4.5/5

Summer at the Cape by RaeAnne Thayne gave me serious Jill Shalvis vibes and had so many of the qualities that I love in a romance. Not only are there many emotional moments, but plenty of things that made me laugh as well, and it was just an all-around heartwarming read. Unlike a Shalvis novel, Thayne tells the story from only 3 viewpoints (Shalvis usually has 4) which ended up being Violet, Cami, and Jon. I really love multiple viewpoints and I thought these 3 were the perfect ones to have. I loved being back in Cape Sanctuary, a place I was first introduced to through Thayne's novel The Sea Glass Cottage. She really knows how to bring the area alive, and I also thought the glamping aspect was super fun! Thayne made me wish it were a real place that I could go and visit, and the setting was lovely.

I was lucky enough to receive a copy of the audiobook and it was wonderfully done! The narrator Carly Robins did a great job with the different viewpoints, and she really made this a joy to listen to. I always love when a narrator can enhance the story, and in the case of the audio of Summer at the Cape Robins definitely did, so I highly recommend it. Of course, there was a little dash of drama in the story as well, and my heart ached for Violet and Cami and the loss of their sister Lily. I was already slightly scared of the water going into this, and if I was faced with the choice Lily made, I can't honestly say I would make the same one. Thayne created such well-developed characters and they felt entirely real to me which is probably why this was such a tearjerker for me even though my loss was a mom instead of a sister. I could go on and on about Summer at the Cape, but the most important thing to note is that if you are a fan of this author already, of Shalvis, or even just a fan of romance, women's fiction, and family dramas, this book should be at the top of your reading list.

Thank you to the publishers for my advanced listening and digital copies of this book. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

I cannot tell you how relieved I am that I thoroughly enjoyed this book. While women’s fiction isn’t my favorite genre, I usually still like it a lot. That cannot be said for the last couple of women’s fiction I read so I went into this one quite leery. I am a huge fan of RaeAnne Thayne and I had been invited to participate in the blog tour for this book so of course I was going to give it a try. I did not want to put the book down. Such a relief!

This story is told from three different points of view; Cami, Violet, and Jon. It’s mostly Cami and Violet, sisters who are grieving Violet’s twin Lily’s death. Both have come to Cape Sanctuary to help their mother with the glamping business Lily had started. While Violet is supposed to spend the whole summer there, Cami is there more to help out with a legal issue with the location of the glam-site. Jon is the neighbor’s son who feels his father’s unsteady mental capacity was taken advantage of in order for Lily to get permission to use his land for her endeavor.

I love that every single one of these characters is likable. They are kind, thoughtful, and gracious. Jon could have easily been made to be a jerk, instead the author leaned into his empathy. It’s no wonder there is an instant connection between Jon and Cami. Although they are on opposite sides of a very particular issue, they both also see the other has no ill intensions and are actually very lovely. The story of Jon and his father wading through his father’s slide into dementia is touching and bittersweet.

There is a lot of love in this story. Violet is thrown, over and over, into the path of her first love and his daughter. Turns out, there are still a lot of feelings there on both sides. On top of that, there is possibly still something between Violet and Cami’s parents, who have been divorced for 16 years. I couldn’t get enough of any of their stories and was delighted in all of the storylines.

As well as the romantic love, there is familial love that has to be healed in this book. While Violet and Cami never say out loud to each other the things that hurt them as children when their parents divorced and they were separated, they did take action to change the way they interacted with one another. They are now old enough to look beyond their own pain and see things from a different point of view. It’s really a beautiful thing to watch them learn to be sisters in a deeper way.

Twenty years ago when the three Porter sisters were separated at the expense of their parents divorce, twins, Lily and Violet left to start a new life with their mother in a small coastal town in Northern California called Cape Sanctuary. Cami, the oldest sister stayed in LA with her father to follow in his footsteps and study law.

However, when her sister, Lily drowns while trying to save two children, Cami is called upon by her mother, to help save Lily’s luxury campground business, Wild Hearts. As Cami heads from LA to Cape Sanctuary to save Wild Hearts, she knows she must face her fractured family dynamic head on. Once there, she reconnects and works to repair her estranged relationship with Violet and her mother, all while trying to save Lily’s business at the opposition of the man who’s family’s land Wild Hearts resides on. As both sisters mourn the death and honor the life of Lily, they also find solace in each other and of those around them.

| 𝕋𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕤 |

This was my first by Thayne and I found myself completely invested in these wonderful characters and story. Told in multiple POV, this is a story of a family learning to forgive each other and heal after a devastating loss, but there’s also several endearing love stories at the heart of it. Combined with the dreamy coastal setting it will absolutely have you ready for a day of reading at the beach.

