A great summer read! Perfect descriptions of the house (undergoing renovation), and the area of the Outer Banks, made me want to visit that area. Sympathetic characters and long-buried secrets make this so much more than a romance. This book raises a big question: how do you ever know what is the right thing to do? Do you tell a secret or keep it?

A pleasant read for the beach or for a rainy day! This is a nicely done romance between Callie and Luke but also with the Outer Banks. Books in the summer house genre tend to be more in the family-come-home vein and this was a bit different. The mild mystery Callie stumbles on adds to the plot, which skips along at a good pace. Don't forget to keep your eye on Olivia- she's a winner too. This is an easy, relaxing book. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Highly enjoyable summer feel-good read! Would be a great beach book. Has all the right elements to make for fun vacation reading, but also is great to read at home (like I did). It has romance, friendship, and family secrets with a picturesque setting of the Outer Banks. And that cover!! Gorgeous! Perfectly describes what you'll get out of The Summer House.

Callie & Olivia, friends since childhood, are pooling their resources to buy/open a bed and breakfast in a beach house both have long admired. They are working hard to get it ready to open, and neither have thought about or have time for romance right now. But, as we all know, love doesn't wait for perfect timing... Can spoiled rich boy Luke possibly be the man Callie has hoped for? And will Olivia find love right in front of her? Or will long-held secrets coming to light damage the budding relationships?

I've read 2 prior Jenny Hale books, both at Christmas time (and they were holiday themed) and really enjoyed them. No exception here, and I'll be searching for her other books as well. Great writing with warm, fun-loving characters who you'd like to befriend yourself. You'll definitely finish this with warm-fuzzies abounding.


**Big thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC to honestly review!**

This review is written with thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for my copy of The Summer House.
Callie Weaver and Olivia Dixon have invested their life savings into renovating Beachcombe, a beach house on the coast of North Carolina. They are busy getting things ready for their grand opening when Callie bumps into Luke Sullivan, a renowned playboy who stands to inherit his father's multi-million pound business. It is clear there is a spark between Callie and Luke, but when Callie finds a diary belonging to the previous owner of the beach house, she discovers a secret that will turn Luke's life upside down. Will Callie and Luke be able to find a way to each other as Luke's life unravels before him?
I started reading The Summer House on a dreary, rainy day in Yorkshire. Hale's descriptions in the novel made this book a great form of escapism as I was able to remove myself from my own rather dull surroundings and picture myself on a beach in Waves in North Carolina.
The Summer House was shaping up to be a standard romantic comedy; that is, until Callie discovers the diary of the previous owner of the beach house. I enjoyed the air of mystery this created, as this set it apart from other novels in the same genre, and I wanted to find out more about Alice and her life at the beach house. I was slightly disappointed that the sections we were shown from Alice's diary did not reveal more, as I found this aspect of the novel interesting.
The Summer House is a novel that is outside my comfort zone, and I found the ending slightly predicable, but nevertheless, it is mostly enjoyable and provides a satisfying sense of escapism.

Callie and Olivia have invested their life savings and bough an old B&B on the Outer Banks. They are cleaning and fixing and rebuilding with the hopes of opening before the end of summer. With no time for romance Callie meets the local heart throb and and begins a "friendship" When Olivia and Callie find a locked box it changes the course of events for the entire island. Hopefully for all involved that friendship and family can overcome gossip and hurt feelings. I enjoyed this book, it's a nice light read that will go well with an easy chair on the deck or a towel on the beach.

First of all I have to say is what a beautiful cover Summer House is, if I saw this book on the shelf it would really catch my eye. I really enjoyed it, never read anything by this author before so I wasn't sure what to expect, I will be recommending this book.

The Summer House by Jenny Hale was a great summer read. It had all the important ingredients: HOT and famous boyfriend, two best friends starting over, a huge hurricane and a family secret. What is not to love!

Two best friends, Callie and Oliva buy an older house on the coast in North Carolina. They have worked tirelessly preparing the house for a quaint bed and breakfast. Meanwhile Callie meets Luke Sullivan - seriously hot material! He begins to ask Callie out and things are looking rosy. Then Oliva and Callie find the diary and the lockbox and things start to get a little dicey. IF dicey isn’t enough then a hurricane comes barreling up the coast looking to land on their newly renovated with all their savings bed and breakfast.

The Summer House was a fun read. It maintained its focus on the plot line more than the hotness of the two characters, but you know it is there! A fun fast read!

hhis is the first Jenny Hale book I have read and I really enjoyed it. Well written, I was swept away to the seaside location in North Carolina. I love a roller coaster romance and this was perfect - an ideal summer holiday read.

