Enjoyable romance in a grand English house. Beauty and the Beast meets Phantom at the Opera after WWI. Pleasurable escapism.

You know what it's like to read a book that draws you so deeply into its sense of place and atmosphere that putting it down leaves you kind of dazed and wondering where you are? This book does that. At Summer's End is a richly drawn with words as I imagined Bertie's paintings to be with color. And because of that, I felt so much reading this book.

I loved Bertie, and her ambition and refusal to let her gender define her path. Like her, I also got completely caught up in the family drama. Ellison's portrayal of a shell-shocked Julian was unflinching and sympathetic, and a strong reminder that there are degrees of "surviving" a war. I appreciated that there was no easy resolution to the plot that unfolded. The one given felt realistic yet sweet and hopeful, which also seems like a good way to describe this book. Definitely read this if you want to be transported to post-WWI England and enjoy a gorgeous and tender love story!

I adored this beautifully written, highly evocative novel. I was immediately drawn into the world author Courtney Ellis has created in 1920s England, and the more I read, the more I wanted to travel back in time to Braemore Castle and it's charming but dysfunctional inhabitants. The main character, aspiring artist Bertie Preston, was the perfect mix of insecurity and ambition, and I found myself cheering her on from the start, both in her paintings and in her endeavor to bring the shell-shocked, reclusive Earl of Braemore back to life. The supporting cast of characters are all nuanced and wonderfully drawn. This is a stunning debut novel, and I can't wait to read whatever Ellis writes next.

It is a cliché to say a book is “richly atmospheric” but right off the bat, Courtney Ellis immerses us in post-war 1920’s Britain where the consequences of wartime are still being felt during peacetime. The war forced the acceleration of socio-political changes on the British people and a young artist, Alberta Preston, leaves her middle-class home for a risky venture. She’s been commissioned by the enigmatic Earl of Wakeford to paint his estate on the basis of his appreciation for her award-winning painting. It isn’t until Alberta, otherwise known as Bertie, arrives at the estate that Wakeford and his family discover “Bertie" is a woman.

What follows is a dream of a summer for Bertie, the earl, and his siblings. The earl was wounded in the war and as Bertie brings to life the earl’s estate on her canvas, she slowly attempts to bring to life the man himself who has barricaded himself away from the world. Readers will be hooked by the compelling relationship that develops between the artist and the man who eventually becomes her subject.

Ellis has a gift for quick shifts in a scene that serves to both increase tension and reveal the fault lines of the crumbling family that lives in the estate. While reflecting on familial ties and the trauma that creates them, Ellis draws rich, centered characters with full inner lives and believable conflicts. Life isn’t perfect behind the walls of an English manse – there are dark secrets and old wounds, but the setting is gorgeous and compelling. Again, “atmospheric” is overused, but in this case so apt. Ellis invites us into the heart of the English countryside in summertime and we wander the grounds along with Bertie as a season ends for Wakeford’s family and heralds a transformation among the British aristocracy.

In turns bittersweet, honest, romantic, and tragic, At Summer’s End is a remarkable debut by a very talented author.

Courtney Ellis' AT SUMMER'S END is absolutely divine. No, "divine" doesn't quite cut it. Fracking spectaculosity. (You'll have to forgive me. I couldn't come up with words to describe my overwhelming feelings for this book so I had to make one up.)

This story, and the fantastically painted characters within will still be with me for a very long time. Every word played out like a movie in my head-a lush and lovely movie filled with perfectly flawed people. It isn't often I find a book that the author has literally poured their soul into, but this is such a book.

I'm going to go stare at a blank wall now, but in my mind, I'll be gazing at the English countryside.

Courtney Ellis’ debut is rather good. Its style is reminiscent of the old Catherine Cookson stories that I enjoyed reading in my teens.

The tale itself reminded me of Brideshead Revisited—a portrait of the splendors of the English aristocratic family meeting its end. There’s nostalgia of things and times past, with memories that are pleasant, yet bittersweet.

The story also develops the theme of gender politics, as Alberta or “Bertie” uses her ambiguous nickname to help secure initial notability and recognition for her art.

Ellis’ portrayal of reclusive, shell-shocked Julian is likewise thoughtful, as is her characterization of his sister Celia, who has been sheltered her entire life on this family estate and has had little experience beyond what has been told to her as a child. Her lack of experience has led to skewed perceptions and years of unfortunate misunderstandings.

Some readers may find inconsistencies with the run of the story, however. Perhaps, this is in part due to the author’s use of flashback to direct the plot. If readers consider the timing of certain events as they occurred in the past, there are some scenes that don’t quite match up. Regardless, this is a good debut. Readers should look forward to read whatever this author produces next.