A poignant and heartwarming novel about fractured family dynamics, second chances at love and learning to lean on the very people who love you the most, when faced with unimaginable loss-I can’t recommend it enough and look forward to reading more by this author.

Thank you to author @raeannethayne and @getredprbooks @hqnbooks @letstalkbookspromo for including me in this book tour.

When Cami Porter gets an urgent call from her mother to come home to settle a land dispute, she hesitates. When Cami’s parents got divorced, Cami lived with her father in Los Angeles, while her twin sisters, Violet and Lilly lived with their mother in the small town of Cape Sanctuary. Cami always felt she was the odd one out, but now that one of her sisters as passed away, she feels the pull to repair her broken relationship with her mother and remaining sister. When she arrives, she finds that her sister never signed a legal agreement for the land. Now Cami has a fight on her hands, and it becomes even more difficult when she meets the neighbor’s son.

Violet Porter is still grieving the loss of her twin sister Lily as she heads home to help her mother for the summer. Her older sister Cami is home as well, and maybe now is the time to try and heal old wounds. All she wants to do is run, but something or rather someone from her past may be the reason she stays.

This novel by RaeAnne Thayne is a brilliant work of art. It brings together a broken family torn apart years ago teaching them about family and what truly matters. It is a tearful journey but also a heartwarming one when we meet Franklin and Jonathan the neighbors and landowners. I loved how the characters developed and all the different life matters that were brought up in the story. I enjoyed each sister’s journey through the pain of losing a sibling and how their relationship grew. My thanks to Harlequin Publishing, Netgalled and RaeAnne Thayne for my copy of the book in exchange for my honest and unbiased review. A five star summer read friends!

Cami Porter lost her younger sister, Lily, in a drowning accident when she bravely rescued two little girls in the ocean. Cami’s back in Cape Sanctuary, her mother’s home, for her sister’s celebration of life and there’s a lot to sort out between her mother, sister and the neighbor next door.

Summer at the Cape was focused on Cami, Violet and Jon Franklin, the neighbor back home to care for his aging father. Cami, the oldest sister, has always felt a little left out since her parents divorced and the twins stayed in Cape Sanctuary with their mother, and she went to Los Angeles with her father. The twins had a close bond and Cami that she didn’t share, and she feels hurt that her mother sent her off with her father. I totally got that, and even though her mother is portrayed as a loving person always caring for other people, I thought she was extremely selfish to split her family up because she felt Los Angeles was stifling. Especially, since the parents still loved each other which is another storyline in the book. I also didn’t feel like the mother, or the father was overly upset of the death of Lily, even if it was four months earlier I would think the parents would be devastated and they just seemed to go happily about their business.

I wasn’t moved by Cami and Jon’s. I didn’t really care for Jon, I thought Cami was way too nice to him when he was kind of a jerk about the glampground on his father’s property.

I did really enjoy Violet’s second chance romance and I loved the setting of the story! I visit the Northern California Coast often and can picture the glampground easily. There’s one in Mendocino that I keep picturing. The area is gorgeous! While I did have some issues, all the storylines wrapped up in a heartwarming way, and the epilogue was lovely!

Second Chances. Sometimes... sometimes life *does* give you a second chance. A chance to re-evaluate what you thought you knew, and perhaps a chance to reconnect with those you had massive misunderstandings with previously. And Summer At The Cape? Well... it is all about those second chances... and the ones that will never happen. Beautifully written and heart felt, this is one that will pull your heartstrings in so many directions. The *one* negative, for me, was that the epilogue felt tacked on. I personally would have been perfectly fine without it - the story didn't actually need it, and the things it adds are for me superfluous tropes that added nothing and somewhat detracted even. But hey, read the story for yourself and see what you think of the epilogue. ;) Very much recommended.

I loved this books and the sisters!! This book had so many nice layers that made this story really enjoyable.

