The perfect beach read! A nice well written easy story with well developed characters and a great pace that's perfect for relaxing.

Needing changes in their lives Callie and her best friend Olivia decide now is the time to buy, renovate, and open the B&B they've been dreaming about since they were kids vacationing on the outer banks. The last thing Callie has time for is a new romance but for Luke Sullivan making the time seems well worth it. The paparazzi may have painted him as an uncaring playboy but that's not the man Callie has gotten to know. Just when things seem to be going well Callie stumbles upon an old journal that contains secrets that could threaten not only her relationship with Luke but Luke's happiness.

I highly recommend this one.

Callie and Olivia have been best friends since they were kids. When the Beachcomber Inn goes up for sale across from Olivia's grandmother, they jump at the chance to purchase. Both put all their sweat & tears into opening the Inn before the end of summer. But when Callie runs into a famous local, Luke Sullivan, she's swept up right away. Can Luke & Callie trust each other and begin a relationship? Will they open the Inn on time?

This was a cute summer read. I enjoyed the little history with the Inn as well.

This is a well done, light summer read in the chick lit genre. Callie and her best friend Olivia are restoring an old house in the Outer Banks, NC, to re-open it as a B&B. Though she has little time for anything but work on the house, Callie meets Luke Sullivan, a rich local as well as a well-known and well written-about community resident. They hit it off well from the get-go. In fact, Luke becomes as infatuated with Callie as she does with him. Their romance spans the summer, as they both dance around their budding relationship, while Callie and Olivia work on the old house restoration. While restoring the old house, Callie stumbles upon an old journal belonging to the house’s former owner. The revelations in this journal have the power to send shock waves through their lives as well as through the community, especially the well-known and well-reported-in-the-news Sullivan household.

This is a good summer, beach read. My only problems with the book are that there is practically no plot, the relationship between Callie and Luke, though interesting, is inevitable from the very start and the secrets in the journal were not very earth-shattering or enough to keep me in suspense. The main and supporting characters are well done, as is generally the case in Jenny Hale’s books. The setting is ideal for a story such as this one. The story starts out well and immediately sucked me in. However, it lost steam about a quarter way in and dragged until about the last twenty percent of the book, where it picked up steam again. I easily became bored reading through the many pages in the middle, hoping things would soon begin to hurry along to what I knew, from the start, as I said, would be the inevitable conclusion. The journal Callie found added some mystery to the story but not very much. It did, nevertheless, help to move things along a bit. I have read Jenny Hale’s other books and enjoyed them as much as this one. I do wish it had maintained a steadier pace throughout, though, in the end, I was glad I stuck with it. As I said, this is a good summer chick it read that can help pass the time on the beach, traveling or on a vacation (when you don’t really want a story that is too involved or complex). I received this from NetGalley to read and review.

I absolutely loved this book, so heartwarming and enjoyable story of love, friendship, family and secrets.

The setting and theme for this book makes it's a must read for the summer, just perfect.

I loved the characters, all of which were well written and they felt real. It was a pleasure getting to know Callie and Luke, and seeing how their relationship developed throughout the story.

Jenny Hale is a new author to me, and I'll definately be looking to read her previous books.

Jenny Hale has yet again written a book that makes you feel like you are right there in he thick of things. It is alluring and sweet. The characters have true feelings and it's as if you have known them forever. The details and descriptions are right in he money. You can feel the breeze off the ocean front. Another feel good book. The Summer House is a magical place and a must read! 💙

Having read a few of the author's book before I knew what to expect from her writing. However, what I wasn't expecting was what a breath of fresh air this story would be. This time of year brings out a multitude of stories suited to days sitting in the sun reading. We want to be able to escape to another place and find ourselves transported there through the authors' descriptions and way with words. This book does exactly that. With the number of similar books coming out right now I was worried that this one would come across as being a bit samey. This was most definitely not the case as the author throws in a bit of everything for us.

The author gives us romance, secrets and lies, and a whole lot more as well. The characters are all very well written and the story is told in such a way that it drew me in instantly.

Another great story from an author fast becoming a favourite of mine. Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for providing a copy.

