I’m sorry to be the one to bring you such bad news.” “Are you?” Robyn asked before she could stop herself. “It seems to me you’re delighted. It must be hard having such a small life.” Why did anyone think she was the least bit interested in who her ex-husband went out with? “I have no idea who that is.” Are you?” Robyn asked before she could stop herself. “It seems to me you’re delighted. It must be hard having such a small life.”

You know to wear a condom every single time, right? Every time. You whip it out, you put on party clothes. When Robyn realizes that her relationship has hit the wall, she decides to take a break. She travels to spend the summer with her great aunt Lillian, the one person who always gave her comfort. Facing an empty nest as her daughter is soon to be married and her son wants to move out on a trial basis, there is no time at the present for Robyn to take time away. Standalone Women's Fiction One woman takes the vacation of a lifetime in this poignant and heartwarming story about the threads that hold a family together from #1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery.Maybe just some kissing,” Mindy mused. “I want a little Dimitri action. The fantasies make me happy, so imagine what the real thing would do.” Madison shook her head in faux sympathy. “You have no idea what I’m talking about. Oh, no. I shouldn’t have said a word.” Robyn Caldwell is a divorced mother of two who’s soon reaching a crossroad. Her oldest, Harlow, is engaged, planning her wedding and turning into a bridezilla, blaming her mother for anything not going her way. Her son Austin is graduating from high school but doesn’t seem to have a plan. Her ex-husband Cord has entered into a disastrous new relationship he’s keeping secret from his children. With Austin turning eighteen, Robyn has to make a significant financial decision about their beautiful but costly Naples, Florida home in accordance with her divorce settlement. When her great aunt Lillian Holton calls and invites her to consider a summer stay at her Santa Barbara estate, Robyn flees to California for a respite. Little did she know how vital she was to the people in her circle who would soon follow her, bringing their baggage with them.

One by one, everyone she was escaping appear in her great aunt’s home. With her great aunt Lillian’s counsel and the steadfastness of a new male friend, Robyn can have everything she wants if she is willing to believe in herself. A very valid question, Robyn thought. “How can you be insightful? That’s your third glass of champagne.” Thin eyebrows rose as much as the Botox would let them. “Your ex-husband is dating your daughter’s fiancé’s twin sister.” Bring on summer!!! I could use a perfect escape! I wish I had been on the beach reading this women's literary novel. The characters bring to life real emotions and situations. I felt each sentiment and pain as if it were my own. I love this book!!!Robyn Caldwell (42) has to find a new plan for her future now that her daughter Harlow (22) and her son (18) have moved out. Robyn sacrificed her dreams and always put her family first. Now she don't know how to deal with problems her adult children and her ex-husband create. When her great-aunt Lillian invite her to sunny Santa Barbara for the summer, she decide it is time to get away from all the stress and troubles, be with the person who has always been there for her!

Madison offered a self-satisfied smile. “I wondered why you were so calm. I’m sorry to be the one to bring you such bad news.”Something Robyn had learned the hard way herself. She’d been blissfully unaware of her ex-husband’s affairs until a “friend” had oh-so-sweetly informed her. Single mom Robyn Caldwell needs a new plan for her future. She has always put her family first. Now, with her kids grown, she yearns for a change. But what can she do when her daughter has become the most demanding bride ever, her son won’t even consider college, her best friend is on the brink of marital disaster and her ex is making a monumentally bad decision that could ruin everything?

I was pulled right into this family drama. Robyn is a very sympathetic character, and her struggles with her family and friends felt real and I empathized with her immediately. Great Aunt Lillian was my favorite character, and her home I would consider a character in itself. Lillian lives in a huge mansion overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Santa Barbara, and it’s obvious that she lived an amazing life. A bit of a romance happens but is secondary to the main story. Every character was in transition and actively moving forward while wading through unanticipated opportunities and conundrums. I adored the couple of Mason and Robyn, but Mason most of all, as he was not at all what I was expecting. Nineteen.” Robyn sighed. “Which is my point. I had a two-year-old when I was Harlow’s age. Sure, I had my kids early, but what if I hadn’t? What if I’d gone to college or spent six months in Australia or done something other than what I did?” Mallery is an expert at writing about strong women, their friendships, and their romances.”— Booklist Beginning of the story was ok but I found the characterization flat, superficial and boring. The story is told from multiple POVs, that makes things repetitive and predictible. I especially disliked Harlow's POVs. Was she real? Harlow's reaction to her parents when they didn't tell her she might die of cancer. When her mother wanted to sell their big house after Robyn was left to live there alone [house she never had wanted in the first place!]. Her father not giving her money to buy the business, discovering her father's affairs, etc. Harlow was an adult, her immaturity was excused with cancer...yeah. Then like a miracle, she's aware that she's behaving badly and she's changed person. Just like that. It felt like they all lived in the lala land. If author thought that this was character development, then sorry, but this didn't sound plausible.

But then one person who had been fairly decent seeming and loving turned into a monster. Another person who had been arrogant and supercilious turned whiny and pathetic. Harlow miraculously becomes cured of her entitlement and privilege through some hard thinking. All of the groundwork laid for Robin wanting to do something with her life because she needed to make a plan, vanishes because Deus ex Machina, The unreasonable statement grated nearly as much as Mindy’s whine. “This isn’t a good look for you,” Robyn murmured. “You’re changing the rules without telling your husband. That never ends well.” Various other things are happening that are getting on Robin's last nerve so she decides to run away to visit her great Aunt in Santa Barbara. No idea, and I really don’t want to know.” She could only hope that her daughter’s wedding plans became a little more normal as time passed. Or that she decided to elope. Or hey, postpone. Mindy, a petite brunette who was six months from turning forty, sighed. “I need a Dimitri in my life.”