Callie and Olivia are childhood friends and have bought a beach house together to renovate and turn into a B & B. Then Callie meets the local hearththrob celebrity Luke. Their relationship slowly builds as Callie realises there is more to Luke than meets the eye.

There is also an element of intrigue introduced into the story when Callie finds an old diary full of secrets left by a previous owner of the house.

I would recommend this book as an easy summer read with romance and a touch of mystery.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of this book in return for an honest review.

The Summer House is the perfect summer beach read set in one of my absolute favorite places on earth – Waves, NC. Callie, her best friend Olivia, and Olivia’s son Wyatt have moved to Waves to renovate and re-open an old inn, The Beachcomber. In the middle of their renovations, Callie meets the famous, handsome, and wealthy Luke Sullivan – and they hit it off instantly. But as they start dating, Callie learns information about his family that tests this new relationship.

Callie was instantly smitten with Luke but then began to doubt who he truly was based on tabloids and articles depicting him as a rich playboy. Luke really tries to win her over, and about the time she’s realized how crazy she is over him, she learns something about his family that causes him to walk away. This left me frustrated because Callie sort of switched overnight from cold to hot with Luke and then Luke did a complete 360 and walked away from her at the first stressful moment. However, sprinkled throughout the novel were some great moments with each of them really showing one another their true selves as they built on a friendship to become more.

I easily related to Callie and her desire to start over, as well as, the issues she had with her mother. Although I think I missed the key elements as to what the problem was with her mother, I got the basic idea. I also related to how badly she missed her grandmother and the beauty of Gladys, Olivia’s grandmother, being in her life.

The Summer House has plenty of surprises, twists, and turns to be interesting, as well as, just good old-fashioned beach romance. This is a quick, light read that is perfect for a lazy day on the beach!

*Thanks to NetGalley for providing this novel in exchange for an honest review!

As always, it's such a pleasure to be on a Jenny Hale blog tour! Big thank you to the lovely, Kim, from Bookouture, for inviting me to take part in such a summery blog tour.

You all should know by now that I am a cover worshipper (that's the polite way of saying it!), and yes, I do judge a book by its cover #sorrynotsorry. With that in mind, can I just take a moment to point out how STUNNING Jenny Hale's book cover is?! It's so open and breezy, it really made me get into the zone for her new book, The Summer House.

There's nothing like seeing your dreams become reality, especially when those dreams harbour so many memories for more than one person. Callie and Olivia, have decided to follow their heart and live their dream via a beach house. Now, it's not just ANY beach house, no, it's a place that both ladies hold very dear to their hearts. A place where they spent their summers as children. A place which has been the heart of the community for many, many years; even when it had no-one living in it. Callie and Olivia have decided to resurrect the true essence of the beach house, by opening it up as a bed and breakfast. With the beach literally on their doorstep, it's the perfect location to just...be.

Whilst all of that sounds incredible and plain sailing, it feels like I'm missing something doesn't it? Oh, wait, I know. A man. No, I'm not missing a man, it just seems to be going so smoothly in my description of the storyline, and I just realised why. I hadn't mentioned THE MAN, and, in books like these, there is always a man to distract ladies from the task in hand. No pun intended.

If I'm honest, I have never read a Jenny Hale novel which I didn't like. Ever. There's just something so comforting about picking up one of Hale's novels, confidently knowing that you're not going to be disappointed by what you read.
Thankfully, The Summer House was another one of those comforting reads. This storyline in particular though, was incredibly calm to begin with as each of the characters were finding their feet, the foundations of the plot were being laid, and pieces of the jigsaw puzzle were being scattered ready for piecing together along the way.

Personally, I felt that the romance part of the storyline was a teensy bit predictable. Don't get me wrong, the author still executed it in a lovely way as it still was a joy to read about, I just felt like it could have been a little more unique. 

The Summer House has the type of storyline that seems calm before the storm. Literally. There was the odd bump in road in terms of family secrets, but as soon as the storyline had unfolded to its full potential - wowza, Jenny Hale flourished. The pace increased dramatically (as did my heart rate). The level of uncertainty was severely gripping and quite emotional to read. The romance aspect seemed to show itself in a completely different light, and I loved it. I probably shouldn't say this given the nature of the events that unfolded, but, for me, those parts of the novel were my absolute favourite. The author showed a different side to her writing ability, which completely blew me away and gave the storyline incredible depth.

I truly loved this sunshine on a rainy day type novel; Jenny Hale has outdone herself once again by creating raw, emotional and extremely thought-provoking situations, all of which were surrounded by the serenity of the beach house.

Reading The Summer House felt like I had come home, I wish I could explain why, but it just did. This book made me realise the importance of listening to your heart, trusting your instincts, staying true to yourself and your beliefs, but most importantly, moving heaven and Earth for those you love. Jenny Hale has incorporated such deep and meaningful messages into such a relaxing, yet deep, storyline.

