Let’s cut right to the chase.

I. Loved. This. Book.

I sometimes avoid stories like this because I’m not always keen on stories with family secrets or realistic family problems. Something about this one caught my eye, however, and I am so glad that I decided to pick it up.

In fact, I was so happy to pick it up that I couldn’t put it down. I read it in one sitting. For me, that is pretty much unheard of, not only because of our hectic family schedule but because I often have so much going on in my head, I can’t concentrate on one story all at once.

Aside from these positives, kudos to the author for so many other things.

For establishing a setting that could reflect the emotions of the characters.

For creating characters with depth and realism.

For capturing grief so poignantly and accurately.

For crafting a story that was heartfelt and emotional.

I loved Emily’s journey to becoming whole again. Tragedy strikes her in a one-two punch that would floor anyone, so she retreats to a place that holds special family memories. I could totally relate to the feeling of wanting to be alone and feeling even lonelier in doing so. Getting out of that cycle is difficult.

What Emily ultimately realizes is that it’s not always about what she thinks other people think. That’s another by-product of grief, in my experience. It’s easy to become so introspective that one doesn’t realize that other people may have different and helpful perspectives.

She needed to experience that through listening to other people and getting out of her own head. Fortunately, she had good (and patient) people around to help her, as well as a neat volunteer job that was therapy in its own manner.

I usually don’t like it when characters make assumptions about something thereby creating annoying drama. That happened with Emily a few times (and with Lucas). But, again, I am willing to give Emily a pass because peopling is sometimes difficult even in the best of times. When one is trying to find the way back to life again, it is sometimes harder to stop and think things through.

That being said, when I expected her to really lose it and go on a tirade at a particular person, she was calm. It was only later that her emotions caught up with her. I think deep down, she realized that the first person wasn’t worth the time or energy. That’s another lesson about self-realization that came through in her story.

I liked how Emily’s parents’ situation (no spoiler here, although I did guess the heart of the family secret) actually gave Emily the perspective and proper attitude to change for the better. I was especially touched by the reactions to art, both on Emily’s part and others who saw Emily’s art. Those were special moments in the book.

I see that this is book one in a new series set on Dune Island. I can’t wait to read more, and hope that at least some of the characters make appearances again. Do yourself a favor and pick up this excellent novel.

Our heroine Emily has had it rough the past year. She lost her parents and brother in a terrible accident, and then her fiance left her. Needing a change in scenery, she heads to Hope Haven on Dune Island to her grandmother’s beach house she’s inherited. She hasn’t spent a summer here since she was a kid, and she’s anxious to travel somewhere no one knows what she’s been through, with the exception of her childhood friend Wilson and his wife who live next door.

Seeing Wilson, who was her brother’s best friend and became like family over the years, is bittersweet. He’s her only real connection to her family left, but he seems uneasy with her visit even though he’s the one who invited her.

An artist who has lost her inspiration, she agreed to take on a mural project for the new pediatric wing at the local hospital where Wilson is a doctor as a sort of tribute to her family, who had all dedicated their lives to helping others. She’s distracted by more than just her memories and Wilson’s moodiness though. There’s also the cute surfer she ran into outside her house on the first day who turns out to be Dr. Luke, as the kids call him, a pediatrician at the hospital loved by…well, everyone it seems.

As she fights her attraction for Luke — who seems to already be dating another doctor — she also finds herself fighting with Wilson, who thinks he’s uncovered a family secret. And then there’s the notes she found from her father to her mother that she can’t quite square with Wilson’s story. She struggles to make sense of this new information that’s in stark contrast to the parents she knew.

I loved how this book explored both her romantic relationship with Luke and also her relationship with her childhood friend Wilson. Ultimately, it’s a tale of the resiliency of the human mind and heart, even in the face of innumerable heartaches.

I read this in one day! I definitely recommend Summer at Hope Haven, and I can’t wait for the second book in the Dune Island series so I can head back to this sweet island community.

