Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

Amy Mason Doan’s The California Dreamers is a novel that crashes over you like a Pacific wave—sunlit on the surface, but with a powerful undertow of emotional reckoning. Set against the golden-hued backdrop of 1980s California surf culture, this is not a nostalgic beach read. It’s a searing excavation of what happens when the pursuit of freedom becomes a prison for those too young to choose it.

This novel orbits around a single iconic image: the Merrick family, barefoot and bronzed, surfboards lined up like sentinels on a California beach. The photo becomes a cultural touchstone, a symbol of sun-drenched liberation. But behind the lens lies a different story—one of secrets, sacrifice, and a daughter’s quiet rebellion.

Told in dual timelines—1980s surf-van childhood and a 2002 reunion on a remote island—the story follows Ronan (now Ava), the only daughter among three brothers, as she confronts the fallout of a life lived off-grid.

Doan dismantles the romanticism of nomadic living with unflinching honesty. The Merricks’ life in a retrofitted van -“The Gull”- isn’t whimsical. It’s claustrophobic, unstable, and isolating. The children are denied education, community, and choice. This is freedom with a cost, and Doan makes sure we feel every cent of it.

Ronan’s salvaged Leica camera becomes both her salvation and her sin. Her secret snapshots are acts of preservation and protest—an attempt to freeze fleeting beauty in a life that offers no permanence. The photograph that catapults the family into unwanted fame is a betrayal and a cry for agency.

The novel’s structure—alternating between the sun-bleached past and the shadowed present—mirrors the tension between memory and truth. The adult siblings, each scarred in their own way, reunite not for healing but for reckoning. Their interactions are raw, awkward, and painfully real.

- Ava (Ronan): A lavender farmer in Oregon, she’s buried her past so deeply that even her children don’t know her real name. Her journey is one of reclamation—not of her family, but of her own narrative.

- Griffin, Magnus, Dylan: Each brother embodies a different response to their upbringing—rage, addiction, anxiety. Doan resists redemption arcs, instead offering complexity and contradiction.

- Cap (the father): A charismatic idealist whose environmental ethos masks tyrannical control.

Doan’s prose is hypnotic—rhythmic like the ocean, with moments of lyrical brilliance that stop you mid-sentence. Her descriptions of surfing are almost spiritual, capturing the fleeting transcendence of riding a wave. And yet, she never lets beauty obscure the truth. The emotional beats land hard, especially in the final reveal of the photograph’s origin.

Doan interrogates the line between idealism and irresponsibility, between parenting and possession. The novel also critiques how society commodifies authenticity—turning real people into symbols, then selling them back to us.

Some secondary characters, like the journalist who uncovers the Merricks’ identity, feel underdeveloped. And the ending, while emotionally satisfying, may feel a touch too tidy for readers who prefer ambiguity. But these are small ripples in an otherwise powerful tide.

For Fans Of:
- The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
- Modern Lovers by Emma Straub
- A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara (in emotional resonance, not trauma level)

The California Dreamers is a meditation on memory, myth, and the messy aftermath of idealism. It’s a love letter to California’s wild coastlines and a requiem for the children who grew up chasing waves they never chose. Amy Mason Doan has written her most ambitious and emotionally resonant work yet.

Such a truly beautifully written novel depicting a family traveling the west coast and living free-spirit. I loved the character depiction and how the secrets were revealed slowly throughout the course of the book.

This novel will surely be read on beaches and poolside this summer. Ronan is the narrator of this family saga of a nomadic surfing family traveling up and down the California coast. Set primarily in the ‘80’s we go along on this families journey.. Ronan breaks off from the family at 17, and. Is not reunited w them until returning for her father’s funeral. A bit slow in parts, but characters are well drawn. Recommended for all public libraries.

Once again I am the outlier here but I didn't care for this one. Maybe because I've never set foot in California, maybe because I know nothing about surfing or maybe I just couldn't relate to the characters. I found it to be a very slow paced boring story. The writing is not bad and deserves 3 stars but the story itself wasn't for me. My thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing a review copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Thank you @graydonhousebooks, @htpbooks and @netgalley for sending me this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
Set against the backdrop of 1980s California, The California Dreamers explores the fragile bonds of a free-spirited family suddenly thrust into the spotlight. The premise hooked me right away: a photo taken without permission capturing a van-dwelling, surf-chasing family, goes viral (well, 1980s-style viral) and threatens to unravel everything they’ve built.
This is a slow burn – definitely more character-driven than plot-heavy – but I was intrigued enough to see it through. It was a slower read but I kept turning pages, wanting to uncover the story behind the photograph, and especially to learn why Ronen, our narrator and only daughter, left her unconventional family 15 years earlier to live a more mainstream life.
Her relationship with her younger brother, Dyl, quietly broke my heart, thinking about what it must have been like for him when she walked away without any contact. Their reunion as a family is full of tension and fragility, and it’s complicated when a journalist shows up with questions the family has long avoided.
There’s a strong undercurrent of mystery throughout: Who took the photo? Why is the journalist so desperate to tell their story? Why did Ronen leave the family? And can the siblings truly find their way back to each other after all this time?
It wasn’t a fast-paced read, but it’s perfect if you’re drawn to stories about off-the-grid living, complicated sibling dynamics, and long-held family secrets that slowly come to light.
3.5 Stars

This was really looking forward to this book from everything I heard about it, but it did not engage me as I was hoping for.