If Jenny Hale bottled the intense emotions of her book and sold it, I would buy it in no time. Everyone needs a book like this on their shelves. Wait, no, everyone needs THIS book on their shelves. Trust me.

Thank you Bookouture.

A cute romance with the Outer Banks as the backdrop. I loved the characters throughout the book. What really impressed me was it never got sappy sweet.

Can we please take a moment to appreciate the beauty of that cover?! I mean seriously, it’s stunning, it makes me want to dive right in. The Summer House was a perfectly satisfying summer read that I devoured in an afternoon. It had me longing to have my toes in the sand and the sea breeze in my hair, meanwhile I’m actually in Arizona where ninety something degrees is considered “not too hot at all!” Sigh.

Callie was the sort of character that wiggled her way into my heart right away. She was lovely, kind and warm and not in the market for a boyfriend at all. She’s way too busy renovating the Beachcomber with her best friend Olivia to worry about romance, but they say you find love when you’re not looking…

Luke is the love interest of Callie and man was he hot! I have such a vivid picture of him in my minds eye thanks to Hale’s fantastic imagery. The relationship between these two was adorable and not one of those where they fell in love within five minutes. It was realistic as Callie was cautious and hesitant to get involved. Besides the romantic storyline there was a bit of a mystery as Callie finds an old journal and a lockbox left by the previous owner of the house. I just love when a romance author adds some intrigue into the plot, it really breaks things up and adds something special.

This was just a delightful read with fabulous lead characters as well as a really fun group of supporting characters as well. The setting was totally gorgeous as well, I really felt like I could envision the Beachcomber and the town perfectly. If you’re looking for a sweet read to sink your teeth into this summer look no further, The Summer House was a highly endearing read.

That picture on the front of this book, well it sums up this story perfectly. Callie Weaver has invested everything she has into the Beach house in the Outer Banks. I'm a fan of Jenny Hale and I must say that this latest book was just what the doctor ordered for me. Jenny Hale manages to do a wonderful job of describing this quaint town with it's stunning white beaches and I could almost picture the house that Callie is renovating. Her and her childhood friend Olivia want to reopen the house as a Bed and Breakfast. Olivia's Grandmother Glady's lives across the way and with her help and support they start the arduous task of getting it all ready for the end of the Summer.

Callie was a reserved character but one that I liked. Her tentative attitude towards people she doesn't know that well is endearing and as a reader it's nice to share her journey while she takes some chances with her career as well as her personal life. Callie runs into a guy whilst out shopping and circumstances throw them together. She has no idea at first that there is more to Luke Sullivan that the press make out. To the press he is just a Playboy and a man who seemingly does little more than flaunt his wealth. At first I have to be honest and say I wasn't overly enamoured with Luke, but as the story progresses you soon see there is a lot more to him than meets the eye.

Callie's story also sees her stumble across something that could tear people's lives apart and she doubts what she should do. I loved reading about Callie and Olivia's friendship and although Callie was the lead character it was nice to see Olivia's life changing too in the background. The story progresses and eventually Callie realises that she needs to take a huge chance and just wonders whether in doing so she will jeopardise everything she has worked for.

Overall this was a hugely enjoyable book and would make a perfect beach read. Jenny Hale has managed to capture my attention with every book she has written and manages to take me away from it all, so much so I could almost imagine standing on that beach. Her last book remains my all time favourite but this was still a great read and an author I would highly recommend.

The Summer House- Jenny Hale 5*
An enjoyable summertime read. Callie and Olivia have bought a beach house that they are converting into a guesthouse. They have known each other since childhood and hence know each other inside out. When a chance meeting brings a possible romance or at least friendship with a local celebrity, life becomes rather more exciting. A little intrigue into the mix and this brings the perfect recipe for a light-hearted read. I am not into chick-lit/romance books but this had that little bit more with characters that I could relate to (within the realms of fiction)and a heartwarming story. Scenes well described and that ocean sound we have all dreamt of. Sometimes we all need a happy ending.
I voluntarily chose to read this ARC and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.

This is a lovely summery read that has a great setting and some great characters. It is such a light hearted and easy read that it is just perfect for reading on a beach!
Jenny Hale has very quickly become one of my favourite authors and whenever she has a new release all other books get pushed aside until I have read hers, she just gets romance right!
In this book we meet Callie and Olivia who buy a house together that they had always admired, Callie meets Luke and they embark on a romantic relationship together. As Callie gets to know Luke she realises that he is very different to the person she believed him to be. I so would love to read more from these characters as they were so well written.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

A great beach read set in . . . a beach house! I enjoyed reading this book, while a little cheesy sometimes, it was a fun read. The blurb was absolutely correct in saying "a gorgeous, feel good romance that will have you hooked"! The added bonus of a secret diary hiding a huge secret made it very interesting, as well.