Summer at Hope Haven is the first book in the Dune Island Series. It presents the story of Emily, a grieving artist, and Luke, a doctor.
A tragedy happened in the family of Emily and she has been on a downfall since it happened. She decided to go back to Hope Haven, at her family cottage, and work on painting the new rooms at the hospital.
I really loved Emily.
But Luke... He is just a normal guy. He buys a painting of Emily... and it just reminded me of when Christian Grey buys the pictures of Anastasia... Luke is nice, but not wow.
The story was pretty good, but too long for me. I found it hard to continue reading because I knew what was going to happen...
It's still good, but there are better books out there!

4.5 Stars

Hopeful, moving and wonderfully romantic, small town romance fans cannot fail but be charmed by Kristin Harper’s enchanting and engrossing new novel, Summer at Hope Haven.

Life has been tough for Emily lately. Her fiancé had abandoned her while she was still grieving the loss of her beloved family in a terrible accident. Wracked apart by grief and desperate to feel connected to her family, she goes back to Hope Haven, where the family had vacationed every summer, hoping to feel closer and more connected to her loved ones whom she had so tragically lost. Fixing up the house on Dune Island will help to not just heal and provide her with the comfort she seeks, but it will give her a much needed distraction. Emily is not expecting to find herself raking over the past, but when she finds an old box of letters, she is stunned at what she discovers and the secrets they reveal about her beloved parents.

Emily thought Dune Island would provide her with the succour and comfort she was searching for, but the more she discovers, the more she begins to wonder whether coming here had been a huge mistake. But when she meets handsome, charming and kind-hearted Lucas Socorro, it looks like she might have just found a reason to stick around. As a tentative friendship gives way to something far deeper than either one of them imagined, Lucas’ friendship and support provide Emily with the strength she needs to tackle the demons in her family’s closet. The more time she spends at Hope Haven and Dune Island, the more Emily realises that she might have just found a place where she can belong and make a life for herself – with Lucas. But when gossip about her family spreads like wildfire throughout the community, Emily wonders just how much she can trust Lucas who was the only person she had confided in about her family.

With everything to play for, Emily finds herself at a crossroads in her life. Dare she take a risk on love and make a go of things with Lucas on Dune Island? Or will she choose to keep on running and give up her final chance of happiness?

Kristin Harper writes with great depth and sensitivity and has written a poignant, immersive and emotional page-turner set in an idyllic setting readers would just love to move to. Summer at Hope Haven is a wonderful tale about starting over, renewal and finding the courage to move on from the past while tackling subjects like loss and grief with great compassion.

Summer at Hope Haven is a story of survival, strength and second chances with a wonderful heroine I couldn’t help but warm to and cheer on in her quest for fulfilment and happiness.

Written straight from the heart, Kristin Harper’s Summer at Hope Haven is a page-turner fans of Robyn Carr’s Virgin River will not want to miss.

What a fantastic debut novel for Kristin Harper! This book is beautiful from the cover design to the first paragraph and all the way to the last word. The setting made me long to walk in the sand and observe the ocean in it's inviting coolness and even it's moodiness accompanied by dark clouds and the roar of the angry waves. I really want to go somewhere like that now.
Harper's characters were definitely real enough to get me totally invested in the story. It was almost as if I was right there beside Emily as she worked her way through all the highs and lows of her past and her present. Lucas was a very interesting character from his job to his choice of hobbies and even the vehicle he drove. I was really pulling for him.
Overall, this was a fantastic book, whether it was a debut or not. I can't wait for more from Ms. Harper.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book via NetGalley. All thoughts are my own.

This was a book of healing. Author Kristin Harper wrote a book that touched my heart and which was so apt for me today as I felt exactly the same as the main character, Emily. She lost her loved ones, and I lost some of mine, though not all to death. I read the book with tears welling up as I could feel everything she felt.

Emily had lost her parents and brother. She returned to her family home at Hope Haven. Best friends Collette and Wilson were her big support. And Dr. Lucas made a fine love interest. But first, Emily had to heal.

