This book was exactly what I expected in the sense that I was intrigued from page one and could not put it down!
Great book characters were intriguing ! Highly recommend

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. This was a decent beachy family drama that made me feel slightly uncomfortable. Getting to know her maybe daughter that she gave up when she was in college, just didn't sit well.

3.5 Stars: The Summer Daughter is the first book I read by Colleen French, but it won't be my last, as I will be checking out her other contemporary fiction stories. In this book we meet Natalie Sullivan and her family. Living in the small beach town of Albany Beach, Delaware, she, her husband and his brothers purchased the Irish Pub that their parents ran for years. This is a make it or break it summer for them and that stress adds to Natalie's issues. McKenzie, her sixteen-year-old daughter has a summer job and she becomes enamoured by her co-worker, Bella, and 18 year old who looks enough like McKenzie that people mistake them for sisters. When Natalie meets Bella and finds out she was adopted, her life begins to spin out of control. Is this the baby she gave up for adoption 18 years ago?

I enjoyed The Summer Daughter and I definitely enjoyed the writing, but the story had some issues for me. Natalie was a bit much for me. At the beginning of the story she finds out she needs to have a hysterectomy. She and Conner had already decided that they had two beautiful children and didn't want anymore children, in fact, Conner had a vasectomy, but she whined and carried on about not being able to have children anymore. When she meets Bella, she becomes friends with her, with some strange behaviour that her daughter and husband thought was inappropriate. Why didn't she just ask her when her birthday was. She became jealous of an employee and so on. This story did bring some information to light about adoption, especially closed adoptions that I didn't know about. There is a small storyline about genetic test sites and finding relatives that was quite realistic. All in all, this was an easy and enjoyable summer read about the Sullivan family and a summer that had them all a bit under duress, but hope prevails and the love of family shines through.

Collen French gives us a great mother/daughter novel that keeps you engaged from start to finish. Each character the she introduces has a full storyline that keeps you wanting to know more about them. We get the ups and downs of the relationships and I was satisfied with the ending. I would not mind a second book to see how the characters develop further.

The Summer Daughter is the story of Natalie and the choices she's made in the past. I just struggled to get into this book and the character. Probably just me but it wasn't the summer read I was looking for. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I had been looking forward to reading this book. Sadly it really wasn’t for me. I found it dragged my mood down. It was to slow and dragged in sadly

When I think of romance, I think of books just like this one, that gives all the feels and satisfies every romance junkies' heart. This is a perfect book to snuggle up with on any day.

Setting: the beach, a family owned Irish Pub. Perfect Summer read! Natalie learns she should have a hysterectomy.. She and her loving husband have 2 children and Natalie gave up a daughter many years prior in a closed adoption. Natalie's daughter brings home a new friend and Natalie thinks the girl could be the daughter she gave up years ago. I loved all the parts of this story, but honestly Natalie's indecision on whether she was going to pursue finding out who was the daughter she gave up years ago got a bit tiresome. Her relationship with her sister, her husband, her 2 children and her grandmother was what I really enjoyed more. I couldn't put the book down because I wanted to find out if she in fact found her daughter.

After getting unsettling news from the doctor, Natalie Sullivan starts to rethink a choice she made years ago. When a stranger points out that Natalie’s daughter and her best friend could be sisters, Natalie wonders if she is getting a second chance with the child she gave away years ago.

A great beach read full of conflict and family drama. Looking forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you to Colleen French, Kensington Books, and Netgalley for the ARC.

Hmmm, another review to ponder over.

In many ways, this story reminded me of the few books I've read by Elin Hilderbrand. So if you're of fan, you should maybe check this book out.

I loved that the family leaves close to the ocean and owns a pub. The setting was a really fun one.

I was also interested in the adoption subject matter and the drama that would inevitably bring.

However, the way the story was written, there was a lot of worries and thoughts expressed by the main character that just never propelled the action forward in the story and in most cases, were blown off by herself or her family members as being unimportant.

So an otherwise nice summer read with fun and interesting characters became a story about a woman with big concerns (both health and previous adoption activities) who is belittled by herself and her family. In other words, I really didn't like the way these characters were portrayed and how crappy they treated their mom/wife/sister/daughter.

Not my favorite summer read.

Thank you to #KensingtonBooks and #NetGalley for this read. All opinions expressed are my own.

This is such a good read. I loved each of the characters. Natalie is a hot mess. It’s amazing to watch her imagination at work. Natalie’s feelings are so true to reality. Conor, what a hottie, clueless in some areas but an all around great husband and father. McKenzie is an intelligent young woman going through growing pains. She is trying so hard to grow through Bella’s guidance. Bella is such a player on everyone’s emotions. Nothing a good kick in the seat of the pants wouldn’t help. Mason is a charmer. Every mothers dream child. Laney is a wonderful, supportive sister. She has a very stable loving relationship with Natalie. Nana is the glue that brings everyone full circle. The love and compassion each family member showed in their own way was heartwarming.
I loved this book and look forward to reading more books by Colleen French. If there was a 5+ star I would rate this book higher.

