The Edge of Summer, by Viola Shipman, is a summer release, but definitely not a light summer read. It is set on scenic shores of Lake Michigan and follows Sutton Douglas, who upon the sudden loss of her beloved, but rather secretive mother, is now seeking information about her past.

This is a highly emotional mother-daughter story and family saga with strains of the pandemic woven throughout the plot. This is a story that highlights character growth amidst a theme of acceptance and coming to terms with life’s hardships and making peace with people’s secrets.

The Edge of Summer is told with Viola Shipman’s well-established storytelling prowess. It’s a heartbreaking, introspective, almost nostalgic story that may consume you, but will leaving you thinking and feeling long after you close the book.

I have no more words left to express the beautiful and tenderness of a Viola Shipman novel. Constantly giving homage to his grandmothers, this magnificent story is about loss, sadness, trust and finding out who you are and where you came from. Set during the time of Covid with an empathetic feel we can all relate to, the tale is about the value of life, forgiveness, letting go with a bit of a mystery thrown in. Delightful!

When Sutton Douglas loses her mother to Covid, she also loses her only relative, and her unknown history of where she came from and who is her family. Her mother, Miss Mable was a hardworking seamstress whose family died in a tragic fire. Miss Mable refused to talk to Sutton about what happened or give her any information as to who her father was, or even where she came from. The only observation Miss Mable passed down to Sutton were don’t trust anybody but yourself. She also passed down her passion for sewing and her love of buttons.

When Sutton gets a letter from her mother after her death, basically telling her to let go of the past, and just move on, Sutton is heartbroken. But when she finds a hidden picture of a man in her mother’s belongings, she realizes she must try and find the answers to the questions. She feels she at least deserves this closure to become free.

So, she packs up and heads to a resort town in Michigan which has her last name, Douglas. She begins to fall in love with this wonderful community of people and the peacefulness of the landscape all the while trying to somehow piece her, or Miss Mable’s history, together. There she meets the matriarch of the community, Bonnie Lyson, who seems to take a liking? to her. Bonnie sells her a collection buttons Sutton sees, which are the exact type her mother cherished for all these years. The same buttons Sutton has continued to use in her own designs.

As she begins to let her guard down, she discovers a strength in herself she thought she never had. A trust in in those around her, and a faith in her own decisions. As she begins to put the sketchy pieces of her history together, a stronger Sutton wonders what in the world Miss Mable did not want her to find out.

And the ending is the wonderful pinnacle of a delightful and strong story of forgiveness and coming out of the dark whole on the other side.

Thank you #NetGalley #GraydonHouse #TheEdgeofSummer #ViolaShipman for the advanced copy.

It is a testament to the storytelling in The Edge of Summer by Viola Shipman that, at the end, I want to know more. The vivid, idealized descriptions of the Ozarks and the Michigan coastal communities grounds the book and helps bring it to life. I want to visit the places described. As always, Wade Rouse, aka Viola Shipman, tells a story of family and place that makes me want to read more.

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2022/07/the-edge-of-summer.html

Reviewed for NetGalley and the HTP Summer 2022 beach reads blog tour.

I’m happy today to tell you about the latest novel from Viola Shipman: The Edge of Summer. I love the historical elements of Shipman’s stories and how things always end up “right” in the end. This novel focused on a young woman who was trying to find out about her mother’s past and her family (whom she always believed to have been deceased). I will say that, compared to other novels by this author, I found this one paced a little slower, especially for the first third of the book. However, it was an interesting and engaging story, and I loved the sewing tie-ins.

Thank you for my copy and for making me part of the tour!

The Edge of Summer by Viola Shipman is a women’s fiction novel full of emotion and self discovery. This novel may be a tough read for some as it brings the pandemic into the story giving it a very realistic feel that many may empathize with.

Sutton Douglas grew up being raised by her single mother with not much information given to her about their past or any other family. Sutton’s mother had moved them to the Missouri Ozarks where everyone knew her as Miss Mabel who made magic with her sewing machine supporting Sutton as well as she could.

Now Sutton finds herself relearning to live life after the pandemic rampaged her life and those around her. Sutton decides to look into the secrets of her past and head to the lakeside community of Douglas, Michigan. This is where Sutton meets Bonnie Lyons who Sutton feels deep down just may be the grandmother she never knew.

