Growing up in the 80's I was drawn to the description of this book and looking to reminisce. This was a great book for that. It was well written and told a great story.

The main character of this novel, Ronan, grew up traveling up and down the west coast in a camper with her parents and three brothers, surfing and living off the grid. She left when she was 17, and 15 years later, diving on a farm under the name Ava, having gotten married and had kids, with no contact with her former life. But when her brother shows up to tell her their dad has died, she has to confront her past. The book alternates between her teenage years in the 1980s, and 2002 when she journeys back to see her family again.

I really loved this book - it’s a great coming of age drama, a great family drama, great descriptions of surfing and nature, and some low key suspense running in the background as you wonder why Ronan’s family lived like this, and why she left and never went back. I loved Amy Mason Doan’s last book, Lady Sunshine, so this was one of my most anticipated books of the year, and this did not disappoint. It would also make a great book club book as there is a lot to discuss.

4.25 stars

This was a solid okay book for me. I liked the premise of this story told in two timelines about a nomadic surfing family and what happens after a photo of them becomes famous. One timeline takes place in the 1980s, detailing their life pre and post photo. The second takes place in 2002, when the family reunites after their father’s death.

At times I felt like this unfolded way too slowly and I found myself uninterested. I did enjoy all of the characters and their unique personalities and perspectives on their life.

I felt the end wrapped up too quickly and I would have loved to read more about Mama and Cap and how they started their lifestyle.

This is the second book in a row I've read about estranged siblings reuniting after not seeing each other for several years. This time, it's the Merrick siblings, who were raised by unconventional parents traveling in a van and surfing along the beaches of California. Only sister Ronan left home at 16, never speaking to her brothers or parents again until the death of her father 15 years later. When she returns for his funeral, she must decide if she wants to merge her past and present lives and reveal why she left home all those years ago.

I love all of Amy Mason Doan's books. She is always able to capture the feeling of summer with her writing and writes very wistfully of the past. The surfing life she describes is a unique topic for a novel about family, brothers and sisters, and their relationships and interactions.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The California Dreamers is a story that takes place in California during the 1980s. The Merrick family, mother, father, 3 sons, and a daughter basically live off the grid. The kids don’t go to school, and the parents just pick up work when they need it. They are all excellent surfers. However, at some point a photographer snaps their picture, the six of them walking into the water with their surfboards, and it makes it way into marketing materials. The father is furious because he never wanted them to speak to anyone or have their pictures taken. Ronan, the daughter, eventually leaves home at 17 due to her part of getting the picture out there.
She is found a few years later by one of her brothers after the father dies. She returns for the father’s “send off” and the story continues from there with many secrets being discovered.
This story was inspired by a real life surfing family, the Paskowitz’s.
This story is an enjoyable read although it drags somewhat in the middle but shows a strong family tie. It’s an easy read and reminds one of those warm, sunny days with smell of the ocean.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this ebook ARC of 'The California Dreamers' by Amy Mason Doan - expected release date of 04/08/2025 (ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review)

This is the story of the Merrick Family who lived a nomadic lifestyle as a family of 5 on the west coast in the 1980's. The story is told from Ro's perspective and it goes back and forth from 2002 to the past (1980s). They were a family of surfers who did their best to live off grid.

I found the book to have an easy flow to it and fell in love with the characters who each were well developed. The "twist" comes FAR into the book and the conclusion tied everything up well in my opinion.

This was the first of Doan's books that I've read. I enjoyed her writing style and will certainly be reading more of her in the future!

I am a big fan of Amy’s books so I was thrilled when I heard a new one was coming. Amy’s skill as an author seems to improve with every book and I have enjoyed all of them! This one is set in the 1980’s in California and follows a family that lives off the grid in their old van. This family of six travels up and down the coast and spends their days surfing. They always try to keep a low profile but an iconic and surprise picture of them makes them famous. While trying to maintain their lifestyle the picture and the scrutiny following it causes a fracture in the family. Years later and after the death of the patriarch they once again come together after one member has been away for years. A journalist has found them and wants to do a story on their life and they fear what could be disclosed in the article and being thrust back into the spotlight. Many secrets and misunderstandings between the family are revealed as they spend this time together. Will they be able to unite again or will the fractures continue? The atmospheric and descriptive writing is so well done you can feel yourself transported to each setting. I like a character driven novel and the character development was well written. I enjoyed the mystery and the secrets that became known as the book progressed. Overall another great book from this author. Be sure to preorder this one!!

This cover alone is amazing! Gives off the perfect beach/surf vibes for a summer read. However, it took me some time to finish. I kept setting it down to start another book, thinking maybe I just wasn't in the right mood for this type of read. Ultimately, it was just the slow pacing that left me wanting more. What I love about Historical Fiction is being able to go back in time and experience different life events and learn through words. But, I struggled to connect with the writing and couldn't grasp the true feelings throughout this book. Overall, it was just an average read for my preferences. Great for an audience who loves a character driven storyline with the perfect setting though.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the opportunity to read a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

*Book publication date: April 8, 2025*
*Reviewed on March 24, 2024*

If summer could be bottled…this is it right here.
The California nostalgia and summer vibes oozed out of this family drama. I enjoyed this from start to finish and being a native Californian…I loved the representation of our state.

Gripping account of four siblings growing up in a beach van with their unconventional parents, and then meeting as adults to sift through what was real and what really matters

Family ties and the lengths we will go to to forgive those who can love and frustrate us most in this life.

