Holly Chamberlin – författare

In a picturesque seaside town in Maine, two families face choices and changes over the course of one eventful summer: “Compelling.”—The Pilot   Everyone in Yorktide, Maine, knows sixteen-year-old Sarah Bauer. She’s a good student and a dutiful daughter, as well as a beloved best friend to Cordelia Kane. So it’s a surprise to all when sensible Sarah reveals that she’s pregnant.   Though shocked, Sarah’s family is supportive. But while Sarah reconciles herself to a new and different future, the consequences ripple in all directions. Her father—a proud, old-time Mainer—tries to find more work to defray expenses. Her younger sister grapples with a secret she can’t share. Cordelia feels abandoned, and Cordelia’s mother faces the repercussions of a long-ago decision. As Sarah’s mother frets about how she’ll juggle childcare with her job at the local quilting store, she seizes on an idea: to band together and make a baby quilt. Piece by piece, a beautiful design emerges. And as it progresses, reflecting the hopes and cares of the women who create it, each will find strength in the friendship and love that sustains them, in hardship and in joy . . .  Praise for the writing of Holly Chamberlin “A thoughtful social commentary and tender narration of friendship and loyalty.” —Publishers Weekly on Last Summer   “Nostalgia over real-life friendships lost and regained pulls readers into the story.” —USA Today on Summer Friends

Bestselling author Holly Chamberlin’s heartfelt novel, set in a beautiful Maine beach town, tells of three sisters—and one summer filled with revelations…When Poppy Higgins left Yorktide, Maine, for Boston, she pictured future visits home as brief diversions from her real life in the big city. Fate had different ideas, and at twenty-five, Poppy has been called back to care for her two younger sisters following their father’s death.Sixteen-year-old Daisy resents Poppy’s long absence and chafes under her sometimes fumbling efforts to be a parent. Violet, now thirteen, is a virtual stranger to her oldest sister. Once a happy, united family, the Higginses seem adrift, and Poppy longs to escape her responsibilities. But when Daisy befriends Evie, an enigmatic newcomer to Yorktide, the young woman will be an unlikely catalyst in the sisters’ journey back to each other. For as Poppy discovers the deep loss in Evie’s life, she awakens to the truth about her own, and about the town, and the people, she’s tried to leave behind.Filled with the candid warmth of real sisterhood, Summer with My Sisters explores the many forms a family can take, and the unspoken ties that endure, season after season…

Three strangers find solace and friendship at a Martha’s Vineyard beach house one summer in this touching novel by the author of Living Single.

The little beach house on Martha’s Vineyard has a rickety porch and no closets, but the gorgeous location is unbeatable—and more than enough to entice three total strangers into a house share for the summer . . . At first, the only thing Gincy, Danielle, and Clare have in common is a desire to spend weekends away from the city. No-nonsense Gincy has worked hard to leave her small-town childhood behind. Danielle grew up with every advantage and is looking for a husband who’ll fit neatly into her pampered life, while Clare is enjoying a last burst of independence before marrying her ambitious fiancé. Yet lazy beach days and warm, conversation-filled nights forge an unexpected connection. And over the course of one eventful summer, Gincy, Danielle, and Clare will discover that friendship isn’t always measured in how well you know a person’s past—but in opening each other’s eyes to everything the future could hold . . .

Praise for the writing of Holly Chamberlin

“Nostalgia over real-life friendships lost and regained pulls readers into the story.” —USA Today on Summer Friends “It does the trick as a beach book and provides a touristy taste of Maine’s seasonal attractions.” —Publishers Weekly on The Family Beach House

“Fans of Sex in the City will enjoy” this tale of a Boston woman’s rocky road to finding herself by the author of Barefoot in the Sand (Booklist).   From Holly Chamberlin, author of Tuscan Holiday and Summer Friends, comes a witty, insightful novel chronicling a year in one woman’s quest to find love, joy—and herself . . .   At twenty, singlehood is a lifestyle choice. At thirty-two, it starts to feel like an affliction. Erin Weston has a rewarding PR career, loyal friends, and a wonderful Boston condo. But in between weekend brunches, farmers’ market forays, and dinners in Cambridge and the South End, Erin can’t shake the sense that something’s missing. The traditional ideal—husband, house, clothing-coordinated children—once seemed too obvious, and pride in her accomplishments doesn’t keep the loneliness at bay. Now, ready to venture into uncharted territory, Erin is going to claim the life she thinks she wants. And in the process, she might just figure out exactly what—and who—she really needs . . .  Praise for the writing of Holly Chamberlin   “Nostalgia over real-life friendships lost and regained pulls readers into the story.” —USA Today on Summer Friends   “An honest, forceful novel about love, family, and sacrifice.” —Booklist on One Week in December   “It does the trick as a beach book and provides a touristy taste of Maine’s seasonal attractions.” —Publishers Weekly on The Family Beach House

