Sometimes funny, often poignant, All Together Now is an account of a tight group of high school friends that soon went their separate ways. Now in their mid-thirties, one member of the group, Robbie, is diagnosed with a terminal illness and asks his friends to gather once more. He has become extremely rich in the years since high school and he’s hoping to use his wealth to help his friends achieve their dreams since his own was cut short. He soon finds that he can’t control their lives any more than he can his own death. The characters are well-fleshed out with their own separate storylines that come together well. The author captures Fenwick Island well; it’s a sleepy little shoreline town that you’d never know is less than 10 miles from the carnival that is Ocean City, MD. The pace moves along quickly. It’s a little heavier than a beach read, but you can always pretend you got sand in your eye as you read the ending.

I received this Advanced Reader Copy of All Together Now from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Description

At just thirty-five, reclusive billionaire Robbie Malcolm is a renowned financial prognosticator, a celebrated philanthropist, and a mathematical genius. Also, he’s dying, which is a fact he’s carefully concealing from the world.

As he takes stock, Robbie realizes that his wealth means nothing if he can’t help the people who matter most. So he invites his oldest friends—Blair, Cat, and Wade—to their beloved Fenwick Island on the coast of Delaware to share his secret and to reveal plans for each of them that he believes will change their lives forever.

However, Robbie isn’t the only one with secrets. The bonds the friends formed as teenagers still exist, but adulthood has brought a whole new set of complications, like unrequited loves, marriages on the brink, and so much unfulfilled potential. Robbie’s plans may look good on paper, but are they any match for the utter disaster that is real life?

As everything comes to light over a wild weekend full of surprises, Robbie learns there are still some things money can’t buy, and a group of friends who thought their best years were behind them realize just how much they have to look forward to.