Some authors just SCREAM summer to me, and I love that year-round, picking up their titles feels like I'm packing up to hit the beach. When I was given an advance copy of Susan Mallery's THE SUMMER GETAWAY I could not wait to read it, as her books always give me that vibe!

What I was most excited about this particular title was that our main character, Robyn is at such an important, life-changing time in her relationship with her family. As someone who has always been family-focused and the one they all have counted on, her needing a vacation to kind of reassess and consider herself MORE for the future, and let them figure it out all on their own is something that's never happened before.

The perfect opportunity comes up to visit her great-aunt Lillian, and to the surprise of everyone around her, she goes.

This book gave me such HOPE. It was truly a wonderful story of family and love, and by being about a mother and her adult children I felt like this book filled a space I need to read more of in books. That life doesn't simply end at a certain age, that we are all more than one particular part of ourselves whether it's being a parent, an employee, a wife, or a friend. We are ALL of those things, and somehow those feelings and drama all come together to create our lives.

Thank you to Harlequin Books for sending me a copy of this book to read and review, it was such a warm, fuzzy-feeling book full of family and love!

Susan Mallory brings us engaging characters, beautiful descriptions that transport us from Florida to California and a good story line. Highly recommend!

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and the publisher. This is my honest and personal review.

Susan Mallery's The Summer Getaway is a very intriguing book. At first glance, it seems like an easy and breezy summer read, perfect for a long afternoon on the beach. It is so much deeper than that however! I would consider it a romance , yes, but it also has a good bit of family drama in the plot as well.

Protagonist, Robyn Caldwell is at a cross roads in her life. As a mid 40s divorcee with two young adult children, she is navigating the desire to be a guiding mother to her kids while allowing them to grow up and make some adult decisions of their own. Adding in an incredibly immature ex-husband and a summer opportunity a little out of her comfort zone and Susan Mallery has created quite the story. Audiences should be hooked from the first chapter.

Mallery does a wonderful job of fleshing out the various characters with their secrets kept and introspective moments. As I've said, this novel is so much more than a beach read, despite the cover art. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and would recommend it to many. Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Publishing for gifting me a copy of this novel.

This book was an absolute pleasure to read. Anything by Susan Mallery is actually. I highly recommend this book.

I enjoy Susan Mallery's books for beach and pool reads as they are easy to pick up, put down, and get swept away to a vacation escape in between. They cover the gamut of relationships from family to romance and always with some character growth thrown in. Robyn is a likeable character, as are many of the supporting characters. I wanted to explore her Aunt's historic Santa Barbara house and all its treasures (and also want to know where I can get a relative to leave me a mansion or its contents--I promise to take the 15 cats with it!) ;-) Is the story completely realistic, no, but it is a good soapy drama that was fun and engaging to read and I found myself wanting to stay with the characters after I finished.

The Summer Getaway by Susan Mallery
A special thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this book. I voluntarily read and reviewed this title all thoughts and opinions are my own.
The perfect read on this hot summer day.
Robin Caldwell is the divorce mother of two whose life needs a major change. Her kids are 23 and 18 and she’s ready to move on from being a stay at home mom. But everyone in her life is always running to her to fix their problems. Her daughters engaged and is turning into a bridezilla and blaming her mother for everything. Her son Austin has graduated from high school but doesn’t have a plan for his life. Her ex-husband Cord is in a relationship with their daughters soon to be sister-in-law and hasn’t told their kids yet. So when her aunt to tell her calls from California and invites her out to stay she runs away from her life. But what happens when all of those people follow her to California?!? This was such a great summer read!

I always look forward to Mallery's books when the spring/summer roll around. This one was the perfect way to kick off the warm weather season. She always transports her readers to a nice beachy/warm setting and it lets me escape the cold for those 300+ pages. Looking forward to her next one!

Thanks for the opportunity to read and review!

Like the title suggests, this is the perfect summer escape read. Lured in by that gorgeous cover, readers will find an emotional story that keeps them turning the pages while soaking up the sun and sea.