Thanks to Bookouture and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion.

When I began reading this it was when my dog past away, so I dove into the story to distract myself. I breezed through it easily since the flow of the story is simple. It isn't complicated with too many descriptions, or words that are too "fluffy", instead it was everything I needed for a relaxing read.

I'm already a sucker for romance, so following Luke and Callie as they navigated their attraction to one another, was everything I wanted it to be. It was sweet and gradual. Most stories tend to have an instant-love, and while yes, Luke and Callie did have an attraction from the start, they didn't fall in love right away. They didn't even kiss untill around midway into the book.

I love a story where the love doesn't come easily though, and Callie's reluctance to be open with Luke felt relatable. I loved that she she didn't kiss him on the first date, but I also hated (in a good way) that she couldn't get out of her head and out of her own way. It was a nice way to create conflict between them since Luke was so open with her from the start.

Then when she was finally starting to open up to Luke and later tells him about his family secret and he pushes her away, I found myself angry with him. Lol. It was so easy to become invested in the characters. While I knew that by the end of the story they would makeup and live happily ever after, I was still rooting for them as they went through their rough patch.

As far as the other parts of the story, I enjoyed the renovation of the Beachcomber. The author has a knack for being descriptive without overkill and I could picture it quite vividly in my mind. I also liked that there was a side romance occurring with Olivia and Aiden, as well as a bit of mystery with the diary. I was able to guess early on where the diary entries were leading, but even so, I enjoyed figuring out whether I was right or not.

Over all, I feel this story is a great read. Especially when you're looking to get lost in the pages of imaginary people. Reading this helped me during a hard time after losing my dog. She was always by my side and such a great companion, so the loss really hit hard. I thank the author for allowing me to forget my grief for a bit and I look forward to other book written by her.

Sun, sea, storms, surf, millionaires and romance. Who could ask for anything more right?

Callie and Olivia have the opportunity of a lifetime to renovate and reopen a bed and breakfast in the small seaside community of Waves, North Carolina, a place they have loved since their childhood. Callie isn’t looking for love, her focus is on the house and getting ready to open by the end of the summer, but a chance meeting with local millionaire Luke, and a tropical storm blowing in from the Atlantic, threaten to throw her plans into disarray. Oh and boy do they…

I don’t want to say too much more about the plot – the blurb gives a hint of what you can expect after all. But what I will say is that, in spite of the troubles that Callie and Luke face, this is a truly beautiful and heart warming read that will have all romance feeling the warm and fuzzies for sure.

I really liked the characters of Callie and Olivia. They were both down to earth and easy to get to know and warm to. The story centres more around Callie obviously, but Olivia, her Grandmother Gladys and her son Wyatt are also key parts of the story and all equally lovable. Gladys was brilliantly imagined, a strong independent woman who looked out for the young women and supported them all that she could and I could recognise my own gran in her humour and wisdom. Brilliant. Olivia was fun too, a great friend to Callie, and her tentative flirting with old college chum Aiden was quite sweet.

But Callie and Luke – that is where the sparks fly. They may have met by accident but the chemistry bled from the page and although you knew it was never going to be an easy ride, they way in which they fought to overcome the expectations and misconceptions about who Luke really was was so endearing and beautiful to read. Told you. Warm and fuzzies. Callie had her own demons to overcome, ones which overshadowed her relationship with Luke, and her trust issues added a real layer of conflict, especially when she trusted his reputation over the man she saw in front of her. And Luke? Tall, tanned, surfer dude millionaire. What is not to like in that?

Now, as in every good romance, there is another layer of conflict which threatens to derail this romance before it even really begins. And boy is it a good one. Not only do they have to contend with a tropical storm which would wipe out all of the progress they have made on the house but a deep rooted secret comes to the fore and for some of the residents it is a hard thing to take. Whether they all make it through okay… Well you’ll have to read for yourself won’t you?

There are so many moments in this that will make you swoon, go awww and just have a right good old chuckle. I said it before and I’ll say it again. This is a beautiful, engaging and heart warming read, with excellent characterisations and descriptions so vivid I want to get straight on a plane to North Carolina right now. (I also want me a hot millionaire but realise I have more chance with the plane ticket…)

Fans of Jenny Hale will not be disappointed. A perfect summer holiday romance of a read.

A very enjoyable book to read. While somewhat predictable given the synopsis it was a very enjoyable read with some twists and turns that you didn't really see coming. Definitely worth a read!!

A fun easy Summer romance read that is full of beach escapism