This was such a charming book and it was so unexpected! I thought this would be a typical romance but the twist made it so much more interesting. Really enjoyed this and will look for more from this author.

Callie Weaver is ready for a new start in life, she and her best friend Olivia have just invested in a beach house that they are renovating to open as a bed and breakfast at North Carolina’s Outer Banks. As busy as Callie has been preparing for their opening the last thing on her mind was a relationship but when a chance encounter with local heartthrob Luke Sullivan happens Callie finds herself wanting to get to know him.

While Callie and Olivia are working on the house they stumble across an old diary and wonder what to do with it. The diary is full of old secrets of the prior owners but when a few fall a bit too close to home Callie wonders what it will mean for her new relationship with Luke.

The Summer House by Jenny Hale can easily be called a perfect summer beach read. The author did a wonderful job with this story, the setting was described so well I could almost picture myself in the quaint seaside community at times. The characters were also very likable and it was nice to have a bit of suspense added into the romantic read with the old secrets that were brought out into the light.

Starting off reading this one I thought it was going to be a bit of the rich spoiled boy and the girl that finally turns him but the story became so much more rather quickly. Luke is rich and set to inherit his father’s company but he never came across as the “rich jerk” type and it was easy to like him. With the deeper story it was easy to get engaged and root for a happy ending while reading this one.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

The great start to the book is followed up with a warm tale of restoring a house to glory and allowing your barriers to come down

I really enjoyed this book, Jenny Hale has a lovely way with words

Another summery gem 4*

This was a sweet read....I'd call it a beach read. It's the kind of book you pick up when you want a lazy day where you just dive into the characters' lives. With a little bit of mystery, a little bit of romance, and a lot of conflict, it unfolds and develops nicely. I took away one star for the ending, which just seemed completely unrealistic and unfulfilling.

This is the first “summer” book I’ve read from Jenny Hale. I had already reviewed one of her Christmas novels a few months ago and I had really enjoyed the author’s writing style. So I knew that I was likely to enjoy this new publication.

And the promise of a feel-good, romantic story has been delivered. I really had a lovely time delving into this heartwarming tale. The whole cast was endearing and easy to like. Although at first, I was having some reservations about the “millionaire” side of Luke.

I couldn’t not say anything about this element of the book, especially given that I sort of criticized this recurring theme/cliché in chick lit in my last review of the French translation of “A Night With Grace Kelly” by Lucy Holliday. But, last weekend Pippa Middleton did marry that kind of rare man, so it is not as unrealistic as one would think, right? Let’s accept this feature as part of the wild romantic fantasy we might all nurture to some extent at some point! 😊

Overall, I enjoyed seeing the main protagonists slowly get to know each other. The author really managed to write warm scenes with vivid, dynamic descriptions. I really was under the impression that the film was unfolding before my eyes.

The Summer House is a feel-good love story for the hopeless romantics we all secretly are. Luke is the dream boyfriend we’d all wish to meet one day — kind, supportive and reliable. I recommend this book if you need a sweet, easy read to escape.

I loved this book. This is one of my favorite authors and she never fails to entertain me. I really wanted this story to continue so hopefully there will be more. Everything fit here, the characters, the background, the story line. Read This Book!

A perfect summer read! I read this at the beach and I couldn't have chosen any better. Loved it!

I received this ARC from Netgalley for an honest review.
This is my first try at a book by author Jenny Hale. This was a great read with strong and well-developed characters and a believable plot. There was a small mystery withing the story, but the book was not a mystery. Two best friends are renovating a summer house in the Outer Banks and plan to turn it into a bed and breakfast. Along the way, they encounter family, old and new friends and of course a romantic interest or two. Beautifully written and it kept my interest the entire way through.

This is a well-written, fun, light-hearted romance you’ll fall in love with thanks to a heartwarming plot, great group of characters and a beautiful North Carolina setting all rolled together to make the perfect summer escape.

The storyline is fabulous and includes a great twist as it winds down towards the end making you wish there would be a sequel so you can follow where this great couple go next. It’s one of those books you can easily fall into and binge your way to the finish without taking a break as you soak in the chemistry between Callie and Luke.

