Sunday, May 19, 2019

Review - The Summer House

Title:   The Summer House
Author:  Jenny Hale
Genre:   Romance; Women's Fiction
Publisher:   Forever
Format:  Print ARC
No. of Pages:  288
Date of Publication:  May 7, 2019
My Rating:  4 Stars

DESCRIPTION:
From this USA Today bestselling author comes a delightful summer read about friendship, family, and the healing power of love.

Callie Weaver and her best friend, Olivia Dixon, have finally done it: put their life savings into the beach house they admired through childhood summers, on the dazzling white sand of North Carolina's Outer Banks. They're going to buff the salt from its windows, paint its sun-bleached sidings, and open it as a bed-and-breakfast. 

Callie's too busy to think about her love life, but when she catches the attention of local heartthrob Luke Sullivan, his blue eyes and easy smile make it hard to say no. He's heir to his father's real estate empire, and the papers say he's just another playboy. But as they laugh in the ocean waves, Callie realizes there's more to this man than money and good looks. 

Just when true happiness seems within reach, Callie and Olivia find a diary full of secrets . . . secrets that stretch across the island and have the power to turn lives upside down. As Callie reads, she unravels a mystery that makes her heart drop through the floor. 

Will Callie and Luke be pulled apart by the storm the diary unleashes, or can true love save them?


MY THOUGHTS:

Callie Weaver and best friend Olivia Dixon have put their savings together and have purchased a beach house. It is a real fixer-upper, but they are both so motivated and excited and cannot wait to begin renovations. They had admired the house for years, and it sits right on North Carolina's outer banks. When it is completed Callie and Olivia plan on making it into a bed-and-breakfast.

When Callie sees Luke Sullivan, a millionaire trying to learn to surf, she is immediately drawn to him. However, he has a staunch reputation as a playboy, so she is determined not to get involved with him. During their renovations, they discover a diary and it reveals secrets that could ruin everything for everyone involved. At first, Callie is hesitant to read it, so the question is whether or not she will and how it will affect not only Callie and Olivia as owners of the house, but also the brewing relationship between Callie and Luke.

I enjoyed Luke and Callie's relationship, even though it was rather a slow burn, with a lot of the focus on the renovations and the diary. One additional factor in the story is that the past of at least one of the characters might have a long range affect on their futures. I enjoyed how that was blended in. This warm and affecting story by Jenny Hale was a great, quick read and had a satisfying conclusion. 

Many thanks to Forever for this ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

When I graduated college, one of my friends said, "Look out for this one; she's going to be an author one day." Despite being an avid reader and a natural storyteller, it wasn't until that very moment that the idea of writing novels occurred to me.

Sometimes our friends can see the things that we can't.

While I didn't start straight away, that comment sowed a seed and several years, two children, and hundreds of thousands of words later, I completed a novel that I felt was worthy of publication. The result was Coming Home for Christmas, a heart-warming story about friends, family, and the magic of love at Christmas.

The rest is history.

When I'm not writing, I'm a mother of two boys and a wife to a very supportive husband.




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