The Summer Book Club intertwines three different and lovely stories leading to love, forgiveness, redemption, and second chances.
I have mixed feelings about this book. While I wanted all three women to find happiness and peace for themselves, I didn’t feel a strong draw to their respective romances. The hardships and past mistakes that plagued Paris, Laurel, and Cassie were given plenty of depth and feeling and I enjoyed their up-and-down journeys.
Paris and Jonah’s second chance at love grabbed me the most. Their unresolved guilt and emotions were apparent in every word and interaction and had the biggest impact. I’d say Jagger (Laurel’s daughter) was my favorite. Everything she felt about her father and her parent’s divorce was very realistic and I was impressed by the way she stood up for herself.
As with all Susan Mallery’s books, this is mostly a story about women’s struggles and dreams, with some sweet romance added.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own....more
A feel-good story about finding family in unexpected places and appreciating the one you already have.
Erica and Allison were both dropped into an impossible situation not of their own making. The only thing binding them in any way was Summer, Erica’s daughter and Allison’s stepdaughter. Summer turned out to be quite the tenacious bit of glue. I had mixed feelings about her. She was only 16 with a whole lot of good intentions, but she did manipulate her mother quite a bit without taking her feelings into consideration.
I really liked Erica and Allison. They were very different people. Erica’s steely core was the backbone that kept this whole menagerie of a family together. Allison was forced to develop her own inner strength, it was sink or swim for her. Luckily, she didn’t have to do it on her own. It was very heartwarming to see these two women grow closer and form a stronger new-found family.
The romance between Erica and Killion was like a gentle, meandering river that cut through everything and brought Erica a much-needed safe space. It also wore her defenses down gradually, so that she could see the potential future available to her.
The story started out a bit slow, but it was engaging and I was heavily invested in the outcome for all of these characters. I can recommend this if you like an emotional family drama with strong female characters front and center.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own. ...more
Anna's journey through her grief and loss were poignant and emotional. Keane had some of his own emotional baggage to deal with. You'd think all the dAnna's journey through her grief and loss were poignant and emotional. Keane had some of his own emotional baggage to deal with. You'd think all the descriptions of Anna's sailing trip would get stale after a while, but I found it captivating throughout. ...more
This was difficult at times and so emotional. The characters were certainly put through the ringer and I was there with them for every agonizing seconThis was difficult at times and so emotional. The characters were certainly put through the ringer and I was there with them for every agonizing second until the end. Everyone worked very hard and definitely earned their happy-ever-afters. ...more
A realistic look into the life of a woman who felt unseen and unappreciated, that brought home the message that it’s never too late to chas
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A realistic look into the life of a woman who felt unseen and unappreciated, that brought home the message that it’s never too late to chase your dreams and that it’s okay if your dreams are different now than they were before.
Jessica Holloway has everything going for her, she is happily married, her two kids are doing well (for teenagers), she has a part-time job, regular visits with her friends, and she volunteers at the school. But Jess is not happy. Her kids are ungrateful, her husband doesn’t see her misery, her one best friend doesn’t understand her frustrations. She misses her younger self: the fun, smart woman with an excellent LSAT score who had dreams of becoming a lawyer. Why did she give it all up, was it worth giving up, and can she have her career now?
I think Jess is very representative of a lot of women in their 40s and 50s whose kids are growing more independent. Her role is changing and it’s leaving her feeling a bit empty. Jess didn’t know how to fix it, she just knew that something had to change. Her methods were maybe a bit haphazard and unwise, but all that made her more real, flawed, and relatable. She was supposed to keep a gratitude journal, but instead she made up fantasy scenarios where she was living a dream life somewhere far away. Jess felt unfulfilled and she made some impulsive decisions that she stubbornly clung to.
Some of Jess’s choices made me feel super frustrated. Sometimes I felt sympathy for her and other times I just wanted to shake her. Throughout the book I was rooting for Jess and Mike, but nothing between them was locked down until later, towards the end. That, and Jess’s uncertainty about her life, created a good amount of tension that made me want to continue reading. Mike and their children were also far from perfect, and they added to the mix of making bad decisions.
Even though it’s in the third person, the story is told just from Jess’s perspective. I enjoyed the quotes at the start of each chapter and Jess’s dream journal entries. The very last one seemed to be too good to be true, very few people get that lucky, but it was a good ending.