“A thoughtful social commentary and tender narration of friendship and loyalty” from the bestselling author of A Wedding on the Beach (Publishers Weekly).   The town of Yorktide, close to Maine’s beautiful beaches and the city of Portland, seems like the perfect place to raise a family. For Jane Patterson, there’s another advantage: her best friend, Frannie Giroux, lives next door, and their teenaged daughters, Rosie and Meg, are inseparable. But in the girls’ freshman year of high school, everything changes. Rosie—quiet, shy, and also very pretty—attracts the sneers and slights of a clique of older girls. Over time, the bullying worsens. When Meg betrays their friendship, fearful that she too will be targeted, Rosie suffers an emotional breakdown. Blaming both Meg and Frannie, Jane tries to help Rosie heal while dealing with her own guilt and anger. In the months that follow, each struggles with the ideas of forgiveness and compassion, of knowing when a friendship is shattered beyond repair—and when hope can be salvaged, one small moment at a time…Praise for Holly Chamberlin “Nostalgia over real-life friendships lost and regained pulls readers into the story.”—USA Today on Summer Friends “A great summer read but with substance. It will find a wide audience in its exploration of sisterhood, family, and loss.”—Library Journal on Summer with My Sisters   “A dramatic and moving portrait of several generations of a family and each person’s place within it.”—Booklist on The Family Beach House

In this compelling, heartfelt novel from the bestselling author of Tuscan Holiday and The Friends We Keep, a family reunited for the holidays explores the price of secrets, the power of regret, and the choices that can change everything. . . The Rowans'' rambling Maine farmhouse is just big enough to contain the family members gathered there in the week before Christmas. Becca Rowan has driven north from Boston with one thought in mind--reclaiming the daughter she gave up when she was a frightened teenager. Raised by Becca''s older brother and his wife, Rain Rowan, now sixteen, has no idea she was adopted. And though Becca agreed not to reveal the truth until Rain turned twenty-one, lately that promise, along with all her career success, counts for little in the face of her loneliness and longing. But while Becca anticipates shock at her announcement, she''s unprepared for the depth of her family''s reactions. Her brother is angry and fearful of losing the daughter he adores; her sister Olivia, oblivious to her crumbling marriage, reveals long-buried resentments, while Becca''s parents are torn between concern and guilt. And as the Rowans'' neighbor, Alex, draws her deeper into an unexpected friendship, Becca begins to challenge her own preconceptions about family, about love, and about the courage needed to live with--and sometimes change--the decisions we make. . .

A woman discovers that nothing can disrupt a perfect wedding like an unplanned pregnancy in this novel by the author of Living Single.  And to think pink was once my favorite color . . .   Then the two pink lines appeared. Pink, as in positive . . . as in pregnant . . . as in pure, unadulterated panic. This wasn’t supposed to happen: I’m scheduled to marry the handsome, successful, and very appropriate Ross Davis in six months. Unfortunately, while Ross may not rock my world with kitchen-table sex, his technique worked well enough to put a bun in my thirtysomething oven . . .   Don’t get me wrong, babies are great—in theory. But I enjoyed my life the way it was. Loved my job, my rooftop apartment, my friends; was having fun planning my wedding and gazing at my pretty three-carat diamond. I didn't need anything more . . . did I? Well, whatever I needed, here’s what I currently have: A nasty case of morning sickness, a future mother-in-law obsessed with “Ross’s Baby,” and a custom-designed wedding dress I’ll soon be too fat to wear.   Now, as I burst the seams on my pencil skirts, I’m trying to take some small comfort in the fact that one is never too bloated for a really cute purse. But impending motherhood also has me reassessing more than my wardrobe—and wondering how fast I can finish growing up . . .

