I was starting to think my new rating system didn’t give out 5 stars. But this book deserves every one. I absolutely loved how complex this book was. A suspenseful family drama where Gram’s death leads her adult grandchildren on a scavenger hunt that ultimately brings them all back together. The dual timeline as well as the multiple point of views was really a treat. I loved getting the story from each character because it made it that much more memorable.

Each of the grandchildren really grew but I think my favorite was Geoff. He started out as a miserable person but ended up finally having his breakthrough. I also LOVED Gram’s story and her friendship with Greta. All in all this was a beautiful story of growth and how sometimes secrets can bring people together.

I read ALOT and to say I LOVED this book speaks volumes. I LOVED this book. It was catchy; full of family and friends secrets that you didn't know what you were going to find out next. The author really captured each characters personalities and brought them to life. Loved loved loved this book and it's meaning. I also applaud the author for not being like most authors and beating the title "Lady bugs" to death throughout the book and holding off till a meaningful end. Excellent book.

A Darling Lovebug Summer
By Tanya Rumford

I noticed while browsing through bookstagram that this book was being offered on Netgalley. It looked like an easy, fun, intriguing read so I went for it.

The writing was easy to digest and you can just fly through it. There were a few spots where I thought the writing was really spot on with setting a hot, beach atmosphere. The characters were each dealing with their own struggles and reacting to life accordingly. The mystery was… not exactly hard to figure out, but it still kept me invested, which I think is more important.

This is marketed as a “beach read” so it didn’t really surprise me that everything was wrapped up with a bow at the end. And there may have a been a plot point or two that was a bit on the nose or convenient. But for an easy summer read, I think it hits all its marks.

Publication is at the end of the month, so just in time to buy it before you head to the beach.

Thanks to @netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The book has the cutest cover and the cutest name for a must read of the summer! It a story that revolves around a family. It took me a little but of time to get into but once I hit page 100 I couldn't put it down.

This was not what I was expecting but I loved it! I was expecting a heavy read but in fact it was a light read that is perfect for the summer vibe. A must read!

This was such a fabulous book that I read it in a day and late into the evening and finished it.

This was a perfect book that involved family dynamics so if you're not into books about that, this may not be the book for you. Imogene, the family matriarch, begins to concoct a plan prior to her death that will bring her beloved, estranged grandchildren back together to solve a mystery.

Emmaline, her younger twin brothers Wyatt and Geoff and their cousin Belinda have unfortunately grown apart as they've gotten older, moving across country and living their own separate lives. When their beloved grandmother dies however, she mysteriously leaves them each a clue to a long buried Secret inside each item that she has bequeathed them.

I love how this book is equal parts a story of a family finding each other once again and a mystery that each sibling and their cousin need to uncover. I love how it's told in a dual timeline so that you see not only the portion of today but also Imogene as a young woman.

This book really did give me all the feels and I'm not going to lie, there were times that I had some tears in my eyes. The author did a fantastic job with character development because I really felt myself cheering them on and the plot was well driven because it sucks you in and made you want to travel the journey with them. Excellent book.

A Darling Lovebug Summer by Tanya Rumford was a story that instantly hooked me.
The multiple point of view was crafted so well.
Rumford has written a beautiful story with vivid descriptions.
Where the characters are relatable.
This story has all the elements of suspense, romance and drama.
It was enthralling. The family, love and secrets made for an interesting read.
This book is beautifully written and I was completely absorbed throughout.

A touching tale of love, friendship, and the decisions we make to protect those we care about. 

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Cut & Run Press for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I am the oldest of several cousins so when I saw the dedication in this book I had a feeling I'd enjoy it. The story is amazing and entertaining. I liked how Rumford expressed the feelings of each cousin in regards to the death of their Gram. Family relationships can be tricky and Rumford really does an excellent job telling the story about these family members. I liked the pace of the book. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Five stars.