I have read a few novels written by Viola Shipman, the pen name of author Wade Rouse, and each and every time I find myself transported right into the story. Tissues will probably be needed with The Edge of Summer as it is a complete emotional roller coaster but even more so for those that have their own recent losses with the pandemic. The story here becomes so much more though as it grows along with the characters growth too all within a lovely setting. I’ll definitely be interested in reading more from this author in the future.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Whew this book was a trip and a half and the perfect summer getaway if you are looking for something to escape into. I loved getting to konw Sutton and seeing her journey though covid times, grief of loosing a mother, trying to dig deeper into her family and even starting over trying to find a new normal. It was pretty chilling reading the beginning with that sense of understanding what the character was going through when it came to the pandemic. I thought it was interesting seeing how she was finding her new normal in a small town were everyone knew eachother and seeing were she fit in it all. She found romance and I enjoyed watching as that worked itself out. It was just interesting seeing her world though the view of buttons and just how everything came out in the end. Overall great book highly recommend.

One of the things I love about Viola Shipman books is how ordinary everyday things are used to weave an entertaining and enjoyable story. The Edge of Summer uses buttons. I also love the setting of Michigan as it is nearby and I recognize comments and places in the book. Sutton Douglas is grieving the death of her mother, a quiet, loving and intensely private Southern seamstress called Miss Mabel. She was one of those ladies that always had a saying or piece of advice for everyone, but whenever Sutton asked about her family, she clammed up. After her sudden death from Covid, Sutton finds a clue in the back of a picture frame that sends her to Douglas Michigan to see if she can find out more about her family and her mother's past. Her mom was a seamstress, in a factory during the day, and making clothes for family and friends at night. They were very poor, so she used buttons to decorate and make old things new. Sutton learned from her and is a designer as well. Quitting her job in Chicago, she is trying to figure out what is next while doing research to learn more about the Douglas family and the town she thinks might have something to do with her mother.

I absolutely loved this book. Viola Shipman (aka Wade Rousse) is a must read author for me. Sutton has nothing but a picture of a young man and the location of Douglas Michigan to send her on a hunt for her past and to find out where she belongs. I love stories set in small towns, where everyone seems to know everyone else's business and history. The people Sutton meets are so welcoming to her and share a lot of information, but there are still secrets. When she meets the Grand Dame of the town, Bonnie Lyons, she knows she is keeping secrets and for some reason, she takes Sutton under her wing. Bonnie is the one character I had a hard time liking. She was a rich snob and would do whatever she could to get her own way. She and Sutton butted heads more than once. There is a romantic interest for Sutton in Tug. He owns the local antique store and they have a lot in common. He is a great interest for her and I enjoy their banter and dialogue. Throughout the story, we have flashbacks into Sutton's early life in the Ozarks. It was not an easy life, but it made her a strong, independent woman. Of course, I figured out the mystery relatively early on, but I think that was planned on the author's part, we didn't know the whole story until it was revealed at the end. This is a heartwarming story that is emotional at times, but also had me thinking about what parents will do for their children. Douglas is populated by wonderful residents and snobby visitors. I liked seeing how the residents dealt with the tourists and went on with their lives. Being a sewer, I enjoyed the definitions of sewing terms that open each chapter, they also have dual meanings that are used throughout the chapter they are mentioned in. I was drawn in from the start and was captivated all the way through. These are characters I will remember fondly for a long time to come.

As a seamstress myself, I knew I had to read Edge of Summer. Of course, the book is about so much more than that, but at the same time, it comes back to the buttons. I can tell you that I never really thought of a button the way it's described in this story - I've attached countless buttons over the years without a thought, but I won't be attaching another without thinking of Miss Mabel and Sutton. There are parts that were hard for me emotionally, but at the same time, I was caught up in the characters and their story. Viola Shipman paints a picture with words that just sticks with you, and this is one I'll be thinking about for some time to come.

The Edge of Summer is the summer 2022 offering from bestselling women’s fiction author Viola Shipman. This novel is the story of Sutton Douglas and reflects upon her childhood, her endurance during the 2020 pandemic, and how she moves forward on the other side.

Having come from very poor roots, Sutton has worked her way through college and has succeeded in the fashion industry with her own line, Suttons Buttons, with a major Chicago department store. But the pandemic brought great loss to all. Sutton’s mother, Mabel, succumbed to the illness when she was in rehab after a fall. As a result, Sutton receives a very special, but somewhat cryptic, final letter from her mother.

