While Brenda Novak is a great writer, this specific book didn’t work well for me.

I found the characters unlikable and often annoying. I absolutely did not understand why each of them fawned over people who treated them like crap. Yes, I know people do this in real life, but every character? I needed balance.

The romance, such as it was, felt more like B-rated porn.

The plot was predictable, with the big reveal at the end being obvious early on.

I can see the appeal for a lot of readers, but I wasn’t one of them.

Romance, a little mystery, betrayal, self-doubt and a hurricane - what else would you need for a beach read?

I was totally invested in the characters - but the storyline kept going to the brink and then resolving the issue in a paragraph or two. Great build up - to a really great story - but the resolutions - while good - felt a bit rushed.

Still a great read while sitting on a beach with an umbrella drink in your other hand!

Summer on the Island, by Brenda Novak, is a story about the healing power of friendship. Three friends head to Teach Island, off the coast of Florida, for a respite from their various trauma and troubles. They stay at Marlow’s stunning family estate for the summer hoping to relax in the sun and surf and gain some clarity for their respective futures. While there, they uncover family secrets, deal with heartbreak and betrayal together, discover love and the blessing of second chances. It’s a moving, cathartic story that offers insights and deals with real life struggles that we all face, and that the women’s fiction genre is so well-known for.

I, personally didn’t love the steamier sections, or the more repetitive focus on guilt, self-blame and doubt, but overall, Summer on the Island was an engaging and meaningful story.

As I started reading, I was invested in the characters and I liked where I could see the story going. Three strong women, getting a restart at a beach house - that is my kind of a story. I was disappointed when the focus changed to sex. I skimmed the steamy parts and the story improved. The ending seemed a little rushed, but I like where it ended.

3.5 stars Another enjoyable beach read from Brenda Novak!

After the death of her U.S. Senator father, Marlowe travels to her family's vacation home on a small island off the coast of Florida to help her mother settle her father's estate. 34 year-old Marlowe sold her condo and closed her law practice in LA because she isn't sure what she wants to do going forward but hopes three months on the island will help her gain some clarity. She's accompanied by two friends from LA - Aida who has just come through a difficult divorce and Claire who lost her yoga studio because of the Covid pandemic and her home in the California wildfires. The island seems like the ideal place for the three of them to enjoy a leisurely summer and a fresh start.

Like the other novels that I have read by Novak, Summer on the Island has drama, romance, a bit of a mystery and a beautiful setting - all which add up to my perfect beach read. In this case, the mystery is a long-buried family secret which was very predictable but that didn't detract from the read at all. An enjoyable story of families, friendship, starting over, and the power of forgiveness and an easy read when you need to escape with a good book.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC.

Summer on the Island is a fun read about friendship, family, and forgiveness with a bit of romance and suspense woven throughout. Brenda Novak has incorporated the Covid-19 pandemic into the story, giving it an extra element of relatability.

Forbidden love and a secret kept for many years are the premise for this beach read. This story set on an island in Florida reminded me at times of Romeo and Juliet.

Summer on the Island
Brenda Novak
April 5, 2022

Teach Island was the home of Marlow Madson’s summer refuge. She and her parents, Senator and Mrs. Madison had 3 other estates. Their primary home was in Atlanta, Georgia but come summer Marlow and her mother, Eileen moved to Florida to reside on the island. Now Marlow was a divorce lawyer living in LA. She had become more and more frustrated with her clients. Their tales of woe in marriage began to mount up. It was time to end the practice, sell the condo and think about a new career. Her father had recently passed and she thought about her parents and their loving marriage. Eileen has suffered with MS for years now. Marlow would need to help settle the estate and deal with her dad’s possessions. Her two best friends, Claire and Aida came along to keep her company.
This story is a tale of returning to a time when Marlow was in high school and college, life with her mom and dad. Now she had changed, grown up. She knew that reuniting with Walker and Reese, the sons of her mother’s housekeeper, Rosemary would be a part of the welcome home party. Walker being two years older was a friend of hers in school. He wanted more but Marlow was not ready. She was rude to him often. Now she realizes how wrong it was. One of her goals for the summer is to atone for her shameful attitude.
Summer on the Island is an excellent novel. It will be published on April 5, 2022 by MIRA in arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A. I appreciate their allowing me to read and review Novak’s most recent publication via NetGalley. This stand alone gives us a diary of life of the two sides of living.Those that have, those that have not. The story is heartwarming yet troubling in that the reader senses what issues might occur. Novak’s fans won’t miss this one but should this be your first of Brenda Novak’s books, it is a brilliant read. Do enjoy!

