Immediate Family

by Eileen Goudge

Fifteen years after their Princeton graduation, Jay, Franny, Emerson, and Stevie meet at a college reunion. Life has taken each of them in different directions — Jay is a married man with a baby on the way, while Franny yearns for a child. Divorced single mom Emerson is drawn to a man who challenges her assumptions about finding a once-in-a-lifetime love. And Stevie has recently been rocked by a shocking revelation — the answer to a long-kept family secret.

Now the bond between them takes a surprising twist, one that changes how each feels about family and friendship. One thing is certain: They will all find their heart's desires in the last place they imagine — as they discover that family is less about blood ties than the warm embrace of ones who accept them as they are.

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Chick Lit, Adult, Contemporary, Womens Fiction

337 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

I began writing at the age of eight and wrote my way through the lean years before I found success as New York Times' bestselling author with my first novel GARDEN OF LIES. To date I have published 19 novels and a cookbook. Every life experience I've weathered has found its way into my novels in one form or another: bad exes, births, deaths, divorces, romances, and even true crime. My heroines are like me: tough cookies who don't crumble.

My latest novel, Book One of my Gold Creek series, ALL THEY NEED TO KNOW, is the story of a woman fleeing her abusive ex who finds refuge in a small California mountain town, where she's befriended by a group of women who call themselves The Tattooed Ladies and reinvents herself as a police sketch artist. Kyra "draws lines to stop crimes," as they say in the biz, never imagining she'll one day be forced to confront the biggest criminal of all: her ex.

I'm married to former entertainment reporter Sandy Kenyon and the mother of two grown children. We live in Sacramento, California, where we remodeled a 1940's house for which I was the on-site project manager. Fortunately, multi-tasking is my superpower, so I was able to write a book and supervise a home remodel at the same time. The latter is sure to find its way into a future book. Follow me on Instagram and Facebook to see pics of my home remodel and other adventures.

Reviews

[Krasimira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Книгата е много подходяща за уикенда. Бързо се чете. Интересни истории.

[Nina Draganova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Въпреки , че е абсолютно предвидима и ординарна , книгата се чете лесно и бързо , и почти не ти доскучава.
Още повече има толкова много герои и истории, че трябва да се замисляш , кой кой е.
Но е добре , че всичките се развиват в една книга и не прераства в н-логия.
Разбира се , въпреки всичките препятствия, края е още по-очакван. Захаросан до втрисане.
Не бях чела нищо от авторката, защото имам чувството , че е от тези , които пишат на конвейер. Но не съжалявам, имаше някои добри попадения и неща , които да науча.

[Diana Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful, fast read!

[Sierra Lirette · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of characters to keep up with, but a good story.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Friends from college who stayed together and connected as they went their separate ways, come.back together for a birth of a baby. A loss of another. For marriage and throw in a little mystery of a shooting. Kind of quirky, but an ok read.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

You’ve read this story before. Four friends from college that stayed friends in life and some major life changing events brings them even closer together. I can’t remember if it was a reunion that brought them together or they never really separated. Either way, it doesn’t really matter. This story worked out a bit too picture perfect for my liking. I do like books with loads of friends though. The life I wish I had. ANYWAY. The book starts with Girl #1 who is an entertainment reporter in Los Angeles and doesn’t know who her father is and her hippie mother finally tells her that the musician in the news for killing an old girlfriend is her father. She sneaks into his house and for some reason, he accepts her quickly. So freakin’ weird. Girl #2 seems fairly normal, but realizes she wants a baby so the wife of her best friend from college (Dude) who is pregnant already, suggests that Dude donate his sperm to Girl #2. Another, so freakin’ weird. Wife ends up loosing the baby and she and Dude end up separating. While Girl #2 is pregnant with Dudes baby, she meets a guy, a friend of Girl #1’s and they have a long distance relationship as she is in NY and he is in LA. Guys that like pregnant girls whose kid isn’t theirs really weirds me out, especially since we have been told all our lives that men freak out about kids, why would you want one that isn’t even yours? I hate shit like this. Of course, Girl #2 and Dude get together. Girl #3 is way upper-class and gets together with the nurse (male, black) of her mothers who is one of those upper-class bougie people. This whole story didn’t really have much to do with the other three, but I think I liked it best, even though the mother tries to get rid of the nurse, because he is in the country as a student anyway. It would have been better if he really had done something wrong, but at the same time, would have been so predictable. The whole book was like one lucky shiny penny to these people, everything worked out for them in the end. Blah.

Grade: C-

[Elizabeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

Could not get into this book and stopped at page 75. Too many characters introduced right away. The women and their relationships are so dumb, I knew I'd hate them even more if I kept reading!