What a wonderful glimpse into 1920's England and the life of an earl and his family at his country estate. I love how ambitious Bertie is about her art. She is determined to make a name for herself, despite her family's disapproval and the fact that as a woman, she isn't taken seriously in the art world. But when a chance to go live at the earl's estate for a summer painting for him falls in her lap, she leaps into the opportunity, along with the earl's family, with both eyes open. The relationship between Bertie and Julian is so heartrending; you know there's going to be heart-ache for both, yet you can't help but root for them to overcome the many obstacles thrown in their way. And the twist later on in the book - I didn't see it coming at all (and I'm usually good at predicting twists!). It kept me surprised, turning pages to see what happens, and wishing I could go back in time to experience everything Bertie was. A wonderful story set in a vividly described setting!

DNF. I really liked the premise but the writing did not work for me at all. It wouldn't be fair to the book if I finished reading and gave it a low rating.

Despite a few too many convenient things that happen and a bunch of plot points I figured out way in advance, it was a nice read with a lot of beautiful imagery. I wish the castle were real - I'd love to visit it. I also wouldn't mind if this were a duology and we see how Bertie and company are fairing.

Thanks to NetGally for a digital ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review.

This was a book that at first, despite it being about everything I could want in a book, that felt too convenient. The stumbling blocks that Bertie would hit never felt like enough to topple her, even though they should have? Leaving her parent's house, not knowing precisely what the next step would be, etc., always felt like "yes but she'll get it solved" and I'm not sure if it's because the author did such a good job at making Bertie be who she is, or if it was the way the story unfolded. Everything, while it was actually dark and uncertain and tense, still felt like a shoulder shrug? Family secrets? Eh. Troubled and haunted past? Eh. Scarred and bitter solider recluse? Eh. Don't get me wrong: I enjoyed this book, but there were several moments I wanted to reach into the pages and shake Bertie and go "maybe you're a bit thick?!". To me, the 4 or 5 really big "oh WOW!" moments mostly weren't presented in such a way. 3 of them came off as "oh yes, there's this thing _____ but all of us characters just accept that it is how it is" and honestly I was a bit thrown by that. Several of those topics would've been 100% devastating for a person in that time period and the family just sort of shrugged at it or accepted it as is. The two big plot twists that actually were GASP-inducing were pulled off well, but also felt a bit...rushed? Like the author wanted to tuck these extra two bits in for some shock-value. One of them didn't even feel like it HAD to be in there, but the author wanted another bit of a twist. This was a good book, very slow build, stumbling/ambling middle and then a dash to the finish. I like it, and I hope the author continues to write and do more in this time period-it was evident that they had researched it very well!

When I saw this book I was like: catnip! CATNIP! and wait! check! Catnip!

But what lured me in terms of plot and a very obvious Beauty and the Beast type trope (le sigh) impressed me greatly when I fell into Ellis' luminous natural writing ability.


I don't know if anyone can call words a colour; but Ellis's are mellow and tinted with gold. Bertie lures us into a world shadowed by war despite its opulence. And the artistry that determines her fate and her meeting with the delightful ALL my catnip Julian is flourished across a canvas that is at once gothic, balanced with psychological depth and so freaking romantic you will grab for smelling salts you don't have. I enjoyed that the art motif is not only made manifest in Bertie ... Ellis' talent in inviting the reader into the unique perspective of a creator is really magnificent and winsomely done. But I also love that it is reflected in the prose itself: each moment a stroke of colour, each misunderstanding a shadow or slip of the brush, each contour an added layer to the depth of these two lost souls forged together by a world they want to recreate in artifacts and grand tapestries, in an estate lingering long after its function has become archaic. If ever one can say that a writer paints with words, I think we can afford that to Ellis.


A magnificently readable debut that will tickle the romance bones and sweep you to a world on the brink of being lost forever. Bertie is expertly crafted and her narrative balances the right measure of romance and strength.

So see the world through her eyes for a bit and fall for dashing Julian.

I freaking loved this book.


thanks to Netgalley and Berkeley for the ARC

I enjoyed this book mainly as a escape read on a cold snowy day. Interesting story set before and after WWI, the author goes into great detail about the horrors of that war and its damaging effects on the men who fought it. With a background of a woman artist and her interactions with a once renowned British family, the book ends in a satisfying conclusion.
Particularly enjoyed the history of use of metal face masks to cover war wounds. Obviously, the author researched this very well.
All in all, a good satisfying read.

I loved this book. It has everything we want in a book these days. Mental escape, romance, believable tension, evocative settings, clever writing, Highly recommend.