3.5/5
This book was a fun, quick read that I read in one sitting. It was a women's fiction that had a bit of depth, but overall the romance aspect left me wanting a bit more. When it comes to Daisy's love life, it's a bit of a mess. Her relationship with Toby has you disliking him from the start so that makes you like Jake even more once he comes along. I can see where the loss of her mom kept her in a relationship with Toby even though it wasn't a good match. Toby's mom was what Daisy needed in her life, but Toby is slimy. He took advantage of Daisy and often put everything else before her (it was difficult to see her treated so poorly). I was glad to see that relationship end and her find someone more suited to her personality. I just just wish the book had a bit more of the story between Daisy and Jake.

I loved the adoption aspect of the book and I felt that relationship was perfectly written. The story line between her two mothers was both relatable and heartfelt. I could only imagine how difficult the situation must have been for Daisy. I loved that Daisy reconnected with an old friend and they were able to be there for each other.

Overall this was an enjoyable, light read that would be perfect for someone looking for a escape from reality for a bit. It is a little rough around the edges, but will keep you hooked as Daisy figures her life out.

Summer Under the Stars is a book that if you want a quick, feel-good read, then it’s a decent one to pick up.
Daisy just lost her best friend, her mother. As Daisy’s is grieving over the loss of her last and only family member, she begins to think more about who her biological mother is and finds a mysterious purse with an address that directs her back to her birth hometown
Daisy's job of being the writer for Plunge Happy Monthly doesn't seem to cut it for her writing ambitions. Her boyfriend, Toby who is obsessed with his finance job doesn't take her passion for writing all too seriously. In fact, he doesn't seem to take their relationship all too seriously. So, Daisy books a birthday trip of glamping to her friend, Clemmy’s establishment in hopes of rekindling her relationship with Toby. It also happens to be located right by the town where she was born.
As Daisy quickly realized that Toby is not an outdoors person, she allows him to work during this week away while she ventures off to enjoy the countryside. In an expected and funny way, she meets the author, Jake Steele.
In a predictable manner, we see that Toby is not the one for Daisy, especially after cheating on her with their tent neighbour, Chantelle that I could see happening the moment Toby first scoffed at Chantelle’s appearance.
The thing that I was not a fan of was how quickly she fell for Jake. It just seemed way too quick to know that she was in love with him that set me off.
However, the book was redeemed by including the budding relationship between Daisy and her birth mother and knowing that that relationship would take time to get to the point that Daisy wouldn’t feel like she was betraying her adopted mother. This was a nice touch.

thank you for allowing me to read this book. it was very easy to read. i enjoyed the story line and the characters. look forward to reading more from this author.

A light, fresh, breezy story, that wonderfully satisfying chick lit magic that lights you up and makes your time spent reading completely worth it. I loved the unique elements in the story (a getaway to a glamping site=so creative!) and the interplay between characters had a richness and playfulness to it. Fully enjoyable, and the perfect book to pick up after you've traveled through a heavy, huge, psychological thriller -- you just relax into it. Even where bits are predictable, it still works. Nicely done, and worthy of a spot in your TBR file.
Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for a review. Plenty to like about this one. Don't out all your hopes in any comparisons to other authors. Take this one for its own voice and gifts.

This story had a pretty great start. We have an interesting protagonist, Daisy who is grieving and looking for a break. She has her fledgling career to nurse while trying to spend quality time with her boyfriend. 

The setup was strong as were most of the supporting cast, but things moved too quickly for my liking. I was more invested in the boyfriend's family (as was Daisy, if we are being particular) and Daisy's search for her family history than in her life and troubles. Each scene moved too quickly into another before I could get involved. It is a lighter tale with some heavier aspects and on the whole a good read. There is nothing more that I can specifically point out without spoiling some of the better parts of the book, which were the sudden introduction of plot twists. There are not too many of them but they are the foundation that the rest of the story builds on. I'd recommend this to other readers of this genre.

Well, I must admit, this was a disappointing read for me. I was full of hope and optimism when I started it, especially when it is cleverly revealed that Daisy’s mum has recently passed away, as Daisy is preparing to see a musical with her “mum”. However, from then on, it just fell flat and quite honestly, there is nothing new here that hasn’t already been done before.