This cast of characters add to the realistic fiction of this book. A grandmother and her grands keep the story moving quickly, or the wishes of the grandmother do. This talented author has written a novel that is so much like a memoir that it is engrossing, a cannot put down page turner. I liked this book. I was immersed in the story and enchanted by the wisdom of the grandmother. The images are fantastic. There are not enough words to describe this book. This book was sent to me electronically by Netgalley for review. Thanks to the author and the publisher for this copy. I look forward to reading more from this gifted author.

This was such a wonderful book. I read it in a day.

If you love books involving family dynamics, check this one out. It’s about Imogene concocting a plan before her death to bring her darling grandchildren back together to solve a mystery.

Twins Wyatt and Geoff, their older sister Emeline, and their cousin Belinda have grown apart as they get older, all drifting along the currents of their own individual lives. When their beloved grandmother dies, she leaves them each a single clue to a long buried secret inside the items she leaves them in her will.

This is equal parts a story of family finding one another again after years past, and a riveting family secret that they have to uncover bit by bit. Told in dual timelines, her four grandchildren share the spotlight with a young Imogene herself.

The ways that this book spoke to my heart, oh my goodness. I laughed and cried. I raged at the hardships and rejoiced with their triumphs. This was such a sweet story filled with so much love.

This wad a wonderful book to read in the sun and get totally lost in. This was so good. I read this in one sitting it had me so hooked. I fell for all of these characters and had to know how it ended and I loved every page of this!
I just reviewed A Darling Lovebug Summer by Tanya Rumford. #ADarlingLovebugSummer #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. A Darling Lovebug Summer was a fantastic read. When their grandmother passes away four young adults embark on a journey to discover the secrets she and their deceased grandfather leave behind. The story took on many turns and I really enjoyed getting to know the characters. Tanya Rumford tied up a lot of loose ends at the end of the story and I may have shed a tear or two. Overall I would definitely recommend this novel to others.

What a beautiful story. Our parents and grandparents are human, and it’s easy to forget this as their child/grandchild. They have/had lives outside of their kids. The story takes unexpected twists and turns and captivates the reader. Definitely recommend.

A Darling Lovebug Summer was such a heart warming read. It really made me long for my childhood days spent with my grandparents and cousins.

While this is a story centered around a family, it is so much more than that. I loved the dual time lines and the story the cousins were sent to uncover. I couldn’t put it down!!

I was sucked in from the first page and felt that the author did an exceptional job giving just enough back story on each character. It really helped you see why everyone dealt with their grandmothers passing, and the secrets she left for them to reveal, in their own way.

This book was like a warm hug and can’t recommend it enough. Thank you Netgalley and Cut and Run Press for an ARC E copy in exchange for my honest review.

A heartwarming tale about family and love and secrets.. Written in multiple povs so we can see each character plays their role perfectly. The plot was a lot to digest but rather fun trying to figure out the secrets. It was like a reunion mystery solving puzzle but make it with family.

I had a great time reading this. Totally recommended!

A great premise, an interesting cast of characters and an ending you don’t see coming make for an interesting read. Some of the tropes are a little tired but all in all, worth the read

'A Darling Lovebug Summer' is SCREAMING to have an adaptation of it. Mark my words, this will be the next notebook. See below my fancast:) The dual POVs, and the low-stakes mystery makes Lovebug Summer such an intriguing read, and it is perfect for the beach.

A Darling Lovebug Summer is based on the siblings Emmeline, Geoff, and Wyatt along with their cousin Belinda and their hunt to learn their beloved grandmother, Imogene's, story. The perspectives jump from the four main characters in a 2019 timeline and then flash back to Imogene's perspective. The different perspectives were a treat and didn't feel forced or tiresome. As I read I didn't find myself checking the progress obsessivly as I do with some slower reads, 0verall I would read it again.

This is the first time that I've read Tanya Rumford, and I really enjoyed her development of the characters, and all of the personal struggles of the main people felt really tangible and realistic. Sometimes I get tired of too much personal self discovery at once for charcters, but I felt like in this one it wasn't immediate and was very well done.

