ABOUT THE BOOK:
Summer for Sasha and Ray means the sprawling old house on Long Island. Since they were children, they’ve shared almost everything—reading the same books, running down the same sandy footpaths to the beach, eating peaches from the same market, laughing around the same sun-soaked dining table. Even sleeping in the same bed, on the very same worn cotton sheets. But they’ve never met.
Sasha’s dad was once married to Ray’s mom, and together they had three daughters: Emma, the perfectionist; Mattie, the beauty; and Quinn, the favorite. But the marriage crumbled and the bitterness lingered. Now there are two new families—and neither one will give up the beach house that holds the memories, happy and sad, of summers past.
The choices we make come back to haunt us; the effect on our destinies ripples out of our control…or does it? This summer, the lives of Sasha, Ray, and their siblings intersect in ways none of them ever dreamed, in a novel about family relationships, keeping secrets, and most of all, love
MY THOUGHTS:
I really enjoyed this book. I thought it would be a light summer read, but instead, I found myself reading multiple perspectives (for some reason, I thought there would just be two) and re-reading bits to make sure I understood what actually just happened (I misunderstood a key moment in the book). I felt myself surprised by the opening but once I felt I understood all the siblings and their places, I devoured it.
This book is ALL about family - the strangeness of these two families and how they revolve around each other. I loved learning more about Sasha and Ray and the room (and other things) they shared. I liked how this summer changed everyone in both families. It's a book about grief, growing up, finding yourself, understanding your role, finding happiness, and healing. The Whole Thing Together didn't leave me after I closed the book, the characters are still with me and I'm still thinking about them.
Ann Brashares is the #1 New York
Times bestselling author of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series, The
Here and Now,3 Willows, The Last
Summer (of You and Me), and My Name Is Memory. She lives in New York City with
her family. Visit Ann’s website at AnnBrashares.com and follow on Twitter
@AnnBrashares.
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