This multi-generational family story had lots of drama. Robyn was so calm about her ex and all his glaring faults that it baggage a little annoying. I liked that all the characters had faults but grew as their problems came to light. I loved Vivian and all her cats. The way sex was portrayed was uncomfortable and did not add to the story. Less details is better. Enjoyable story.

Robyn's at her wits end with her family. With her husband Cord, her daughter Harlow, and her son Austin, And with her friends. So why not leave them behind in Florida and head to California to see 94 year old Aunt Lillian? Turns out Lillian has a huge (huge) mansion and she's willing the property to Mason, one of her husband's favorite relatives, and the contents to Robyn. Mason, a writer, is already living there and, as readers might expect, things don't go well initially with Robyn but they o become friends. And more. Robyn is starting to feel good about herself even as she thinks about what to do with all of Lillian's treasures and then Harlow and Austin show up. I liked this for Lillian (what a hoot) but mostly for the positive way that Robyn approaches the second half of her life. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. A very good read.

Robyn Caldwell always puts everyone else first and they take advantage of her, even her clueless ex-husband. But now that her youngest child is 18, Robyn wants to spend time on herself and her interests. So she goes to Santa Barbara to visit her great aunt Lillian for the summer, which opens a whole new set of possibilities including a new romance. I really enjoyed this empowering story of a mom finally putting herself first and in doing so teaching her family some valuable lessons. Highly recommended.

The Summer Getaway
Susan Mallery
March 15, 2022

Robyn Caldwell married young, had two children, and unfortunately never made it to college. She joined her husband, Cord in starting a business chartering boats for tourists. As the years passed, Robyn raised her children and they too learned the profession and became crew members. Cord had sail boats and vessels that were popular among the Florida travelers. Robyn discovered him with other women and decided to file for a divorce after her daughter, Harlow graduated from high school. She now works part time at an antique store. Cord bought her out of the business but funds will not hold out for long.
She and her family and friends are close. She seems to be the one that all come to for advice and service. It has been decided that she will sell her large ocean side home. Harlow had hoped to have her wedding in the garden by the pool. Financially not an option for Robyn. She becomes rather undone by family and friends. She makes a decision to visit her Aunt Lillian in Santa Barbara for a while. This is really where things come into focus for the characters as well as the reader.
Susan Mallery has given us another phenomenal novel. The Summer Getaway will be published by Harlequin Digital Sales on March 15, 2022. I appreciate their accepting my request to read and review this marvelous story via NetGalley. Once again her writing is exceptional. She lures us into her character’s web. Once there we are totally hooked. It was a wonderful summer chronicle. By all means choose this as your next book selection. Enjoy!

If you're looking for a novel that will make you feel all the feels, The Summer Getaway is the perfect read. Susan Mallery is a master at creating characters that you can't help but root for, and Robyn Caldwell is no exception.

The story centers on a single mother who takes a much-needed vacation to Santa Barbara and soon realizes that she's been too busy taking care of everyone else that she's neglected herself. With her loved ones by her side, Robyn finally finds the courage to take a chance on herself and discovers all the possibilities that life has to offer. The Summer Getaway is a poignant and uplifting story about family, dreams, and second chances you won't want to miss.

I'm a big Susan Mallery fan and was excited to read The Summer Getaway!

Robyn has always put her family first, but with her kids grown she's ready to make a change and knowing that her son just turned 18 and according to the divorce settlement, she will need to sell the house. So as she's coming to terms with that, her daughter is being a bridezilla demanding to be married at the house, her best friend is making bad decisions and her ex-husband, well it's a good thing he's an ex-husband. It all becomes too much so she escapes to California to see her great aunt Lillian in Santa Barbara. Where she finds it's not quite the relaxing vacation she thought it would be...

While it's centered around family drama, it's really about loving yourself, relationships, family, love and embracing what you have, starting over and dreams. I loved Lillian and all of the characters, it was a great setting and as usual a book you don't want to put down!

