This was such an enjoyable read. You have the Baxter sisters, both unlucky in love. Trying to start over without relationships. Summer took a new job as a nanny, and starting college. She is determined to prove she can make it on her own without a man. The child she is caring for, Connor doesn't count. He already stole her heart.

Margot is teaching etiquette to a starlet who is known for her outrageous behavior. She moves into her son's home an old monastery to start their lessons. While there are many missteps, she finds that she has a lot in common with the man of the house.

The sisters have a great relationship and while unlucky before they find that maybe this time they can make it work.

The Summer of Sunshine and Margot by Susan Mallery

Harlequin Books
June 11, 2019
Fiction, beach read, romance
386 pages
Rating: 4/5

I received a digital copy of this ARC by NetGalley and Harlequin Books in exchange for an unbiased review.

Fraternal twins Margot and Sunshine Baxter are the best of friends. Margot works as an etiquette coach following in her grandmother’s footsteps. She is meticulous and proud of her success until she takes on a difficult client. Margot is up for the challenge until she realizes her client is a former actress with a colorful history. Alec is Bianca’s son who hires Margot to coach his mother who is preparing to marry a diplomat. Bianca fears her outgoing manner may embarrass her fiancé.

Sunshine is trying to find her way in the world after numerous setbacks. She is determined to change her old impulsive lifestyle which has only led to heartbreak. She decides she wants to go to college which is an abandoned dream she has always regretted. Sunshine has always found work as a nanny although her work history has been less than stellar. Again, she is determined to not allow a man to sweep her off her feet only to abandon her. She is fortunate to gain employment as a nanny for a recently widowed father, Declan. His son Connor forms an immediate bond with Sunshine which allows him to overlook her unreliable work history.

This is a wonderful of story about two sisters navigating through life with the support of each other. The story is one of love, family, and dedication. The characters are enjoyable and although you can guess how the story ends, you are hoping for the happy ending they deserve.

Family and social ties are woven together as sisters are reunited while working on their lives and careers. The book’s an exploration of human relationships as fraternal twins lives begin to overlap and their careers and personal development grows. Sunshine is working to finish college while being a nanny; and Margot is an etiquette trainer for people who are learning about social customs especially in other countries. They find ways to support each other through the dramas of everyday life.

I knew going in that I generally like Susan Mallery's books - and while I did mostly enjoy this, it also felt forced, and characters were not always believable. Bianca, especially, seemed too much a caricature of unbelievable behaviors that were not in line with her profession and personality, maybe because we aren't given as much time with the character as would be otherwise needed to establish such oddities? The stunt with the photographer was too much, but clinging to a child in a social situation was understandable and much more believable as a coping mechanism.

A solid book from a reliable author. Not my favorite, but it will definitely have fans and find readers.

The Summer of Sunshine and Margot is a two-for-one story! Author Susan Mallery gives us the story of sisters Sunshine and Margot Baxter for the summer.

Margot applies for a position as an etiquette coach for an impulsive actress, preparing to marry a diplomat, but has to interview and live in her son Alec’s home. Sunshine is a nanny for Declan’s son Conner…forbidden relationship? This story was told in first person POV of mostly Margot and Sunshine, but also of Alec and Declan as well.

I really enjoyed the characters in this book. Susan Mallery is a wonderful storyteller, and I loved the descriptive moments in this book. I loved the story of Sunshine and Declan and how the interaction was between Sunshine and Conner. I loved the HEA’s and how the story ended. 4 stars from me.

I just couldn’t connect with this, the story or the characters. I don’t like to force myself through a book, but it felt like that with this. Unfortunately not one for me.

