Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

I'm reading this out of order for Week 52: A book published in 2016.
So far, so good! I've already finished over half the book in two days.

Goodreads Summary:

"A warm, funny and acutely perceptive debut novel about four adult siblings and the fate of the shared inheritance that has shaped their choices and their lives.

Every family has its problems. But even among the most troubled, the Plumb family stands out as spectacularly dysfunctional. Years of simmering tensions finally reach a breaking point on an unseasonably cold afternoon in New York City as Melody, Beatrice, and Jack Plumb gather to confront their charismatic and reckless older brother, Leo, freshly released from rehab. Months earlier, an inebriated Leo got behind the wheel of a car with a nineteen-year-old waitress as his passenger. The ensuing accident has endangered the Plumbs joint trust fund, “The Nest” which they are months away from finally receiving. Meant by their deceased father to be a modest mid-life supplement, the Plumb siblings have watched The Nest’s value soar along with the stock market and have been counting on the money to solve a number of self-inflicted problems.

Melody, a wife and mother in an upscale suburb, has an unwieldy mortgage and looming college tuition for her twin teenage daughters. Jack, an antiques dealer, has secretly borrowed against the beach cottage he shares with his husband, Walker, to keep his store open. And Bea, a once-promising short-story writer, just can’t seem to finish her overdue novel. Can Leo rescue his siblings and, by extension, the people they love? Or will everyone need to reimagine the future they’ve envisioned? Brought together as never before, Leo, Melody, Jack, and Beatrice must grapple with old resentments, present-day truths, and the significant emotional and financial toll of the accident, as well as finally acknowledge the choices they have made in their own lives.

This is a story about the power of family, the possibilities of friendship, the ways we depend upon one another and the ways we let one another down. In this tender, entertaining, and deftly written debut, Sweeney brings a remarkable cast of characters to life to illuminate what money does to relationships, what happens to our ambitions over the course of time, and the fraught yet unbreakable ties we share with those we love."

I ended up giving this 4 stars. I admit, it was a cover buy, but a solid debut novel for this author.

I finished it yesterday. I also think the author has good potential even if I didn't enjoy the book. The writing was fine and there was diversity, so with another story...

I found most of the characters shallow and unidimensional and for me the book was too much a "1st world problem" story. I'm totally not interested in people spending big amounts of money they don't have and then complaining because there's a problem with their deserved huge inheritance (it's sooo hard to be from a rich family, poor them). Plus, Leo was a total jerk and his chapters were very annoying.

Most of the relationships (love stories, friendships) weren't interesting in my opinion, maybe because there were too many people. However, I really enjoyed the chapters with the twins :)

I'm reading this for week 26. A book everyone is talking about . We'll see how it is- I have the audiobook

Reading for week 2 - 2017.
Multiple points of view.
So far I am only into one character, and there are many. Each one complaining about "The Nest" a trust fund no one will inherit until the youngest is 40. Now the nest is in question after most of it is used to save the reputation of the bafoon brother.

I thought it was OK. I didn't love it and I didn't hate it. The characters and the story lines were weak. The relationships between the characters were confusing, and the story jumped around too much. The premise of the story - living beyond your means and counting your chickens before they hatch had troubling consequences for only two out of the eight characters. I wish I had chosen another book.

I did not like this at all. I can appreciate that the author has a gift, but the characters were so unappealing. Read as part of my 2017 Challenge - Number 1, A book from the Goodreads Choice Awards 2016. One star. read January 2016.

I read it for week 2: a book with at least 2 perspectives. Rated it a 3. Like Robin I didn't love or hate it I think because none of the characters were likeable. I would try another book by this author though as liked the writing style.

I read this for my Choices Challenge, From the GR 2016 Choice Awards Fiction Category. This was an okay read. It is not what I was expecting and appreciated that, but at points struggled to stay connected to it.

3/5

I read this for 2019's author that has a A, T, and Y in their name.

I... did not like it. I'll be honest: I totally bought this for the cover. But after looking at some reviews on Goodreads, I can tell that I wasn't alone in my feelings on this book. 3 stars because the author's writing was great, but the characters and plot were shallow and not too captivating.