Looking for a beach read that goes a little deeper than your typical rom-com? Enter Musical Chairs by Amy Poeppel.
This wonderful novel is about friends and family whose lives intertwine when they’re all brought together under (or very near to) one roof over a Connecticut summer when nothing goes as planned—in both good and bad ways.
Musical Chairs is about figuring what you’ve been doing, and it’s about figuring out where you want to go. It’s a little bit about love and romance, but mostly, it’s about having hope and being open to possibilities. Really, it’s a coming-of-age story for middle-aged adults.
The majority of Musical Chairs follows Bridget and Will, who are each at a crossroads in their lives, but you get glimpses into the upturned lives of Bridget’s kids, too. When everyone arrives at Bridget’s Connecticut summer house, they’re all a little lost. It kind of reminded me of Winter Solstice or The Forever Summer in that respect. By the end of the novel, everyone has a different idea of what could make them happy going forward. It’s very much an ensemble cast, with lots of characters dropping in and out. I liked it, and having so many side stories really keeps the book moving.
One of the points that initially drew me to Musical Chairs – besides the fact that I adored Poeppel’s earlier novel Small Admissions – is that Bridget and Will are classical musicians. As we get to know them, the reader gets a deep look into the world of a professional musician and all the highs and lows of that industry. This fresh and unique premise immediately sucked me in and kept pulling me back to the story, much like The Shark Club did.
Musical Chairs is an excellent book to kick back with this summer, glass of cold lemonade in hand and, if you’re lucky, some rolling ocean waves in the background. The writing is good, the situations are mostly believable, and while everything connects just a little too well at the end…who doesn’t like a nice ending?
Have you read any of Amy Poeppel’s novels? I’d love to hear what you think of them!
And, be sure to check back in for my book-inspired recipe: Caprese Farro Salad.