I was thoroughly entranced by this one. The scenery made it ideal for a spring break read with a little more substance.
4 1/2 bright oceanside stars

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the alc and arc.
This book was ok. I thought it was kind of hard to keep track of all the characters. Therefore, the audiobook would've been much better if it had multiple narrators. I did enjoy Anne Marie Gideon though. I may try more books by this author in the future.

This was a good book. About a family living off of the grid in a van. It was interesting reading about a totally different life style than the one most if us have.

There's this idea of an off-the-grid sort of life: traveling anywhere, living in a van, and being able to pick up and chase the sun and the waves. When I think about a life like this, it's dreamy and romantic, but I hate sand and worry too much.

The California Dreamers by Amy Mason Doan is the story of a family who lives off-the-grid. The Merrick's are chasing waves and freedom. The four children, Griffin, Magnus, Ronan, and Dyll, are educated by their parents and by life. Every morning starts with exercise and the days are spent surfing. They live in a retired food truck, fully rigged up with bunks. Their 1980s dream life was destroyed the minute that a photographer secretly captured a photo of the wild and free family with their surfboards in the sand.

Moving forward in time, in 2002, Ava LeClair lives on a lavender farm with her twin sons. When she finds a coin on her birdbath, she knows everything is changing again. Ava is Ronon, and she has escaped the van and her family. Her older brother is on the farm to bring her back to her family because their beloved father, Cap, has died. Ronan travels with her brother to a remote island for one last request from Cap.

When a journalist is allowed access to the family, all of the siblings must reconcile the truth about their lives and the truth about the future.

Amy Mason Doan was influenced by the first family of surfing, the Paskowitz family. While the father in that family was open and honest about his origins, adding the mystery of Cap and Mama's beginning helped move this story along. I found the writing descriptive and lush. It was easy to smell the lavender of the farm, to feel the sun on your face, to feel the pain of a life full of questions.

The California Dreamers is the story of a family full of dreams and ideals. Whether these ideas are good is up to you, but the idea of family is universal.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This book takes you to California in the 80’s! I felt like I was with the family driving up and down the PCH!! If you have ever wished you could be in California surfing, dive into this book! California Dreamers is about the bond of family, what it means, trust and forgiveness. It really shows that your childhood experience shapes who you are. We may often look back and wonder if things were different who would we be? I love how this book explores the bond of family and society all while driving through PCH and surfing in California! This was such a fun read while making me think about life in a new and interesting way. Read this book while listening to the sound of waves!!

I greatly enjoyed "The California Dreamers" and remarked to a colleague that I haven't been surprised by a book like this in a long time

The breezy coastal setting, near where I grew up and now work in Southern California, is captured perfectly, as is the eighties era of the past part of the novel.

Characters are all fully fleshed out and jump off the page with realistic dialogue that drew me in. By page 20, I was grumpy to set this title down, and that is a rarity for me.
Gentle twists, moonlit swims, hammock campouts, and healing discoveries against a backdrop of island waves, with a little love story added in. This was a life affirming and joyous book, and readers of heartfelt fiction will be hooked.

mild adult language; closed-door love scenes

Adult Literary Fiction
Setting: California

Wow. This one came from nowhere and blew me away.

I requested it due to the cover and escapist vibes and got so much more. Family drama but not melodrama, surprises around every corner, lovable cast of characters, and a heartfelt ending. I think it's interesting to consider how "Van Life" really began and to imagine life unconnected from the depressing reality of today -- overstimulation, news 24/7, distant politics Even if it's not perfect, as our MC discovers, there is a lot to recommend that life.

In this story, we're plunged in with the Merrick family and don't question their lifestyle until daughter Ro does. It's a meaningful and enjoyable journey. And by the end I was feeling everything the family was at the memorial. Really touching and unforgettable moments throughout this one.

Will seek out more from this author

*****
4 1/2 STARS ROUNDED UP FOR VIBES AND SCENERY.

I was sucked into this in the beginning! I loved the premise and switching from the past to present. I just started losing interest towards the middle of the book. Too much time focusing on the past storyline when I wish it would focus more on the present. There was so much filler parts also. I DNF’d at 52%, sorry :(

California Dreamers is a thought provoking story about family; exploring the secrets that keep us close and the secrets that wedge us apart.

Ronan grows up in an anti-establishment family focused on natural living and centered on surfing. She ran away from her family at 17 without explanation. When her brother shows up asking her to come home for one last obligation, she makes the hard decision to join.

This story has a lot of flashbacks which add rich backstory as you uncover more and more about Ronan’s experience growing up in a close-knit family. An experience of freedom and restriction; of togetherness and loneliness. This will definitely make a nice beach read for the summer!

Well, that left me in happy tears.
Wonderfully complex and touching story of a family living by their own rules in eighties Cali.

The Merricks are a fiercely loyal and independent tribe of ocean lovers who call a van home — by choice.

As the only daughter grows up, tensions simmer and their beautiful way of life is threatened.

Then, as an adult, the daughter gets summoned to the father’s memorial….and it’s on an island off Santa Barbara Cali that is forbidden to the public.

This book is everything I enjoy. Pure escapism and family dynamics explored with depth and tremendous insight.
I will look for more from this author as it is her third novel.

I wanted to love this book but it missed the mark in so many ways that it was a chore to complete. There are better books to spend your money on.