Review will be posted on 6/8/17
Flossy Merrill would love to have her family spend some time all under the same roof at their beach house, just like the good old days. What better to get them there than to celebrate their father's 80th birthday? Her three children and their families come, some more willing than others, and along with them come their problems, some larger than others. There's Clementine, the youngest Merrill, who had two little ones and is just coming out of a very, very upsetting year. Then there's Samuel and his partner who are in the process of adopting, but learning that some things don't always work out easily.  Lastly, there's Paige, the oldest Merrill, and the most stubborn. She is a micro-manager and she appears to have it all together, but, well, doesn't.  Managing her two teens has proven to be tough along with her unemployed husband and her growing veterinary practice.  The Merrill children come together and personalities collide, secrets are unearthed, and family bonds are forged. Where better to do this than at their beloved Rhode Island beach house? Hannah McKinnon's The Summer House really tugged on my heart strings. I loved this beach read and the Merrill family.

Clementine's story truly made me sympathize with her in The Summer House.  As a mother to two little ones, I could understand her struggles with the day-to-day grind, but what cards life throws her is definitely very upsetting. She had to deal with life-altering circumstances and when she returns to her family's beach house, she is still working through all of that.  Of course her family is worried about her, but hopefully the salt air will help her heal. I was rooting for her from the get-go.

I really loved the character of Samuel in The Summer House. He's a complex character that is in no way perfect, but I loved his relationship with his partner, Evan. Their struggles with adoption felt truly real and I think McKinnon captured the ups and downs well. 

Paige's story also really tugged on my heartstrings, because she is trying so hard to keep it all together for her family as a working mother, but is struggling.  I think many mothers today can relate to Paige  and the pull to be everything to everyone. Plus, raising two teenagers is no easy feat.  Her relationship with her husband is on the rocks since his layoff and they aren't really communicating well. 

Combine all of these different personalities as well as problems into the mix, and you've got yourself an interesting family vacation. To top it off, Flossy knows deep down that they need to sell the beloved beach house, so she just wants one happy week before they must say goodbye to it forever.

McKinnon captures beach life so very well in The Summer House. Her descriptions of the bonfires, the hot days by the ocean, the starry-night skies, and the simple moments in a house by the ocean are spot on. Her descriptions took me back to my own summers and family vacations. I truly loved "living" at the Merril's house and couldn't wait to pick up the book again.

So, if you are looking for a beach read that will tug on your heartstrings, has a lot of family drama and beautiful descriptions of a beach house and beach living, you must check out The Summer House. It's my favorite of McKinnon's novels and it's one of my favorite novels of the year.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story of a family gathering at their summer house ostensibly to celebrate their father's 75th birthday. As we all know with families there is always more going on than meets the eye. Summer unfolds in some unexpected ways for everyone at The Summer House. A great summer read!

4.5 stars.
an absolutely perfect beach read- Heather McKinnon manages to capture the essence of summer in this book perfectly. The Merill family gather at their beach house to celebrate their father's birthday. Everyone in the family has a secret- from the parents, to the three adult children, to one of the grandchildren. I especially loved the setting for the book because it was written at "my" beach.  Definitely recommend this one if you're looking for a good beach book.

This is the 3rd book I've read by Hannah McKinnon, and she definitely has become a must-read author for me. This one is more family drama and less chick lit than her previous two books, but just as enjoyable, about a week in a family's Rhode Island beach house, told from the perspective of each of the 3 adult children and their mother, all dealing with their own issues. An absolute perfect summer read, my only regret is that I didn't save it to read on my own beach vacation in a few months!

This book was such a breath of fresh air and just what I needed to get excited for summer! It was everything I love about a summer read--beach house setting, great characters, and a feel good story that makes your heart happy. Normally in books with chapters with multiple characters, I almost always have that one (or two!) character that I'm not as excited to read about. Not so with The Summer House! I loved each character and did not find myself bored or wanting a certain character's chapter to be over. I loved each character's story and journey throughout the book. I found myself wishing I could go hang out at the house with this wonderful family.

I loved both of the author's previous books, and The Summer House did not disappoint! The writing and the story flowed well and was relaxing to read. The Summer house should definitely be on your summer reading list this year--it is a delightful read!

Featured in our summer reading guide
http://www.grundycountyherald.com/the-ultimate-summer-reading-guide/

A perfect beach read or if you can’t make it to the beach you can read about it. The setting is lovely, the storyline done so well. Lots of drama in a family that has so much dysfunction it’s almost laughable. Good strong characters with stories of their childhood, problems that has plagued them and a family that you want to continue to follow.

This is a great summer read, with all the necessary trappings: a dysfunctional family, a great summer setting, and lots of drama. I thoroughly enjoyed sitting back in the warm sun, under a cloudless sky, to read it. Flossie Merrill has invited her children and their families to the family summer house in Rhode Island, for their aging father’s birthday. Flossie also wants to check up on her children: Clementine, whose life has recently undergone a major change; Paige, who seems steadfast but who has unpredictable teenagers; and Samuel, who, along with his partner Evan, are struggling to come to grips with their life together. The three grown Merrill children arrive at the summer house, along with their different challenges, and the week at the beach house becomes a good look at how each works through things while interacting with each other. The story covered this aspect well, with look backs to their childhoods and how far each has come. This is definitely a great summer read, either at home or at the beach/on vacation.  It is not terribly fast moving, but remains interesting and will hold your attention from start to finish. The author should think about building on this book and making the Merrill family stories a series.  I received this form NetGalley to read and review.