The storyline was unoriginal and predictable. I did not find it funny, but tired. I thought there was so many places the plot could have gone, once it is revealed that Daisy was adopted and she is going on holiday to the area that she thinks her birth mother might still be living. However, despite this angle, it was clear to see the direction that the plot was taking. As a result, this became a rather quick read and one that I did not get too engrossed in.

Unfortunately, I felt like the characters were overused stereotypes. The protagonist, Daisy, is irritatingly stupid and cannot see the reality that she is a terrible match for her current boyfriend, Toby. Instead, Daisy has fallen in love with the prospect of the loving family that Toby offers, after forming a strong bond with his mum and large family. Toby is a painful character to read of, especially given how he obviously takes advantage of Daisy. There’s nothing original about the cast and there is even a mysterious stranger who, in one scene in the novel, emerges from the lake with few clothes on. It reminded me a little bit of Mr Darcy in 'Pride and Prejudice'.

This is an easy summer read. If you want some light escapism, then this is definitely something for you. However, for such a bland plot, I feel there are easily stronger chick flick books out there. One to pack in your suitcase, you can easily dip in and out of this book without requiring any extended time commitments. But, for something more, I would keep looking.

I received a free copy of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Enjoyable read.

Daisy is off on a trip with her boyfriend Toby. The longer they are away the more she realises how different they are to each other. Then she meets Jake, who she has so much in common with. Will she give him a chance?

This book is linked to a few others by the same author, but I don't think it matters if you have read them or not.

An enjoyable read.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for a voluntary and honest review.

I had never read any books by this author before, but I was given the opportunity to read an ARC via Netgalley. I was drawn to the book by its beautiful cover.
Daisy is grieving the death of her Mother, and her also finds out that she is imminently about to be homeless. She moves in with her boyfriend of a couple of months, Toby. Their relationship rocky, so she decides to take him glamping for his birthday. Things go from bad to worse, until she bumps in to the mysterious Jake.
This book was an easy read, and the focus on grief was well written. The rest of the book has some humorous moments, but some of the other parts of the book seemed unrealistic, how events seemed to happen within a week, and then everything was resolved.
I do like romantic novels, but this book seemed a little farfetched in places for me and the book didn't feel long enough. If you are looking for a book that is easy and uncomplicated to read them this is a good book for that. I will look out for more books by this author.

“And there, among the precious first editions of all the famous romance classics, it’s finally clear how we feel about each other.”


I almost never gravitate towards feel-good romance novels, they’ve just never been my thing but Summer Under the Stars really made a believer out of me. That happy ending, well it had me smiling from ear to ear and I couldn’t have wished for a more perfect ending. I empathized with the main character Daisy so so much, with her struggles of not believing that her writing was good enough, settling for the wrong sort of man and just not believing that anything good could come out of life. Enter a getaway weekend at a glamping site with the most horrible of boyfriend’s and Daisy not only find her biological mother but finds the man she was supposed to be with. A man who she has so much in common with and who could not be anymore perfect for her.

I loved this book, like well and truly adored it and I cannot recommend it enough!

A nice enough summer read, though not remarkable and not a book I’d recommend to those that love chicklit.

3 stars.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my review.

Daisy has had a bad year. So to cheer herself up after some great news she plans a surprise glamping birthday trip for her boyfriend Toby. What could possibly go wrong?

This was such a lovely, warm and funny read. I have never read anything by Catherine Ferguson before. But will definitely read more!

*arc provided by netgalley via avon books uk in exchange for an honest review.

the premise of this book seemed like any other typical cliche book but it was surprisingly different. daisy, still reeling from the death of her mom, decides to take her boyfriend on a "glamping" trip with the hopes of meeting her birth mother. things happen quite quickly.

i feel like everything happened so fast??? also i suspected and predicted who her birth mother was from the moment she was introduced. other than that, this book was very fascinating and slightly relatable.

the side characters were amazing and so supportive (for the most part). i absolutely adored clemmy! jake was so sweet and toby can go screw himself, daisy deserves better than that.

I liked how well the author looked at coping with grief in this book, but other than that the relationships weren’t relatable and I couldn’t find myself moved by them. I am giving higher stars because of how well the author talked the grief, but the rest of the story didn’t interest me sadly.


Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Nicely written. Easy to read and a good interesting plot. Lovely destination to play it all out what more could you possibly ask for

A light and beautiful story.
Daisy's character is very sweet and relatable. The way her relationship with Jake blossomed is great and written beautifully.
I would definitely like to read more book by this author.

