The Summer House
-
-
4.3 • 230 Ratings
-
-
- $13.99
Publisher Description
It's never too late to start over. The Summer House weaves Lauren K. Denton’s inviting Southern charm around a woman’s journey to find herself in a small beach town—with a little help from the local retirement community.
Lily Bishop wakes up one morning to find a good-bye note and divorce papers from her husband on the kitchen counter. Having just moved to Alabama for his job only weeks before, Lily is devastated. New to town and knowing no one, Lily finds herself in desperate need of a job and a new place to live. When Lily hears that a hair stylist is needed at small retirement community, she decides to apply.
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 the colorful residents share town gossip and 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 is a:
Cozy novel full of charm and heart that’s perfect vacation reading Celebration of new beginnings, friendship, and family Sweet, clean romance set on the Gulf Coast
“The perfect summer read! Situated on the Alabama Gulf Coast, you’ll feel the sun, taste the salt, and linger with new friends—you won’t want to leave. And with lyrical prose and rich characters, The Summer House is a beautifully poignant reminder that we are never too young to find a good place to stand nor too old to start over.”—Katherine Reay, bestselling author of The Printed Letter Bookshop and Dear Mr. Knightley
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Denton (Glory Road) delivers a moving story about the friendship of two women reeling from betrayal and divorce. In Safe Harbor, Ala., Lily Bishop comes home one day to find an apology note from her husband alongside signed divorce papers. Rose Carrigan, the co-owner and manager of a local retirement community, gets an email from her ex-husband and co-owner, who left her for his assistant, saying he wants to sell the company and has found a buyer. Lily and Rose strike up a friendship when Lily, who used to cut hair, goes to work as a hair stylist at the retirement community, and her arrival is the catalyst for fence mending between Rose and the largely disgruntled client base. Rose, still bitter after a difficult divorce, finds it easier to open herself up to new friendships, and Lily slowly becomes comfortable in her hairstyling skill, leaning in to her gut feelings to provide the inspired hairstyles that each client needs. Through their shared faith and resiliency, Lily and Rose bring calm and happiness to the formerly uptight community, and Rose is able to keep control. Rachel Hauck fans will want to take a look.
Customer Reviews
Great book
I loved the people in this book and, of course the story! It was wonderful! I’ll definitely be reading more by this author. Thank you!
Easy Escape
While recuperating, I was looking for a simple escape, without a sad ending, with a little romance and/or female/ family conflict, and preferably in a beach
setting. I received all I wanted and more to help me out. I’ll be looking for other books from this author.
EVOCATIVE!
Author Lauren K. Denton has a special gift for writing evocative Southern fiction and she is on the top of her game in THE SUMMER HOUSE! This is a story of love and loss. A story of Lily and Rose, from different generations who share similar ways of dealing with hidden secrets over their broken hearts. A story of Coach and Rawlins, from different generations (only the younger one has the cutest little daughter) who also know a thing or two about broken hearts but instead of it making them BITTER, it has made them BETTER men. A story of the two men pursuing the two women in order to show them what it feels like for someone else to want to protect and provide for them. A story of a community that comes together to support Lily’s beauty salon and in doing so, it becomes the center of activity. Mainly, it is the story of a spectacular summer that gives hope to the broken-hearted that there may be more to life and love than they have experienced so far. One of my favorite quotes from the book is: “I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Sometimes the hardest step is the first one. After that, it can only get easier.” What a great insight!
I was provided a complimentary copy of this novel by Thomas Nelson and NetGalley. The opinions expressed here are completely my own and without influence.