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Review: The Summer Girls

Published on 5 Comments on Review: The Summer Girls

The Summer Girls (Lowcountry Summer #1)

Three granddaughters. Three months. One summer house.

TheSummerGirlsIn this enchanting trilogy set on Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina, New York Times bestselling author Mary Alice Monroe captures the complex relationships between Dora, Carson, and Harper, three half-sisters scattered across the country—and a grandmother determined to help them rediscover their family bonds.

For years, Carson Muir has drifted, never really settling, certain only that a life without the ocean is a life half lived. Adrift and penniless in California, Carson is the first to return to Sea Breeze, wondering where things went wrong…until the sea she loves brings her a minor miracle. Her astonishing bond with a dolphin helps Carson renew her relationships with her sisters and face the haunting memories of her ill-fated father. As the rhythms of the island open her heart, Carson begins to imagine the next steps toward her future.

In this heartwarming novel, three sisters discover the true treasures Sea Breeze offers as surprising truths are revealed, mistakes forgiven, and precious connections made that will endure long beyond one summer.

~ Goodreads

My review.........3 stars

This was a good beach read kind of book, however for me it has the potential to become forgettable within a few months. The writing was fine, but felt a little formulaic. Each book (in the trilogy) will focus on one of the half sisters, and the one chosen for this book was my least favorite (at least from the descriptions we gleaned about the other sisters in this first book). I could not relate to Carson, even though we were given facts that supposedly contributed to her not having a clue about her life in her mid thirties. I felt that she was always looking for a bail out for her life mistakes. I did love the grandmother, who I'm sure will be a focus in each of the books in the series, so I'm looking forward to more interactions with her. I liked the beach setting, but could have enjoyed even more by way of making me feel like I was enmeshed in the beach culture.

Overall this book was a good, not great read. I am anxious to read the other two parts in the trilogy, and if I enjoy those characters more, I will feel that this first book was necessary to set up the others.

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5 thoughts on “Review: The Summer Girls”

  1. Michelle

    This sounds like one of those books that require the right mindset and the right atmosphere to truly enjoy. I hope you like the rest of the trilogy though, and that this was just a necessary anomaly to set the stage for the rest of the story!

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    1. ondbookshelf Post author

      I really did enjoy the other two sisters from the parts where they interacted in this first book, so I'm hoping to enjoy the next books. Sometimes the first book in a series can be a bit awkward with setting everything up, and they flow from there.

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  3. R_Hunt @ View From My Home

    I was interested beforehand in reading this series, but I don't know if this one is too fluffy and annoying for me. There are beach reads and there are lighter than air fluffy beach reads that don't hold my interest to finish after reading a few chapters at the beach or pool. Thanks for a good review.

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