The Summer's End

I know I was not the only one here in Reader Land anxiously awaiting the next installment in the Lowcountry Summer series, let me tell you, it was so worth the wait! Mary Alice Monroe does not disappoint, in fact she knocks it out of the park with this book! The writing is exceptional!
Each book in the Lowcountry Summer series stands alone as a great story but reading them all makes it even more enjoyable! We follow the lives of Marietta Muir (Mamaw) and her three Granddaughters ; Carson, Eudora and Harper (whom she calls her Summer Girls). Each was raised in different parts of the country and would visit with their Grandmother at her Sullivan’s Island home during the summer holiday. For Mamaw’s 80th birthday she invites all the girls back for one last hurrah before she sells the place and moves into a retirement home. Her intention was to also bring the girls back in touch with each other after years of hearing excuses of why they couldn’t come visit and to gently remind them how much they all needed each other. We get to journey with them through all their ups and downs during this summer together, what an adventure it is!
Book Three “The Summer’s End” focuses on Harper (whereas the first book “The Summer Girls” was more of Carson’s story, the second book “The Summer Wind” was Dora’s)
Mary Alice’s writing is so lyrical, her imagery so vivid it makes you feel like you are there… in this case we take a trip back to the Lowcountry of South Carolina. Most of the book takes place on Sullivan’s Island at Mamaw’s family home, the Summer Breeze. We do take a couple of side trips to the sleepy, charming fishing town of McClellanvile too. Having been to both places myself, I found that Mary Alice captured the true essesnce of each location perfectly!
Harper’s stay at the Summer Breeze gives her the freedom to relax and get away from her narcisstic Mom. She is also able to find her voice and follows her lifelong passion to write. A romance starts between her and Taylor, who we have met before when Carson and Nate (Dora’s son) went to Florida to visit Delphine, the injured dolphin at the Dolphin Research Center. Taylor was with the Wounded Warrior Project getting help with his PTSD.
I found the most amusing parts of this book to be the exchanges between Harper’s two strongwilled Grandmothers, Mamaw and Granny James from England… I loved how their relationship developed over the course of Granny James visit to the Summer Breeze. I can just imagine the fun Mary Alice had writing these scenes . Mary Alice can write about every day life and make it extraordinary! It’s impressive the amount of research she does when writing a book. As far as I’m concerned this series of books has movie written all over it!!
I can say with certainty that Mary Alice Monroe has another best seller here!!

A beautiful end to a series of wonderful, heartfelt stories. It’s very easy to love these women through their up & downs of life as they each struggle to find their places in the world & with each other. I loved every page of this book & the ones before it. Mary Alice Monroe has a gift & luckily, she shares it with all of her readers. I’m better for having found her books & look forward to the next ones.

This book is a great read. I recommend it, especially on long flights when traveling its easy to read and the characters are enjoyable in your head.