A mother and daughter travel to Italy together—and discover a world of new possibilities and second chances . . .   Marina Caldwell is thrilled to receive a two-week trip to Tuscany as a college graduation gift. That is, until she realizes her mother wants to go with her. The gulf between idealistic single parent Elizabeth and cautious, controlled Marina seems too wide to bridge, even with the aid of chilled Prosecco and mouthwatering panforte.   But amid the magical sights and scents of Florence, Marina’s careful plans for her vacation—and her future—are thrown into chaos, and Elizabeth’s long-held assumptions crumble. Soon a world of unexpected possibilities unfolds for both—buoyed by newfound courage, unshakeable love, and the stirring beauty of a Tuscan sky . . .  Praise for the writing of Holly Chamberlin   “Nostalgia over real-life friendships lost and regained pulls readers into the story.” —USA Today on Summer Friends   “It does the trick as a beach book and provides a touristy taste of Maine's seasonal attractions.” —Publishers Weekly on The Family Beach House

A heartfelt novel of friendship, marriage, divorce, and starting over, from the bestselling author of Barefoot in the Sand.   Jess’s marriage has ended after she was caught having an affair. Nell’s husband has left her for another man. Laura’s marriage fell apart over a disagreement about having children, and Grace is still supporting her freeloading ex.   These four Boston women are still getting used to being single again—but there comes a time to put regrets and resentments aside and get back in the game . . .  Praise for the novels of Holly Chamberlin   “Nostalgia over real-life friendships lost and regained pulls readers into the story.” —USA Today on Summer Friends   “It does the trick as a beach book and provides a touristy taste of Maine's seasonal attractions.” —Publishers Weekly on The Family Beach House

Four all-new holiday offerings from today’s favorite authors remind us that when love is on your list, you never have to stop believing. . . .  “A Winter Wonderland” by #1 New York Times–bestselling author Fern Michaels Angelica Shepard left New York for Christmas in Colorado to relax and unwind—but an out-of-control snowboarder almost had her laid to rest. When she wakes up in the hospital, all she remembers is the handsome angel who saved her . . .  “The Joy of Christmas” by Holly Chamberlin, bestselling author of All Our Summers Not all happiness is good for you—or that’s what Iris Karr thinks when she decides to move away instead of marrying her sweetheart Ben. Even years later, living with that decision isn't easy—until a familiar face comes to call her home for the holidays . . .  “The Christmas Thief” by New York Times–bestselling author Leslie Meier Elizabeth Stone is ready for a white Christmas in Tinker’s Cove, Maine—until a fancy Yule ball at the Florida hotel where she works dumps snow on her plans. The sponsor’s jewels have gone missing and the police are asking about her ties to a cute mystery guest. Good thing Elizabeth’s mother, Lucy Stone, flew down to surprise her. ’Tis the season for a little investigating . . .  “The Christmas Collector” by New York Times–bestselling author Kristina McMorris Estate liquidator Jenna Matthews isn’t one for Christmas nostalgia. But when one grandmother’s keepsakes suggest a secret life, unwrapping the mystery leads Jenna—and her client’s handsome grandson—to the true heart of the holiday spirit.

That summer feeling: sun-filled days, warm nights, and the sweet expectation that comes with finding—or rediscovering—love…   HIS BRIDE TO BE Lisa Jackson The job perks: a two-week luxury cruise in the company of one of the most eligible bachelors on the West Coast. But posing as Hale Donovan’s fiancée to finesse a takeover deal will challenge all of Valerie Pryce’s resolve to keep business and pleasure separate…YOU AGAIN Elizabeth Bass A group yoga tour to Peru is the last place Meredith expects to see her workaholic ex-boyfriend, Sam. Seven years have changed everything—except Meredith’s regret at abruptly running away. Yet amid the magnificent views and ancient ruins, a new chance may be waiting…RETURN TO HAMPTON BEACH Mary Carter Jacob was the shy, kind twin. Chris was wild and dangerous. As a teenager, Celia Jensen was a little in love with them both. Now Celia is coming back to Hampton Beach for a summer, where she’ll untangle the lie that broke her heart.SUMMER MEMORIES Holly Chamberlin There’s nowhere Ellen would rather nurse her wounds after her ex’s betrayal than Ogunquit, Maine—a little beach town where she spent idyllic childhood summers. Then Ellen meets a charming local artist who challenges her to create new memories…

