This book offered a glimpse of warmth and sunshine, a welcome escape during the peak of winter I’m living in. I was fortunate to have early access through NetGalley, and its promise of summer days drew me in. Set in the Boston area, the scenes were easy to picture, especially since I visited last summer. However, the split perspectives got a bit confusing and challenging to follow at times. By the time I circled back to a character, I kept forgetting who was who, which might be on me for not taking notes. None of the main characters were particularly grating, but they also didn’t grab my attention. Although the themes of family were nice, a good romantic storyline to root for would have added some depth. Honestly, I was hoping for a bigger payoff to justify the time spent with this book. It just didn't resonate with me, and by the end, I was ready to move on.

I was sent this book as an ARC reviewer. I would honestly say at first the timeline jump between current day of Robins POV and jumping back to the past switching between all 3 sisters POV took a bit of time to get used to but once I got into their characters I very much enjoyed their storylines and the character development occurring.

There was beautiful family dynamics surrounding life choices and hardships that brought reality to a fun loving American holiday.

I was a bit surprised that the culmination of the mystery, was a nominal character who had little to do with the plot of the story. However there were a few twists thrown in I was not expecting which made everything wrap up nicely.

Overall this was an intriguing build to 3 sisters lives coming together as they find new pathways after hardship. I would recommend for a good beach read.

This was a fun, easy read about three sisters who gather at their beach house during particularly difficult times in their lives. I enjoyed the relationship between the three, the drama, the gossip, and the mystery surrounding a body found in the water.

Wendy Francis’ Feels Like Summer was a super fun, yet real and relatable, beach read.

In this novel, we find three sisters at different points in their modern lives, returning to celebrate Memorial Day in the place where they spent summers as a family. One is a single mother and thriving real estate guru, one is a single thriving artist, and the third, a stay-at-home mother.

During their brief stay at the family beach house, the unimaginable happens, and deep secrets come to light, testing their strong sisterly bond. Can they help each other overcome all of the stress, trauma, and strong emotions that are dredged up?

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this amazing ARC!!

I enjoyed this story set in a beach town. It was about 3 sisters and the hard life choices they were faced with. Marriage, affairs, lies, gossip and even a mysterious death are revealed in this novel.


Thanks to netgalley for this eArc for my review.

I was sent this book from NetGalley as an ARC reviewer.

I truly enjoyed this cozy, beach read. I always love a novel with a beach town setting. Add in the family dynamics between 3 sisters, Shelby, Kate, and Bree, and throw in a mystery and you get a great summer book. I love the alternating points of view with each chapter. Truly allows you to fully understand where each sister is coming from as they deal with their struggles in life and between each other. Ultimately their love for each other is what pulls them together. I would definitely add this to your TBR.

Loved it! Three sisters, Kate who has it all, Shelby the divorcee and Bree the artist on the outside seem to have their lives together but each one hiding secrets of their own. They all come together at Shelby's beach house in Massachusetts for Memorial Day weekend and unexpected events happen that could turn sisters against each other.
Each learns about love and loss and a bit of mystery thrown in but the bond that sisters share is unbreakable.
It was a page turner trying to figure out who died in the boating accident and I just wanted to keep reading!

I just finished this book. It was an easy read, though I didn’t feel especially connected to any of the characters. I thought that the story line is one I’ve heard before….3 sisters at crossroads in their life, all return for their annual long weekend together- not a new theme, but there were a couple of twists that kept me engaged. Overall I would rate it 3.5-4 out of 5.

I enjoy reading Wendy Francis novels, they are written so that you feel as though you are walking the storylines along with the characters. Kate, Shelby and Bree Lancaster are three sisters who embark on their Memorial Day reunion. You quickly realize that each sister’s perspective and life choices tie into their family dynamics. I enjoyed seeing how the sister’s relationships with each other unfolded throughout the story in current POV mixed with past POV.

There’s a little bit of everything in this dreamy beach setting book. Betrayal, secrets and gossip entail when the sister’s weekend takes an unexpected turn with a boat accident. The mystery of who was on the boat kept me reading at rapid pace.

This was an easy, quick read that left me intrigued with twists until the end. The author does a fantastic job of developing the family dynamics that lead to each sister having to make hard life choices toward their own happiness.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Although there were parts of this book that dragged on and a little saturated with characters, I enjoyed it overall. I liked the dynamic between the sisters and how they all ended up needing each other. I wish knew more about what actually happened at the end though.