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

I loved this latest book by Susan Mallery. She brings all of her signature humor, style and romance to this story of two sisters looking for success and finding love in the process. This book is the perfect summer read.
Margot Baxter works with clients who are trying to figure out protocol for new situations whether that is moving to a new country or just doing business with people from other places. She loves what she does and she is good at it. She is surprised when she is offered the job of helping a well-known celebrity figure out how to behave at professional dinners and events with the celebrity’s diplomat fiancé. Margot thinks she can help, but moving into the celebrity’s son’s house while working with her may be more than Margot can handle especially since the son is quite attractive.
Alec Mcnicol loves his privacy. He lives and works in the converted monastery that he inherited. He spends his days with old documents and rarely ventures out. When his famous mother moves in, Alec fears the worst. Her behavior can be erratic and even scandalous. Alec is glad his mother hires Margot to help her, but when he realizes how much he enjoys having Margot in his house and in his life, Alec fears the changes he finds himself making.
Sunshine Baxter has lived her life jumping from one man to the next always hoping that the next one will be the one and want more than just sex. She knows that her looks have men thinking about the bedroom, but she wants more. After her latest disaster, Sunshine vows to make some changes. She gets a new job as a nanny and enrolls in school. She is determined not to fall for a man who doesn’t want a relationship with her. The problem is that the single dad she nannies for is super attractive and kind.
Declan Dubois is a landscape architect who is working through his unresolved feelings about his wife’s death. Declan loves his son and is thrilled that Sunshine seems to have really bonded with him. He appreciates all the things that she does for his son. The problem is that he has been noticing her a little more lately and has to figure out how to do the right thing without taking advantage of their nanny/boss situation.
I loved getting to know these couples. They all have baggage and have to work out what is important in their lives and in their relationships. Ms. Mallery does a great job of blending their stories into a wonderful story that flows from the very first page.

Susan Mallery’s The Summer of Sunshine and Margot is the story of two sisters who are complete opposites struggling with old baggage and new lives.

No matter how difficult things get, the Baxter girls are always there for one another.  Having been abandoned by their mother at birth, they were raised by their image-obsessed pageant consultant grandmother, and both bear the scars of her parenting as they muddle through life.

Alec Mcnicol hires Margot as an etiquette coach for his mother, the quirky character actress Bianca Wray, whose engagement to a diplomat is going to see her having to move in very different circles from the ones she currently inhabits.  Seeing as Bianca is better known for sex tapes and flashing her boobs at the Academy Awards than her grace and poise, Margot has her work cut out for her, and agrees to spend the summer at Alec’s converted monastery home coaching party-loving Bianca about the dos and don’ts of high society, Margot doesn’t expect to begin to fall in love with the guarded Alec along the way.

Margot’s fraternal twin sister, Sunshine, has a very different problem. Blaming her bombshell body for the way others treat her, she’s constantly falling into insta-love with the wrong guys, choices that has wrecked her life and ruined her multiple attempts to start a serious career.  Swearing off men, she’s trying to settle down, has enrolled in college and bought a car with help from Margot, and is working as a nanny for young Connor Dubois.  Since his dad, Declan, has been recently widowed she figures he won’t be romantically interested in her – but unfortunately for her, Declan’s marriage has been dead longer than his wife, and he’s got eyes for Sunshine and the effortless joy she brings into his family.

Soon, Bianca takes Margot and Sunshine under her wing, and the women form a friendship that faces many ups and downs as the twins pursue (or are pursued by) their men. Margot tries to loosen up, Sunshine tries to grow up, and Bianca tries to rise to the occasion.  But there’s a secret behind Bianca’s joie de vivre that prompts her bad behavior in public – a secret that could shatter all of the progress she’s made.

The Summer of Sunshine and Margot works as both a contemporary women’s novel and a character study of three opposing personalities that come together and learn to deal with their pain.

Each couple and main character has issues that are interesting to peel apart.  Margot and Alec are a study in repression. She wears a ponytail and is businesslike to the core, and he is the flavor of conservative that allows him to collect erotic netsuke sculptures and hide them behind a secret panel.  Part of me honestly wished that he were with Sunshine, because the dynamic between them would have been a hair less predictable and more friction-heavy, yet Margot and Alec were a charming pairing of similar personalities.

I was less keen on Sunshine and Declan’s love story, though that wasn’t Sunshine’s fault.  Their relationship contains a major stumbling block that kept the book from reaching A-grade territory, which is the post-mortem characterization of his late wife as a shrew. It’s not enough that she’s been dead of cancer for five months, we have to be told that their marriage had been crumbling for years beforehand because of her infidelity, just to hammer in how good Sunshine is and how bad the dead wife was.  Why not simply have the poor woman be dead for a few years and Declan at a realistic post-mourning point that would allow him to date but have Sunshine still feel weird about being with her because of Connor’s attachment to his mother?  Come on, authors, you don’t have to convince us our hero (and his kids) love New Mommy much much more than Old Mommy, especially in this fashion.  The best parts of Sunshine’s story are definitely about her learning how to accept fault for her choices. I even liked little Connor who, with his ant obsession, felt realistically kid-like.

