The Summer House | Book Review

ABOUT THE BOOK

Sometimes it takes losing everything to find yourself again.

Lily Bishop wakes up one morning to find a good-bye note and divorce papers from her husband on the kitchen counter. Having moved to Alabama for his job only weeks before, Lily is devastated, but a flyer at the grocery store for a hair stylist position in a local retirement community provides a refuge while she contemplates her next steps.

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 residents share town gossip, as well as 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 weaves Lauren K. Denton’s inviting Southern charm around a woman’s journey to find herself.

“The perfect summer read! You’ll feel the sun, taste the salt, and linger with new friends—you won’t want to leave.” —Katherine Reay, bestselling author of The Printed Letter Bookshop and Dear Mr. Knightley

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Release Date: June 2, 2020

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MY REVIEW

The Southern charm typical of Lauren K. Denton’s writing thrives in The Summer House. It proves absolutely heartwarming from beginning to end—a perfect summer read.

One day, Lily Bishop wakes up to find her husband gone. Now, she must figure out how to start over in a new town—and a hairdressing job in Safe Harbor, a retirement village, seems to be the way to do it. This surrounds her with a valuable community, including Rose Carrigan, the woman in charge of the village—and someone that just might benefit from learning how to move forward, too.

Engrossing, captivating, transporting, uplifting. Denton’s The Summer House is a delight to read, and I enjoyed it immensely. Readers of contemporary Southern fiction, you do not want to skip this book—add it to your summer TBR today!

★★★★.5

I received a complimentary copy of this book and the opportunity to provide an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, and all the opinions I have expressed are my own.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Born and raised in Mobile, Alabama, Lauren now lives with her husband and two daughters in Homewood, just outside Birmingham. In addition to her fiction, she writes a monthly newspaper column about life, faith, and how funny (and hard) it is to be a parent. On any given day, she’d rather be at the beach with her family and a stack of books. Her debut novel, The Hideaway, was a Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Amazon Charts bestseller. Her second novel, Hurricane Season, released in spring of 2018, is a USA Today bestseller. Glory Road released in March, 2019.

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