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From the beloved author of We All Want Impossible Things, a moving, hilarious story of a family summer vacation full of secrets, lunch, and learning to let go.

For the past two decades, Rocky has looked forward to her family’s yearly escape to Cape Cod. Their humble beach-town rental has been the site of sweet memories, sunny days, great meals, and messes of all kinds: emotional, marital, and—thanks to the cottage’s ancient plumbing—septic too.

This year’s vacation, with Rocky sandwiched between her half-grown kids and fully aging parents, promises to be just as delightful as summers past—except, perhaps, for Rocky’s hormonal bouts of rage and melancholy. (Hello, menopause!) Her body is changing—her life is, too. And then a chain of events sends Rocky into the past, reliving both the tenderness and sorrow of a handful of long-ago summers.

It’s one precious week: everything is in balance; everything is in flux. And when Rocky comes face to face with her family’s history and future, she is forced to accept that she can no longer hide her secrets from the people she loves.

A hard book to read from a Christian worldview, but an interesting read. Literary and split timeline aren’t my favorite, but Newman captured my attention right away (maybe because I’m a similar age and life experience as the FMC), so I stuck with it.

From a Christian worldview, there were a lot of sad parts of this book as the general worldview of feminism, homosexuality, and abortion are always accepted and often celebrated. That makes for a very different perspective from the biblical worldview in Christian fiction. I found much of the content to be sad instead of celebratory, but I love reading books from both markets to see how life is perceived and experienced by a variety of authors and characters.

As I mentioned above, though the content values didn’t align with mine, the writing was captivating and the author pulled me right into her story and her characters’ lives. Unlike a lot of split timeline novels, I was able to connect with a feels the FMC’s emotions instead of simply reading about them (which is the experiences I’m always looking for).

Rated R for language and adult themes.

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For more literary fiction, check out:

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

For more women’s fiction, check out:

Tin Camp Road by Ellen Airgood