This isn’t a romance, it’s more about Jess finding herself again and it does have a happy ending. I can recommend this if you like women’s fiction with flawed, conflicted characters.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own. ...more
This book captured Natalie's grieving process extremely well. Her feelings of guilt because she wasn't behaving the way people around her wanted her tThis book captured Natalie's grieving process extremely well. Her feelings of guilt because she wasn't behaving the way people around her wanted her to behave, and her conflicted feelings about the house that she and Russ had bought together. The piano music was an especially emotional touch, and more so when Natalie found out who was leaving the music for her. I found her reactions very realistic. It just showed how we don't always make the best choices when consumed with grief. And how difficult and confusing it can be for the people who desperately want to support their grieving friend. I loved how everything unfolded for Natalie in the end....more
I cried through large parts of this book. Do you know how hard it is to read through all the tears? But I didn't want to stop for one second. NeedlessI cried through large parts of this book. Do you know how hard it is to read through all the tears? But I didn't want to stop for one second. Needless to say, it was emotional and heart-breaking at times. All the characters were real and flawed and struggling with something in their own way. I loved how it all came together at the end, how everyone found what gave them peace. ...more
The characters had too many personal issues between them and not enough time to give each the proper attention they deserve.
Poppy is in the process of getting divorced from her controlling, manipulative husband, Josh. Her vacation plans include going to an island to photograph the puffins, in the hopes of entering a photography competition. It does not include playing backup photographer to a very hush-hush high-profile wedding. Poppy finds herself immersed in a strange world of wealth and privilege when her best friend, Lola, the wedding planner, ropes her into helping out until the official wedding photographer shows up. And the situation gets more complicated when it turns out that Poppy knows the groom, Will.
First off, this isn’t a light, sweet romantic read. Poppy is in serious trouble after years of abuse and manipulation by her husband. She is thoroughly downtrodden, so much so that she can’t even make a clean break with Josh. They are still living in the same house, and he is still dictating her life and her choices. Lola is trying her best to help lift Poppy up, but it’s an uphill battle. Then there’s the unresolved past between Poppy and Will that suddenly gets pushed to the front again. I feel like this one book just wasn’t enough to properly deal with both ideas. And that’s not even considering Will’s issues with his family.
The book jumps around a lot between present and past. I really liked Lola and, surprisingly, I liked Ottilie and her craziness, despite what she did in the end. The rest I didn’t care for at all, not even Poppy and Will. There just wasn’t enough time to get to know them well enough.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Was I hooked by that book? Yes, it's a moving story about surviving heartbreak. I was rooting for Emily the entire time.
Everything around Emily is falling apart. Her husband is leaving her for another woman, the diner where she works might close, and she's not sure she'll be able to keep her house. The only thing that hasn't changed, is her son, Dante. Her love and devotion for him are about the only things moving her forward.
It was heartbreaking to experience that moment when Emily's world imploded. The writing clearly described Emily's reactions and feelings and it would be impossible not to feel those things with her.
Emily managed to keep a fairly clear head throughout everything that happened to her. She had wonderful support from her sister and best friend. She always put Dante first and never let him see any of the animosity she felt towards Tyler and Amy. In fact, she was civil with them as well, except for a few moments where she indulged in her vengeful thoughts about Amy. Those were fun instances and came at just the right time to provide a break in all the seriousness. Emily is a very relatable character.
The plot moved at a good pace. We see Emily try her hand at dating again, coming to terms with all the changes in her life, and remaking herself. Overall, I really enjoyed following Emily's story and I was very invested in the outcome.
Thank you to the author for providing me with a copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own. ...more
Ava is a journalist at an online paper and a little bit desperate for recognition by her boss. Desperate enough to agree to a DNA test for
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Ava is a journalist at an online paper and a little bit desperate for recognition by her boss. Desperate enough to agree to a DNA test for a feature. She didn't sign on for the way the reveal happened though. And what a horrific way it was to discover you have a half-sister in Scotland. Ava traveled all the way north from her home in London to volunteer as a farm worker. The idea was to figure out a way to meet her half-sister and hopefully it won't be a complete disaster.
After the completely humiliating online reveal of Ava's DNA test results, I was a bit worried that the rest of the story was going to continue in the same silly vein, but it didn't. It was really sweet. Ava messed up a bit, but luckily for her, Moira was the forgiving sort.
I really enjoyed the descriptions of the busy farm life with Kian. All the revelations regarding Ava's father were interesting and not as straightforward as I'd initially thought it was going to be. There was a slight hint of a romance for Ava, but the focus was definitely on Ava and Moira. I liked both woman a lot.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this story. Don't expect any romance. In the end, this didn't really bother me. It was enough to have Ava and Moira discover each other and for them to grow and let go of some past notions.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Rolé - Hooked By That Book
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women-s-fiction
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