“Hammer is an expert at both tugging heartstrings and keeping the reader utterly immersed in a world of hope and heartbreak. A great new voice in women’s fiction.”– Kristin Harmel, #1 international bestselling author of The Winemaker’s Wife
The heartbreaking, yet hopeful, story of a mother and daughter struggling to be a family without the one person who holds them together—a perfect summer … without the one person who holds them together—a perfect summer read for fans of Jojo Moyes and Marisa de los Santos.
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.
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Just finished the ARC of You and Me and Us I won on Goodreads. Wow! If this was your first book I predict a lot more books…i started this book and finished it in two days. Couldn’t put it down. Crying thru parts but worth the red eyes and stuffy nose…Just a beautiful story. Is it a love story, a mother daughter story, a story about friends, it’s all that and so much more. Thank you Alison Hammer, William Morrow Publishing and Goodreads for allowing me to read this advance reader copy. I would really like to read all your future books too
Sometimes a book comes along that you can’t put down, even if you’re in a coffee shop and you’re crying so hard into your iced latte that you’re pretty sure other customers think a family member died but really you’ve just connected so much with the characters in said book that your heart is both breaking and healing.
That book was YOU AND ME AND US by Alison Hammer for me.
Alexis is a forty-something-year-old woman who is brilliant at work but not so brilliant at parenting. Her teenage daughter, CeCe, spends most of her time with her father, Tommy. For years, this has worked for their little family. Until Tommy gets sick. Really, really sick.
The family decides to spend their last summer together in Florida in the town where Tommy and Alexis first met. For the first time, Alexis and CeCe are forced to figure out a way to come together without Tommy’s help. It’s not gonna be easy, that’s for sure.
This book is both heart-wrenching and hopeful. The author tackles love. loss, grief, family relationships with skill and such depth. The writing is deceptively easy and simple, the feelings behind those words are huge.
I loved everything about this book and am so excited for others to experience these characters. I was blessed to read an early copy of this novel but the story and the characters have stuck with me for months.
5/5 Stars
Number of Ugly Cries: A LOT
A perfectly paced family drama in a seaside setting. What more could you want? I never cry while reading books (I come from a stoic, emotion-stuffing people) but even I felt some tears welling up a few times while reading this truly wonderful story. Alison Hammer has done a fantastic job with her real-to-life characters, allowing them to be themselves in all their flawed glory, and then nudging them along toward organic change. Highly recommended to lovers of women’s fiction, beach reads, and tear-jerkers.
You and Me and Us by Alison Hammer
“You and Me and Us is a beautiful book. It will make you become a part of this family’s circle, rooting for them, feeling their pain, and aching for them. You will want to give advice, and a hug, and whisper “be nice to your mom” to CeCe. You will feel their pain. You will cry. And, then, you will feel hope, and in that hope, there is a chance.”-Green Gables Book Reviews
Tommy and Alexis are in love. They have been a part of each other’s lives for nearly as long as they can remember.
But, things happen in life, and Tommy married Monica. The time they were apart isn’t a time they talk about. Tommy and Monica’s marriage ended badly. Monica made a selfish choice, and it wasn’t repairable-or forgivable. A do-over was not possible. But, because of Monica’s bad choice, Tommy and Alexis met again, by chance, in Destin, FL, where they knew each other from before. And, now they are Tommy, Alexis, and CeCe.
Life is good! They have a good routine. Except, teenager CeCe barely speaks to her mom. When she does, it is sarcastic and rude. She even goes as far as telling Tommy she wishes he and her mom would get a divorce. But, they’ve never gotten married. Tommy has asked her to marry him many times, but Alexis had a poor example of marriage growing up and doesn’t want any part of it.
Part of why CeCe is upset with her mom is because her mom is never there for her. She misses events, is late for them, or is more worried about what she’s missing on her cell phone than what CeCe is doing. CeCe knows she can count on her dad always. He never has, and she knows, will never let her down, but work is more important to her mom.
Tommy puts his family first. He hopes he can change this rift between Alexis and CeCe. It’s more important to him now than ever before.
Alexis and CeCe are both concerned about the deep cough Tommy has developed. Alexis encourages him to go to the doctor; he must need an antibiotic.
Tommy has cancer. It’s too advanced, and he doesn’t want to fight it. He wants to spend his last summer in Destin, with Alexis and CeCe. Alexis is reluctant because she knows Tommy’s ex-wife, Monica, will be there, filming her new Netflix show. CeCe doesn’t know about Monica, and with as much as CeCe wants to be an actress, she doesn’t want her to know about any connection to Monica.
CeCe had plans for the summer, and now her dad has cancer? How can this be happening? They arrive in Destin, and Tommy has a puzzle, a long-standing tradition between him and CeCe in the summers at the beach, and he has a bucket list of things he wants to do before he dies. He knows there isn’t much time left for him, but he wants it to be here with the two people he loves the most.
