This just was not for me. I can appreciate that it’s well written but the story itself just did not compel me like I anticipated it would.

"1976. Rushing out of the University Library, undergraduate Alice Kenzie bumps straight into PhD student Tristan Somers. There begins a whirlwind romance, and Alice falls pregnant and gives birth to a baby girl. Then Tristan is killed in a car accident. Unable to cope, Alice takes her baby to Summer House, Tristan's family home in Suffolk, leaves her there and disappears.

2018. Olivia Somers has always been told that her mother died in the same accident as her father. But when she finds a bundle of old letters in Summer House, everything she ever believed about her mother is called into question. Can she find her - and even more importantly, forgive her?"

Family secrets that sound a lot like an episode of Inspector Morse. I'm in!

Lovely feel good book to read. It was a joy to read. Lovely characters. Great plot. And set in such a charming beautifully described setting. The book was charming. Very well written. I’d definitely recommend this book

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and discovering the secrets of Olivia's past along with her. I loved the setting and was intrigued with every chapter as the story unfolded.

What I loved:
💜 The past (Alice) and present (Olivia) timelines
💜 Alice and Tristan’s love story (I felt all the feels while reading this)
💜 The back and forth of Olivia’s feelings on finding the truth
💜The unraveling of the mystery surrounding Olivia’s parents

A story of family secrets starts to unravel when Olivia’s grandmother passes away. Olivia will do whatever it takes to find out the truth.

A great emotional read to get lost in over a long weekend!

Thank you to NetGalley and Aria for this eARC to read and review.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Rachel Burton’s latest novel, The Secrets of Summer House, is a beguiling, haunting and atmospheric tale of lies, loyalty and love.

In 1976, undergraduate student Alice Kenzie was rushing out of the library when a chance encounter with PhD student Tristan Somers changed the course of her life forever. The two students fell head over heels in love with one another from the second they met and Alice believed that she would spend the rest of her life by Tristan’s side until fate intervened and snatched her happiness away in the cruelest of ways. Having fallen pregnant with Tristan’s baby, Alice finds herself unable to cope and with no other option goes to Summer House, Tristan’s family estate in Suffolk, where she leaves her child behind and never claps eyes on her ever again.

In 2018, Olivia Somers had always believed that her parents died in a car crash. She never had any cause to doubt what she had been told – until one day she finds a stack of letters at Summer House that makes her realise that everything she had been told about her mother had been a lie. Desperate for answers, Olivia vows to track her down. Can she find the woman who abandoned her at Summer House? And once she does, will she find it in her heart to forgive her?

Rachel Burton continues to get better with every book she writes. She has a gift for creating involving, powerful and emotional stories full of characters who never fail to get under the reader’s skin and The Secrets of Summer House is an excellent example of her storytelling prowess. Written straight from the heart, The Secret of Summer House is a spellbinding tale about laying the past to rest, vanquishing old ghosts, healing from old wounds and forging forward into the future that will keep readers riveted to the page.

Rachel Burton draws her readers into the story from the very beginning and keeps them entranced and gripped through all the twists and turns and shocking revelations until the very end.

Rachel Burton is an excellent writer who never fails to hit her mark and with The Secrets of Summer House has once again penned an unforgettable tale readers will thoroughly enjoy.

The Secrets of Summer is told in two timelines, but the majority is the 2018 setting. In 1976, we meet Alice Kenzie and Tristan Somers. They bump into each other, physically, on the university campus and it is love at first sight. After a whirlwind courtship, they marry, against the wishes of his family and live happily in their small apartment while they both finish school. Alice gets pregnant and they are happy, especially with their daughter, Olivia. It is only four months later when, Tristan is killed in a car accident. Having nowhere to turn, she goes to Tristan's parents who are thrilled to have Olivia with them. Summer House is a beautiful estate, and she realizes that Olivia will be better off with her grandparents, so leaves her there and disappears. In 2018, Olivia's grandmother has died and she is grief stricken. Although she is married with a grown son, her grandmother was the family she had left that raised her. While going through her grandmother's things, she discovers old letters and photos that reveal she has been lied to all her life. Her mother did not die in the same accident as her father, but survived and abandoned her. Is her mother still alive? Can she find her?