This book hit me close to home including a broken relationship. The writing was so crystal pure that it felt it sang my song. There were times I drifted in and out of Emily’s character. At times, I was Emily.

The story was slightly slow paced than my thrillers or maybe I was crying too much in between. But it was so beautiful. I understood every single emotion the author weaved in her words.

Secrets too popped up which shook the foundations of her beliefs. Luckily, a vein of hope and another of happiness slowly made their way to her life. I was happy when she found her peace. She deserved it.

A beautiful heart-warming read.

While trying to cope with the grief of losing her family members to an accident, Emily's fiance walks out on her which leaves her even more devastated and feeling alone. As a result, she packs her bags and returns to the family home in Hope Haven. The house itself is in bad need of cosmetic work which gives her an outlet to work on her grief. Then she meets Dr. Luke, as the children at the hospital calls him, and finds that perhaps there is a future for her after all. This is a light romance but it is so much more than that. It is a story of dealing with grief and trying to make important decisions while doing so. I really liked the book a lot.

Summer at Hope Haven by Kristin Harper lives up to its subtitle of an absolutely gorgeous and emotional romance, although it is so much more than a romance. It is the story of a woman's journey out of grief and back to living her life. Emily Vandermark is an adjunct professor of art history and an artist in her own right. She is returning to Hope Haven, her childhood summer home at the beach, in an attempt to recover from the deaths of her parents and brother, as well as her broken engagement. Wilson, her brother-in-all-but-genetics, and his wife, Collette, who live next door, have prepared her cottage. As she arrives she runs into a thief? Or not sure, but he startles her. She has agreed to come to Hope Haven to paint some murals on the walls of the newly built pediatric wing of the hospital. She hopes she is up to it. The cottage feels like home but is so dark. Her mother had always wanted to lighten it up but her grandmother, the original owner, would not allow it. Now it was her and despite the fact that she didn't know what the future held, she was going to start by painting the walls of the cottage. The rest would come.

The thief turned out to be a pediatrician and her inspiration for the murals. His name was Lucas and he showed her the seals and so much more. He helped her recover and join the living. Both Lucas and Emily are characters with a lot of back-story. Both make assumptions, which nearly upend the relationship. Wilson and Collette prove to be more than neighbors and painting the cottage turns out to be so much more than lightening the walls. Summer at Hope Haven is an emotional journey with a plethora of twists and turns, so well written it takes the reader's breathe away. Emily grows into her sorrow and Lucas is there helping her along the way. It was a lovely story. I recommend it.

I was invited to read a free ARC of Summer at Hope Haven by Netgalley. All opinions and interpretations contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #summerathopehaven

Thank you NetGalley, Bookouture and Kristin Harper for gifting me an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
I REALLY wanted to love this one and it was SO close to being really good, but it fell somewhere close to just okay for me. The plot and characters of this one were great in theory, but the pace was just off. I kept reading hoping things would start to pick up, but it was pretty monotone throughout the entire book. None of this is to say it’s not worth reading!
Emily’s story is a hard one to read. She’s a lead character overcome with grief after the death of her parents and brother and the loss of her engagement. She, understandably, spends most of the book in a deep depression with endless moody thoughts going through her head. We know this because readers are constantly given her inner dialogue, something I didn’t love.
This book was about 4% romance and 96% Women’s Fiction. I think if I had gone into this expecting less of an epic love story, I wouldn’t have been so disappointed!

Grief and recovery is a personal journey each person goes on at his or her pace. This story features a women struggling from a great loss. It's a very emotional and relatable story with a few twists along the way. I loved the relationship Emily had with Wilson and Collette. I loved the patience and understanding Lucas demonstrated. The emphasis on forgiveness was commendable. Very enjoyable! Recommended!

The book introduces us to Emily, the main protagonist dealing with the loss of her family in a terrible accident and a broken engagement. To get away, Emily comes down to Hope Haven, to stay at the house her family vacationed at every summer. Surrounded by many memories and in the midst of discovering new secrets about her parents, Emily is once again shattered as she struggles to reconcile the knowledge she has of her parents and the new information she finds. In the midst of all this, she leans on her bonds with her childhood friend and his wife while trying to forge new with Lucas Socorro, a doctor at the hospital and the people at Dune Island.

