In a lot of ways, this is the proto-typical "beach read". There is a beach house which has been in the family for generations; the family that used to gather there yearly; the girl who got pregnant there; the guy across the lake; and the tragedy that tore everyone apart. Nevertheless, Robyn Carr does a good job with this trope. Her characters include the likable, the pitiable and the one you just want to shake. The story has just enough twists to keep it interesting.

While I found the subplot about the little girl somewhat hard to believe, the rest of the story rang reasonably true.

As the summer draws to a close, all have had their lives changed, and improved by facing the demons of their past and realizing that things really weren't just thier fault.

I'd like to thank Little Bird Publicity for inviting me to participate in this blog tour and providing a complimentary review copy. Grade: B.

Wow! Talk about dysfunctional families! THE SUMMER THAT MADE US brings two sisters and their daughters back to the lake house where summers were spent many years ago. Life was good back then and everyone was happy. One summer, however, was not so happy. A series of events occurred during that one tragic summer that tore a family apart and forced the family to close up the house for good.

One of the daughters, Meg, has had her fill of chemo to treat her cancer, and her wish of returning to those happy days in the sunshine, surrounded by family at the lake house cannot be denied. As the women return, events of the past unfold and new discoveries are made. This is a story about relationships and about forgiveness.

Robyn Carr once again has created characters that warm your heart and force you to grab the box of tissues as you read.

The Hempsteads are two typical families growing up. There are 2 sisters that married 2 brothers and they each had 3 girls. They worked hard during the year, so when it came time for the girls summer vacation the moms and the kids head to the lake. They couldn't have asked for a better life until one of the girls drowns and the families splinter.

If you are expecting a typical Robyn Carr book with plenty of romance, this isn't it. This is a book about family dynamics and how one person takes it upon herself to try and repair the damage to the two families. It will take you on an emotional roller coaster right up to the end. Have your tissues ready.


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Robyn Carr never disappoints a reader for a emotional ride. A family saga interspersed with cancer and Alzheimer's set at a summer lakeside cottage. As sisters and family gather together some marriages crumble while others grow strong. Good story. Keep he Kleenex handy.

One of the best novels I have read in a very long time. Beautifully paced and artfully drawn, the story moving and actually feels real. This book will make you laugh, cry and experience every emotion in between. The very best of Robyn Carr moving far beyond romantic fiction (which I love) into the realm of women's fiction. I wish the story had gone on and on... Highly recommended.

THE SUMMER THAT MADE US by Robyn Carr is a touching tale of mothers, sisters and cousins and their summer home on Lake Waseka. A place where the sisters brought their children and spent the summers basking by the lake, until one fateful summer that ripped them apart.  Now years later one of the children is dying and the summer house is being opened for one last summer. Can they recapture those magical summers? Heal old wounds? Carr takes along for the ride and it was beautiful, funny, heartbreaking and a little magical.

Carr has brought us a delightful multi-generational tale with fully developed and realistic charcters who will worm their way into reader's hearts. Louise and Jo Hempstead married brothers, one dependable the other charismatic and flighty. They each had three daughters and spent the summer at their parent's lake house. It was a lovely, carefree time and I envied them their escape from reality. Carr begins in the present when one daughter loses her job and decides to spend the summer with her ill sister who is fighting stage four cancer. 

Carr begins in the present when  Charley, one daughter loses her job and decides to spend the summer with her Meg, her sister who is fighting stage four cancer. Meg wants to spend the summer at Lake Waseka and Charley agrees to go open it, make repairs and have it ready for June. We soon learn through flashbacks and discussions about the tragedy of that fateful summer when the house was closed. Like Meg and Charley, we soon realize it was something more than the tragedy the pulled this family apart. We meet Jo and Louise and discover their secrets. Unbeknownst to Charley, Meg invites everyone back for the summer and slowly they trickle in.  

Carr introduces us to all of the siblings and cousins sharing their backstory and the life they have led.  They characters were rich and complex as Carr shed light on the complications of family, misunderstands, preconceived notions and of stubbornness, we only offer up to the family.   

As the tale unfolded sharing events as they happen and enlightening us as to what happened that fateful summer, we become caught up and emotionally invested. There was an air of suspense woven with sadness they kept me reading and neglecting the outside world. Carr's series are delightful but I have often felt her standalone weren't for me. However,  I was drawn to this title and I am so glad that I read their story. 

Raw, emotional, heartwarming and at times humorous THE SUMMER THAT MADE US, delivered a family story that will touch even the coldest of hearts.

A sister who is now struggling decides to spend time with her sister who has stage 4 Breast Cancer waiting for the treatments to work.

The go back to their childhood. Back in time.
Back to where 2 sisters marry 2 brothers, the families all growing up together and spending every summer at Lake together with their Aunt and cousins- all 1 year apart.
One summer all that changed. Bunny-12 drowns.
Bunny's mother insists the lake house is closed and stays closed forever.
Now a sister's dying wish is to go back for one last summer.

Travel back in time with this family.
See the changes and the ripple effects they all play.

I highly recommend this book.

Very depressing story line. Really did not care for it, too much death and illness.

Robyn Carr has another winning story. She has never disappointed me!

How does Robyn Carr manage to write a fantastic novel EVERY. SINGLE. TIME?!??? Honestly, when I dive into one of her books, I am amazed at how original and fresh her storylines are!

The Summer That Made Us centers around the Hempstead family, namely the females of that family. Spending entire summers at their family lake house together, two sisters, who both had 3 daughters each were quite a tight-knit group. That is until the summer of 1989 when the youngest daughter tragically drowned at the age of 12. After that horrific incident, the lake house was boarded up and no one ever summered there again...until now. When one of the 5 remaining daughters is literally battling for her life to beat cancer, she decides the best place to heal is the beloved lake house of her childhood. With the help of her sister, she invites her grandmother, mother, aunt and cousins to join her at the lake. As old wounds are torn open, the ladies peel back the layers of emotions to uncover the truth of what happened all those years ago.

Everyone knows Robyn Carr can write phenomenal romance, but if you haven't read her women's fiction novels, you are really missing out! With every single one of the ladies in this book going through their own personal issues, I think everyone can find this book relatable in some way. I feel like one of Robyn Carr's specialties is writing realistic, strong, flawed and amazing female characters. I was completely invested in every character and their outcome. I also want to mention that Robyn Carr takes the storyline between "now" and "then" and does it seamlessly-- perfectly timed!! The Summer That Made Us is a 5 star novel that I know will blow you away, as it has me!! This book is an absolute must read!!!

Two families united by marriage. Every year the mothers and daughters would journey to the family home on Lake Waseka to spend a carefree, joyous summer. That is, until the summer one of them drowned. Now the house they once adored is a place of regret and recrimination, until one woman decides to reunite her family and the home they once loved so much. A somber and touching story of loss and recovery