This is the perfect summer book to read.
Summer Island was hard to put down as I was completely invested in the characters and where the journey would lead.
It was just so much fun and interesting.
Phoebe, I connected with her character on so many levels. Just adored her.
Even the side characters were perfect.
And the storyline.... Man it was beautiful. I got so caught up in their journey I didn't want to leave Summer Island myself.
There are thing's going on in each of these lives I feel most readers will be able to.connect strongly to.
I know I did!
Shelley Noble's writing is special. She captured my attention from the very beginning and never once did I get bored or lose interest.
It is one when you pick it up and start it, you won't want to put it down.
You are going to want to pick this book up for your next summer read.

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Avon Books,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review to my platforms, blog, B&N and Waterstone closer to pub date.

Unfortunaetly more predictable than I would have liked. More womens fiction than a romance novel - romance seems to take the subplot role.

This book is definitely a women’s fiction novel with a romantic sub-plot, so I’m not quite sure why it’s being categorized as a romance. This book is very clearly a beach read book that’s meant to be picked up for a few minutes here and there. It’s an easy read that while the characters are going through dramatic situations, it keeps the drama pretty easy going bordering on surface level. It was fine, but nothing I’m going to return to. It kept me entertained while sick in bed and I can see someone on vacation enjoying the light read.

The main characters in this book are Phoebe, who just lost her job and left her fiance, Phoebe’s mother Ruth, who was just left by her husband of 38 years, and their neighbors Lars (father) and Ty (son). The four navigate their new situations in live and each other while living near each other on a remote island in New England. Each have their own interconnected plot and like I said they are all pretty easy to read even when dealing with difficult subjects. I enjoyed the sub-plot of Phoebe writing about a war veteran who transforms cars into homes for unhoused vets. Overall the book was fine for a few hours of diversion, but wasn’t life changing for me which is perfectly fine.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In the first chapter of Summer Island, Phoebe goes from having a job and fiancé she loves, to losing both of them. The man she thought she knew turns her life upside down, and when she calls her mom to see if she can stay with her until she gets back on her feet, she finds out that her father has left her mother. Overwhelmed with the thought of searching for a new job, and helping her mom navigate through her divorce, she decides they need to go to the only place that has ever felt completely safe, Summer Island where the family matriarch Grandma Alice rules the family from her New England beach house.

I've always enjoyed novels that feature mother-daughter relationships, since I've always been close to my own mom. Since we read many of the same books these days, I'm looking forward to sharing about this book with her.

Summer Island is one of those books that just sucks you in and you don't want to put it down until you know how everything works out in the end. A must-read for summer!

Phoebe Adams starts out her Terrible-Horrible-No-Good-Very-Bad-Day with her beloved career ending, the crumbling end to an engagement, not to mention, shocking news about her parents marriage. Phoebe and her mother take off to escape life to the island where "Granna" lives. With the intent of sorting out her life, Phoebe ends up with way more than she could ever imagine. Shelley Noble packs a punch in the very first chapter of this easy-breezy beach read.

I have to admit, I struggled to connect with the main character. The plot felt rushed and seemingly thrown at you all at once, leaving you to anticipate what will come next. A bit predictable when it came to the dynamic between Phoebe and Ty, the hunky tall drink of water next door. I loved Granna, whom I imagine to be much like my own grandmother!

If you are looking for a great vacation book, this is the one for you!

***Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!***

This was an easy, yet fairly predictable novel. I could tell everything that was going to happen before it did. That all to say, nothing in particular stood out. I think certain storylines were left underdeveloped, namely around Ruth and the divorce. Phoebe does not speak to her father once the entire book. There are two other daughters but they serve hardly any purpose at all and don’t make a physical appearance. The male dialogue was especially cringey and unnatural, namely with Ron, and Ty’s two brothers (generic names I can’t seem to remember). I didn’t feel a spark with the love interests, which I chalk up to this being written very generically. It’s not bad, but it’s absolutely nothing special.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

⭐⭐⭐.5/5

Read this book if you like: Mother daughter relationships, small beach towns, feel good books

Reporter Phoebe Adams loses her job and her fiancé on the same day. It never occurs to her that she'll also have to support her mother, Ruth, through her divorce from Phoebe's father after thirty-five years of marriage. They both need to escape and Phoebe knows just the place. Summer Island is where Grandma Alice lives. It's a big New England beach house Phoebe and Ruth once called home. "Home" has changed. There's a trendy new look downtown. Large beach houses are replacing the old.