As the story progresses, the reader is thrown into the midst of Emily's emotional turmoil as she struggles to cope. The story is well-written and is filled with some very well crafted characters. They are endearing and relatable and fun to read about. The setting is beautiful and while our characters take long strolls along the beach, it is easy for the reader to imagine themselves doing the same thing.

The story is quite enjoyable and as Emily becomes stronger and accepts her life, the secrets, the people at Dune Island, she also starts to consider opening herself up to love. This is a great read for all the romance fans out there!

Summer at Hope Haven (Dune Island Book 1) is the first book I remember reading by Kristin Harper. It is a story of one woman’s journey through grief, sorrow, recovery and finding hope. At the beginning I wouldn’t have said that Emily had much resiliency but what she did have was putting one foot in front of the other each day. She continued to put herself in a place where healing would be possible. Sometimes that is all we can do. From that point of view Emily’s story is realistic and hopeful.

This well-written drama was easy to read even with the tragedy that Emily had experienced. Like the real world, she got by with a little help from her friends. I like that this was part of the story because true friends always do help. The story has several twists that was not obvious at the beginning. Secrets that had been kept but must be dealt with. Assumptions made that needed to be realigned with the truth along with forgiveness. So her journey includes this drama, angst and emotional turmoil.

I found it to be an uplifting positive story, instead of a negative one. Still if made into a movie it would fit the Lifetime Channel more than Hallmark one.

An ARC of the book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley which I voluntarily chose to read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I’m torn on this one, I did enjoy it but I found the romance bit lacking, there was no real connection I felt, but and it’s a big BUT, I loved the rest of the book if you take away the romance bits. I know it sounds odd, but I loved Emily, her character, the journey she went on, how the author wrote about grieving and the traumas she suffered, her friendship with Collette was far more than the romance to me. It’s a fabulous story about healing, just not romance so I think I will see it as that. (Ok so 4 stars but if the romance had been good or left out, it would have been 5)

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

I didn't really care for this book. I found it boring, it did not hold my interest at all. Uninteresting characters and story line.

A woman in transition. A beautiful setting. A well-told story. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and plot.

A wonderful and heartwarming story about Emily, who after a tragic event where she lost her parents and brother, has come to the old vacation home on the coast to heal. She is an artist, and has agreed to paint murals in the new pediatric wing of the local hospital. Meeting Dr. Luke adds a new dimension to the story, and a summer romance begins. Really liked this one, although she was bit too quick to jump to conclusions. Would highly recommend.

5 big stars! I loved everything about this book... the setting, the story, the characters, and the writing were all beautifully done. Perfect read in my opinion. I really enjoyed Emily’s journey from the first page to the last.

A fun and romantic comedy. I could not put it down. It's a woman grieving a huge loss, retiring to the place that feels most like home and finding a way to move forward

Emily is still reeling from a tragedy that changed her life forever, so she decides to spend a summer at a place that has always finds herself comfort - a cottage on the water. With friends close and a small town hospital that is in need of art, Emily finds a place that will help her heal and maybe even confront a few things to help her move into the next phase of her life. Oh and of course there is a romance wrapped into this book!

I loved this story. It was the exact thing I needed to read when I did. Yes, it was a romance book, but it had such great plot and was more than just the romance that was happening in the pages. Emily's battle with grief and the stages that she was going through was enjoyable to read. I liked that Luke the love interest was also more than just a love interest, he had his own things he was battling and it added such depth to the story.

Romance is a genre that will always be a place to escape to when reading is hard and this one fit the bill. I was excited and disappointed when I finished to find out this was a debut because there isn't a backlist for me to dive into, but there is hope for many more to come!

Coming back to her family cottage after a great loss. Emily struggles to find trust in others and finds love in Hope Haven.