This is a great book. The two main characters are Marlow and Walker. They grew up together with Reese, Walker’s younger brother. Marlow has come home from California with two friends to Florida. Mallow’s father has recently passed. Walker has loved Marlow all his life. There is an attraction between them. They have some issues like an ex husband trying to cause problems, a new half brother, reading of Marlow’s father will with surprises, and a hurricane. But together they fall in love.

I really enjoyed Summer on the Island. As stated in the blurb it is centered around a summer of healing, friendship, love, and a secret. Full of flawed characters who each bring their own baggage to the story and are woven together perfectly in the story. This is one of my favorite Brenda Novak reads.

Reviewed by Comfy Chair Books/Lisa Reigel (3/5/22)
ARC received from publisher via Netgalley
Purchased paperback copy from the Brenda Novak Monthly Book Club Box (April 2022)

review to be posted on release day to amazon, comfychairbooks.com, Instagram, facebook.
Links will be provided once posted.

Thank you to Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book. I really enjoyed the story. It had suspense, romance, family relationships and forgiveness all rolled into one. I really enjoyed how the main character recognized her flaws as a young girl and worked very hard to become a better person. I liked how the "bombshell" that dropped into the family sent it into a tailspin but how they were all able to work through the issue and come out better on the other side. This is a great family story that holds you from the start to the finish.

Are you counting down the days till summer just like me? Are you tired of the rain, the darkness and dying to feel a little tickle of sunshine on your face? Are you longing to be on a sandy beach with sunny blue skies?

Then I recommend you to book a flight ticket to somewhere tropical right now ✈️☀️👙🏝🐚

Jokes aside 😅😅😅 you don’t need to go anywhere, because Brenda Novak's new novel will definitely let you feel the fresh sea breeze and sweeten the time until we can actually feel the sun on us ☀️

Summer On The Island has a little bit of everything: romance, family drama, some mystery and lots of friendship mixed in with a theme of forgiveness and healing.

Thanks so much to NetGalley for my E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I will easily recommend this one to anyone who’s looking for a bit of happiness & sunshine for their heart during these heavy times…❤️‍🩹

After a year of heartache and grief for all three, Marlow invites friends Aida and Claire to her family's summer house on Teach Island, off the coast of Florida. Summer on the Island is a story of family, friendship, forgiveness, and love in its various forms. While I found the ending to feel a bit rushed, that's likely because I didn't really want the story to end... I hope we hear more about the Island and its inhabitants again soon! Another favorite read from one of my favorites authors.

A light beach read with predictable plot lines and characters, this was not my favorite Brenda Novak book. I loved the setting and descriptions though. I found it hard to get into the first chapter because so many names and characters were introduced just in the first few pages.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my review.

Sea breezes, sunny skies and sandy beaches await three women escaping for the summer. Marlowe is going to be with her ailing mother after the death of her father. Aida is escaping a horrible divorce. Clair is looking for answers to what she wants. The best friends find the peace but within it are troubles, doubts and romance.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

As you may surmise by the dearth of recent posts, I've been in a reading/blogging funk lately. I haven't felt like reading and I have wanted to write even less. Given that attitude, I didn't really think it was right to blast some author about a book I didn't like primarily because I didn't want to read at all.

