The Jetsetters

By: Amanda Eyre Ward

Narrated by: Therese Plummer

Length: 8 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's Summary

A Reese's Book Club x Hello Sunshine Book Pick

"Are you ready to set sail on a literary adventure? This month I am listening to The Jetsetters by Amanda Eyre Ward! I love the sense of adventure in this story - it’s about a disconnected family that reunites on a cruise ship traveling through Europe. If you're packing for spring break, be sure to include a copy of this fun listen and follow along with Reese’s Book Club!" (Reese Witherspoon) 

When 70-year-old Charlotte Perkins submits a sexy essay to the "Become a Jetsetter" contest, she dreams of reuniting her estranged children: Lee, an almost-famous actress; Cord, a handsome Manhattan venture capitalist who can't seem to find a bride; and Regan, a harried mother who took it all wrong when Charlotte bought her a Weight Watchers gift certificate for her birthday. Charlotte yearns for the years when her children were young and she was a single mother who meant everything to them. 

When she wins the cruise, the family packs all their baggage - literal and figurative - and spends 10 days traveling from sun-drenched Athens through glorious Rome to tapas-laden Barcelona on an over-the-top cruise ship, the Splendido Marveloso. As lovers new and old join the adventure, long-buried secrets are revealed, and the Perkins family is forced to confront the defining choices in their lives. 

Can four lost adults find the peace they've been seeking by reconciling their childhood aches and coming back to each other? In the vein of The Nest and The Vacationers, Ward has created a delicious and intelligent novel about the courage it takes to reveal our true selves, the pleasures and perils of family, and how we navigate the seas of adulthood to cruise - we can only hope - toward joy.

©2020 Amanda Eyre Ward (P)2020 Recorded Books

Calm down

The narration sounds like she’s having an anxiety attack with every single sentence. The story is meh.

Wasn't what I thought.

I thought it was about something else. Found it hard to finish.
Will be exchanging.

That was depressing

I think this was supposed to be a journey that ended with the characters self realization. It depressed me throughout and that compounded with each scene and chapter. I was in too deep before I realized the lift might never happen.
The characters are, I don't know... Emotionally inept. Reece usually does not steer me wrong but, oh boy, this was a fail.

Had high hopes...

This book started off pretty good and it had my interest. However it never peaked. It just kind a got boring and old and there seem to be no climax to the book. Now granted I have three hours left but I’m forcing myself to listen to the rest of it. It could be that I just read an incredible book from the Sunshine book club and so that is why this one is a major disappointment or could be just that it is really just not that good of a book. The narrator also did not add anything to the story. It irritated me that she did not Use the appropriate accent for each of her characters. She made Charlotte sound like some kind of old fuddy-duddy when really she’s just a Southern Belle. Why didn’t they have southern accents? Why did Peter from England sound like he was from Australia? I really think the narrator could’ve done a better job . This will not go down as one of my favorite books from Reese’s picks and if the last three hours proves to get better I’ll revise my rating. But if it wasn’t for the book club I would stop reading right now.

Yawn...

I am uncertain why this book has such high reviews. It was mind-numbingly tedious. The "twists" and big reveals were anything but. I'd rather watch paint dry. Skip this one, save the credit.

Wanted to like this book

I was very disappointed with this book. Therese Plummer is one of my favorite narrators and the narration was not great. Too many characters to try and do. Also the story seemed all over the place and too depressing. I also feel like I am still questioning the ending and what happened to Lee. I feel like lots of loose ends. I wold not waste a credit on this book. I would love to hear an honest review from Reese Witherspoon. I love her and most of her book choices but this one not so much.

This was as Reese Witherspoon book club one?

I usually enjoy Reese Witherspoon’s book club reads, but not so much this one. In fact, am really surprised it made her list. The characters were shallow and no complexity. The premise for the book made for a fabulous read but fell really short. The story did not flow and I kept on feeling I had missed sections that weren’t there. To summarize, it was just fluff, not completely horrible but not worth using a credit on.

Delightful

In this time when it feels like the whole world Is terrified of the Coronavirus, this book was exactly what I needed. It was lighthearted and funny. The characters were all very likeable- it gave me exactly what I needed, to escape reality.
Highly recommended!

Is this is a romance novel?

I listened to this book on audible. I am sure it would have been a different experience if I would have read it, I think I would have given it a higher rating. The narrator was almost panicky telling the story, which did fit with the characters story lines , but it annoyed me a little. Amanda Eyre Ward must have been a food writer at some point her descriptions of the food where so real it made me hungry, She also did a great job of creating a vision of the Mediterranean with her words and described the feeling of a cruise ship experience so well… It brought me right back to my trip to the Mediterranean. The story line about a dysfunctional family and traveling together was relatable. I found myself liking and hating the main character, Charlotte. By the end you will be cheering for her happy ending, The plot involves a romance novel and some of the writing is a bit too much like a cheesy romance novel for my liking but it made sense to include it, However I don't read "steamy" romance novels on purpose so it got to be a bit much and I fast forwarded through those parts.

Not sure why this is a Reese's book club selection

This book is average at best. The story is ok. It is essentially a story about 3 kids and their mother going on trip together and delving into each of their neurotic meanderings. its got some good family issues and focuses on how we all struggle with being ourselves but it doesn't really go very deep. it is ok, just not great.

Complicated More tragic than funny

This was such a tangled mess Initially l expected Charlotte to be so funny but as it unfolded the mess her children's lives where was basically down to her bully of her husband and her turning a blind eye The ending was just ridiculous everybody's life was turned around and years of hurt wiped away by Charlotte having an orgasm Not impressed

Not my thing

This book was chosen for a book club read. It’s not my normal type of book and I didn’t really find it enjoyable.

Definitely not for me.

I got half way to chapter 2 and I felt like my ears were bleeding. The characters, the story and worst of all the reader, absolutely painful. I am surprised Reese Weatherspoon picked this as her book club choice. V. disappointing.

Slow to start but improved over time

Characters are a bit predictable but the performance is great. Sets the scene well but does not get deep enough into the tricky dark parts.