2.5 Read for the setting ( an island in Maine), but did not empathize with any of the disfunctional characters. A grown family meets for their father's 75th anniversary, and things unravel.

This book follows a family who are reuniting to celebrate their father's birthday. All 3 children are grown, and all 3 are dealing with very different pregnancy situations. They have to try and get along with each other, while dealing with their own situations. I liked this one, although it wasn't the most uplifting of novels. The characters were very distinct and interesting.

although an easy read, this book was a long story without much of a plot or story. the author gave away everyone's secrets to the reader very early on...so there were no surprises and no suspense. and in the end i just didn't really like any of the characters.

(Spoil alert) Good - 1st novel. Family meets in Maine for father's 75th b-day. Each family is pregnant. Jake and Liz are rich - pregnant with twins. Hillary is pregnant and doesn't know who the father is. Daniel and Brenda - lose baby on way to birthday.

Reading about the Miller family gather together on an island off the coast of Maine was like witnessing a train wreck: you kind of want to look away but you can’t help looking. Everyone is a bit (or a lot) flawed in their own way and the family dynamics exacerbate the flaws. The adult siblings interact the same way as when they were kids, and the parents are off in their own worlds. Most of the characters are barely in touch with their own needs, let alone trying to cope with the needs of others. And a couple of characters are only in touch with their own needs, and have no idea how to relate to others.

The story is told from various characters’ perspectives and sometimes its interesting to learn how different characters perceive the same event. The story takes place over a couple of days but a lot can happen in two days, especially when you get everyone’s reaction.

The book was a little better than OK, but I wouldn’t recommend it.

A great story about the bonds of family, despite the flaws of the family members.

I loved this book... the inner-workings of this family and the way the author set up the characters and their backstories was very good. The publisher's description states it "examines modern-day marriage, pregnancy, and parenthood." It's really a book about the relationships between siblings and the siblings with the parents, and how each person in a family gets locked into certain roles. I would recommend this book to fans of Elizabeth Berg (one of my favorite writers).

Pitlor is certainly a talented author and the simplicity of the book was engrossing. There was a lot of depth to the characters yet they were easy to relate to. The story was great with the exception of the flagrant lack of resolution at the end. The only acceptable possibility is that Ms. Pitlor is setting up a second book, which I would personally look forward to, but I do not believe that that is the case. I crave more information about these characters and their future!

This has had some mixed reviews, but I am looking forward to reading it and deciding for myself.
It's next on my list, after The Help.

Novel centers on a family (three children and their parents) reuniting to celebrate Dad's 75th birthday. The book has a lot of promise and bright spots, but came across as dull and lackluster to me.

It didn't get my attention right away so i left it and went to another. Came back and did finish it but wasn't that excited. Family gets together and they each have individual trials. The book does not tell how the trials end so that leaves yoi hanging.

I really liked this book. I liked the characters and felt for them.