This book is marketed as a romance. It's very light on the romance aspect, in my opinion. It's more so a women's fiction about a family, especially mother and daughter both going through separations with their spouses. They are learning to stand on their own. The general pace was on on slower side and the end was a bit too fast for me. I really liked it. The characters were developed perfectly. It's a heartwarming book. This book is a perfect for a Summer read. Grab this book May 3rd for your beach reads.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author Shelley Noble, Avon and Harper Voyager Publishers for my gifted copy. ❤

This book reminded me of how much I have enjoyed the author's books in the past. Phoebe is a writer who has been working at her local paper even though she had the opportunity when she graduated college to work for the Boston Globe. She's engaged to Gavin's who's family ran the local paper. When Gavin shuts down the paper, without consulting Phoebe, she ends their relationship. Ruth, Phoebe's mother, is also at a crossroads as her husband has left her, unbeknownst to her daughters. Phoebe and Ruth go to spend the weekend at the beach with Alice, the matriarch of the family. Great Aunt Vera is also visiting and the three generations of women end up spending more than just a weekend together as they sort out their lives. The longtime next door neighbor, Lars has recently lost his wife and his son Ty is there for the summer to help him. Ty's brothers and Dad thinks he is "between jobs" and that is why Ty is chosen to spend the summer even though the two of them never got on. Loved Ty! This was a good read and I'm going to have to check my TBR pile for some of her other books I know are in there!

After losing her job, her boyfriend, and her home in one fell swoop, reporter Phoebe goes to stay with her mother and grandmother at the beach. There, she reconnects with Ty, son of her grandmother's neighbor. He thinks Phoebe is too nosy. She thinks he has no ambition.

The truth is more complicated. As Phoebe and Ty get to know each other better, they find they have more in common than they think. Could this temporary situation lead to something more permanent?

I love Shelley Noble! This book is more women's fiction than romance, with a complicated web of relationships between Phoebe, her mother, her grandmother, and her great-aunt. Ty is also dealing with family issues: he lost his mom; his father is suffering from depression; and his brothers don't think running his foundation is a real job. Phoebe and Ty help each other deal with loss, love, and finding a place to belong.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Phoebe Adams is having a rough day after losing both her job and her fiancé and finding out her dad left his mom, so she and her mom escape to her grandmother’s New England beach house. When they get to the beach house, they find noise coming from Granna Alice’s house. Was she having a party? And what on earth was going on over at the Harken’s house?

This book is about family, life-long friendships, and life lessons and journeys. I loved all the characters and their relationships. Aunt Vera is a hoot, and I found myself cracking up a lot during the conversations with her sister Alice. I thought there would be more of a love story after they arrived in Summer Island, and there was, but it was a small part of the book. This book would probably make a great movie. If you’re looking for a feel-good small town feel beach read, this book is for you.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the ACR of this book!

This is your typical romance woman scorned by fiancée finds out he betrayed her trust ends engagement. Mother is separating and divorcing from father they decide to visit grandmother. Overall and okay read. 2.75 stars.


**************************I received an ARC for my honest opinion from NetGalley.*********************************

I was surprised how much I enjoyed this easy going women’s fiction from Shelley Noble. It fairly quick book and follows three generations of women. Phoebe Adams is a journalist and has been working for the last three years to save the paper she’s worked at since she was a teen. She breaks off her engagement to her fiancé when he shuts down the paper with no notice. He is the son of the her mentor, but he had no interest in keeping the paper after his fathers death. With no place to live she calls her mother Ruth only to learn that her father has left mom. Together they gather themselves up and decide to regroup at grandma Alice’s. Alice’s sister, Great Aunt Vera is also visiting. Everyone but grandma needs to make decisions for their futures. They support each other in kind ways. While together they also interact with a widowed and grumpy Lars and his 37 year old son Ty who is spending the summer with his dad.

I enjoyed the book and the flow of the story but my rating reflects that a lot of things are dealt with superficially. Decisions about divorce, jobs, parental relationships are covered and worked through fairly quickly. Some of it gets repetitive as in how many times Phoebe says she wants to tell stories and write. There is a nice sub plot about a veteran that makes cars into housing for homeless vets. But that plot could disappear and it wouldn’t change the storyline. This book is listed as a romance but I’d call it women’s fiction or contemporary fiction. Yes, there is a romance potential and a couple of shared kisses. But the story timeframe is several weeks and Phoebe has just called off her wedding and is coming out of relationship of at least three years. The book is clean for language and intimacy. Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Good things come to those who wait, and I’m glad I did when it came to “Summer Island”!