However the other day I was perusing NetGalley and I saw Summer on the Island and I wanted to read it. I generally like Brenda Novak's books and the premise of this one sounded interesting. Unfortunately, this one came out as just too predictable. It's a romance so it was no stretch to figure that they would end up together, but the other plot threads involving Marlow's friends and family members were just as predictable.

One first for me is that this was the first book I've read that incorporates Covid-19 and the changes it made to the world. Marlow and her friends live in California and one has lost her business due to the pandemic. Of course in Florida the pandemic is little more than a subject of disinterested conversation.

I'd like to thank the publisher for making a review copy available via NetGalley. Grade B-

After quitting her job as a high-powered divorce attorney in LA, Marlow Madsen returns to her family home on a small Florida island to help her sick mother settle her father's estate. Spending the summer and looking for fresh starts are Marlow's friends Aida and Claire who have an unexpected connection - Claire was dating Aida's husband, unaware that he was married. Adding to the mix are local heartthrobs Walker and Reese, the sons of Marlow's mother's housekeeper and long-time companion Rosemary. I wasn't expecting much form this book.
I thought it would be a light, romantic read. It was. but it wasn't a winner. There's a huge secret that is hinted at so broadly that the reveal was actually a let-down and the characters are engaged in too many subplots and everything wraps up too quickly and neatly at the end.

uch an enjoyable read!
Another fantastic Brenda Novak book.
Marlow brings two of her friends back to the island of Teach to spend the summer and heal from the past ups and downs that life has thrown at them, There each one of them heals, begins again and has closure.
Walker has always loved Marlow but think, because of past experiences, She feels she’s too good for him.
They finally begin to get it right when past secrets tumble out and threatened to destroy both their families.
I enjoyed this book I especially loved Marlow and Walker , I would love more about Reece!

Romance, a little mystery, family drama and a theme of forgiveness and moving forward…this book has everything that lovers of contemporary women’s fiction could want. Marlow returns home to Teach Island for the summer, bringing her friends Claire and Aida with her. Marlow wants to get away from being a divorce lawyer and all of the bad karma that comes from listening to people whose lives have imploded. Aida is recently divorced and Claire lost her yoga studio and her home to the wildfires. Enough drama yet? This is just the introduction! The story is a little complicated and extremely engaging. There are a few twists and plenty of romance, some of it steamier than I like, but I just skimmed over those parts without really losing anything from the central story. I really enjoyed the beach setting and the family beach house named Seaclusion. Perfect! I’m a big fan of believable characters who put their vulnerability out there and aren’t afraid to try to pursue the gold at the end of the rainbow. This book had characters that were easy to love, easy to hate and even a few that I’m still not sure whether I really could ever be friends with them or not. But Marlow became my bestie as I read this book and cheered her own through the devastating personal loss and her finding someone she could trust with her future. The plot was well-paced, with enough action in each chapter to keep me reading long into the night. Since I am a big fan of mysteries, I especially liked that there was something hidden about Marlow’s past that was revealed slowly and at just the right time in the book. Fans of romance and tropical settings will enjoy this book and want to read more about some of the characters. I know I would love to read more about each of the characters and how they are faring in their new lives.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”
Additional Disclosure: I won an online contest by participating in Brenda Novak’s book challenge, so this book is actually dedicated to me. This fact did not in any way influence my opinions about the book, but it certainly made me eager to get my hands on a copy!

Summer on the Island is a story about of a group of women getting together on Teach, a small island near Florida, to regroup and support each other after major setbacks in their lives. Marlowe Madsen was going home to the island to help her mother after her father passed away. She had asked her friends Claire and Aida to come with her for the summer as they have suffered major setbacks in their lives too. She thought they could use the time to regroup and relax. This was a heartwarming story of love and forgiveness. Brenda Novak has a way of making me fall in love with her characters and feel their emotions right along with them. I would love to read more about these characters and find out what the future holds for them.