Review: The Ramblers by Aidan Donnelley Rowley

The Ramblers

by Aidan Donnelley Rowley

Publisher: William Morrow

Pages: 400

Format: ARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Set in the most magical parts of Manhattan—the Upper West Side, Central Park, Greenwich Village—The Ramblers explores the lives of three lost souls, bound together by friendship and family. During the course of one fateful Thanksgiving week, a time when emotions run high and being with family can be a mixed blessing, Rowley’s sharply defined characters explore the moments when decisions are deliberately made, choices accepted, and pasts reconciled.

Clio Marsh, whose bird-watching walks through Central Park are mentioned in New York Magazine, is taking her first tentative steps towards a relationship while also looking back to the secrets of her broken childhood. Her best friend, Smith Anderson, the seemingly-perfect daughter of one of New York’s wealthiest families, organizes the lives of others as her own has fallen apart. And Tate Pennington has returned to the city, heartbroken but determined to move ahead with his artistic dreams.


Kritters Thoughts:  Three friends are reunited in New York and each has a personal secret that they have kept from people and through the book each of their secrets are revealed in various ways and they have to live with the repercussions of those secrets and how they affect others.  

Two girls and a boy are the main characters in this book and each have chapters in the book to tell their own stories.  I loved that this was different, the addition of a male main character was nice.  I read a lot of books with women as main characters, so I enjoy that a man was thrown into this mix and it just gave a little more to this one.  

I also loved that this book moved chronologically, so although it took place over a few days, when one character was the main, the others were involved, but the story kept moving forward.  The reader doesn't go back and re read the same days but through other eyes, instead it just keeps moving forward which made the reading experience just enjoyable.  

I own Rowley's other book Life After Yes, and after reading and loving this book, I am excited to pick up that one even more.


Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Little Bird Publicity.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.