I’ve read Lori Wilde books for years.This is the first book in the series.There’s heartbreak in this book but it’s a great story and I highly recommend it.

The cover of this book made me think it was a romance but it was so much more. It is a romance, yes, but it is also about community, family relationships, coming to terms with the past and more. This book has a lot to offer.

This is the first book in the Hobby Island series so we meet a lot of characters. At times I had trouble keeping the secondary characters sorted out. I didn't really feel a connection with any of the characters, even the main characters of which there are three, Jeanie, Luna, and Artemis.

The story itself was ok and in a way reminded me of Debbie Macomber and the stories she writes about women. There was also what seemed like the slightest but of magic in the story with Eloisa. With that said there was just a lot going on and it seemed a bit much for one book. I did fins the pacing to be a little off at times, too.

I have mixed feelings on reading the next book in the series. I want to find out what happens but just don't know that I like the author's writing enough to spend time reading the next books. I was surprised to read the author has written a lot of books because the writing in this book seemed a bit on the amateur side.

All in all this was an ok read. I'm not disappointed I spent time with these characters but I'm just not sure I want a return ticket to Hobby Island.

Looking for a perfect summer read? Lori Wilde's The Summer That Shaped Us is a super charming novel about three generations of women finding themselves on a magical island.
Meet Jeanie, Luna, and Artie, who all end up on Hobby Island, a unique crafters' resort in the Gulf of Mexico. Each of them is dealing with their own stuff – money worries, grief, or just trying to survive without Wi-Fi! But this island, run by the wonderfully quirky Eloisa, promises to help them heal and find new beginnings.
Wilde does an amazing job creating this cozy, almost magical setting that makes you want to pack your bags and go. It's all about forgiveness, self-discovery, and learning to lean on each other. While some parts might feel a little quick, it's a genuinely feel-good story with characters you'll root for, especially Artie's relatable teen journey.
Overall, it's a sweet and engaging escape that reminds us how a little bit of magic and connection can really change things. Grab this one for your next beach day!

The only way you can go to Hobby Island is to receive a coveted invitation. For Luna, it comes at just the right time. After a major life shake up she and her daughter have moved in with her mother. Three generations of women under one roof. What could go wrong when they’re all dealing with so much change, emotional turmoil and loss? They head off to Hobby Island for some much needed time away to relax, reconnect and express their creativity. It’s an easy and enjoyable read. Nice characters and an engaging story.

Look at that cover!!! How could I not grab it up?

This island of relaxation and crafting paradise was created by an eccentric billionaire. You can only come to her island via invitation. Jeanie receives one of the coveted tickets and invites her family to come with her. They need this vacation and a chance to win some money after everything they have been through.

I guess there is a mystery in here and some romance, but it didn't overwhelm the plot. Honestly....the two didn't even feel like it was there at times. This is just a people story to be fair. People talking and growing and just plain existing.

What I would give to go to this island!! I'm not great at crafting but I do enjoy it immensely!!

I didn't take this book too seriously. When the weather was nice I just read it outside and enjoyed the warmth. There are some moral lessons sprinkled around....like forgiveness. Lots of quotable moments happened in the book.

It was slow-paced and interesting enough to stick with it. There is some drama sprinkled around but nothing that wasn't easily fixed. Maybe too easily though.

All-in-all, this was a cozy book for summer. I wish there had been a touch more mystery and/or romance involved, but oh well.

3 stars from me.


Favorite Character(s): Jeanie and Eloisa
Least Favorite Character(s): Nanette

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for an ARC of this book!

Unfortunately, this one fell a bit short for me. I loved the concept of “Hobby Island” a place where people escape their mundane lives and enjoy their “crafts”, because there is also no phone service on the island (which I know this is a fictional story, but in reality that could be so dangerous)

There are 3 generations of women depicted in this story and they all have their own POV’s throughout. They also all face their own struggles and wins along the way. There were a lot of themes that were explored in this book, and I did appreciate that. The author wrote about forgiveness, love, lust, and coming of age/growing up. There was also a second-chance romance element (not my favorite) to add to the story line, but I just feel as if the execution of it all fell a bit short. There was a bit of dragging with the pace of the book and I just didn’t feel a strong connection to the characters. I found it hard to stay engaged and I wasn’t super invested of the outcome of the story. Giving this a 2.5 - rounding up to 3 for star purposes.

