Three sets of parents adopt four biological siblings, and try to keep the kids growing up together as much as possible. On their first all-family vacation, no one knows quite what to expect. Tabitha is the go-getter of the group. She tries to make everything easy for everyone by planning out meals and excursions, but sometimes also seems to be planning their personal lives, too. Ginger is the single mother and a bit more introverted, and she ends up having to vacation while bound up in a cast. Elizabeth is the newest mother, and she is struggling. Amid all of this, the biological mother of the children is pregnant yet again, and she wants the family to help her choose the new adoptive parents. Tensions are high as each family struggles with decisions to be made for their own family, much less trying to add another family to their unique situation. Bonds between friends and children are tested--after this trip, will there ever be another? Brown's (The Weird Sisters, 2011) exploration of what makes a family creates an engrossing read.

Who makes up a family, and what does being a family even mean? These are the questions that propel much of humankind, particularly three unique sets of parents who have adopted four young biological siblings. On a summer vacation in Aspen, this extended family convenes to bond and give their hyperorganized leader, Tabitha (perfectionist mom to twins Tate and Taylor), a chance to spend time with the other mothers, who are something like the sisters she never had. There's Ginger, adoptive mother to Phoebe, the eldest sibling, and Elizabeth, who's recently adopted the baby of the family, Violet. It's an unusual combination of people and personalities that seemingly works, until Brianna, the birth mom of all four siblings, calls to announce that she's pregnant again, thanks to a quick visit from the children's absent biological father. And she'd like Elizabeth and her husband, John, to adopt the newborn come the December due date. Only Elizabeth is overwhelmed with new motherhood and the prolonged grief of infertility and miscarriage. John has lost his job, and Tabitha and her husband, Perry, feel too old to adopt a baby. Ginger, Phoebe's single parent, is also happy with her status, especially with the upcoming uncertainty of middle school looming. Thus, the family members must sort out dynamics and relationships to each other, figuring out which new parents they want to add to their unconventional cluster and which of many, many potential adopters they will leave childless. Told from the alternating perspectives of the three adoptive mothers and interspersed with written adoption applications from eager parents-to-be, the novel moves thoughtfully, precisely, and sometimes humorously through the psyches of the parents, pushing the readers into the quick-paced, perfectly detailed story while never forgetting the looming questions of family and belonging. A prismatic story of family, adoption, and how the people we choose to keep close shape who we are. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

In this latest from New York Times best-selling author Brown (The Weird Sisters), three sets of parents adopt four biological siblings to keep them together after their grandmother's death. Hard-charging Tabitha took the twins and plans the group's many interactions, single-mother Ginger isn't sure she wants to be that close, and Elizabeth is unhappy after her own failed efforts to conceive and fears she's not cut out for mothering. Then the siblings' biological mom announces that she's pregnant again.

In Brown's rewarding latest (after The Light of Paris), two Denver couples and a single mother adopt four biological siblings and attempt to keep the children connected through a blended kinship. The three families are on vacation together in Aspen, Colo., for two weeks when the children's birth mother, 24-year-old Brianna, calls to say she is pregnant again. Tensions have already started flaring among the three adoptive mothers. Tabitha Basnight, mother of the twins Taylor and Tate, presides over the group's frequent get-togethers and is clumsy with personal boundaries. Introverted single mother Ginger Kowalski, who adopted fifth grader Phoebe, the oldest sibling, after Brianna's grandmother died, manages Tabitha's controlling nature by not living nearby. Sleep-deprived and financially stressed Elizabeth Evans adopted Violet, a colicky baby, after years of unsuccessful fertility treatments. The close quarters in Aspen contribute to a dramatic airing of long-simmering resentments toward Tabitha, which threatens to upset the arrangement. Though Brianna is painted only as irresponsible and immature (and comes across as narratively convenient) Brown has a sure hand in portraying the adoptive women; their smart, lively dialogue sparks as the characters try to define the boundaries of a family. Overall, Brown entertains with her colorful cast and engaging conceit. Agent: Elizabeth Winick Rubenstein, McIntosh & Otis. (July)