Overall Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(disclaimer, I may come back and edit rating if recency bias wears off haha)
Spice Level: None! Briefly hinted at, but nothing explicit

Thank you to Cut & Run Press and Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review! A Darling Lovebug Summer will be published May 30th:)

My Fancasting for the Eventual Movie Adaptation: (5 bucks that Hello Productions snags this)
⭐️Imogene young: Emily Carey
⭐️Imogene old: Helen Mirren
⭐️Ted: Caleb McLaughlin
⭐️Wilfred: Don Cheadle
⭐️Greta young: Margaret Qualley
⭐️Greta old: Andi McDowell
⭐️Athena: Letitia Wright
⭐️Ray: Gabriel Basso
⭐️Mickey: David Guintoli

⭐️Emmeline: Olivia Cook (open to another, shes just so good)
⭐️Geoff: Micheal evans Behling
⭐️Belinda: Freema Agyeman
⭐️Wyatt: Adan Swain

Thanks @netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy. 4 cousins grew up spending every summer with their beloved grandmother. The cousins are now young adults, and have gone in different directions. They get the news that their grandmother has died, and they each inherit a seemingly random item. But Gram has a kind of scavenger hunt set up for them, and as they follow the clues, they learn that her past was very different from what they knew. It also brings them together, as she had obviously planned. Nice story. #adarlinglovebugsummer #tanyarumford #netgalley #familystory #bookstagram #booklover #reader #bookblog #lovetoread #fictionreader #bookreview #bookrecommendation #readersofinstagram #bookloversofinstagram #takeapagefrommybook #readallthebooks #booksbooksbooks

I absolutely loved this book! It was set in the 1960s and the present day and brought together Imogene's story in the 1960s (who had just died) with her grandchildrens story in the present day, laced with romance, mystery and suspense.

It took me a while to warm to the (grown-up) grandchildren, each with their own life and story, but once they set off on a mystery tour around the country, with clues left by their grandmother, the story really picked up and I especially loved the part set in the 1960s.

Their was so much more to their grandparents lives than the grandchildren had known about, with lots of secrets. This turned into a real page-turner of a book, I just had to read one more page to see where the story led. Secrets were revealed at every turn, and there was a wonderful ending.

A really delightful read!

This is one of those stories that I will remember for a long time. It had such a great feel, and not only that I could really identify with the characters and their feelings to the situation that they were in. ....

Imogene has gone through life never really telling her side of the story, to the eye she lived a wonderful life, with kids and her grandchildren who she calls her "Love bugs" However, before the dies, she creates a hunt for her grandchildren so that they can really get to know the real her . The story behind Imogene's life is a tale of heartbreak but love as well. At her funeral she gives all her grandchildren a piece of her but it is up to them to follow the clues to piece together the people in her life and even put together a beautiful ending. Her grandchildren, Belinda, Emeline, Wyatt, and Geoff all at this time are going through different things in their lives, and have grown apart. There are a lot of words that have been unsaid and with that they end up piecing together their own lives, and understand the true meaning of loving each other as before. A traveling wanderer, a Mom of 2 kids on a verge of divorce, an uptight jerk who thinks he's right all the time and emotionally aloof, and one that everyone thinks made a bad decision living in the day to day mix but the closest to Imogene. How can these 4 complete the puzzle without killing each other?? Well it is in their grandmothers story they realize that no matter what happens in life things come to full circle.
I am not going to lie, I was so involved in the story, and I was deeply touched by Imogene's love for her grandchildren, and for others. She was a true gem, so much that she and her husband went back to correct wrongs. Those are the human beings that I feel are missing today in this world. It was refreshing to see that sometimes no matter what we have been through in our lives that the true bonds of family somehow always end up finding themselves back to square one.

I really enjoyed the story telling of the author, and her descriptions. I will look out for more books by her.