NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Reese’s Book Club x Hello Sunshine Book Pick • Named One of the Best Beach Reads of 2020 by Parade, O: The Oprah Magazine, and Good Housekeeping“The exuberant activity aboard the Splendido Marveloso is no match for the fireworks set off as the lies explode. Full of wicked humor and delicious destination details.”—People (Book of the Week) When seventy-year-old … (Book of the Week)
When seventy-year-old Charlotte Perkins submits a sexy essay to the Become a Jetsetter contest, she dreams of reuniting her estranged children: Lee, an almost-famous actress; Cord, a handsome Manhattan venture capitalist who can’t seem to find a partner; and Regan, a harried mother who took it all wrong when Charlotte bought her a Weight Watchers gift certificate for her birthday. Charlotte yearns for the years when her children were young, when she was a single mother who meant everything to them.
When she wins the contest, the family packs their baggage—both literal and figurative—and spends ten days traveling from sun-drenched Athens through glorious Rome to tapas-laden Barcelona on an over-the-top cruise ship, the Splendido Marveloso. As lovers new and old join the adventure, long-buried secrets are revealed and old wounds are reopened, forcing the Perkins family to confront the forces that drove them apart and the defining choices of their lives.
Can four lost adults find the peace they’ve been seeking by reconciling their childhood aches and coming back together? In the vein of The Nest and The Vacationers, The Jetsetters is a delicious and intelligent novel about the courage it takes to reveal our true selves, the pleasures and perils of family, and how we navigate the seas of adulthood.
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Amanda created a family who’s deliciously dysfunctional and in great need of healing, so why not put them on a cruise where they can’t get away from each other or their problems?
With the great balance of heartbreak and break throughs, Amanda navigates these wounded souls to a place of discovery and appreciation for not only their own lives, but their family members.
The Jetsetters was time well spent.
I’ve loved all of Amanda Eyre Ward’s novels, but this is my new favorite. Suspenseful, witty, smart, and moving. I’m afraid of boats but I’d take this cruise anytime…it’s the full Charlotte Perkins!
Great family tragicomedy.
Lots of fun and keeps you interested
Not my favorite story did not keep my attention .
I read this book for a book club discussion and found that there was a lot to talk about. All of the characters in this book have some dysfunction from their childhood that has stayed with them into adulthood, including Charlotte, the mother. Charlotte was raised to ignore the bad and always present a good face to the world. She passed this on to her children who have suffered for it. They all have secrets that they are keeping from each other and over the course of their Mediterranean Cruise many things will be revealed. There were times in this book that I was rooting for them and other times that I disliked each of them for different reasons. I liked the cruise setting and all of the ports that were described. I thought that it was good read.
I very much enjoyed this quick read. The characters were deeply flawed and not particularly likable, but I think that was the point.
I had had this book in my library queue but when my college friends decided we would read it for a book club and I was still fourteen weeks out in the queue I succumbed and bought the ebook. Thus, I was definitely interested in reading the book, although I didn’t necessarily pick to read it now. This book is masterfully written and I believe the author set out to accomplish what they hoped. It creates intrigue and attachment in a family drama about a mother and her adult children who go on a European cruise together in part to salvage the relationships they’ve lost. However, this is not a book that I personally enjoy, as it’a quite morose and while you feel sympathy for the characters, I wouldn’t exactly call them likable; their faults, while justified, take over their characters. This is definitely more of a thought-provoking book than a lighthearted read, so it really depends what you’re looking for. Unfortunately, it was not the book for me.
This Family needs to be under house arrest!!!
Haven’t read it yet but I’m hoping to win it. I’ve heard so much great things about it
I read this because it was a Reese Book Club pick, but I don’t understand the hype. I didn’t care for any of the characters. Charlotte, the mother of the group, was a 70+ woman longing for some eroticism in her life. She dreams of sex. Lee, the eldest daughter, is an unsuccessful actress, longing for love and success. Cord, the brother, can’t admit to his family that he is gay and an alcoholic. Regan, the youngest daughter, is a woman in a loveless marriage.
All of these people are damaged. They take a cruise that their mother supposedly won in a contest. The funniest parts of this novel are when the author describes the things that happen on cruise ships and on the designated tours of the areas. As someone who has taken multiple cruises, I can relate!
#TheJetsetters #AmandaEyreWard
It was so so at best….our book club read it after the rave reviews, but none of us really thought it was a page turner.
What I liked: I loved the writing. Caught my interest from the beginning The plot was different and interesting. The characters were all quirky and fun. I wanted to jump in the book and be friends with them and help them through their troubles.
What I didn’t like: ugh..It made me cry!!! I yelled at the characters for some of the stupid mistakes they were making.
Such a sad but fun read!!
Giving the book 4 stars
I can’t see how this book got good reviews. To me it was mediocre at best. This dysfunctional family never really resolved their long standing conflicts in a satisfactory way at the end of the book. They were not very likeable, and some of the events that took place on the cruise ship ports were not convincing at all. Just an okay read.
2.5 stars
I was really looking forward to reading The Jetsetters. I loved the beginning. The author had me fully engaged with this dysfunctional family. So many problems to solve. I felt for the three children living with a very dysfunctional father. And what happened to him. The author then moves the story forward thirty years with Charlotte winning a cruise, and she brings her three adult children and son-in-law with her. My thoughts at this point was that the family would resolve all of their issues. Unfortunately, the sympathy I had for Charlotte, Lee, Cord, and Regan disappeared. For me it was painful trying to finish the book. I would give 5 stars for the beginning and 2 stars for the middle and ending of this book. Thank you Ballantine and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review,
Anyone with siblings will understand the feelings the characters in this book felt. To be loved by your family for who you are is very important to all the members of the Perkins family. Long buried secrets and emotions are uncovered as they embark on a cruise with their elderly mother. Every one of them has a secret that they’d love to share but are afraid to. They discover that their lives as children were perhaps the happiest time in their lives. I chose to read this book as a Reese’s book club selection and really enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone that loves a good family drama.
I received this an ARC in exchange for my review. This was fun to read! I do not know of a family that is not dysfunctional in some way. All the characters were relatable, they have flaws and expectations, a love/hate relationship amongst parent and child and between siblings. Winning the trip was the best thing for this family!