Oh how I love a fictional family drama! THE CALIFORNIA DREAMERS by Amy Mason Doan didn’t disappoint.

This dual timeline novel is told from the perspective of Ronan. She and her three brothers were raised by their nomadic parents, traveling up and down the west coast in a modified van. Ronan tells the story of their lives in the 1980s - how they spent their days surfing and exploring, always treading lightly on the land - up until her 17th birthday when she left them.

Interspersed is the present day narrative. Ronan has reunited with her family for her father’s memorial. This is the first time she’s seen them since she left, and she’s weighted down with an overwhelming amount of guilt.

This was such a well-balanced portrait of a family in all their messy glory. Each of the six family members is a fully developed character. Their nomadic lifestyle was portrayed just picturesque enough for the reader to envy parts of it, while also casting a critical eye on some of their choices and the consequences. And I appreciated the philosophical questions around freedom.

There’s one character who becomes much more significant at the very end of the book, and I wish she was given a little more time. For narrative reasons, she is very elusive. But because of that, it’s a little challenging to understand her motives and concerns once the curtain is pulled away. I managed to piece together most of it, but remain slightly confused.

This would make a great summer bookclub pick. It’s light enough to read by the pool with enough substance for a fun discussion.

I only picked this one up because the cover reminded me of Malibu Rising and I needed to see what it was about. Love finding a new author so this was great. THanks so much for the giftedc opy

This was quite the book. I also listened to the audiobook as well. We follow a family who led an unconventional life as they come back together after many years after the passing of their father. We learn about secrets hidden from each other and many revelations. A photo that changed all of their lives in different ways. This was a great book with many surprises and it also shows the complications and bonds of family as well.

This book was set in the 80s, where a family of 6 live out of their van and chase sunsets and waves. I loved the sibling dynamic, how they took care of one another and the beautiful scenery, but after that is kind of fell short for me. At parts I felt it dragged and while I understand their privacy and the life they were leading, what happens over 1 picture kind of blew my mind and felt off to me.

I was really intrigued by the idea of this book, I really enjoyed the family side of things and how Ronan grew up in a nomadic life. The book left me feeling a little underwhelmed though, I felt like there was something missing from the emotional side of things, I wanted a bit more of Ronan and her relationship with Charlie, the after just felt too easy between the two of them with so much time missing in between. The mystery of the picture and who took it did keep me going, but once that came out I felt like the story still took too long to get somewhere.

I loved this book! California Dreamers was a nostalgic and beautifully written story about an unconventional family living off the grid on the California coast in the 1980s. Having grown up in the 80's is what drew me to this book, along with the gorgeous cover. Amy Mason Doan’s writing completely immersed me in this book, I could smell the salt air of the ocean and hear the crash of the waves. Her vivid descriptions of the California coast in the 1980s brought the setting to life, especially the lavender fields, the van and feel the sand between your toes. There were complex characters, especially Ronan. It is amazing how one picture can change your whole life. This book was thought-provoking and heartfelt. I’ll definitely be reading more by Amy Mason Doan!

This was a great story with a satisfying ending. I read a lot of really dark stories so this was a nice change for me. The writing style sucked me into the story and it was like I was there. The characters are all well-written and interesting. I would recommend this! Special Thank You to Amy Mason Doan,Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was soooo good!! I highly recommend this to w everyone looking for a great summer beach read! Pack it and bring it on the beach!

A good summer family drama and I'd recommend for anyone who loves that specific type of story, though it was nothing incredibly memorable for me.

really good mystery. Kept me on my toes and loved all of the characters and what they went through on this journey. Loved that they a happy ending happened.

Having spent my teenage years in the 80's I really enjoyed the past and present timelines in this story. Life was a lot different then and I love the reflections of the characters on their lifestyle and growing up in that decade. The ending was incredibly poignant to me and once again showed me the emotional skills of Amy's writing. I listened to the audiobook and was completely caught up in the beauty of this novel and the nostalgia of a unique childhood spent in an era that can never be again.

I loved the setting and the dual timeline. It was interesting to see how the family lived before they became famous as well as the ways that it had changed their life, not all for the better. As the siblings reflect on their childhood you could tell they really enjoyed their life but as they grew they started to understand how it was not considered normal. The writing was atmospheric and the mystery of what happened to cause Ronan to leave drove the plot forward. The themes of grief, forgiveness, and healing we all incorporated really well.

Thank you @amymasondoan @suzyapprovedbooktours @netgalley and the publisher for the gifted copy.

unfortunately this book wasn’t for me. i loved the idea of it but i felt like i couldn’t get into it and wasn’t sure what was going on

When I was young, growing up in California, I dreamed of a life where I could spend each day at the beach instead of going to school. The beaches, the surfing, the infinite sunshine. It sounds like heaven. What I didn't dream about, however, was living in a van with my parents and siblings in order to do that.

I, too, grew up in the 1980s, which is why I was attracted to this story. I could easily picture many of the places described in this book. It was interesting to read about a family that lived the ultimate lifestyle of freedom. They weren't tied down to school schedules, and they had no one but each other for the most part.

It was also interesting to read about the family relationships. That being said, the story also moved a little slowly for me. I kept waiting for the big climax, but there really wasn't any. There were some scuffs with others, friendships made, and a romance that blossomed.

This would be a good vacation book, if you are looking for some light reading.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Publishing and Amy Mason Doan for my free copy of this book. This review is my honest opinion.