This is a perfect summer read with lots of drama, love, loss and everything in between. Susan Mallery has done it again! Robyn, desperate to leave FL, flees to her aunts house in CA in which she has spent many summers before.. I enjoyed all the characters in this book. Mallery has a great flair for describing all the feels.

This is a great summer book! You even get the east coast and the west coast; how much better can it get?

There is a whole lot going on in this book. However, it is easy to keep track of. I swear each character has their own little drama going on. Definitely a must read!

This is a heartwarming read. When Robyn needs to get away to figure out what to do now that her children are grown up and she needs to downsize her home, she takes up the invitation from her elderly aunt to visit her in California. It has been too many years since she has been there and has forgotten how huge the house is and all of the priceless treasures her aunt has collected over the years. Her aunt has also asked the man who will inherit the house when she passes to live there. Mason and Robyn start to see what the future will hold, when one by one the rest of Robyns family decide to join her.

This is such a well written book with great characters and gives you all the feels! Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in return for my honest review.

Taking a break from murder and suspense, this week I read Susan Mallery’s latest release, THE SUMMER GETAWAY. Families always have drama and the mother is usually the rock that everyone depends on. Robyn Caldwell is that person: doting mother, a supportive wife until her husband cheated too many times, the peacemaker between everyone and the one her friends go to in a crisis. But with her youngest child now out of high school, she starts to wonder who she is and where she lost herself along the way.

Robyn has been holding everyone else together for so long she doesn’t know how to take care of herself. When her newly engaged daughter flips into a bridezilla and her son’s immediate future is up in the air, she decides that she’s had enough and flees to her Great-Aunt Lillian’s house in California. Leaving humid Florida behind and most of her worries, Robyn blooms with the support of her 94 years-old aunt. While Lillian is preparing her estate for when she dies, Robyn finally meets the distant relative of her late Uncle Leo who will inherit the very large and quirky mansion at Lillian’s passing: Mason, retired Army turned non-fiction author.

But what seems like a time away for Robyn to find who she is without all the people who take her for granted, her family and friends slowly make the trek across the country to get her help one by one. While the drama has followed her across state lines, it’s somehow easier to deal with her loved ones’ problems in beautiful Santa Barbara with her supportive aunt by her side.

I give THE SUMMER GETAWAY a 4.5 out of 5. If you love family drama, this book is steeped in it, including cheating spouses, dating way younger than is probably smart, jumping into a relationship with someone you don’t really know, lots of entitlement, divorce, grief, and trying to please a parent that’s really only ever been into themselves. A sweet romance blooms between Robyn and Mason, and I really enjoyed how they slowly found each other, becoming one another’s rock when times got tough. All of the characters were so well developed and unique. I really didn’t enjoy the daughter or the ex-husband, but that was by design. But they both grow throughout the book–one more so than the other–so at least one is likable in the end.

The star of this book to me was Aunt Lillian, who was progressive, definitely her own person to the end, and so understanding and supportive of her family–even the family that she finally met in person in Mason. Susan Mallery really knows how to portray realistic family dynamics, even when weaving in the more outlandish behavior of some. I was definitely reminded of how my own son is definitely growing into his own person at soon-to-be thirteen, and I saw this reflected in how Robyn saw her children and dealt with them as best as she can.

I highly recommend THE SUMMER GETAWAY. I read most of it in one sitting, and the emotional ups and downs of this family were engaging and heartfelt.

Love a generational story!
Although not a book I would purchase in my professional role, it is one that I will be recommending in my personal life! Thank you so much for allowing me to have access to the digital arc!

Sometimes you just really need a chill book to make you happy and force you to take a minute to relax. For me, the most recent book to do that was Susan Mallery's The Summer Getaway. As the title implies, it is the perfect spring or summer read.