4 stars / This review will be posted on goodreads.com today.

Such a fun chick lit read.

Robyn is a mom of two, Harlow & Austin, and the ex-wife of Cord. She lives in a multi-million dollar home on the water in Naples, FL. Her part-time job at an antique store keeps her busy, as do lunches at the club. She has been dating a prominent cardiologist, and with the impending need to sell her home, she’s hoping to be able to move in with him.

Harlow is getting married and is demanding that her mom keep the house for her wedding. No matter how Robyn explains to her that just isn’t an option, Harlow keeps throwing tantrums. When Robyn has had it with her daughter’s impudence, her ex-husband’s antics, and her cardiologist’s demeaning attitude, she flees to California to her great-aunt Lillian’s sprawling estate.

Little does Robyn know that Mason, the future inheritor of the estate, has moved in with Lillian. While Robyn stands to inherit the contents of the home, and the resident 15 cats, Mason will be inheriting the house and land. Robyn isn’t too sure about Mason when she arrives, but over time, might that change? Mason is a former Army man, simple in his tastes and needs. Also, very good looking. This could prove to be an interesting summer for Robyn and Mason.

Really enjoyed this read. It’s one of those books that will make you smile, even with some of the more difficult topics. I read it in just couple of nights because it was so much fun. Books like this are excellent for a break from more heavy reads. Highly recommend this one. Will be a great beach or pool read!

Enjoyable story about family, friends, romance, grieving, and starting over.

This is the story of Robyn who lives in Naples, Florida and is stuck in a rut. She flees to visit her great-great aunt, Lillian, in Santa Barbara. Once there she meets Mason, who is a very likable veteran. One by one her family follows her to Santa Barbara look for guidance. Each family member is working on finding their way.

Although there is a lot of drama (self inflicted by the most part) it is entertaining, funny, and poignant at times. You can't help but fall in love with this family.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing, NetGalley and Susan Mallery for this advance copy. I highly recommend reading this one!

This was an enjoyable read. Great sense of place in terms of the settings. I did enjoy that the novel's tension was driven mostly by the mother-daughter relationship. The male characters were a bit underdeveloped and just sort of tended towards an extreme (arrogant, wonderful, understanding) without a ton of balance. Overall an enjoyable beach read.

The Summer Getaway will make a great beach read. Robyn is the mom to Harlow and Austin. She is also divorced from their dad Cord. Robyn decides to visit her Aunt Lilian in California to getaway and think what she wants to do with her life. At her Aunt’s house, she meets Mason. Both Mason and Robyn will inherit part of Lilian’s estate. As she is enjoying her time with her Aunt, her son and daughter come to visit. This book has family drama, romance and people finding themselves. I enjoyed this book very much. Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing/HQN.

I had such a hard time putting The Summer Getaway by Susan Mallery down! This novel was full of family drama. letting go of the past, and the promise of new beginnings. The book sucks you in from the first chapter, and it is one I highly recommend.

Thank you, NetGalley, for an advanced copy of this book.

Kudos to Susan Mallory for a perfect beach read - ‘The Summer Getaway’. Set in Naples, Florida and Santa Barbara, California, “ The Summer Getaway’ is a delightful mix of family drama and romance in and easy to read novel. I will definitely add Susan Mallory novels to my reading list.

I was very excited to win this book from HQN, as I am a fan of Susan Mallery's books. I expected this to be one of her great reads.

This one was a bit of a disappointment. It took me over half the book before I liked any of the characters. They did grow on me as I kept reading. I had no idea why Mindy was in the book at all. She was suppose to be Robyn's ( MC ) best friend - not a very good friend and added nothing to the story. The unnecessary explicit talk about sex felt forced and thrown in there at awkward times.

The last part of the book saved the story for me. I enjoyed Mason, the kids grew up and the story got better. Lillian made the book for me.