You and Me and Us is a beautiful book. It will make you become a part of this family’s circle, rooting for them, feeling their pain, and aching for them. You will want to give advice, and a hug, and whisper “be nice to your mom” to CeCe. You will feel their pain. You will cry. And, then, you will feel hope, and in that hope, there is a chance.
You and Me and Us by Alison Hammer is absolutely a five-star book.
I hope you will read it.
I received a free copy of You and Me and Us to read and review. I appreciate that it was given to me!
This book has all the elements of a corny, sappy tear-jerker. A couple, Tommy and Alexis, and their 14 year old daughter CeCe. Tommy is dying of lung cancer. Alexis is very busy proving to the world that a woman can be an advertising executive. And CeCe is a hormonal teenager who wants to be an actress and cannot stand her mother.
After I rolled my eyes at the description, I read a quite few positive reviews and took the plunge. The book turns out to be an emotional family tale. I think the term “tear-jerker” still applies but not in a negative way. I love it when a book surprises me.
Tommy’s character was likeable right from the beginning. I can’t say the same for Alexis and CeCe. Alexis is so focused and absorbed by her job that she leaves most of the parenting duties to Tommy. The absence of a great mother figure results in CeCe being a self-absorbed brat.
The family dynamic changes as they all go to Destin, Florida for the summer as Tommy’s last hurrah. It does not happen as one big Kumbaya moment but gradually we see the changes happening. As expected, there are ups and downs. And it gets quite emotional, more than once. I felt their sadness and their grief.
This is a character-driven story. It is a fairly fast read and very easy to get in to. I enjoyed the setting of Destin. It’s a place I’ve been to several times. I always like to hear places mentioned that I am familiar with. Fans of JoJo Moyes will enjoy this book, hopefully as much as I did.
PS I am a book cover person, I loved this cover.
A glorious, beautiful book.
Hammer is an expert at both tugging heartstrings and keeping the reader utterly immersed in a world of hope and heartbreak. A great new voice in women’s fiction.
A compassionate and deeply moving exploration of love and loss, You and Me and Us will break your heart and put it back together more than once by the last page. Alison Hammer has crafted an emotional story about marriage, family, and friendship that is both intimate and universal, and most importantly, unforgettable.
You and Me and Us is that rare novel you want to savor even as you’re turning the pages as fast as possible. This poignant and heartrending story of a family redefining their roles in the face of a crisis made me smile and cry. Alison Hammer is an exciting new voice in women’s fiction, and I can’t wait to read what she writes next.
Beautifully portrays intriguing parenting challenges between a mother and her 14-year old daughter as they lose someone they both love.
I loved reading this story of a woman discovering what really matters by losing it. Lexie starts by working too much but takes the summer off her high-power advertising job to spend it in Florida with her partner, Tommy, who is dying of cancer. What she learns about herself and the way her relationship with their daughter evolves is very real. And I’m a total sucker for books where there really isn’t a villain–only good people tripping over their own foibles. Because that, too, is real. I don’t often cry at books anymore–especially when you know from page one that the teary moment is coming. But Alison Hammer got me.
What a stunning debut by author Alison Hammer. The depth of feeling that is captured on each page is astonishing. This novel is the first in a long time that has brought tears to my eyes. The father is dying from small cell lung cancer and we are shown how this is affecting the different characters during his last months. Compassion, grace, forgiveness, and love are at the forefront. One becomes a part of the story as each character becomes stronger and more vulnerable with each day that passes.
Alexis has her own advertising agency in Atlanta and works long hours, missing key events in her daughter’s life. When her husband is diagnosed with terminal cancer, they decide to spend the summer together in Destin, FL, where secrets emerge. Faced with an uncertain future, the family finds healing. Told by Alexis and her teenage daughter CeCe, this novel drew me in from the start.
I love the characters in this book. They are real and their emotions are palpable as the mother and daughter struggle to learn to adjust to the tragic changes about to break their family.
I received a copy of this book by the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.
#Tissues! Intensely powerful story about losing your “anchor”! Both Individually and for the family. Alison Hammer draws a beautiful scenario of loss within a family and how it effects them, and how they work through it. This is a lesson on grief! This is a love letter to those left behind, those feeling less whole when they lose someone.
“You and Me and Us” will bring you to tears. It will make you examine parts of your life. It will help you see the beauty left in still learning to really live!
This was an exceptionally emotional and realistic depiction of a family faced with a terminal diagnosis. It was excellent
I recommend this book. It is interesting, well written and has well developed characters. The plot is fairly unique.
Lovely writing and great story
Hammer weaves a beautiful story, heartbreaking yet uplifting. This novel grabbed my heart, made me smile and cry and want to reach out and hug Alexis and Cece. Plus, you’ll fall in love with Tommy, as I did. You can’t help yourself. Grab tissues, curl up with a cuddly blanket over your lap, and dig into this wonderful debut. You won’t be sorry.
This is a moving story of love and loss. I was afraid it would be heavy on the loss but it was handled beautifully. Great debut novel!