Following her time in Nevermore, Missouri, she returns to her Chicago condo to wait out the pandemic. With being laid off from her big position and her clothing line during the pandemic and trying to figure things out. When a renewal offer comes from the company, Sutton takes a different route as she is ready to try to figure out her family past so she can figure out her future.

From the clues left to her, Sutton heads north to Douglas, Michigan, to unravel the past. Lucky to lease a small coastal cottage, a revamped one room school house, it isn’t long until Sutton makes the acquaintance of her neighbor Bonnie Lyons, community icon, and store owner Tug. Both would be instrumental in the evolution of Sutton.

As the story unfolds, the reader is in for some surprises, ones you didn’t even guess were coming! This is a beautiful story of what it sometimes takes to find out who you are and determine your best path for the future. This is such a well written book, with so much poetry that it may just bring about tears. The imagery is superb. I very much enjoyed this book and I do recommend it!

In what has just become my favorite book of 2022, Viola Shipman has written one of the most emotionally-riveting stories I have read in quite a while. In this wonderful book, Sutton Douglas is still reeling from the loss of her mother due to Covid-19, even two years later. Sutton's mother was a remarkable, albeit quiet and private seamstress who left Sutton with many questions and some sad memories. Despite growing up poor and alone with her mother - Sutton grew up hearing that the rest of her family perished in a fire - she had some very fond memories. Many of those memories surround the buttons her mother used in her sewing and the stories that came along with those buttons. Armed with a mix of happy and sad memories, Sutton is determined to get the questions of her past answered.

Purchasing an amazing collection of buttons from an estate sale from Bonnie Lyons becomes the beginning of a different road traveled by Sutton. She starts to unwind the hidden history of her past and even the possibility that Bonnie is her grandmother. If this is the the case, why did her mother tell her that the two of them were all alone after that decades ago tragedy?

Sutton not only befriends Bonnie but takes on the job of designing a dress for her. Hopefully, this time spent will give her the opportunity to find out about her past, even though this will undoubtedly be accompanied by pain.

Viola Shipman (aka Wade Rouse) is nothing short of brilliant. Using his past, with a mix of happiness and pain, he composed this breathtaking story. A story about family history, secrets, loss and pain. This sensitive story is written in a way in which sewing literally threads together the past as well as history, answering questions that brought closure to Sutton that she desperately needed. How incredibly remarkable. I love that our author threaded his past into this story, whether it was about the loss he experienced, or the warm memories of him being a child around his grandmothers when they sewed.

Sutton is not without hope in this moving story. In fact, she meets Tug, a man who helps her to uncover those long-buried secrets and brings her respite in a way she might not have thought she deserved. This slowly developed romance brings this wonderful story to a warm and happy ending.

Although this book was given to me as a Kindle ARC, I was able to obtain an audiobook copy from my library, and the narration by Nancy Peterson literally breathed even more life into an already fabulous story. With excellent pacing, relatable characters, a story that will never be forgotten, as well as a story marred by pain and loss, The Edge of Summer is a book that I highly recommend. Not only would this book be good for a summer lovely read, but it would make a very good choice for a book club read.

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

Please enjoy my YouTube video review - https://youtu.be/18wUEzFdAYs

This story is a nice mix of nostalgia, family emotions and figuring out the unknown. After Sutton's mother passes away suddenly, she decides to make a bold change in her life and goes to the town of Douglas in Michigan - a town full of history surrounding button-making, but also history around Sutton's beginnings and her unknown family connections. This book has a really nice mix of historical touches around buttons and fashion, and character relationships.

Sutton Douglas’ life comes crashing to a halt when her beloved mother passes away. Led to believe she had no other family, Sutton is shocked when reading a letter her mother left behind. Perhaps she’s not as alone as she thinks. Sutton is on a mission to discover the truth and heads to Michigan for answers.

This is a poignant, touching story of a woman all alone in the world and searching for clues about a family she never knew existed. It’s well written with realistic characters. Each one is crafted to perfection. The storyline keeps you guessing and wondering what lies ahead for Sutton in her search for the truth.

The story takes place during the pandemic and does deal with Covid to a degree, which might make this difficult for some to read. I found it both intriguing and heartbreaking.

