Synopsis from Goodreads:
On a cozy street in Philadelphia, three neighboring families have become the best of friends. They can’t imagine life without one another—until one family outgrows their tiny row house. In a bid to stay together, a crazy idea is born: What if they tear down the walls between their homes and live together under one roof? And so an experiment begins. Celia and Mark now have the space they need. But is this really what Celia’s increasingly distant husband wants? Stephanie embraces the idea of one big, happy family, but has she considered how it may exacerbate the stark differences between her and her husband, Chris? While Hope always wanted a larger family with Leo, will caring for all the children really satisfy that need? Behind closed doors, they strive to preserve the closeness they treasure. But when boundaries are blurred, they are forced to question their choices…and reimagine the true meaning of family.
Review:
This is definitely an interesting premise for a novel. I was curious to see how the authors would use this commune-type living to introduce obstacles and solutions until the conclusion.
Celia and Mark have been married for over 20 years and have three children. They are happy and content until Mark has some health problems. That is a turning point in Celia and Mark's relationship, though neither one of them anticipated it happening.
Hope and Leo are an outwardly happy couple but they've gotten into a rut that doesn't really satisfy either of them. Leo is a chef and appreciates the finer things while Hope is just happy to get a cake baked from a box mix. Hope's always wanted another child with Leo but after the walls come down (literally) and the families are blended together, she isn't as sure about having more kids.
Stephanie and Chris are truly, happily married but their problem is that they've started taken each other for granted. Stephanie dismisses Chris' concerns about his job and Chris just assumes that Stephanie can keep everything under control. This marriage example is probably the more relatable of the three. After you've been married for a while, you just assume the other person will always be there and stay constant. The fact is people change and it's important to make sure you take time for each other, as well as yourself, over the course of your marriage.
Nikki is a newly engaged lady who just moved into her fiance's house on Emerson street, right down the road from Celia, Mark, Hope, Leo, Stephanie, and Chris. She plays an integral part in the novel so I understand why she was included. Mary, the Emerson street cantankerous old lady, doesn't fit for me. I could've done without Mary in the novel. Her role wasn't important and nothing would be missing if she weren't around.
Overall, I rather enjoyed this novel. It wasn't one of my favorites but it was a book I wanted to keep reading so I could know what happened next. I'm not going to tell you much about this because I don't want to spoil it for you but I do want to say that Celia is the only one in this novel not remotely attracted to anyone else. She was happy and content with her life and her marriage. The appeal of living in a commune-type setup is intriguing, for sure, but I've never been good with roommates. My husband's lucky I've kept him around as long as I have - LOL (I kid, people).
If you do decide to read this, please know that there are sexual scenes in this novel (which took me by surprise). It's nothing too graphic but there are a few scenes that are racy. Also, some of the language can be abrasive. If you're sensitive to these two types of situations then you may want to take caution when reading this - otherwise, forward ho!
3 out of 5 stars
*A physical copy of this book was provided by the publicist, Little Bird Publicity, in exchange for an honest review.