You and Me and Us by Alison Hammer ~ Review

by Susan Roberts

"It's those moments when I see what it's doing to them, this disease that's killing my body, breath by breath.  That's when I know I made the right decision.  Because even though I'm the one that's sick, it's killing all of us. And it would be selfish of me to hold on, to make them suffer even one more day than they have to." (p 290)

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

April 2020; William Morrow; 978-0062993861
audio, ebook, print (432 pages); women's fiction

You and Me and Us is an emotional, beautifully written debut novel by Alison Hammer that will make you laugh and make you cry.  The characters are so real - flaws and all - and even though parts of the book are very emotional and sad, the overwhelming feeling is one of love.

Alexis and Tommy have been together for over 15 years and have a teenage daughter CeCe.  They have many of the same problems as everyone - Mom works too much, Dad works from home and daughter and dad get along but she and her mother constantly disagree.  Life is good for all of them...until Tommy finds out that he has terminal lung cancer and only has several months to live.  He decides not to fight it and to enjoy what little time he has left with his family.  The three of them travel from Atlanta to Destin, Florida, where Tommy grew up and where Alexis spent her summers.  Alexis and CeCe are reluctant to go to Florida but they go so that Tommy can enjoy his last days.  Alexis wants to put her family first in her life and takes a leave of absence from the job she loves and tries to keep everyone happy.  Tommy is happy just to be spending time with her but CeCe still battles with her constantly.  Alexis is afraid that when Tommy dies, she and CeCe will not be able to make a family of two - that Tommy was really the glue that held them together.  Can Alexis and CeCe learn to trust and respect each other again after Tommy dies and they return home?

You and Me and Us is a beautifully written book about life and death, family and friends.  The pain and the love the family goes through is emotional and heartwarming but is also very real and not sugar-coated.  This is the story of survival for this family and how they get through it with love and their friendships.  These are characters that I won't soon forget.  This is a debut novel by this author and I can't wait to see what she writes next.

WARNING - Don't be too far away from a box of tissue when you read this - you're going to need them!

Buy You and Me and Us at Amazon

Purchase Links: HarperCollins | Barnes & Noble

Author Links: Website, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook

Susan Roberts lives in North Carolina when she isn't traveling. She and her husband enjoy traveling, gardening and spending time with their family and friends. She reads almost anything (and the piles of books in her house prove that) but her favorite genres are Southern fiction, women's fiction, and thrillers. Susan is a top 1% Goodreads Reviewer. You can connect with Susan on Facebook, Goodreads, or Twitter.

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