I don't think that RaeAnne Thayne can write a book which isn't poignant, heartwarming, and compeling.
This is a poignant, heartwarming and compelling story that I loved and moved me.
Great setting and characters, excellent storytelling.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

First, I can’t wait to go down to Northern CA as this setting was amazing. It made me want to go to the coast so bad and get in some camping! Second, how I missed the one male lead is an archaeologist!! Loved it as we don’t get many. Third, it's sad and a bit hard with the sibling death and dementia but I just loved the family coming together and growing. Really enjoyed this book.

This was somehow my first Thayne book and I will need to pick up some more of hers.

Summer at the Cape by RaeAnne Thayne grabbed me and held me hostage until I turned the last page, finishing the story, leaving me wanting more. This heartwarming, emotional story takes us on a journey into the lives of family members dealing with loss, pain, distrust, regrets, healing and love. This book had everything: close family supporting one another, beaches, glamping; a sweet romance without any unnecessary conflict. Cami Porter is the older sibling to identical twins Violet and Lily, who spent much of her life feeling like an outsider and the odd-sister-out until one of the twins, Lily, drowned saving two young girls. Cami returns to Cape Sanctuary to help her mother and sister, Violet, deal with their grief and adjust to life after this tragedy. As family members are drawn closer together, healing does occur through the sharing of their personal stories, a new romance, a second-chance romance, and secrets being revealed.

Ms. Thayne wrote a story that reaches the soul; the soul of her characters as well the soul of her readers. This wonderful, sweet, and amazing story was emotional, moving, tear inducing, filled with wonderful dialogue, and endearing characters that is must read. I highly recommend Summer at the Cape to other readers.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

Book tour and review!
Published: April 12, 2022
Publisher: HQN Books
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Special shoutout to @letstalkbookspromo and @raeannethayne for my copy and for letting me join the tour!

From Amazon: As the older sibling to identical twins Violet and Lily, Cami Porter was always the odd sister out. The divide grew even wider when their parents split up—while the twins stayed in Cape Sanctuary with their free-spirited mother, Rosemary, fourteen-year-old Cami moved to LA with her attorney father. Nearly twenty years later, when Cami gets the terrible news that Lily has drowned saving a child’s life, her mother begs her to return home to help untangle the complicated estate issues her sister left behind.
Navigating their own strained relationship, Cami readjusts to the family and community she hasn’t known for decades, including the neighbor who stands in the way of her late sister’s dream, while Violet grieves the loss of her twin and struggles to figure out who she is now, without her other half, as the little girl Lily saved pulls her back into the orbit of the man she once loved.

💜Read if you love stories ahout:
💛Family
💛Sacrifice
💛The bond of sisters
💛New love and found love
💛Difficult dreams
💛Small towns
I really enjoyed this book. I literally binged the whole thing in one day. It was cozy and sweet and sad. The perfect blend of romance and family ties. It also really made me want to go glamping! Has anyone ever been? I've been camping twice and would definitely rather have a real bed plus the outdoors.
If you are looking for a good summery escape, check this one out!

#letstalkbookspromo #ruralfiction #romance #familyfiction #summeratthecape #raeannethaynebooks #booktour #bookreview #ireviewbooks #glamping #cozyreads #bingeread #fourstar

Terrific story of family, loss, and love. Told from alternating points of view, I loved seeing how each character processed what was going on around them. The people are realistically portrayed, their feelings and actions believable.

When oldest daughter, Cami, was fourteen, her parents divorced. She stayed in LA with her lawyer father, eventually becoming a lawyer herself. Her twin sisters, Violet and Lily, went to Cape Sanctuary with their free-spirited mother, Rosemary. Cami always felt like the odd one out when she visited. Twenty years later, Lily drowned while saving the lives of two little girls in Cape Sanctuary. Rosemary begs Cami to help untangle some complicated issues involving Lily's dream of a glampground on neighboring property.

I ached for Cami. She's still trying to process her grief over Lily's death while working long hours at her father's law firm. Though she doesn't know how much help she'll be, getting away to the peace of the beach sounds like exactly what she needs to recharge. As she nears her destination, she stops to help a man wearing a sling with a flat tire. Sparks fly between them, but Cami doesn't expect to see him again.

