Started out wonderful but slowly devolved into almost every trope in women’s fiction. There were a variety of storylines within the novel, which I typically love but these really struggled to come together.

this is a good book, a fast read, set in Delaware, about a family that owns a pub on the boardwalk, there are some secrets that come out.

Who is Bella, the young woman who has just blown into Natalie's life. Now 38 she's facing a hysterectomy and struggling a bit with it. Then her daughter Mackenzie starts to rave about her new co-worker, a girl two years older, who looks just like her. Natalie gave up a daughter for adoption 18 year ago - is Bella that girl? No spoilers from me. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Nice atmospherics for the Delaware beach town and fine storytelling make this a good read.

I have not read this author before. I really loved this story. This is about a family The Sullivan's. Natalie, who has a past issue that you will figure out when Bella appears, Connor who is now part owner in the Family Pub, Mackenzie, the almost 16 year old daughter and Mason, the young son. There are many issues all the way around. Natalie, shoulders most of the responsibility of the house, transporting the children, paying the bills and doing the books for the pub and planning parties etc. THis is a very interesting story and a VERY GOOD READ.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy of The Summer Daughter in exchange for my honest review and opinion. I loved this book from the minute I saw the cover and couldn't wait to read it. This book has all the feels: touching, heartwarming and just a great read! Add this to your beach bag and make sure you apply your sunscreen as you will become so engrossed you will forget! :)

This is a really good book. Characters were well developed and it has a good pace. Choices were made in the past and that’s about to come to back to Natalie’s life. It touches the subjects of family, friendship and adoption. It’s a heartfelt story beautifully written by Colleen.

A family of four lives on the Delaware coast and own an Irish pub on the boardwalk. Mom gave up baby for adoption after a student trip to France, and now is second guessing telling her family after meeting her daughter’s coworker. Fast paced, good summer read.

This book was intense at times, Reading about a woman who now has a family but when she was a teenager she got pregnant, and gave the baby up for adoption. When Natalie thinks her teenage daughter's new friend might be the baby she gave away, it shows the process of trying to decide what to do, how it will affect her family, the daughter she gave away, if she is that daughter, the parents that adopted her, and it made me think when her husband told her his feelings about it.
The story shines a light on adoption, closed adoption, DNA testing, and the difficulty of knowing what to do.
I received an ARC from Kensington Books through NetGalley.

Sometimes the past will not let us go. In this story you find that what you think can hurt the ones you love. A must read for the summer.

Natalie has a family she loves, but years ago she gave up a daughter. Natalie’s relationship with her daughter is tense right now and meeting a friend of her daughter doesn’t help. She is convinced that the friend is her daughter that she gave up at birth. Natalie becomes obsessed with finding the answer. This is a story about family relationships and dealing with past decisions. The supposed lost daughter is very manipulative and you wonder what her agenda is. Thank you tonet galley for an advanced readers copy.

A good quick fun read for an afternoon escape, a weekend at the beach, a long plain ride etc. It will take you away and won't disappoint.

I enjoyed it. It was a heart felt novel about living with decisions from your past, First time reading this author and I will look for more of her stuff.

This is a good book. The story centers around a family, Natalie is the mother, Conor is the father, McKenzie and Mason are the children. The whole family has some issues from hermit crabs, starting to drive, crazy friends, opening a pub with family, skateboarding accident, and having to have your appendix out. As they work on there issues they learn what is important, family is.

Thanks so much to the publisher and Net Galley for a chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
I selected this book because being adopted myself, I was interested in the perspective of a birth mother. I also thought that a woman in midlife juggling health concerns, a teenager, aging parents and running a business would provide a dramatic, if familiar, set of circumstances.
The main character Natalie is struggling to keep all the plates spinning- she is kind, considerate and generally a good person, who I would want to be friends with. One day her teen daughter Mac, befriends a co-worker at her new summer job- 18 year old Bella, who Natalie thinks bears a striking resemblance to Mac. With her impending hysterectomy, sealing the end of reproductive years, Natalie has been thinking a lot about the baby she gave up for adoption 18 years ago. Natalie begins to obsess about Bella, against the advice of her sister and “too perfect” husband. Cracks in Bella’s story begin to appear as we wonder how much is true and how much she is manipulating Natalie, and to what end.
I had a couple of issues with the story- #1- there really wasn’t any peril, or sense of urgency, lots of things seemed to be building but then fizzled out in to nothing much.
#2 As a society women are undervalued in general, and especially when they get older. Im really disappointed to see female writers who perpetrate these stereotypes. The somewhat obsessive thoughts of Natalie was described as “ crazy” and “nuts” in several places by herself, her sister, her husband and her daughter. She did nothing other than contact the agency, and register as a birth mother. She was processing her feelings, and got no support from her family. Even more offensive -There were a few comments that reeked of ageism for example: Natalie’s ruminating about her need for a hysterectomy due to fibroids-“She was only thirty-eight. Only old women had hysterectomies, old, shriveled-up women who no longer enjoyed sex. She wasn’t old. Not yet.”
No honey, lots of women have hysterectomies who are not old, and old women are not shriveled up, and many still enjoy sex.
For the reasons above A fairly bland book dropped from 3 to 2 stars.

Thank you NetGalley, Colleen French and Kensington Books for the ARC of The Summer Daughter. This is my personal review.
Albany Beach, Delaware is the setting, and it is a place filled with the decisions one woman made years ago that she must decide if it right to look back on her life and change so many people’s lives.
Natalie has a family, and she must decide if she needs answers to exactly who her daughter McKenzie’s friend Bella is.
This really is a book that will leave me wondering if knowing the truth is better or just let things be they way they are. Decisions made when we are younger can come back to our lives years later and change everything.

A read that begs the question... Is it worth reliving the past? Natalie certainly struggled with this which continued to increase with her interaction with Bella. I certainty think it was exacerbated due to her feeling of a loss of connection with Mackenzie and Connor. Families always have issues and this book certainly exemplified this. It was interesting to see how Bella was so double sided. Definitely worth reading.

What a great summer beach book. Makes me look forward to the summer and I just might have to reread this book on the beach! It is a great story about a family. and friendship. I liked all the characters and felt like I really knew them. The author did a wonderful job describing the area and scenery. I felt like I was there as I was reading the book. Very well written book that pulls at your heart strings and makes you appreciate family.

Albany Beach, Delaware sounds much like Nantucket in summer. Natalie Sullivan is happily married and raising 2 kids. She starts to grieve the loss of her childbearing years. When her daughter meets a young woman at work and everyone says the 2 could be twins, Natalie starts to wonder if this could be the baby she gave up 18 years ago. Hard choices are coming. Good book

This book was sent to me electronically for review by Netgalley. This is a quick summer read...snuggle up in a beach chair with a glass of lemonade...enjoy...the family dynamics...adoption..love and romance...teenagers...children...secrets...aged relatives...a new business...responsibilities...all of these themes run throughout this book...there are red herrings that make us wonder? Really? What? The one issue that bothered me the most was the parents' acceptance of behavior that was not appealing from their teenager...it was never addressed...as if the parents were walking on tiptoes to be liked...that is not realistic...there have to be consequences, and if not consequences, some kind of reprimand or discussion...other than this issue, I enjoyed the book....I look forward to more stories from this talented author...

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, Kensington Books and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.


Touching, heartfelt story with characters who resonate.