This dual timeline story that alternates between 1976 and 2018, and is told from the point of view of Olivia and Alice. I liked both of these women whose lives were determined by their different upbringing. Alice and Tristan were a great couple who were so in love. I would have liked meeting them with their upbeat attitude. We learn about Alice's grief and decisions as Olivia discovers who she is and what happened 40 years earlier. Olivia has a lot to deal with as she, Jacob and Nicholas discover the secrets that have been kept from Olivia by the people she loved. As a parent I can't imagine how a mother could leave her baby with someone else, but I know it is a decision many have to make. I am glad mental health diagnosis have come so far and people in Alice's situation would be helped and dealt with very differently now, but in 1978, there was not a lot of help available for what was often just called the "baby blues". This was a beautifully written story with themes of living up to your parent’s expectations, postnatal depression, friendship, loyalty, death, estrangement and second chances. Although the word summer in this title is not an indication of a summery, beachy read,

# The Secrets of Summer House is by author #Rachel Burton. An romance, summer novel about family secrets and loyalty. Also the author of Kindle bestselling A Bookshop Christmas. 💜🐾🐾
The secrets of Summer House are about to come out at last.....

Thank you for the advance copy,
#Netgalley and # Head of Zeus

The Secrets of Summer House by Rachel Burton

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and Aria and I am leaving this review voluntarily

1976. Rushing out of the University Library, undergraduate Alice Kenzie bumps straight into PhD student Tristan Somers. There begins a whirlwind romance, and Alice falls pregnant and gives birth to a baby girl. Then Tristan is killed in a car accident. Unable to cope, Alice takes her baby to Summer House, Tristan's family home in Suffolk, leaves her there and disappears.

2018. Olivia Somers has always been told that her mother died in the same accident as her father. But when she finds a bundle of old letters in Summer House, everything she ever believed about her mother is called into question. Can she find her – and even more importantly, forgive her? 

Rachel utilises two different timelines to tell this story, split between current day and 1976. This is an emotional read as Olivia discovers letters that could change her life - there are also some light and happy moments. This book will have you hooked and you will find yourself wanting to know the truth as much as Olivia.

Rating 4/5

I would like to thank NetGalley and Aria for allowing me to read this book and give my honest opinion. The premise of this book hooked me instantly. It takes place between 1976-1978 and 2018. The story starts with Alice and Tristan, two people from the opposite sides of the tracks and they fall madly in love. The story then flips to Olivia who is in an unhappy marriage and mourning the death of her grandma who raised her. This book flips between the two stories and I loved it (except for one part... towards the end). I would recommend this whole heartedly.

This is my first book by this author and I truly enjoyed it!!!!!!!! This author definitely has found her knack in writing and her magic in creating stories!!!!!

I love a good family drama and this one delivered just that.

Olivia was raised by her grandparents after her parents died in a car accident when she was very young. She grew up knowing about her father, but very little about her mother. One day she finds letters from her mother and starts to get a glimpse into that part of her past. This story is told in alternating timelines between present day and when her parents were young adults. While not a true mystery, there was enough of one to keep you reading to find out what really happened in the past and how we got to present day.

This was my first book by this author and I will definitely seek out more of her work.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishing house and the author for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

This is a dual time-line story, told in the present and in the 1970s. In the present we are following the story of Olivia Somers whose beloved grandmother has just died and she discovers some secrets that rock her world, shaking up everything she think she knows about her parents. In the past, we are following Alice Kenzie and her love story with Tristan Somers, and their story leads up to the birth of their precious daughter, Olivia and the reason why Olivia is brought up by her grandparents.

The story was good and the characters mostly were relateable and enjoyable. I did feel that the story dragged at times and the mystery was not really much of a mystery. I was expecting the book to just be more, more exciting, more mysterious. more heartbreak and more love.

1976. Rushing out of the University Library, undergraduate Alice Kenzie bumps straight into PhD student Tristan Somers. There begins a whirlwind romance, and Alice falls pregnant and gives birth to a baby girl. Then Tristan is killed in a car accident. Unable to cope, Alice takes her baby to Summer House, Tristan's family home in Suffolk, leaves her there and disappears. 2018. Olivia Somers has always been told that her mother died in the same accident as her father. But when she finds a bundle of old letters in Summer House, everything she ever believed about her mother is called into question. Can she find her – and even more importantly, forgive her?

Wow, what an incredible, emotional read this is. Burton has written this perfectly. There is just enough light to balance out the darkness and just enough love to conquer the pain. I was incredibly invested in this book and did not want it to end.

Burton sets this between 2018 and 1976 and I was equally enthralled by both timelines, something that does not often happen. Both time periods were gripping, emotional and captured my heart. I felt for all the characters and what they were enduring. Burton captures the emotions of the human heart splendidly.