Daisy needs a pick-me-up. Her mother has passed away, her job is boring, and her boyfriend works all the time. So, she books a romantic getaway for a week to go glamping. Toby’s idea of a break is a bit different and he wasn’t all that taken with the outdoors-ness of the vacation.

Daisy finds herself with a lot of time on her hands once Toby makes it clear that he still has a lot of work to do, even though he is on vacation. She reconnects with her old friend, Clemmy, and meets Jake, a mysterious stranger camping out in the woods. She starts spending more time with Jake, and in the process becomes more disillusioned with Toby.

This was a quick read. I liked Daisy, and disliked Toby from the start, but I suppose that was the point. The other characters were all quite interesting as well. I feel like Daisy and Jake didn’t spend all that much time together, and their relationship would have been more believable if they had more time together, in varying circumstances as well.

I liked the story, but it feels like there was not enough of it, and a bit bland.

I received an advanced copy of the book from Netgalley to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is my first book by Catherine Ferguson, and I found it to be an easy, charming read.

Daisy, editor at a plumbing magazine, dreams of being an author and is reeling from the loss of her mother. Even though she was adopted, Daisy knows her real mom was the one she lived with, but cannot help but wonder about the young woman who gave up her baby 32 years ago.

Meanwhile, Daisy is dealing with her workaholic boyfriend's birthday and plans a lovely trip to her longtime friend's glamping ground. Toby, the boyfriend, hates nature, and finds unplugging hard, leaving Daisy to explore the countryside on her own until meeting primitive camper and published writer Jake.

This book was cute, and easily read in a couple of hours. I felt the author was trying a little too hard to bring in serious subjects like death and adoption, and this was, in my option, not handled very deftly. The romance aspects were cute, but I never felt Daisy was a realistic character and I felt too much of the book was moving from plot point to plot point, instead of discovering Daisy.

That said, I enjoyed the book enough to try another by this author.

Thanks to Netgalley.com, the author and publisher for my ARC.

Summer Under the Stars was a book that caught my attention because of the beautiful cover. I absolutely loved the colours and the cuteness. And when I saw that it was recommended for fans of Holly Martin, I knew I needed to get my hands on it.
I have absolutely no idea who made the comparison with Holly Martin, but I can’t say I agree. This book is nowhere near the quality of Holly’s stories. It is chick lit at his best, predictable, not very original and full of insta-love.
But let’s start off with some good comments on this book. I really enjoyed the writing style. Catherine Ferguson has a very pleasant way of telling a story. Her story really flows and is enjoyable to read.
Apart from that I also enjoyed the storyline about Daisy grieving her mother and looking for her birthmother. The feelings she was experiencing felt real and really touched my heart. But to be honest this was the only arc in the story that was really worth exploring.
The romance in this book was just… wrong on so many levels. There is of course the relationship between Daisy and Toby when the book starts. And I think a blind man can see that there wasn’t really any relationship to begin with. They had nothing in common, zero connection and even less than zero chemistry. Their whole relationship felt like a plot device. On one hand to let Daisy talk about how she misses her mother and how much she loves Toby’s mother. On the other hand to get Daisy to go glamping. (Because of course why would a single girl go glamping! No she needs a boyfriend who hates nature to go glamping with.) The way the relationship evolved made me want to throw the book away in pure frustration. An absolute no go for me.
And then there is of course the new love interest that needs to spice things up a bit and put Daisy in a difficult, emotional position. Well done, because after one cup op Jake’s nettle tea she falls head over heels in love with him. That must have been one powerful cup of tea. Insta-love all over the place. And honestly I wouldn’t be complaining if that insta-love romance wasn’t so incredible meh. Again no chemistry, no moments of passion… nothing.
Overall I think this book is best described as “meh”. It wasn’t all too bad. A very quick read, with almost no worthy storyline. It doesn’t stand out at all. A very mediocre book that won’t break any pots. Such a shame because the cover is simply gorgeous.

I found this to be such a cosy story and perfect if you want a little bit of romance without too much drama. A lovely story about second chances and true love.

Who doesn’t love a book about second chances? I thought this was a u I wife story with interesting characters. I’m glad I got an advanced copy from
Netgalley.