a tender, honest look at love, change, and the unexpected paths that life takes—making it an unforgettable read for anyone navigating their own transitions in life.

This book is lacking something and I can't quite put my finger on it. Perhaps it's the characters that aren't likable or unlikable. Or the the long paragraphs and the amount of unnecessary information. It seemed underdeveloped. Thank you, NetGalley.

Offering such a realistic look at long term partnerships, this was really well written, the characters come across as very human, but…. it dragggggggged for me. I kept putting it down and coming back to it because I was just bored while reading.

I would give this a try again, probably with the audiobook.



Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the DRC

This was a good book that explore the inside and out of this couple marriage. The fact that Grant (MMC) has to get lost and disappear for a couple of days for them to come back together and finally getting married! It was a good mix of thriller and drama! There was some parts that I feel that we didn't need (like all the others characters like Melody, Thomas, Raul, Coco). But overall, a good "it makes you think" book!

Unfortunately, this was a story I decided not to finish. I made it about 15 percent, but I wasn't drawn to the plot, and the main character wasn't very likeable. I am rating the book on the portion that I read.

I won't be reviewing on social sites, as I did not finish this book.

I found the characters unrelatable and a bit insufferable and after a time I just didn't really care if they found the guy or not. I love Palm Springs and lived in the area for several years so I was really looking forward to reading this, but I just couldn't find a reason to care about them or their issues. I'm sorry.

Thank you for making it available to read, though.

Wow—what a book! I think this is Christina’s best novel yet. She masterfully juggles a large cast of characters, each distinct and fully developed, making it easy to keep track of them. The dual timeline structure, which could have been confusing in another author’s hands, is executed flawlessly here.

I can’t wait to discuss this with my book club! It’s packed with rich themes—midlife, marriage, hiking, and the weight of our decisions—all of which will spark great conversation. While I don’t typically read mysteries or suspense, I was completely hooked, eager to unravel the story. The ending? Absolutely satisfying.

Huge thanks to NetGalley for the early copy—I'm so glad I read this!

This was so much more than I expected. Kim and Grant are at an inflection point-they're empty nesters, the small college where Grant was a professor has closed, she's got time for a sabbatical, and she can't decide whether she wants to marry him after all these years. SO what to do? They go to Palm Springs, to a condo owned by by Kim's ex, where they start to breath a bit until Grant, who has taken up hiking, disappears. This moves back and forth in time to tell the story of their relationship and their time in Palm Springs, where Kim discovers a lot about her ex-mother in law, among other things. Is Grant lost or did he take off? He's got a history of walking away when things get tough but Kim doesn't think that's what happened now. No spoilers. Clancy has nailed the atmospherics of both the Madison and Palm Springs settings but more importantly the sense of a 50 something woman thinking about her past and future. And she's made Grant believable and, surprisingly, sympathetic as well. This has great storytelling and a zippy plot that kept me turning the pages. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A very good read.