The heartbreaking, yet hopeful, story of a mother and daughter struggling to be a family without the one person who holds them together - a perfect summer listen for fans of Jojo Moyes and Marisa de los Santos.

Alexis Gold knows how to put the "work" in working mom. It's the "mom" part that she's 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, she's handed over the household reins to her supportive, loving partner, Tommy. While he's quick to say they divide and conquer, Alexis knows that Tommy does most of the heavy lifting - especially 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 she's worked relentlessly for doesn't matter without him. So Alexis does what Tommy has done for her almost every day since they were 12-year-old kids in Destin, Florida - she puts him first. And when the only thing Tommy wants is to spend one last summer together at "their" beach, she puts her career on hold to make it happen...even if it means putting her family within striking distance of Tommy’s ex, an actress CeCe idolizes.

But Alexis and Tommy aren’t 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 Tommy’s illness - and what will happen when the one person who’s 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 CeCe’s 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. 

Buy the book: Bookshop.org, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Libro.FM, Target, Books-a-Million, or your local indie bookstore.

WHAT ARE PEOPLE SAYING ABOUT YOU AND ME AND US?

“Have a box of tissues ready; Hammer 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 women’s fiction.”

  • Kristin Harmel, New York Times Bestselling author of The Book of Lost Names

“A compassionate and deeply moving exploration of love and loss, You and Me and Us will break your heart and put it back together more than once by the last page. Alison Hammer has crafted an emotional story about marriage, family, and friendship that is both intimate and universal, and most importantly, unforgettable.”

  • Lisa Duffy, author of This is Home

"...that rare novel you want to savor even as you're turning the pages as fast as possible...Alison Hammer is an exciting new voice in women's fiction."

  • Camille Pagán, bestselling author of I’m Fine and Neither Are You

"An unconventionally heartwarming story about acknowledging what really matters in life before it's too late."

  • Julia Whelan, author of My Oxford Year

"A powerful and hopeful debut about grief, love, and the ties that bind—even when we resist."

  • Barbara Claypole White, bestselling author of The Perfect Son

"A glorious, beautiful book."

  • Kimmery Martin, author of Queen of Hearts

"Channeling emotions through words and making it all look effortless, Hammer knocks it out of the park with her debut."

  • Jennifer Klepper, USA Today bestselling author of Unbroken threads

“Hammer shines in a debut that takes readers on a journey through one family's heartbreaking summer. . . As Lexie and Cece are forced to come together and face a life without Tommy, readers will want to keep tissues nearby.”

  • Booklist Review

“Books like You and Me and Us are essential reads for anyone with a heart. . . You and Me and Us perfectly shows us the ups and downs of love’s variants — the love between partners, between friends, between fathers and their daughters, and between daughters and their mothers.”

  • Culturess

"Career mom Alexis Gold runs her own advertising agency. She was always more comfortable dealing with deadlines than changing dirty diapers or making school lunches. Her wonderful partner Tommy Whistler—a boy with which she grew up—has happily done the heavy lifting in raising their daughter CeCe. Thirteen-year-old CeCe would prefer a traditional family and wishes her parents would just get a divorce so she wouldn’t have to live with her mother, who seems to care more about her clients and employees than her family. When Tommy is diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and decides to forgo treatment, neither Alexis nor CeCe knows how they will live without him. How can they survive with only each other? Written in alternating chapters narrated by Alexis and CeCe, this tale of love and loss will make readers think about what we hold dear and how far we’ll go to keep it. VERDICT Those who love a poignant family drama will tear up as they consider how to navigate life without the one person who makes every day worth living."

  • Library Journal Review