Review By Veronica
The Island of Summer Sunsets is the perfect feel-good summer romance for a day at the beach or lake.
Favourite Quote:
“Then, without warning, Ryan reached over and tentatively curled his warm fingers around Janie’s. She gasped silently in surprise, but it felt so right in the moment. She responded by lightly squeezing back. They continued to sit like that, still not speaking, until dusk shrouded them. Janie was afraid to move, afraid to break the spell.”
Goodreads Synopsis:
Lives are forever changed in this heartwarming beach read! A story of hope, family, and love among the dunes and salty spray, off the coast of South Carolina, The Island of Summer Sunsets is the perfect escape for fans of Kristy Woodson Harvey, Brenda Novak, and Nancy Thayer.
In the small southern village on Fripp Island, where the daily tide swells and minnow counts are the biggest news, Janie Brooks lives in a beach bungalow next door to her mother, and her life is moving along at about the same slow pace as the island—exactly the way she wants it.
After the death of Janie’s husband, unable to find her own way, she continues to follow her husband’s passion for island conservation and spends her days with the seagulls and swallow-tailed kites, in the serene bliss of the Atlantic coast. Until newcomer Ryan Kennedy and his teenage daughter move into the rental down the street, shaking up Janie’s well-ordered, simple life.
Ryan has enough to deal with, being a single dad and managing his daughter’s grief over the abandonment by her mother. All he wants is to move into a brand-new house in this quaint community and start fresh. But that might be easier said than done.
Will Janie and Ryan find their own version of paradise? Or will one get in the way of the other?
A summer escape that will whisk you away to an island getaway and have you wishing for a seaside retreat with your feet in the sand and the golden sunset at your back.
The Island of Summer Sunsets is the perfect feel-good summer romance for a day at the beach or lake.
This book oozes southern charm! It is such a fun, and heartwarming read and I could not put it down. This was the first book that I have read by Susan, and I can tell you it won’t be my last. I can also tell you that I will be going out and getting my own copy of this book to add to my collection. I love having a group of feel-good romances that I can go to when I need a pick me up, and The Island of Summer Sunsets will make a fabulous addition to this collection.
This book has that Hallmark-y feel to it. The story has this lovely pacing to it. It doesn’t have a crazy amount of drama, which is a nice change for me (I have been reading some pretty crazy books lately). I loved that I knew how the book would end because it meant I could just really enjoy the story and not have to worry about whether the characters would get their happily ever afters.
The Island of Summer Sunsets stands out from other cozy romances because of its unique setting. Fripp Island really becomes its own character in this book. Everything just comes to life on this island, from the flowing water to the beaches full of beautiful treasures and the birds that call the island their home. All the details describing this island are done with such care and thought; as a reader, I can tell that Susan spent a lot of time researching the island and the wildlife living there.
The characters in this book are sweet and endearing. They added a lot of charm and depth to the story. I loved the focus on divorce and its impact on a child’s life. As someone whose parents divorced when I was a kid, my heart went out to Sibley, and I could relate to her struggle to accept her new family situation. It was heart-warming reading those scenes with Sibley and her dad. The romance in this book is light and oh so sweet. It is definitely a clean romance, and the relationship between Janie and Ryan doesn’t take center stage until the second half of the book. I loved the chemistry between these two characters and how there was this slow-burn feel to their relationship.
If you are a fan of Hallmark movies, you are most definitely going to love reading this heartwarming book.
Thank you Harpeth Road Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