Robyn Caldwell is a single mom in desperate need of a change – and a plan. Her kids are finally off on their own, leaving her with an odd twist on the traditional empty nest syndrome. Despite being on her own, she still has a lot to deal with, especially within her family and friend group.
As we all know – the best way to force a change and get away from all that drama is to head off on vacation. So that is what Robyn does. But it's harder for Robyn, who is very much the rock of her family.

“I’m sorry to be the one to bring you such bad news.” “Are you?” Robyn asked before she could stop herself. “It seems to me you’re delighted. It must be hard having such a small life.”

Lately, I've felt like I'm in need of an escape – in the form of books. Admittedly, this isn't exactly a unique feeling. We all need to run away sometimes, right? Well, for me, the book that hit the spot was The Summer Getaway. It was light, endearing, and precisely what I needed.

Honestly, there's a lot to appreciate about this one; I'm almost struggling to try to figure out where to start. The characters, the story, the emotional density of it all, it's the perfect package. Or getaway (I'll see myself out – sorry).

The thing I loved the most about The Summer Getaway had to be the family elements. Those resonated so deeply for me, and thus it was easy to connect with and follow along with Robyn's tale. Of course, many other elements make it a compelling read. This is part of the reason why it made for such a great escape and why I believe that many other readers would appreciate the experience.

I also received an eARC via Edelweiss, and will provide my review there. Did not need to download an additional copy.

The Summer Getaway is the perfect read in one sitting, escape life and bring it on vacation type of book! Although regrettably a bit forgettable and lacking in the fresh and new, The Summer Getaway is another enjoyable read from Susan Mallery! The family drama was certainly not lacking and the bit of romance helped propel me continuously forward in this one. Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the advanced copy!

Robyn Caldwell is a single mom working part-time at her friend's antique shop. After stress with her ex-husband, her adult children, and her boyfriend, she goes to spend the summer with her great aunt in the charming but quirky house where she grew up. She meets Mason Bishop, who is visiting the house as well, and sparks fly. However, then her family and friends start to drift to the coast to see her, and things get complicated!

I wanted to read this book because I enjoy Susan Mallery's beach reads. This novel, with the Florida and California settings, certainly did not disappoint! I also loved the quirky house (secret passageways!), antiques (i.e. original sheet music, a room of teacups).

Robyn is a very likeable protagonist. She is strong and resilient, and she is looking for her own path and future as she also tries to help her children. Robyn's son Austin is a good guy. Her daughter Harlow is an entitled princess, but she does grow during the space of the summer.

Also - Robyn and Mason! Former military man Mason is strong and dependable, with just the right amount of swoon, and he is so head over heels about Robyn. Their romance was the highlight of the book for me.

I recommend Summer Getaway for fans of Susan Mallery and for anyone looking for a fun beach read.

Billed as an escapist summer read, this book is exactly that. Centered on family relationships, the book did not really grab me. Robyn is a divorcee who is becoming an empty nester, looking for a future that will be fulfilling. Her ex is a serial cheater and all around repulsive character, her daughter Harlow is a spoiled brat and her son, Austin, is the only decent one of the bunch. Lillian, an older aunt invites Robyn to stay with her in California, Robyn leaves Florida and meets Mason, a former military man. The fact he is former military is repeated ad nauseam and detracted from the burgeoning romance between Mason and Robyn. Just okay, won’t set the world on fire, but a quick decent read. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

This would make for a great beach read! In the midst of a winter that seems like it will never end, this was a wonderful escape. I was rooting for Robyn throughout this book. She was completely taken advantage of throughout this book and it made my blood boil. I loved her storyline and how she found herself again after divorce. There was a lot going on in this book and many different side plots. While enjoyable, it got to be a bit much and detracted from the original story. This is more a story about a family than it is about Robyn, and I would have loved to focus on her journey. Overall, a great summer read that will make for a nice escape. 3.5 ⭐️

The Summer Getaway is exactly that - a getaway. I loved running away to Robyn and her family - despite their drama. The characters are so well developed that it made me want to keep reading to uncover more and more. I’m hoping to see these characters again in Susan’s other books.