The man is Jon, an archaeologist who has been called home to deal with his estranged father. They haven't spoken in several years, but he gets word that Franklin is behaving oddly. He arrives home to discover his father in the early stages of dementia, tents set up on property that should be vacant, and the suspicion that the neighbors are trying to pull a fast one on his father.

Cami's sister Violet, Lily's twin, is a special education teacher in Sacramento. She comes to Cape Sanctuary for the summer to help Rosemary with the glampground. She struggles with the loss of her sister and best friend. She also feels guilty over an argument with Lily that they hadn't made up before Lily died. Complicating matters, she can't avoid running into Alex, her first love, whose daughter Ariana is one of the girls Lily died while rescuing.

I loved the intertwining of the various storylines. While Cami would like nothing more than to fix the glampground leasing issue, Jon's first thought is protecting his father. Cami is sympathetic to his problems and finds herself stepping in to help Jon with his dad. At the same time, the sparks between Cami and Jon continue to grow. There were some sweet scenes of the two of them together, with and without Franklin. It's easy to see their growing feelings, but there are also obstacles to a future together.

Franklin's medical issues are heartbreaking to watch, but on his good days, he is a delight. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing him interact with Rosemary and the glampground guests. I was thrilled to see him and Jon repair their relationship with each other.

I ached for Violet and her tortured feelings. She loved Lily, but she also frequently felt like the pale imitation of her vivacious sister. Without Lily, though, she feels as if a piece of herself is missing. I liked seeing Violet and Cami begin to strengthen their bond in their shared grief. The night-time scene on the beach with them and a bottle of wine was emotional, funny, and eye-opening for them. It was also a great start to a new closeness.

Violet also must deal with her unresolved feelings for Alex. He makes it clear that he still cares about her and would like a second chance, but Violet is wary of trusting him with her heart again. There are several great scenes where Alex is there when she needs him and helps her work through her grief. I especially enjoyed the scene on the boat when she helped him with the whale-watching trip for the glampers. The question is whether she can let go of the past enough to move forward into the future with him and Ariana.

There's a heartwarming scene where the town holds a ceremony to honor Lily and her sacrifice. The kind words of the mayor and the heartfelt speech by Ariana make a world of difference to Lily's family. Cami's dad, Ted, was also there, and he wasn't what I expected. I enjoyed seeing him and Rosemary together. There are some intense moments near the end when Franklin wanders off, and Jon feels overwhelmed by what lies ahead. I loved his surprise at how people came together to help find him and Jon's realization that he's not alone. A moment of clarity in a discussion between Franklin and Jon reveals an unexpected twist in the leasing issue. I loved seeing Jon and Cami look at exploring their feelings for each other.

The epilogue was a terrific look at their lives a few years down the road. There's happiness and heartbreak, love and loss, but above all, the importance of family.

Summer at the Cape is a delightful read and I really enjoyed my time there. 

We meet two sisters Cami and Violet. Two sisters who don't know each other all that well. When their parents split Cami was left with her Dad and Violet and her twin Lily went with their mother. Now Lily is dead and the family comes together to mourn her and honor her.

There is some drama and tension when Rosemary  - their mother hits a rough spot with the glam tenting experience she has set up is in danger when Franklin and his son seem to not want it. The land is leased from them and Jon thinks his father was taken for a ride.

As the story evolves so do relationships. Violet finds out that Cami is better than she thought. She grieves for her sister, and finds that a person she loved and lost might be found again. Cami too is finding an attraction in rather a surprising person, and even Rosemary and Ted their parents are about to surprise the girls too.

This story is about family, community and caring. It is heartwarming and charming and carries all the good things RaeAnne Thayne brings to her books.

Odd sister out.

I really felt for Cami, the oldest sister who was raised by their father across the country after their parents split up. Her mother raised her younger twin sisters. When one of her twin sisters dies, Cami is brought back to her mother and remaining sister., Wow. Nothing is more fraught than family. Very nuanced.

Recommend.

Cami Porter, older sister to identical twins Violet and Lily, grew up in LA with her father, while the twins stayed in Cape Sanctuary with their mother. Nearly twenty years later, and now an attorney like her father, Cami gets terrible news that Lily has drowned saving a child’s life. When her mother begs her to return home to help untangle the complicated estate issues Lily left behind, Cami must readjust to the family and community she hasn’t known for decades, including the neighbor who stands in the way of her late sister’s dream of running Wild Hearts Luxury Camping, a glampground in Northern California.