I hadn’t read anything prior by Jenny Hale but she’s going on my authors to watch list because I adored her writing. By the end of the book you’ll find yourself hopping online to plan out your own trip to North Carolina so you can see for yourself the beauty Hale managed to capture.

Reading The Summer House was a bit like having some delicious leftover birthday cake sitting in the kitchen – it was so moreish, I kept nipping back to it (just one more slice).

Amazingly, this is the first time I’ve read one of Jenny Hale’s books, despite her being a USA Today and Amazon best-selling author of romantic women’s fiction – with eight (I think) titles to her name.

Her latest sounds like it's come straight from one of my (very best) dreams – not only opening a bed and breakfast on the coast but also managing to capture the attention of the local millionaire at the same time.

Here’s the blurb:

Callie Weaver and best friend Olivia Dixon have finally done it: put their life’s savings into the beach house they admired through childhood summers, on the dazzling white sand of North Carolina’s Outer Banks.

They’re going to buff the salt from its windows, paint its sun-bleached sidings, and open it as a bed and breakfast.

Callie’s too busy to think about her love life, but when she catches the attention of local heartthrob Luke Sullivan, his blue eyes and easy smile make it hard to say no. He’s heir to his father’s property empire, and the papers say he’s just another playboy, but as they laugh in the ocean waves, Callie realizes there’s more to this man than money and good looks.

Just when true happiness seems within reach, Callie and Olivia find a diary full of secrets… secrets that stretch across the island, and have the power to turn lives upside down. As Callie reads, she unravels a mystery that makes her heart drop through the floor.

Will Callie and Luke be pulled apart by the storm it unleashes, or can true love save them?
It’s a heartwarming, charming and a proper page turner. The characters are all likeable, the plot keeps you engaged and the setting is dreamy (I want to see wild horses on the beach).

In fact, I can’t really fault The Summer House...and yet there was just something that didn’t quite flow for me in the writing.

That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy it, I did, but just not as much as some of the other books I have read this year. I know Jenny Hale has lots of fans so maybe it was me?

It certainly wouldn’t put me off reading her other books or watching the film adaptation of Coming Home For Christmas if I got the chance.

Format: Kindle.

Price: £1.99.

My rating: Three and a half stars.

With thanks for the Bookouture (via NetGalley) for the ARC in return for my honest opinion.

Callie and her best friend Olivia have always admired the beach house across the road from Olivia’s grandmother and when it becomes available they decide to buy it and turn it into a bed and breakfast. Callie meets Luke, the heir to a large property empire and according to the papers, a local playboy who always has a model on the end of his arm.

Callie and Luke begin a friendship where Callie realises that Luke is sweet and interesting and not a bit like the papers would have her believe, there’s more to Luke than just good looks and money.

While working on the house Callie discovers a diary belonging to the previous owner, the contents of which could turn Luke’s life upside down. Her dilemma is should she tell Luke or keep quiet.

The Summer House is a lovely heart warming romance, it has a good plot, with some great characters, everything a summer read needs.

I am a big fan of light reads that are set on the beach or near the water, both in the wintertime when I am buried in snow and in the summer when I am stuck at work, and looking for an escape. Jenny Hale and the Summer House did not disappoint! Definitely a 4-star book for me, and I am going to make sure to check out other books from this author.

Set on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, two women who have been friends since childhood are remodeling a large house into modern Bed and Breakfast. Callie, one of the women, meets a local celebrity when she is out to grab lunch, and what follows is a fun romantic read. I wasn't sure that I liked Luke much from the beginning, but he quickly grew on me and I found myself rooting for the two of them to get together.

This is a story of two friends taking a chance, leaning on each other, and starting a new venture together. It is also a story about families overcoming their past, and finding their way back together, even when you might think it is too late.

If you are a fan of books by Nancy Thayer and Mary Alice Monroe be sure to pick this one up!

A nice summer read. Two best friends are restoring an old house at the ocean into a bed and breakfast. Callie starts a relationship with Luke and uncovers secrets about his family. Once she tells him, he is upset that she uncovered this knowledge. They resolve this conflict with some twists and turns along the way. I would recommend this book.

I loved this book. The Summer House has a terrific storyline and a beautiful setting. I highly recommend this book.