The Summer Getaway by Susan Mallery will have you longing for the feeling of sunshine, warmth, and seaside locales. Robyn is a divorced mom of two newly adult children. She's now trying to figure out what this next phase of her life is going to look like. How should she start over and what does she need to do to reach her new goals? This pondering leads her to travel from Florida to California to visit her great-aunt. While there her life changes in ways she never thought possible. Read and enjoy!

A woman takes a trip to visit her great aunt in California to catalogue her aunt's belongings. Soon her kids come out together but for separate reasons.

This is a perfect summer book! It has ocean views, amazing food, lots of friends and tons of drama. And more drama. But it also works its way through budding romance, forgiveness and self-discovery, and a wonderful ending that makes all of the messiness worthwhile. Thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin for the advance digital copy!

I will read anything Susan Mallery writes, she has quickly become one of my favorite authors. This book was a breath of fresh air, the story had so many amazing characters and lessons!
Robyn Caldwell is the ex wife of Cord who owns a charter boat company down in Naples Florida. Their divorce was a difficult one since Cord is a serial cheater. They share two children Harlow and Austin. Harlow is now engaged and turning into a bridezilla and acting selfish, Robyn feels Harlow is rushing into marriage and she’s to young. Austin is eighteen and not in a rush for college he seems confused about what he wants to do with his future, both Harlow and Austin work for Cord on charter boats. Now her divorce settlement about to run out she has to sell the house she cannot afford it she’s concerned about money and what to do with her own future, after a difficult argument with her daughter and ending a relationship with a guy she was seeing, her great aunt calls to invite her to stay in Santa Barbara for the summer, she packs a bag and leaves everything behind to figure out what to do. When she arrives she’s shocked Robyn learns her great aunt, Lillian, in her nineties, had willed her huge, 40,000-square-foot mansion to her deceased husband's relative, Mason Bishop an army veteran , and she plans to leave all the homes antiques in the home to Robyn. As Robyn begins to relax away from her family drama she becomes closer to Mason.
Robyn the heart of the family is soon surprised when Austin shows up in California, with Harlow also arrives. The more time Robyn spends with free-spirited Lillian, the more possibilities she sees—for dreams, love, family. She can have everything she ever wanted, if only she can muster the courage to take a chance on herself. I’m giving this book five stars, there were some steamy parts but I loved it so much!

As usual , Susan Mallery does not disappoint.This story has it all . Family drama, Romance, friendship, family dynamics and a just plain enjoyable story. Thank you to Net Galley, the Publishers and Author for opertunity to read this Advance copy in exchange for my honest opinion. I honestly loved it!

Susan Mallery is an exquisite writer and I'll be reading her entire backlist over the next few years. Her stories are always raw, honest, relatable, and emotional. This book had me feeling so many things and I love how she was able to touch me through this incredible novel. I highly recommend it.

Thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing, I was provided an ARC of The Summer Getaway by Susan Mallery via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

***** Coming out March 15, 2022*****

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Susan Mallery is spot on when writing about how complicated family relationships can be and how they can affect their adult children. This time she writes about the ins and out of divorce, complicated relationships, self discovery, how choices you make affect others, and second chances.

Robyn, a single, divorced mom, has a son Austin who is 18 and daughter Harlow who is
newly engaged. Both kids work for their father at his charter boat company. Robyn and Mindy are
friends who work together at Mindy’s antique shop. Robyn’s life is falling apart, Mindy is making personal life decisions Robyn doesn’t agree with, Robyn has a boyfriend who is not right for her, and she is doing a lot of fighting with Harlow over her wedding planning.

Lillian, Robyn’s great-aunt, invites her California, to spend time with her as Lillian tells Robyn she won’t be around forever. Robyn breaks up with her boyfriend and takes her up on the invite in order to regroup. Will this be the trip she gets clarity and figures out which direction she wants to go in life?

A great beach read that will keep you entertained through all the heartaches, lies, deceitful intentions, and romance. I loved how this author included a chicken recipe along with the discussion questions as a lot of chicken was eaten in this book!