Enjoyable book with good characterizations. Suspense well developed through the end of the book. I’d recommend to patrons looking for a suspense story with a twist of a gentle read. Very well written, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

This was such a cozy little mystery about 3 sisters that I thoroughly enjoyed reading about and seeing their growth and connection change. It was a great “summery” read, but also full of suspense and questions.

I really enjoyed this novel. The author combined several strands within the story. It takes place in Hull, a seaside community in Massachusetts The book opens with a search in the harbor for a body, narrated by the police woman in charge, Robin. The main strand is the relationship and problems of 3 siblings, together on Hull for Memorial Day weekend.

The author builds a detailed study of each of these women. All three are extremely likable. They have a wide range of issues. Underneath all their personal turmoil is the reminder of what their parents would have expected from them. Memorial Day seems to present a climatic moment for the issues. Francis portrays the characters with nuanced descriptions. They are complex women, dealing with difficult, sadly, realistic problems of modern life.

The author brings the novel to a very satisfying close, which is something that is very important to me. I was thinking about the skill used by Francis in foreshadowing the eventual climax. I like novels which allow me not only to enjoy the read, but analyze the clues that were planted.

I highly recommend this sophisticated novel as a simmer read with an unusual amount of depth.

Thank you Netgalley for this lovely ARC.

Feels Like Summer
Wendy Francis
Virginia Dill Net Galley Review
February 5, 2024

Thoroughly enjoyed this cozy, little mystery beach read. Being one of three sisters myself, I tend to enjoy these types of easy, breezy reads which delve deep into the often protracted and false beliefs we have about our siblings as we age and our lives morph from when we all lived together in our first family. Wendy Francis doesn’t disappoint in Feels Like Summer. She hits the bullseye on sister relationships. The sisters’ character arcs pulled me in right away, along with the mysterious boat incident which kicked off a wonderful rainy-day weekend read. As the sisters meandered their yearly get-together, I was mesmerized by each of the three sisters and their internal struggles, and how the sisters related to one another. Any beach setting grabs me right away when I need a departure from my daily grind. The author clearly takes you to the beach with believable settings and dialogue. Also, the addition of the female nemesis – let’s face it we all had one growing up – really hit home. I loved the book. Would have loved a bit more depth to the female, small-town investigator character but maybe that just spells sequel. A four star, easy going, sibling, mystery weekend read.

Three sisters , finding their way in life. Each thinking the others have it made. And life is really full of surprises. I really enjoyed this book. Would even read a sequel 😊 Great characters and follow throughs. Four stars.

During their annual reunion weekend, three sisters are forced to face their secrets when a boating accident makes them question how well they know each other and others in their town. Complex characters and suspense make this a compelling must read.

a perfect summer read!!! this book would make an awesome beach read or vacation book. overall great writing and story line

I have been a fan of Wendy Francis since 2020. I recall reading her book during a period of lockdown and thoroughly enjoying it. It was a delightful experience.

The story revolves around three sisters, each with their own unique personalities and challenges in life. The intriguing mystery introduced at the beginning of the book kept me engrossed, eagerly flipping through the pages to uncover the identity of the person on the boat. It was a fantastic choice for a summer read!

This was interesting story! 3 sisters with different personalities and different messes in their lives. The mystery that starts in the beginning kept me turning the pages! I couldn’t wait to find out who was on that boat! This was a great summer read!

I absolutely loved this READNOW selection. Wendy Francis is a superb author and I love sister themed novels.
I love reading about each of the sisters and thought they were very well thought out and had interesting storylines and backgrounds. Sometimes with multiple characters you can easily get the, confused but in this boom that was not the case. It almost reminded me a bit of Big Little Lies with the added mystery. Hugh key recommend if your look for a nice fun light read with a bit of suspense and mystery thrown in for good measure.

Please check out a full summary below


It’s Memorial Day weekend, the annual kickoff to summer for the Lancaster sisters. But the festivities take a deep dive when a mysterious boating accident occurs off their seaside town, sparking questions about how well the sisters know their neighbors—and each other.

Kate, whip smart and rich, lives a charmed life—if only her lawyer husband wasn’t always disappearing for his next big case. Older sister Shelby, when not selling houses, is falling hard for an on-again, off-again lover. He’s perfect for Shelby in many ways, and so wrong in others. And Bree, the youngest, is reeling from a recent breakup and in desperate need of her sisters. They’ve always been there for each other, but as secrets arise and gossip spreads like wildfire, the idyllic weekend takes a dramatic tailspin. Will this summer’s troubles change their bond before their sisterhood is righted again?