[LittleDeadRedGoddessPersephone · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 out of 5 stars

I normally don't read a lot of romance heavy books unless they were books I read years ago and still love. I do have a few guilty pleasures but this one interested me because for one thing about long time friends and I do have a soft spot for that kind of story. One of my favorite movies is "The Big Chill" so that tells you the kind of stories I like. This was a very quick and easy read. I started it on a Saturday night and was finished by Sunday. I actually think this was the perfect kind of book to read during this very stressful time.

Jay,Stevie,Franny and Emmerson have been friends since they met at Princeton. After graduation each went their own way and all have very successful careers. Their love lives have not always been so great though.

Every main character was likable and each had their own distinctive voice. Yes, there is romance but this is more than a story about romance. It is about friendship as well!

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fifteen years after graduation, best friends Jay, Franny, Emerson, and Stevie meet at their college reunion. Life has taken each of them in different directions -- Jay is a married man with a baby on the way while Franny yearns for a child as she searches for love in all the wrong places. Divorced single mom Emerson is drawn to a man who challenges everything she's come to believe about finding a once-in-a-lifetime love. And Stevie's life has recently been rocked by a shocking revelation -- the answer to a family secret that will shatter everything she believes about herself.

Now the bond between the foursome takes a surprising twist, one that changes how each feels about family and friendship. One thing is certain: They will all find their heart's desires in the last place they imagine -- as they discover that family is less about blood ties than the warm embrace of ones who accept them as they are.

[Eli · Rating 2 out of 5]

Прочетох я, аз тази книжка...
Ами, не успя да ме развълнува.Авторката ни среща с четирима души и ни запознава с тяхната история. Както се разбира и от заглавието, основната тема е любовта. Героите я търсят, борят се за нея и т.н. и.т.н. Не ми хареса това, че историите в романа се развиха прекалено набързо - липсваше ми напрежението, очакването и вълнението. Героите се харесват, влюбват се и след три страници вече заживяват щастливо - никаква емоция ...

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

As I was reading this book, I felt like I'd read it before....I think I may have, back before I joined Goodreads. It also had echoes of a recent Diane Chamberlain book I've read....it was a re-issue of an old book, first published as Private Relations...Secrets at The Beach House (I think) This book wasn't bad, but just wasn't great....

[Janet · Rating 2 out of 5]

Story of 4 friends who each find their heart's desire at the last place imagined.

[Maureen Neylon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn’t finish it, just lost interest.

[Borislava Kratunkova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Наистина историята е обикновена,но същевременно разказана по един изключително увлекателен начин. Нищо непредвидимо в отношенията между героите,но приятно лятно четиво.

[Anita Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

So sacchariny that I got a toothache.

[Vicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this during my lunch break at work. Was a simple easy read though it was predictable. It would also be a good beach book.

[Milena Vutova · Rating 3 out of 5]

Лека, непретенциозна книга,чете се бързо, но не е уау.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would read more books by this author.

[Barb Bailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book was what i call a beach read or chic lit.... it was an easy summer read...about 3 friends all going through different struggles and looking for love....all tied up with happy endings.

[Sue Erdman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed it!

[Deborah Oliver · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very slow book. Just a sappy love story x 4. Nothing special about this book. Kind of cheesy.

[Debralieberman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best friends who share the ups and downs of their lives.

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not a romantic lit fan, but I like Eileen Goudge and have read most of her books. This is okay. It reminded me of "The Big Chill" at first. It was predictable but a feel-good book done well.

[Rebecca L. Greene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy read. Predictable. If you like friendships and romance this book is for you.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was very "meh". Because there were so many characters, I felt disconnected from all of them. I also could not see why these very different women would be lifelong friends, considering they had little in common. The many separate plot lines made it feel more like a soap opera than a regular novel, and though I kept reading to see how it turned out, how it turned out was truly as predictable as it seemed from the beginning. Disappointing, but not terrible. Two stars.

[Synova · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a random book I picked up at Borders on a whim. It's the story of 4 college friends, 15 years or so after their college graduation. It flips back and forth between all four of their lives... very enjoyable characters, but since it flips back and forth so much, I felt like I didn't get to know them very well.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would really give this book a 3 and a half. I liked it and it was a quick read, but some of the characters bothered me a little. I know everyone has their issues, but the characters in this book make the issues there they are facing take over their whole lives. I know that I am saying this because I am not facing those issues. All in all I liked the book and I would recommend it to my friends.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

This must have been a really great book to me since I have no recollection of even reading it. Wow. I usually will at least remember if I liked something, even if I don't remember every plot detail. I'm giving it two stars because I did finish it, but not more than that since I don't remember it.

[Nat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it up until the last quarter of the book. In a way, I should say I saw most of the ending coming, but I really hoped it wasn't as predictable while everyone got everything they wanted. Emerson and Stevie were my favorite characters, as I resonated the most with Emerson's and her mother's relationship

[Kristin R · Rating 3 out of 5]

A light and entertaining book about 4 college friends (from Princeton) as they meet at their college reunion and the few years that follow. 3 live in NY and on in LA, their ups and downs with their love lives and families.