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Friday, July 3, 2020

Book Review - The Summer House by Lauren K. Denton


My Review

The Summer House is the story of Lily Bishop, who wakes up one morning to find her husband Worth has left her a goodbye letter and divorce papers - right after they relocated to Alabama's Gulf Coast for his job. Stuck in a new place with no family, Lily scrambles to find a job. She finds work as a hairdresser at a senior apartment community, where she can live above her shop. At Safe Harbor, she becomes friends with Rose, a divorced woman in her 60's who owns the community. She also slowly becomes friends - with some romantic interest - with Rose's nephew, Rawlins, who is a single father. Over the summer Lily finds a way to reinvent her life, with a little help from her friends.

I wanted to read this book because I have read all of Lauren K. Denton's books and loved every single one of them. The Summer House sounded like a perfect beach read!

This is my favorite Lauren K. Denton book yet!  I absolutely loved everything about it.  Lily is such a sweet, likable protagonist.  She is a kind, gentle soul who longs for a happy life like her childhood in North Georgia.  Her husband, Worth, was a poor match for her -- he is very driven, from an Atlanta society family, and he doesn't share Lily's love of the simple things in life.

I loved the slow building friendship/romance between Lily and Rawlins.  Rawlins is so sweet with his young daughter Hazel.  He is devoted to his Aunt Rose (who is also Lily's boss) and works hard as a shrimper.

Rose is also an interesting character.  She is cool and reserved, but she has been hurt in the past too, and is just cautious with her heart.  As she spends takes care of Hazel for Rawlins, befriends Lily, and has an unlikely romantic interest of her own, she blossoms. At one point Hazel remarks:  "'Aunt Rosie is named after a flower too,' Hazel said. “Rose and Lily.” (Kindle position 1638).


The descriptions of small town southern life on the Alabama Gulf Coast are just lovely.  They made me want to pack my bags and spend some time there!  For instance:

"
The weathered cedar house was up on stilts, with a screened porch up a set of stairs. Twinkle lights were strung all along the ceiling of the porch. Down below the house, two hammocks and a wooden swing hung from the rafters. On the other side of the patio, grass stretched all the way to the water and a short dock. As she watched, a brown pelican glided to a stop and perched on top of one of the posts. She laughed. 'It doesn’t get more picturesque than this.'" (Kindle position 2939).


Safe Harbor is also a charming place, full of quirky active seniors.  The chapters are punctuated by little daily newsletters about life at Safe Harbor.  They are fun to read and sometimes have some humor too!

I highly recommend The Summer House as a perfect summer read.  It is such a lovely, relaxing book getaway!

Book Synopsis
Sometimes it takes losing everything to find yourself again.

Lily Bishop wakes up one morning to find a good-bye note and divorce papers from her husband on the kitchen counter. Having moved to Alabama for his job only weeks before, Lily is devastated, but a flyer at the grocery store for a hair stylist position in a local retirement community provides a refuge while she contemplates her next steps.

Rose Carrigan built the small retirement village of Safe Harbor years ago—just before her husband ran off with his assistant. Now she runs a tight ship, making sure the residents follow her strict rules. Rose keeps everyone at arm’s length, including her own family. But when Lily shows up asking for a job and a place to live, Rose’s cold exterior begins to thaw.

Lily and Rose form an unlikely friendship, and Lily’s salon soon becomes the place where residents share town gossip, as well as a few secrets. Lily soon finds herself drawn to Rose’s nephew, Rawlins—a single dad and shrimper who’s had some practice at starting over—and one of the residents may be carrying a torch for Rose as well.

Neither Lily nor Rose is where she expected to be, but the summer makes them both wonder if there’s more to life and love than what they’ve experienced so far. The Summer House weaves Lauren K. Denton’s inviting Southern charm around a woman’s journey to find herself.



 

Purchase Links


Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

 
Author Bio
Born and raised in Mobile, Alabama, Lauren now lives with her husband and two daughters in Homewood, just outside Birmingham. In addition to her fiction, she writes a monthly newspaper column about life, faith, and how funny (and hard) it is to be a parent. On any given day, she’d rather be at the beach with her family and a stack of books. Her debut novel, THE HIDEAWAY, was a Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Amazon Charts bestseller. Her second novel, HURRICANE SEASON, released in spring of 2018, is a USA Today bestseller. GLORY ROAD will release in March, 2019.
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1 comment:

  1. I can't wait to read this one myself, that cover hooked me immediately! I'm so glad that you loved it, thank you for being on the tour. Sara @ TLC Book Tours

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