Julie's Review: You and Me and Us

Author: Allison Hammer
Series: None
Publication Date: April 7, 2020
Publisher: William Morrow
Pages: 422
Obtained: publisher
Genre:  Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 5/5
Bottom Line: A realistic look at the tolls of death on a family
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Summary: Alexis Gold knows how to put the “work” in working mom. It’s the “mom” part that she’s been struggling with lately. Since opening her own advertising agency three years ago, Alexis has all but given up on finding a good work/life balance. Instead, she’s handed over the household reins to her supportive, loving partner, Tommy. While he’s quick to say they divide and conquer, Alexis knows that Tommy does most of the heavy lifting—especially when it comes to their teenage daughter, CeCe. Their world changes in an instant when Tommy receives a terminal cancer diagnosis, and Alexis realizes everything she’s worked relentlessly for doesn’t matter without him. So Alexis does what Tommy has done for her almost every day since they were twelve-year-old kids in Destin, Florida—she puts him first. And when the only thing Tommy wants is to spend one last summer together at “their” beach, she puts her career on hold to make it happen…even if it means putting her family within striking distance of Tommy’s ex, an actress CeCe idolizes. But Alexis and Tommy aren’t the only ones whose lives have been turned inside out. In addition to dealing with the normal ups and downs that come with being a teenager, CeCe is also forced to confront her feelings about Tommy’s illness—and what will happen when the one person who’s always been there for her is gone. When the magic of first love brings a bright spot to her summer, CeCe is determined not to let her mother ruin that for her, too. As CeCe’s behavior becomes more rebellious, Alexis realizes the only thing harder for her than losing Tommy will be convincing CeCe to give her one more chance.
You and Me and Us is a beautifully written novel that examines the unexpected ways loss teaches us how to love. ~amazon.com

Review: From the summary of You and Me and Us, you know that this book will bring tears to your eyes because you know it's not going to be your typical happy ending. Alexis is a hard working wife and mother but her 14 year old daughter, CeCe doesn't see the hardworking, she just thinks her mom chooses work over their family. Luckily, Tommy doesn't mind being the keeper of the home and the CeCe whisperer.

Things change though when Tommy gets a terminal cancer diagnosis and Cece and her mother have to learn not only how to coexist but to learn to depend on each other. Tommy's last request is to spend one last summer in his hometown of Destin, Florida. Of course all of them are going through their own way of dealing what is coming while trying to be positive. It isn't all easy for Cece and Alexis as they learn their way around each other and how to relate.

This is definitely a character driven novel and while there are moments where I wanted Alexis to step up and wanted CeCe to grow up, I also understand what it's like to parent a 14 year old girl without these hellish circumstances.

I appreciated how Tommy really was the glue that bound all 3 of them together and how he was typically able to talk both of them off the edge when things got tough. He taught Alexis to not run from her problems and always encouraged her to go for her dreams. Just like he encourages CeCe to do the same. I felt that Alexis' insecurities in her relationship withe CeCe made the situation with Monica that much worse. If she had relaxed and let CeCe interact with her on her own, it might not have blown up in her face. 

Allison Hammer gets the nuances of family and how deep those threads go. For a debut author, she doesn't play into the cliches that could have easily plagued the novel but instead goes with the more true to life story lines.