The Summer of Us

By Holly Chamberlin

From the back of the book:

At first, the only thing Gincy, Danielle, and Clare have in common is a desire to spend weekends away from the city. No-nonsense Gincy has worked hard to leave her small-town childhood behind. Danielle grew up with every advantage and is looking for a husband who’ll fit neatly into her pampered life, while Clare is enjoying a last burst of independence before marrying her ambitious fiancé. Yet lazy beach days and warm, conversation-filled nights forge an unexpected connection. And over the course of one eventful summer, Gincy, Danielle, and Clare will discover that friendship isn’t always measured in how well you know a person’s past – but in opening each other’s eyes to everything the future could hold.

Just my opinion:

I have really been enjoying the latest surge in novels about relationships, especially those that deal with friends and how they interact with each other. The Summer of Us fits nicely into that category and is such a wonderful story!

This book totally captured my attention right from the start. It’s the story of three women who decide to rent a summer cabin together, even though they really don’t know each other very well at all. As you read their story, you watch their relationship with each other grow and develop. And even though they refuse to admit it at first, they have become very close friends and learn to care about one another. They finally realize they can turn to each other in times of need and times of joy.

It’s a great story and a super summer read.

I won this book from Bookreporter’s summer reading contests. Each day, I receive an e-mail alert about that day’s book and I was thrilled to be chosen when I entered to win this one. The contests ended July 27, but a new Fall Reading Preview is running through August. Stop by their site if you get the chance and see all the fun things they have to offer for readers.

Some favorite passages from the book:

Here was the thing: You gave men an inch, they took a mile. You had to set boundaries. You had to make them play by the rules. And if they didn’t want to play by the rules, they were out of the game. Period.

Why is it that TV commercials always portray the wife as the one who knows best? Why is she the one who eats low-fat food and the hubby the one who scarfs donuts? Plenty of women scarf donuts. I scarf donuts.

Sadness is profound disappointment. Once you’ve been made sad by someone, once you’ve been disappointed by someone … that’s it, hope is quite suddenly dead and the world an entirely new and puzzling place.

Sometimes, life kicks you in the teeth. And there’s nothing you can do about it but go on. Maybe your grin’s a little lopsided for a while, but what’s the alternative? Give up?

You know what Katherine Hepburn said about regrets? … She said that if you don’t have any, you must be stupid.

You know, there’s something to clichés. People use them for a reason.