This is only the second book I’ve read by this author but I will definitely be on the lookout for more.



FTC Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed a free Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Edge of Summer is a book that will tug at your heart strings.

It will make you cry, make you laugh and make you think.

Sutton Douglas is reeling after the death of her Mum from Covid and is out to change her life.

As Sutton looks back on her childhood, its clear that they were poor and her mum did her best. I loved some of her Mum's quotes and advice.

Something does not add up for Sutton after she finds a photo .

What secret did her mother hide.

Sutton takes off to the town of Douglas to be Nancy Drew.

Can she live with the truth a neighbour asks her .

The pages fly by.

There is so much to absorb in this book, it is one I could read again which I seldom ever do.

Get your copy and settle in for a great read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harelquin Trade Publishing Graydon House for an unforgettable read.

THE EDGE OF SUMMER by Viola Shipman is an emotional Women’s fiction/cozy romance which tells the tale of a daughter’s search for family which she was told did not exist until she discovers the truth when her secretive mother dies.

Sutton Douglas grew up poor in the Missouri Ozarks with only her mother who everyone called Miss Mabel. Miss Mabel was a seamstress for minimum wage at the overall factory, but an artist with her Singer sewing machine and buttons at night. Sutton would sit for hours dividing and playing with her button collection. Sutton’s mother was incredibly private, and she raised Sutton to be self-sufficient and work hard for what she wanted.

Sutton grows-up to become a designer for a Chicago department store chain, but when Covid hits, she loses not only her mother, but her job. She decides to take the few clues her mother left her and move for the summer to the tourist lakeside community of Douglas, Michigan she believes her mother is from originally. Sutton begins to cautiously befriend the people of the small community. With the help of Tug, who is personally interested in her, she begins to uncover secrets that may not lead to the answers she wants but may lead to what she needs.

When I pick up a Viola Shipman book, I always make sure tissues are close by, not just for sad, but also happy tears. Sutton’s story gave me both. There are many generational secrets in this story which affect Sutton and her journey, first with her mother and then in Douglas. The start of her relationship with Tug was sweet and it was nice to have her happy with that aspect of her life, to counterbalance with all the bad going on in her relationship with Bonnie. My one complaint with the story was that while Sutton came to Douglas to search for her mother’s past, beside talking to a few people, I never felt like she was seriously searching. All the discoveries seemed to happen accidently. Besides that, I was emotionally pulled into the mystery of Sutton’s story. Once again, Michigan itself is beautifully described and plays a major part in the story.

I recommend this latest in a long line of beautifully written Women’s fiction from Viola Shipman!

RATING: 4.5 out of 5 Stars (Rounded up)

Who knew you could write a story all about buttons? Viola Shipman writes a beautiful heartbreaking story about the love between a daughter, her mother and buttons.
Will lifelong questions get answers?
The pace of story was a bit slow for me.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

The Edge Of Summer is a beautifully drawn story of family and secrets long held by Mothers. It is a lovely step back in time to our Mother's and Grandmother's generations when buttons,, sewing and creating were such a intragal part of life to women of those times. I was immediatly drawn to this story with lovely charcters and a wonderful sweet woman seeking answers after her Mother dies. Buttons and button collecting were important to our parents time and part of all our sewing history with our Mothers. This book wonderfully draws on sewing history, the importance of a button box to women that sew and the stories long forgotton that need to be told. I loved this book and read it cover to cover. It is charming and much needed respite to teach us to remember fondly the importance of sewing in our Mother's and Grandmother's times. A 5 star read. Well done to the author.

Thank you to the publisher, to the author and to NetGalley for the opportunity. I highly recommend this charming book.

