The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo follows the Sorenson family over several decades. Marilyn & David fall deeply in love in the 70's and have four daughters: Wendy, Violet, Liza & Grace. The 4 girls grow up searching for something even close to what their parents have, still so deeply in love after all these years. The perfect marriage.
Wendy has been through more heartbreak than one could imagine and still is struggling to get people to take her seriously. Violet seems like she has the perfect life until a long-buried secret threatens to ruin it all. Liza finds herself pregnant with a partner who is unreliable and she's questioning if she can take care of two people. And Grace, the youngest child begins living a completely fabricated life that even her family can't believe. When Jonah Bendt arrives & rocks the entire family, all off the sisters are left wondering if this is all there is to life & if they will ever find a love like their parents.
THIS BOOK. My heart. I loved how the book alternated POV & shifted back to different years in Marilyn & David's marriage and the present. All four children have such an image in their heads of this perfect marriage which is brilliantly juxtaposed with the marital ups & downs that Marilyn & David face through the years. I think for most people - your parents are your heroes when you're growing up. They can do no wrong & they seem to have the answers to everything. And often times I think they try & do a good job of protecting their children from the struggles they are facing. As you get older, you learn your parents are just people. Most of it isn't perfect but they are usually doing the best they can at the time. You start to see they’re flawed, and just trying to get through it like the rest of us. This book does such a remarkable job of reiterating that life is a series of moments. It's finding the moments of joy through the pain & difficult times that make it worth it. I can't even believe this is a debut. It is fantastically written and just so so so so good - in my top 5 of the year. I'm still thinking about this family & everyone will enjoy this masterpiece.
