At first, this seemed like just another chick lit novel- romantic, light and frothy, with easy characters and a simple story line. I'm happy to say that it turned out to be MUCH more than that! The main character, Adie Lou, is renovating her family's very old summer cottage on Lake Michigan, and it turns out to be a bigger project than anyone anticipated. Adie Lou is at a real transition point in her life and as the cottage is renovated and renewed, so is Adie Lou. There is much in this beautiful story about the choices we make, and about letting go of what no longer serves us in order to become more fully who we really are. There is romance, yes, but it is as much about Adie Lou's relationship with herself as it is with a friend from long ago.

The Summer Cottage by Viola Shipman
Love the idea of this book and was very close to doing something similiar when my mother passed away and left her estate to the children. I was 1 of the 5 but others wanted to sell the houses and land.
Adie Lou always wanted it to become a quilt retreat where others would go and spend time on the quiet island and learn how to quilt and be taught how to do so-you could live in the houses and be fed. Just sold last house a week ago.
Starts out with a woman who's going through a divorce, her son is going to her ex's school, tuitiion paid for and she's at lost ends with her job. Cashes in and heads back to the house on the lake where she grew up. She wants to turn int into a B&B but others in town have other ideas.
She needs to meet their standard of approval. She then seeks out help from the locals who can do the work she needs done to improve the house/rooms and the boat so she can take guests out on sundown cruises on the lake.
Love how she struggles and gets the jobs done! This would make an awesome movie as all the scenes are described in great details.
Love the rules of the cabin-priceless! Love hearing what her name means, history of fish cottage.
Love how her girlfriend and her son both help with the project-they are so resourceful.
Love hearing the story of the author's childhood, very similair to mine during the summer months. Brothers used to work on the ferry-not chain driven-you had to just throw a heavy rope over the piling, LOL
Like instructions on how to make a sand castle=so cool! Like this romantic love story intwined with the beach story. Notes from the author at the end.
Reader's guide is also enclosed.
Received this review copy from HARLEQUIN - Graydon House Books (U.S. & Canada) Graydon House Romance, Women's Fiction via Netgalley and this is my honest opinion.
#TheSummerCottage #NetGalley

This will be the perfect book to read as Summer 2019 begins. It's about starting over despite adverse circumstances and its about love and family. The setting is beautiful Saugatuck Michigan, one of the resort towns along the beautiful Lake Michigan shoreline.

Adie Lou is facing middle age with her only son in college when her husband decided to leave her for a much younger woman. She decides to leave Chicago and move back to the small lakeshore cabin that her parents owned in Michigan and turn it into a bed and breakfast. When she starts out, she has no idea of the work and the costs involved. Her belief that her parent's cabin can successfully be turned into a B&B is met by problems all around - from the unexpected repairs to the Historical society of the town who don't want the home modernized. Along the way, Adie Lou has to find inner strength that she didn't know she had, she has to learn to rely on others and to accept the help of her son and her friends to make a success of her plans.

Adie Lou was a wonderful character. She loved her cottage and she had strength and determination to make her plans a success. Her goal was to move on with her life and be a success instead of thinking about her husband's betrayal. The other star of this novel was the location - the author described it all so well that you'll feel like you've been to Lake Michigan when you finish it.

Thanks to netgalley for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.

I love a story where a strong heroine overcomes adversity, kicks her sleazy ex-husband to the curb and starts over. Adie Lou Kruger’s husband cheated on her with one of her grad students but she’s bound and determined not to let that ruin her life. She dumps him and heads to the beach house on the shore of Lake Michigan that she spent so many happy hours in as a child. She knows the old house needs some work, but she’s overwhelmed at what she’ll need to do to turn the place into an inn. There’s only one way to go and that’s forward, so Adie tackles her old family home rehab one step at a time, and in the process discovers that she’s a lot stronger and more capable than she ever knew