#netgalley #thesummerdaughter I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish. The perfect summer read. I highly recommend reading this!! 5/5 stars

The end of her childbearing years is confronting and highly emotional for Natalie.
This summer is stressful for Natalie, her husband’s business is busy, her children aren’t as reliant on her and she becomes fixated on her daughter’s adopted friend.
Adoption is a topic bound to pull on the heartstrings, Natalie is torn over finding the baby she gave up for adoption in her college days.
This book is sure to make the reader question the adoption process, family dynamics and finding peace and happiness
within yourself.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thanks to the publisher, NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read this book.

Natalie's life has been good. A solid marriage, two beautiful children, her beloved sister Laney and the business. Her husband shares with his brothers. Everything seems to be going on pleasantly until her daughter Mac brings a new friend home. Along with the girl will arrive some memories, forgotten feelings and a few particular situations.
I liked this book very much. The pace is good and the characters are well developed.
It's my first book from this author, but it will not be the last.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Summer Daughter by Colleen French has Natalie Sullivan living with her husband and two children in Albany Beach, Delaware. Natalie learned some devastating news from the doctor. It has her looking at her life and the choices she made. When her teenage daughter, Mackenzie introduces her new friend, eighteen-year-old, Bella to Natalie, she is shocked by the resemblance between the two girls. When Bella mentions she was adopted, Natalie wonders if it is the daughter she gave up for adoption while in college. Despite protests from her husband, Natalie spends time with Bella over the summer. Natalie wonders if she made the right decision giving up the child and what will her other children think when they learn they have an older sister. It is a summer of reflection for Natalie. The Summer Daughter introduces us to Natalie Sullivan who is upset after receiving news from her doctor. It has her questioning different aspects of her life. I was not a fan of Natalie who is an intense character. She became obsessive about the daughter she gave up for adoption to the point of neglecting her husband and other two children. McKenzie acted out frequently (lots of teenage angst and drama). Natalie’s husband, Conor is a little too perfect (I am surprised there was not a halo over his head). I found it hard to complete the book. I found the ending to be a letdown especially after all the drama. I was not a fan of the mother being labeled as crazy and nuts. Natalie did become focused on Bella and the idea that she was her adoptive daughter. Natalie needed understanding from her family, and she was not getting it. She is at the point in her life (late 30s) when you begin to wonder if you made the right choices. Natalie’s medical issue is one of the driving forces in the story along with adoption and DNA testing. I did not like some of the ageist comments regarding Natalie’s surgery. I found The Summer Daughter to be just okay. The Summer Daughter was not the right book for me. I always suggest that readers download a sample so they can see if the book suits them. The Summer Daughter is a family drama with surgery unease, pub pangs, daughter drama, genetic quandary, beautiful beaches, and an unexpected conclusion.

This was my first novel by Coleen French. I liked her writing and the story for the most part.

I got a bit confused on the backstory and conversations with the grandmother suffering from dementia, otherwise the rest of the story flowed well.

It was perfect for a summer beach read.

Such a smooth and quick read. Even though Natalie was an intense character, I never wanted to yell at a character before, but I felt like Natalie was caring a little too much about finding the daughter she gave up for adoption and was neglecting her family and even her own daughter. I love how the other characters in the book had to put her in her place. She was a little annoying at time. But besides that I really enjoyed the book. There was humor, and a ton of acting out pre-teens.

Thanks NetGalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

This was an easy summer read and I enjoyed the premise behind the story. Would you years later want to find your daughter you gave up in a closed adoption? For the main character Natalie that is the question. Upon hear she is in need of a hysterectomy she finds herself wondering about the first pregnancy she had at 18 and where that child might be…..even though she has a wonderful husband and two children she is feeling a loss so great it consumes her. The story revolves around a young teenager Belle who her daughter becomes friends with and Natalie finds out she was adopted ….thinking her looks are close to her family she becomes obsessed. The story then follows the summer and shows the toll the fixation takes on everyone. I liked that the author tackled the subject matter and also topics like fibroids and pain for women .


I received a free advanced copy from NetGalley and all opinions are my own .

I would recommend this book to friends and my book club

French packs a lot into one summer for the Sullivan family. First, Natalie is convinced her daughter’s new friend is the child she gave up,for adoption. Two medical emergencies occur and everything gets hectic. I never really warmed up to Natalie. She is a nice character, but her reaction to some news at the beginning of the book annoyed me. I thought she was obsessive and over,y neurotic. I liked Conor and Mason the best. They seems the most authentic and genuine.
It’s a decent family drama read.

This was a quick, easy read. There were some parts of it that were on repeat. I felt like Natalie ( the main character - the mother ) didn't seem to think about how her actions were affecting the rest of the family.

The outcome was interesting. It was an unexpected ending.