My favorite character though was flawed, lively Bianca - I could have spent multiple books with her. At first she’s an amusing cross between Jayne Mansfield and Pamela Anderson – Jayne, in fact, did pull some of the stunts in real life that Bianca does in fiction.  But then a very deep, very trigger-inducing surprise is revealed about her past that explains her moments of aggression and make her even more sympathetic than she already was.  And yes, this part of the plot includes a warning for child abuse, physical and emotional.

The rest of The Summer of Sunshine and Margot’s flaws are minor, such as the unnecessary stalker, an ex-boyfriend of Margot’s who appears briefly and hangs in the background until the plot needs Alec to take a level  in badass.  Oh, and there’s also a scene where our protagonists go sock-skating in a puddle of spilled soup, which is supposed to be charming but just nauseatingly reminded me of Patch Adams rolling around in a pool of cold spaghetti.

Otherwise though,The Summer of Sunshine and Margot is a fun, full-blooded story of friendship, romance, letting go and accepting yourself, and is the best of Mallery’s recent novels.

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Two romances for the price of one! Margot and Sunshine are twins who are trying to become more than just twins, and become the best versions of themselves. The plot is predictable, but the characters themselves are aboslutely lovely. Each sister has an unique romance situation and they're a delight to read.

Another Susan Mallery book, another winner of a story. Being a great fan of the author, I resisted reading any previews. I am so glad. The sisters background and current lives were so interesting. I can imagine this being a true story. Well a bit true. I can never think someone can meet famous and rich people and then welcomed into their lives. Yet Margot was invited for a job. A fast read. Yes I recommend!

As a long-time fan of the author, I was really excited about reading this book. Sadly, there was just something lacking for me.

It wasn't the character of Sunshine. I felt her repeated pain of being reduced to nothing but her appearance. She was such a good person, a loving person. For all that to be dismissed, for the men to treat her so horribly ... well, I was literally in tears. (And while I understood what happened with Declan it still felt like a kick in the chest.)

And while Margot and Alec moved forward at a faster rate, I really had problems with her so-called friends who nagged at her to give her ex another chance. I don't care what you think about a friend's relationship, you're supporting the friend in their decisions - even the bad ones. I also felt that Margot didn't really change as much as her twin did. For them both to have been presented as suffering under "the Baxter Curse", it really didn't seem that hard for Margot. (Not to mention all talk of the curse disappeared. Why set it up in such a way and then not have them realise that the curse has been "lifted" or they've escaped it, etc.?)

Bianca's secret should have been revealed sooner, and been more of a catalyst for change. For her not to share with Margot when the younger woman was taking things so personally seemed almost cruel. And was she really that obtuse about having her picture in the paper?

Now Connor, on the other hand, was a joy to read about. There were times when I forgot that he was supposed to be 8/9 years old, as some of his behaviours seemed for someone younger. But my son was pretty advanced for his age, so his speech fit someone younger and his apparent age. He was adorable and not many authors I've read over the years have managed to write child characters so well.

My last complaint about the book is the title. Everything takes place before the summer time. From the title, I was expecting the events to occur over the space of a single summer.

Overall, the writing was strong, dialogue impeccable, and the story enjoyable. I would have liked the pacing to have moved a little fast, but that's a personal preference. While not one of my favourites, I remain a fan of the author and look forward to her next book.

Received an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

I loved this. Everything about this read had me completely invested (so much so that I missed my train stop...twice!). The characters were real and you wanted them to get a happy ending/happy for now. I found myself wanting Declan and Sunshine to break the rules and fall in love. I wanted Alec to let go a little and realize what a catch Margot was. I wanted to know more about Connor and his ants and hear how Bianca was going to do once she'd finished her lessons.

Mallery has a way of crafting a world that is completely real, and yet the way she writes, there's a whimsy there that has almost a magical quality. I don't know if it's her character development or the writing style, but every time I open one of her books, I'm completely and totally transported to that world (even though it's supposed to be this world lol).

Whether you've read a ton of Mallery books (as I have) or are reading her for the first time, you won't be disappointed. You should buy/borrow this book and just bask in all that it is. This is the perfect summer read, but I can see myself rereading it down the line. Well done Susan...great read!

