Rating: 4 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | All Romance | Amazon UK
Length: Novel
Based on the film of the same name, Mulligans is a poignant family drama with a twist. In this story, the Davidson family is headed to their summer home at the lake. College student Tyler brings along his best friend and roommate Chase. The family welcomes Chase with open arms, but as the summer progresses, so does an unexpected attraction. Stacey, Tyler’s mom tries to hold her family together while Tyler’s dad, Nathan, struggles with his long suppressed sexuality.
This is NOT a romance story. Instead, what readers get is a family drama about how one man struggles with his sexuality and the aftermath of what this does to his family. Told in multiple POVs, readers are able to see things unfold from the view of the main characters – Nathan, Stacey, Tyler, and Chase.
Nathan and Stacey were high school sweethearts who found themselves becoming teenage parents at a young age. Nathan’s struggled with suppressing his sexuality for the sake of his family while Stacey, who knows there is something off, goes about creating the image of a perfect family…think Stepford wives. Yes, it was a bit creepy how she tries to bend over backwards to make everything perfect.
Tyler knows Chase struggles with finances as the child of a single, alcoholic mother. Determined to ensure that Chase has a relaxing summer, he invites him along on his family’s summer trek to their lake house where the two of them will work for the local golf course and spend the summer hooking up with the local girls. What Tyler doesn’t know is that Chase is gay.
Nathan and Chase hit it off from the start, and when the two of them decide to sneak a little time together, they are caught and everything begins crumbling down for everyone. This story has no shortage of angst as the relationships between everyone are tested.
Despite this not being a romance, I was hooked from the beginning…and then I found myself seriously disappointed with the ending. While I would have liked to have seen a HEA or even a HFN, instead we are sort of left hanging as to what happened afterwards…which left me feeling cheated in the end.
Overall, this was a good story with a lot of angst. If you are looking for a good beach book for your next vacation, you may want to check this one out.
A review copy of this book was provided by Dreamspinner Press.
