âHammer is an expert at both tugging heartstrings and keeping the reader utterly immersed in a world of hope and heartbreak. A great new voice in womenâs fiction.â-- Kristin Harmel, #1 international bestselling author of The Winemaker's Wife
The heartbreaking, yet hopeful, story of a mother and daughter struggling to be a family without the one person who holds them togetherâa perfect summer read for fans of Jojo Moyes and Marisa de los Santos.
Alexis Gold knows how to put the âworkâ in working mom. Itâs the âmomâ part that sheâs been struggling with lately. Since opening her own advertising agency three years ago, Alexis has all but given up on finding a good work/life balance. Instead, sheâs handed over the household reins to her supportive, loving partner, Tommy. While heâs quick to say they divide and conquer, Alexis knows that Tommy does most of the heavy liftingâespecially when it comes to their teenage daughter, CeCe.
Their world changes in an instant when Tommy receives a terminal cancer diagnosis, and Alexis realizes everything sheâs worked relentlessly for doesnât matter without him. So Alexis does what Tommy has done for her almost every day since they were twelve-year-old kids in Destin, Floridaâshe puts him first. And when the only thing Tommy wants is to spend one last summer together at âtheirâ beach, she puts her career on hold to make it happenâŚeven if it means putting her family within striking distance of Tommyâs ex, an actress CeCe idolizes.
But Alexis and Tommy arenât the only ones whose lives have been turned inside out. In addition to dealing with the normal ups and downs that come with being a teenager, CeCe is also forced to confront her feelings about Tommyâs illnessâand what will happen when the one person whoâs always been there for her is gone. When the magic of first love brings a bright spot to her summer, CeCe is determined not to let her mother ruin that for her, too.
As CeCeâs behavior becomes more rebellious, Alexis realizes the only thing harder for her than losing Tommy will be convincing CeCe to give her one more chance.
You and Me and Us is a beautifully written novel that examines the unexpected ways loss teaches us how to love.