I featured this book in a beach read roundup today:
http://www.bethfishreads.com/2017/05/10-books-for-your-beach-bag.html

Flossy and Richard have invited their children, spouses and kids to their summer home in Rhode Island for Richard's 75th birthday.  Paige, the oldest, always striving and pushing herself and others; Sam, the successful businessman, not caring about fitting in, and Clem, a young mother recently widowed, each with their own challenges and issues to deal with.  I enjoyed the book, and thought it was a good summer read.

I received this arc from Netgalley for an honest review.
This is my first read by this author. I love beach you contemporary reads and this seemed like a perfect fit. I loved the characters and how they all worked through the book. Each of the siblings were going through a life change and I liked how they referred back to their childhood. I wonder if this is a stand alone of if there is more to come. Lots of questions left unanswered and I'd like to know where everyone goes from here.

My thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A great summer read!  A story that encompasses the arc of a family, the highs and the lows, set in the family summer home by the beach.  Beautifully written, and hard to put down.  It made me wish I had a summer house to go to with my extended family.

Flossie Merrill has finally gotten all her children and their families back to the summer house in Rhode Island where generations of their family have spent the summer.  It's their father's eightieth birthday, and Flossie has planned a big party, but she has another reason for gathering the family together.  Flossie worries about all her children for different reasons - her daughter Clementine has had a life-changing event, Samuel and his partner Evan are struggling with adoption, and Paige seems fine, but has unpredictable teenagers. 

Her children arrive, all with own their own literal and figurative baggage in tow.  One of the things I most enjoyed about this book was the interactions between the siblings, based on habits learned as children.  Sam and Paige are very competitive, and not always to their benefit.  Paige and Clem have an interesting relationship as sisters.  As the week progresses, the relationships between the three siblings and their parents strengthen as they begin to see one another for the adults they are in the present.

The writing in The Summer House is excellent, and the story is well paced.  I was engrossed in this book and invested in the characters.  They seem like real people that you'd enjoy getting to know.

All in all, this was a fantastic book and will make a great summer beach read.  I highly recommend it.

A family story that takes readers on a summer journey with clearly identifiable characters. Whether you are an east coast lover or dip your toes in the mighty Pacific, The Summer House by Hannah McKinnon is one anyone can visit and find themselves inside its weathered pages. I love the journey of Flossy's children back home to their summer refuge, the way that they remember who they were, and see how far they've come. Definitely putting this one in my beach bag.

I really liked this! So much that I went and requested that my library system buy a few McKinnon titles, because they didn't have any. Full review to come for Shelf Awareness.

I love a good book set during summer on the east coast, and this one did not disappoint!

This book encompasses everything you think about when you hear the words summer house - a gorgeous setting, a dysfunctional family, and drama, drama, drama.

This was a well written book that grabbed me from the beginning, full of strong characters and believable behaviors. Fans of Elin Hilderbrand and Mary Alice Monroe will love this book. I will definitely read more books by this author.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Summer House
Hannah McKinnon
Available: June 6, 2017

Thank you very much to NetGalley.com and the publisher for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Yippee! It’s Spring and that means that the fluffy summer beach reads will be arriving shortly. I live for this part of the year so I can take my yearly reading trips across the globe to fabulous beaches. For once, I’m not reading a book about Nantucket.  Instead, I’ve had the pleasure to read a sweet family tale with minimal drama in Rhode Island.
What I loved: I’ve recently lost my mother in law but it was so touching to see her spirit live on in the character of Flossie. Like my MIL, Flossie is appreciated even when people are rolling their eyes behind her back, a bundle of energy always fretting about small details, and is genuinely loved. While I would have loved to see a deeper insight into her being outside of deciding paint colors – she was a joy to read.
What I didn’t love: Actually, everyone except Sam seemed to keep it on the surface. I rolled my eyes when Paige confronts her child about teenage drinking. Why did you do it? Because I wanted to know what it felt like. Give me a break.  And was the shout out to Taylor Swift really necessary? Didn’t think this was a YA book…
What I learned: Rhode Island can be an incredible place for a vacation – but only if you like seafood.
Overall Grade: B

I'm a firm believer that the ocean heals. Being together at the end of a stressful summer is exactly what this family needs.

I am giving this book a low rating not because of the writing but because of the characters. Very unlikable characters except Clem. The others were all wallowing too much in self pity for no reasons at all and all seemed very selfish. The mother worked herself up all the time trying to do too much and the other siblings were too pathetic.

Fans of Hannah McKinnon's previous novels will enjoy this beach read.  I found it lacked the depth and complexity of Lake Season; it reads more along the lines of Mystic Summer.  This book is about family and the struggles three siblings and their families are enduring during their week together in their family summer house in Rhode Island.  Although the setting is perfect for transporting the reader to a beach escape, I found the author never really did justice with the descriptions; the sense of place was missing.  Also, I found it hard to connect with the characters' various challenges and experiences.  This book had a lot of potential that I found just wasn't developed enough but delivers as a light, entertaining beach read.