Summer at the Cape was a wonderful book about family, loss, grief, forgiveness, second chances, and love. I absolutely adored the beautiful and peaceful setting! I’ve never been glamping, but this book made me wish I could stay at Wild Hearts, especially for all the delicious food they served their guests! The characters were very well-developed and relatable, but Cami and Franklin were my favorite. It was endearing to see how well Jon cared for his father, Franklin, who was suffering from dementia. I also loved seeing Cami and Violet grow closer as sisters. I really enjoyed my time with these lovable characters in the idyllic small town of Cape Sanctuary, and I didn’t want this book to end. It was an emotional, moving, heartwarming, and hopeful story!

A interesting group of actions with unexpected results. Families are full of unexpected actions. These create a lot of tension, surprises and of course romance. A great story with a wide ranging. Group characters doing unexpected things. Of course not all get a HEA but most do. Great take on family interaction

Summer at the Cape is another lovely novel by @raeannethayne . It’s a story of loss, a story of sisterhood and family, and a story of forgiveness and second chances.

Lily Porter died while saving two girls from drowning, leaving her dream of a glamp ground unfinished. Violet Porter, Lily’s twin, was planning to return home for the summer to help her sister in her first season of Wild Hearts. Legal trouble with the glamp ground brings Cami Porter into town.

Rosemary, the girl’s mother, is determined to see out Lily’s dream. She’s hoping that Cami’s legal expertise will help her by taking on the neighbor’s son over a land lease dispute.

The stories intertwine and come together beautifully. I wouldn’t expect anything less! It pulls at your heartstrings and leave you with all the warm fuzzies. Thayne doesn’t disappoint!

4 stars

Thank you to the author, @getredprbooks @hqnbooks and @letstalkbookspromo for including me in this book tour!

Summer at the Cape is a book of love and loss, second chances, forgiveness, and families reconnecting. It’s a sad story as it deals with death of a family member but it’s also has a few romances and happily ever afters. The romances are woven in seamlessly into the story of grieving and making family reconnections giving it brightness. A solid storyline and enjoyable read.
https://www.amazon.com/review/R2FKTH7PSRVRJK/ref=cm_cr_srp_d_rdp_perm?ie=UTF8

Cami always felt left out when it came to her sisters Violet and Lily, who were identical twins. Violet and Lily had a special relationship, as twins usually do, and that was just the beginning of Cami feeling a bit on the outside. Then there is the fact that her parents divorced when she was fourteen years old. Her father moved to LA from Cape Sanctuary, and Cami went with him and the twins stayed with their mother Rosemary.

Sadly, Lily died in a drowning accident - while she saved the lives of two children. Her death is something that each of them are dealing with differently. For Cami, she missed way too many years with Lily so that loss cuts deep. For Violet, losing her identical twin sister was like losing a part of herself. For their mother, Rosemary, her pain was palpable. No parent wants to lose a child. Rosemary is focused on fulfilling a dream estate that Lily was starting.

In fact, there are some legal issues surrounding this estate, and as an attorney, it is hoped that Cami will help sort things out, thus allowing Rosemary to fulfill the dream that Lily had. Meanwhile, each of the women protagonists has their own drama and path in life they are traversing.

What an excellent read! I loved the emotional impact that this book left with me. This powerful book was written in such a way to connect me to the characters. There is one thing that I would like to mention - one of the minor characters was rapidly declining as a result of Alzheimer's and I loved how that was woven into this story. Grief, forgiveness and trust all led to closure this family desperately needed. As the book drew to a close, hope was strongly factored in, thus leaving this reader in a very good place.

Many thanks to HQN and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Summer at the Cape is a terrifically good read that is all about love, loss, forgiveness, second chances and family dynamics. RaeAnne Thayne has constructed some fantastic multi-dimensional characters, especially sisters Cami, Violet and Lily. I was a little sad when the story ended as I wanted to continue reading about them; their growth, their pasts, and their hopes for the future. The story covers some topics of sadness but these are balanced with other things creating positivity, such as the gorgeous setting and spoonfuls of romance. The author's writing comes across as heartfelt and the subplots ensure there is no boredom. A riveting contemporary novel.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Harlequin Trade Publishing, HQN via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.