The Summer of Sunshine and Margot is a story filled with growing, family togetherness and working past your past mistakes. Margot and Sunshine are twins who are trying to become more then their past and become their better selves. Sunshine is amazing with kids and is trying to become more then a bed hopper. When she finally lands in a household of a single father you can feel her struggle. It's a slow grow love between Declan and Sunshine. You can feel her love for his son Connor from the very start. Margot is an etiquette coach trying to help actress Bianca fit into a more political world that her fiance belongs too. Even when she feels like she is failing she is truly learning along with Bianca. I love the chemistry between Declan and Sunshine and Margot and Alec Bianca's son. It was a fun read to follow along these two sisters and watch the changes both Sunshine and Margot. Such a beautiful read.

Two romances in one story as we get to know the Baxter sisters, Margot and Sunshine. Margot is interviewing for a new job as an etiquette coach for an aging actress marrying a diplomat. Sunshine is going to be a Nanny who is determined to get her life together and not fall in love with her new boss. Each sister and their romance is unique and fun to read. You can guess the plot line but it's still a great story as you wonder if things will go as expected or take a major turn. Susan Mallery always delivers a good book and some great characters. She certainly didn't disappoint with this one I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

A light, easy story, good for carefree summer reading. Interesting characters and some twists to keep it interesting.

Susan Mallery has done it again! To this day she is one of my favorite authors - she never dissappoints. Whenever I need a pick me up or feel good book I know exactly where to turn every time!

This is a moving novel about Sunshine and Margot Baxter, fraternal twins, who have come a long way since their mother left them when they were very young. These two sisters are so very different, but there is one thing that they are both searching for... true love! Sunshine and Margot have such a strong bond that you just can't help rooting for them to succeed!

Susan Mallery is a fantastic storyteller who can make you feel like you are right in the setting of the story - there's definitely a reason she stays at the top. This was a fast read with relatable characters, romance, humor, and family drama. Highly Recommend!

Summer of Sunshine and Margot is a beautifully written romance with threads of two women's personal growth. Susan Mallery always makes me happy when I read her books.

I am a relatively new fan of Susan Mallory’s books. I thoroughly enjoyed The Summer of Sunshine and Margot. They are fraternal twins with a special bond. Each have a past that they are not proud of, personal insecurities and the desire to make better choices next time.
Margot had a fascinating job as an etiquette coach. Her newest client is an actress that behaves inappropriately at times. I found their conversations and Margot’s thoughts on how to help her were thrilling. It was a mystery in of itself. The client’s son, Alec is also interesting but in a totally different way. Susan created scenes where you could feel the enthusiasm between them on shared interest.
Sunshine was a nanny and Conner her charge was adorable. I thought of him today when I saw ants in my yard. The chemistry between Sunshine and Declan (Conner’s dad) was off the charts as hard as they tried to avoid it. It was also encouraging to see Sunshine conquer math. Susan did an excellent job of allowing women to see the other side of the coin in Sunshine’s struggles.
I read the book in less than 24 hours. I enjoyed following the sisters and their quest for a better life and better life choices.

Sexual content – 4 there were only a few scenes, most were not descriptive, one was over the phone which may be uncomfortable for some. I thought the storyline was good so you could skip over those parts if you wanted.
Drinking – lots of drinking of wine at dinner. Once Declan gets tipsy.
Language - dont recall bad language

I received this book from publisher/author and was not required to write a positive review.
You can see my full review at More Than a Review dot com where I rate the level of sex, violence, language and drug/alcohol use in books.

Sweet, funny, poignant and heartwarming. I feel like these four words describe many of Susan Mallery’s books and that is why I enjoy them so much. I really liked this story and these sisters, Margot and Sunshine, very much. They are both so different yet they are now both on similar journeys to hopefully change their lives for the better. They both want to be better people. Good supporting characters add to this wonderful story especially 8 year old Connor, who is Sunshine’s adorable little charge. I really enjoyed it!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Susan Mallery is so good at crafting complex characters with real-life issues, regrets and fears. I was hooked on this story from the beginning! The little boy is particularly delightful. I like books that have an irresistible little kid as a secondary character. Susan Mallery always portrays sisterhood in such a positive and authentic light. It's one of the main reasons why I enjoy her books so much. In this novel, I liked how Margot and Sunshine supported and encouraged one another. There are plenty of laugh out loud moments as well as some deeper, poignant scenes as the characters confront their issues and wrestle with staying the same or going after what they truly want. This is the perfect summertime read!

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC. All opinions stated here are my own.