I just cannot say enough good things about this book. Everything from the characters, plot, locations and writing are crafted perfectly. This is a stunning read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for an advance copy.

Olivia Somers grew up believing that her parents died in a car accident when she was a few months old.
With the death of her Grandmother Olivia finds a bundle of old letters that tell a different story.
Could Olivia's mother still be alive?
I really enjoyed this book. It was told in a dual timeline Alice in 1976 tells the story of how she met Tristan and fell in love. And Olivia's story in 2018, how her marriage is not quite what it once was, trying to navigate that as well as trying to discover what happened to her Mum.
Overall this was a good book however I felt it was let down by it's repetitiveness, the same emotions and angst was on every page. Olivia's marriage woes were made out to be so much more and it just ended up being Olivia didn't tell her husband something.
What I did love was the writing style and the plot of the book.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I have chosen to write this honest review voluntarily.
This is the first book I have read by this author and it was everything I like in a book. The characters were beautifully - drawn and realistic with emotions and behaviours that were completely believable. There were many poignant moments that will have sensitive readers reaching for the box of tissues. The dual timeline was easy to follow until things came together at the end in current times, and it clearly described events I recall such as the summer of 1976. I have signed up to follow this author after reading this book, and my only disappointment was reading another reviewer's comment that this novel was a change of direction - I was looking forward to more of this type of saga!

I adored this book. I finished it in almost one sitting. The stories of both Alice and Olivia are intriguing. Filled with mystery, sadness but also hope. How to deal with grief and therefore sometimes make hard decisions that others don't understand. Highly recommend this one! You won’t be disappointed!

I got this arc in exhange for an honest review.

I always enjoy a dual timeline story and this is no exception. You follow two generations, Alice who is a student in 1976 and Olivia in 2018. There are several similarities between the two women, principally their love of libraries and one in particular. Olivia, though, seems much more grounded as a person. When you first meet Alice, you are struck by her lack of confidence. She feels like an outsider amongst the affluent Cambridge students, but you also recognise in her a romantic streak.

Olivia has been feeling detached from the family life which has been her centre. As she faces up to some shocking secrets from the past, you get to see how she is able to work through her own family issues. I found this to be an entertaining read as both stories fed into each other. It raised some interesting issues around motherhood, loss and grief which all seemed to swamp Alice. Whether you can ever forgive and put the past behind you are also questions which Olivia has to face.

In short: secrets from the past emerge.

I adored A Bookshop Christmas by this author so jumped at the chance to be on the blog tour for her new book, The Summer House. I am so glad I did as this was another book that I really enjoyed. The Summer House is full of warmth and charm. I am a sucker for a dual timelime and Burton creates such a wonderful atmosphere in her books. I really liked the character of Olivia and I was rooting for her throughout this book. The setting of Summer House was perfect too - a fantastic place for a bit of mystery and romance. This was a great read and I am looking forward to more by this author. I have a copy of The Tea Room on the Bay and want to try and read that this summer.

Big thanks to the lovely people at Aria Fiction and Head of Zeus for inviting Angelnet Reviews to be part of the blog tour for the launch of Rachel Burton’s newest book – The Secrets of Summer House. It has one of the more interesting covers that I’ve seen this year and I’d be picking this straight up from one of those bookshop selection tables!

This is a story of two different generations told in two very distinct timelines. The first is set in Cambridge in the long hot summer of 1976. Rushing out of the University Library, undergraduate Alice Kenzie bumps straight into PhD student Tristan Somers. Even though Alice is a dedicated student and not looking for any distractions they begin a whirlwind romance. The second timeline is set in 2018. After the death of her beloved grandmother Olivia discovers a set of photographs and some letters that challenge everything that Olivia had been brought up to believe about her parents. The news is devastating and finds her rethinking all of her close relationships as she comes to grips with the news.

I loved the setting and the symmetry between the two timelines. I had worked out what the big reveal was going to be in advance but this didn’t spoil the story for me. In fact my biggest gripe was that once the denouement had happened the book comes thundering to a close and it feels as though there are a lot of unanswered questions. I had been so absorbed in Alice and Olivia’s stories that it felt a wrench to say goodbye to them at the end.

The Secrets of Summer House is the perfect accompaniment to your 2022 summer holiday. Some gentle summer escapism and an intergenerational tangle of fears and emotions that will pull you along in the search for the truth.

Supplied by Net Galley, Aria Fiction and Head of Zeus in exchange for an honest review.

UK Publication Date: 21 Apr 2022. 301 pages.