A picturesque Maine beach town is the setting for Holly Chamberlin’s touching and thought-provoking new novel, as a mother struggles to reconnect with her long lost daughter...Every year on March 26th, Verity Peterson visits Ogunquit Beach, where she puts a handwritten message into a bottle and launches it into the waves. It’s a ritual of remembrance for the daughter she hasn’t seen in sixteen years—not since her baby’s father, Alan, took two-month-old Gemma and disappeared. Verity keeps searching and hoping, sustained by the thought that someday she might get to be a mother to her own child. And finally, one phone call may change everything…Verity learns that Alan is now in jail on abduction charges—and Marni Armstrong, born Gemma Peterson-Burns, is coming to live with Verity in Yorktide, Maine. But this isn’t the joyful reunion Verity imagined. Gemma has been raised to believe Verity was an unfit mother who left Alan no choice but to take her out of harm’s way. Over the course of one summer, Verity tries to reach a tough, wary young woman who’s more stranger than daughter. And Gemma must reexamine everything she thought about her parents—and decide whether to trust in a relationship that, though delicate as a seashell on the surface, could prove to be just as beautiful and resilient.   Praise for the novels of Holly Chamberlin“Chamberlin’s latest is a great summer read but with substance. It will find a wide audience in its exploration of sisterhood, family, and loss.” – Library Journal on Summer With My Sisters“Nostalgia over real-life friendships lost and regained pulls readers into the story.” - USA Today on Summer Friends

A mother and daughter escape to coastal Maine to find healing in the wake of heartbreaking loss in a poignant novel by the author of All Our Summers.   The journey to Yorktide, Maine, was always a happy one for Frieda and Aaron Braithwaite and their two daughters. Frieda loves her mother’s old farmhouse, and the girls have grown closer there, sharing a bedroom and spinning stories into the night. But that was before—when tragedy was something that happened to other families.   Since the car crash that claimed the lives of her husband and their younger daughter, Frieda has struggled emotionally and financially. Bella, now seventeen, is withdrawn and wary, and Frieda fears losing her too.   At her mother’s urging, Frieda decides to return to Yorktide with Bella for the summer. Bella gets a job in a local shop, and little by little edges her way back into the world. But it’s the unexpected connections they make—with a former schoolmate, a troubled teenage girl, and Frieda’s estranged father—that will spur them to find healing amid bittersweet memories, and discover if their bond is strong enough to guide them back to hope once more.  Praise for the writing of Holly Chamberlin   “Chamberlin’s latest is a great summer read but with substance. It will find a wide audience in its exploration of sisterhood, family, and loss.” —Library Journal on Summer With My Sisters   “Nostalgia over real-life friendships lost and regained pulls readers into the story.” —USA Today on Summer Friends

The bestselling author of The Beach Quilt sets a tale of friendship, family, and newfound love against the beautiful backdrop of coastal Maine.

Every June, the quiet beach town of Ogunquit is overtaken by wealthy families who hire local young women like Amy Latimer and Hayley Franklin to care for their children. Best friends since childhood, Amy and Hayley are eager to secure lucrative summer jobs to finance their future hopes and dreams . . .   Amy is immediately in thrall to her dynamic boss, Cressida Prior, so different from Amy’s mother, Leda. Though skilled at creating tapestries and rugs, Leda lacks confidence. But one thing she does know, after a painful summer long ago as a nanny herself, is how damaging a manipulative boss can be.   Hayley’s employers, Jon and Marisa Whitby, are loving parents to their two-year-old twins. Jon also has a grown son by a previous marriage. Ethan is kind, handsome, and not least, wealthy. For the first time, Hayley, usually so selfless, can’t help seeing him as an opportunity.   But the passing weeks bring complications and revelations, altering friendships, testing the bond between mothers and daughters, and proving that the ripples from a single season can last forever . . .  Praise for the novels of Holly Chamberlin   “There is sure to be much clamor for this latest beach read. Recommend it to fans of Claire Cook and Elin Hilderbrand.”—Booklist on Home for the Summer   “Chamberlin’s latest is a great summer read but with substance. It will find a wide audience in its exploration of sisterhood, family, and loss.”—Library Journal on Summer with My Sisters