Published:  Harlequin: Graydon HouseDate: 12th July 2022Source: Publicist via NetGalley
Devastated by the sudden death of her mother—a quiet, loving and intensely private Southern seamstress called Miss Mabel, who overflowed with pearls of Ozarks wisdom but never spoke of her own family—Sutton Douglas makes the impulsive decision to pack up and head north to the Michigan resort town where she believes she’ll find answers to the lifelong questions she’s had about not only her mother’s past but also her own place in the world.
Recalling Miss Mabel’s sewing notions that were her childhood toys, Sutton buys a collection of buttons at an estate sale from Bonnie Lyons, the imposing matriarch of the lakeside community.  As Sutton cautiously befriends Bonnie and is taken into her confidence, she begins to uncover the secrets about her family that Miss Mabel so carefully hid, and about the role that Sutton herself unwittingly played in it all.
As always Viola Shipman has written and engaging an at times heart touching story of a woman grieving the loss of her mother, and alongside that she is wondering about the past. Her mother has been a lone woman with no family other than Sutton. Now Sutton wants to unravel the secrets and mystery. Will she like what she finds - no not all of it, but in the search she will find truth and integrity and will be able to name the values that truly matter. And the people who truly matter.
Parenthood is  examined in this novel. Sutton wonders did her mother really love her, as she journeys I think she finds the answer to that, and sees for herself where a mothers lack of love has gone awry big time.
In Saugatuck / Douglas, Sutton meets up with Tug and a friendship is soon formed. He is a loyal, kind, challenging friend.  As well he sees the opportunity for new life and hope for family way before Sutton does.
The setting itself in Saugatuck / Douglas is a character in itself. The way the author describes life there makes me the reader very much fall in love with the place and itch to visit.
Throughout the book as Sutton examines her past and present and future, names her values and chooses life and happiness, we are presented with thought provoking ideas relevant to our lives today. Lots of wisdom.
I really liked the town, Sutton and Tug, I felt sorry for one lonely woman who made her own bed and even though its uncomfortable, refuses any other. For another, when she made her move I applauded and was delighted.
For me The Edge of Summer is a keeper.
Buy Links:BookShop.orgBarnes & NobleAmazonBooks-A-MillionForever BooksPowell’s
Social Links:Author Website Twitter: @Viola_ShipmanFacebook: Author Viola ShipmanInstagram: @Viola_ShipmanGoodreads
Author Bio: VIOLA SHIPMAN is the pen name for internationally bestselling author Wade Rouse. Wade is the author of fourteen books, which have been translated into 21 languages and sold over a million copies around the world. Wade chose his grandmother’s name, Viola Shipman as a pen name to honor the woman whose heirlooms and family stories inspire his fiction. The last Viola Shipman novel, The Secret of Snow (October 2021), was named a Best Book of Fall by Country Living Magazine and a Best Holiday Book by Good Housekeeping. 
Wade hosts the popular Facebook Live literary happy hour, “Wine & Words with Wade,” every Thursday at 6:30 p.m. EST on the Viola Shipman author page where he talks writing, inspiration and welcomes bestselling authors and publishing insiders.

I thought this was an interesting novel. It wasn’t my favorite by Shipman.
What I liked about it: the vivid descriptions of a Lake Michigan; all,the fabulous buttons; all,the shades of blue described since that is my favorite color. I also liked how the author based the story on his skilled grandmothers who both sewed, as my grandmother did too.
What I didn’t like: I really despised Bonnie and her pretensions. I also didn’t care for all,the Covid stuff. I understand how it represented the context of the story, but I don’t want to read about it in fiction, having lived through it.

I had a hard time with this book. I loved the use of sewing terms to start off each chapter. I could relate the containers for buttons, as my mother had a button tin that held a variety of buttons she used for mending. I didn’t like the long first-person contemplations that made up much of the book. I also did not care for the cliché and “preachiness.”

A story of family secrets and betrayals, this is a good sentimental beach read.

"How many sunrises do we get? How many moments to enjoy? How many days to get it right?"

Just when you think Viola Shipman cannot possibly write a better story than the last seven books,
well ...Guess what? "The Edge of Summer" is the best!
The world needs this novel!
It has memories shared that we can all remember ourselves from back in the days of sewing machines, button jars, McCall patterns that just never truly fit, summers at the pool, lake or beach, and so much more!

It has always been Sutton and her mother aka Miss Mabel. There were no siblings, grandparents or another parent.
Miss Mabel has always loved and taken care of Sutton, but never shared her past. It was always a sad mystery for her only child.
Now, after her mom's passes away, there is a note found in her belongings from the nursing facility.
This might provide some answers for Sutton, but not without some major changes for her and a journey to a new location that I need to someday visit.
It is a ten star book, that I truly, truly adored!
Sit and read it yourself.
I assure you, you will be so glad you did!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing, Graydon House for this wonderful ARC and allowing me to provide my own review.