Shelley Noble’s newest novel features Phoebe Adams, who has just lost her reporting job and left her fiancé, and found out her parents are getting a divorce in the same day. She and her mother, Ruth, decide to escape to Summer Island, where the family beach house and Granna Alice still reside. When they arrive to what they hope is a retreat to the past, they slowly realize that things are slowly changing, and not for the good. To top it all off, Great Aunt Vera has made a surprise visit to shake up not only the town, but the residents as well, including the family next door! Although change can be scary, Phoebe may just be able to push through the storm with some help from her loved ones.

The first portion of this novel was so slow that it took me forever to finish it! There is a lot of character introductions and scene setting to do since everyone has history with one another. Once the dust settles and the story finally starts it is enjoyable and hard to put down, almost to the point where I blinked and it was over.

I loved reading about the townsfolk and Summer Island. The idea of this town slowly being transformed to something more dull and trendy pulls on the reader’s heartstrings, and you feel for Phoebe as she learns that what happened to her beloved newspaper is happening to the quaint beach town as well. However, when being offered this ARC, the genre provided was Contemporary Romance, and I found this novel lacking in that department. There is some romance, but it is more in the background of the story. I would consider Summer Island to be either Contemporary Fiction or Domestic Fiction.

If you love reading about small towns with vintage vibes, and enjoy stories featuring women of all generations (think “Practical Magic”), I would recommend Summer Island! As long as you’re not hoping for a spectacular love story, you’ll have a pleasant time.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a sweet novel about three different generations of women coming to grips with lives changes. Divorce, loss of job and fiance, death all take apart in this fast read novel.

This was a slower-paced novel than I had hoped for, and there was no romance. As one reviewer has said, this book touched on many subjects as far as the women went, but didn't dig much deeper than the surface. We did get extended looks at a water reclamation project and tiny homes for veterans. While these were interesting subjects, they didn't do much to further the storyline.

As far as a beach read, goes-this may not be the book for you if you are looking forward to romance, sex, or back-stabbing and mystery.


One thing I am wondering about, and the author didn't mention, was that Ty seemed to have some slight, very slight Autism issues. I wonder if he was meant to?

I was satisfied enough with this book to finish it.

*ARC provided for review by the publisher Avon Books, the author, and NetGalley.

*3.5/5
summer island is the first book i've ever read from this author, and i really enjoyed it. it is about the mother-daughter relationship between ruth and phoebe, how they are both going through very difficult times for different reasons (ruth's husband left her, and phoebe lost both her job and fiancé on the same day), and how they both want to be there for each other, it is about the siblings dynamic between alice (or granna) and vera, and the rough relationship between newly widowed lars and his son ty. i liked reading about every storyline and every pov, which is something that does not happen to me quite often. the author's writing made it very easy to be fully immersed in every character's story, but i do have to say that i found the ending quite rushed (or maybe it was just me wanting read more about phoebe, ruth, vera, alice, and ty).

arc provided by netgalley and avon and harper voyager in exchange for an honest review.

Life is always better at the beach. I was thrilled to get approved for Summer Island. Mother and daughter, Ruth and Phoebe, are at cross roads in their lives. They do the only logical thing- they head to the beach where the family head will help them sort stuff out, I liked the camaraderie among the women and how they dealt with crusty Lars. Ron was a first class clod. Ty was a developing character who sometimes got lost in the shuffle.
It’s a good beach read.

This was a cute, easy read with a great matriarchal center.

Phoebe and her mother Ruth are both caught in major life upheavals when they decide to skip town and head to their grandmother/mother Alice's house out on the island for the weekend. When they get there, they find Alice's sister Vera has decided to camp out at Alice's, too. The three women use Alice's as a sort of refuge from which to sort out their lives.

Next door, Lars is a widow grieving his wife Dolores. His son Ty is staying with him, trying to pull his father out from his depression. The problem is Lars and Ty have never seen eye-to-eye, and grief hasn't changed that.

The women invite the men over for dinner, and as the summer passes, slowly but surely, through each other and some introspection, everyone starts to see things a little more clearly.

My only qualms with this book were that it was a little slow to start, and the author did a lot more telling than showing, but it was still an overall enjoyable read. Solid 3.5

Summer Island by Shelley Noble is exactly what you will want to read this spring/summer. It's a cozy beach read of how a family comes together through hard times. At times the story felt repetitive from the different perspectives but over all the basis of the story was wonderful.

An enjoyable cozy beach read. I loved this cover and there’s a great chance I might a hard copy of this one. I loved these characters and couldn’t put this book down. A story about the dynamics of family life. It’s super quick read but you will connect to the story.

This is a great beach read. I love Shelley Noble’s book and this one did not disappoint. Loved how the family comes together to get through hard times.