Against the irresistible backdrop of Christmas in New England, bestselling author Holly Chamberlin creates a heartfelt and memorable novel—a story of reunited family, new beginnings, and unconditional love—the best gift of all.To outsiders, Appleville, New Hampshire, is a storybook small town complete with a little white church and a gazebo on the village green. To Gincy Gannon Luongo, it was a place to escape from, as quickly and as permanently as she could. Since she moved away twenty years ago, Appleville has been her hometown in name only. But at her brother Tommy’s urging, Gincy is coming back to visit their recently widowed mother in the weeks leading up to Christmas—and she’s bringing her teenage daughter, Tamsin, with her.Ellen Gannon, once feisty and strong-willed, is mired in depression six months after losing her husband. Tommy isn’t doing much better. Gincy starts restoring order to the household in her usual practical way, but the real issues run much deeper than an empty fridge or an unpaid bill. Imagined slights and lingering resentments have created chasms between them all.With each passing day, Gincy realizes she has seriously undervalued her mother and underestimated her brother. Only now, with the support of her husband, daughter, and best friends, is she starting to see how much she may have missed. For beyond the surface of every family and every picturesque town is something more complicated but infinitely more rewarding—a tapestry of those small acts of acceptance, love, and loyalty that could transform this Christmas into the best Gincy’s ever known.Praise for The Season of Us   “Chamberlin offers a warm and witty tale of two women who learn how to relate to one another after years of misunderstandings and hurt feelings, set in picturesque New England. This heartfelt and emotional story will appeal to members of the Sandwich Generation or anyone who has had to set aside long-buried childhood resentments for the well-being of an aging parent. Fans of Elin Hilderbrand and Wendy Wax will adore this genuine exploration of family bonds, personal growth, and acceptance.” – Booklist   “Chamberlin (Seashell Season) successfully portrays a family at their best and worst as they struggle through their first holiday without a beloved husband and father and have to redefine their relationships.”– Library Journal   “Chamberlin’s feel-good holiday tale is about love, hope, and going home again – minus the arrogant blinders of youth. Delivered via a pleasant yet honest conversational narrative with injections of humor, readers get a very intimate fly-on-the-wall perspective of a family still grieving the death of its patriarch. The characters are genuine and play their respective parts wonderfully. But it’s the way the author expertly dissects the dynamics of the family and her star’s progression from uncompromising to compassionate that awes.”– RT Book Reviews, 4 Stars

For a mother and her almost-grown daughters, Christmas in coastal Maine difficult choices, new surprises and a chance at love in this heartfelt novel.At first glance, Nell King''s cozy home in Yorktide, Maine, seems a step down from the impeccable house she shared with her husband in Boston. But in the six years since he abruptly left to marry another woman, Nell and her daughters have found real happiness here. Now, faced with what may be their last Christmas together, Nell feels anxious. She gave up her own ambitions when she married. What will become of her once her daughters leave the nest?Twenty-one-year-old Molly worries about sacrificing her independence the way her mother did. Should she stay in Maine with her dependable boyfriend, or move to the city and prove herself? Felicity, meanwhile, is torn between loyalty to Nell and wanting to spend time with her glamorous stepmother. Nell is eager to make this holiday picture-perfect. But there''s a complication—and an opportunity.Nell''s first love, now a successful novelist, is in town for a book signing. As the two rekindle their friendship, Nell confronts the choices she once made in the name of stability. And as the days unfold with revelations and unexpected gifts, this Christmas promises to herald a bright new beginning . . .

Summer in Maine means breezy, sun-kissed beach days, golden evenings, and, in bestselling author Holly Chamberlin’s irresistible novels, a time for self-discovery and surprising connections . . . Sometimes you sense something, deep inside, long before it’s proven true. Thirty-year-old Petra Quirk has always felt as if a vital element of her life is missing. It’s not until she moves back to the small town of Eliot’s Corner for the summer that she learns why. Rummaging in the attic, Petra comes across a diary. The discovery prompts her mother, Elizabeth, to make a confession to her three daughters. Decades ago, she fell in love with her husband’s best friend, Chris—and Petra is Chris’s child . . .   Elizabeth ended the affair before she learned she was pregnant, and Chris has no idea he’s a father. Hugh, who Petra believed to be her dad, was a good-natured but self-centered, blustering man. He and Chris seemed to have little in common, though their friendship was genuine. Elizabeth loved Chris deeply yet refused to tear her family apart. Even since Hugh’s death, she’s resisted contacting Chris. But Petra, floundering and unsure of her path, is compelled to search out her biological father, though she knows it will complicate her relationship with her family.   Over the course of two summers, decades apart, romance will be kindled and rekindled, life-altering decisions made, and secrets of the heart will come to light at last.  Praise for the novels of Holly Chamberlin  “A great summer read but with substance. It will find a wide audience in its exploration of sisterhood, family, and loss.” —Library Journal on Summer with My Sisters“Nostalgia over real-life friendships lost and regained pulls readersinto the story.”  —USA Today on Summer Friends