I got just less than halfway through this book before I decided to put it down. The book was written well, the plot seemed entertaining, but overall it just wasn't for me. It reminded me of what I might have read several years ago, and I'm just in a different place now. For me it was a little too cutesy and fluffy, and while it does tackle real issues, I just couldn't get into it.

I really wanted to love this, it had everyhting I usually go for: a cozy island setting, a multigenerational story, creativity, and healing. I liked the idea of watching three generations of women grow and reconnect over the summer.

But honestly? This one just didn’t work for me.

The characters were tough to connect with. I found Luna and Jeanie especially frustrating, and their emotional arcs didn’t feel believable. The story tries to tackle grief, redemption, and family dynamics, but everything was resolved so quickly and neatly that it didn’t feel earned. And while there was a hint of mystery and romance, neither really went anywhere or added much to the plot.

The pacing was off, and with so many POVs and side plots, the story felt cluttered. I kept hoping it would settle into something more meaningful or magical, but it leaned more into drama and lost some of the heart I was hoping for.

Thank you Avon and Harper Voyager for the eARC via Netgalley.

Review posted on Goodreads, January 2025:

This book was just okay. I couldn’t really get invested in the story or its characters. I didn’t really like the dialogue as it felt very cheesy/corny half of the time. I did appreciate the rebuilding of the mother-daughter relationships between Luna and Jeanie and Artie and Luna, but the character development seemed too sudden and unnatural.

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

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the arc copy of this book. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Every year, Eloisa Hobby hosts a hobby competition on her private island, Hobby Island. She hand selects participants from her online hobby group and sends them golden tickets. This year, however, is different, as Eloisa recently discovered someone has been taking advantage of her online members and fraudulently stealing money. Eloisa has her suspects narrowed down and they all get the golden ticket invite so she can find out the culprit once and for all.

Jeanie wins a golden ticket and travels to the island with her daughter Luna and granddaughter Artemis to participate in the contest. Two months on the private island without internet or connection to the outside world seems daunting at first to the women, but soon they find themselves relaxing and opening up in ways they never thought possible. All three are forced to face past and present challenges in order to trust each other and fully heal.

If I had to describe this book, I would sum it up with the word "quirky". There are a lot of flamboyant characters on the island, including a turtle that steals left socks. There are multiple story lines going concurrently, from each of the three main character's (Luna, Jeanie, and Artemis) point of view. This was a very fast paced book, with great life lessons incorporated about forgiveness/controlling anger/doing what you love/etc. Plus, there is some mystery and romance included as well.

3.5 stars.

I enjoyed this book! I honestly enjoyed it so much more than I thought I would. It’s soooo relatable especially as a woman. It was a beautiful mix of stories as we got 4 perspectives of women of all ages….even a coming of age story. It was enthralling, I felt transported to Hobby Island.

The plot was very well executed! The mystery part of it was a nice addition and I enjoyed the way it played out.

I will definitely read the other books in this series when they come out.

Thank you NetGalley, Avon, Harper Voyager and Lori Wilder for giving me an advance reader’s copy of this book!

An enjoyable, well written novel populated by three dimensional characters and a fabulous storyline. Don’t miss it!

I received a free copy of the summer that shaped us and this was a fun way to kick off the summer. Hobby Island sounds like the perfect most relaxing place. This was a great read!

I received an advanced copy through NetGalley and would give this a full four stars. I found the story rather endearing and thought the themes of honesty and forgiveness refreshing. Hobby Island sounds idyllic, though I must say as a girl who grew up in South Texas I had a hard time envisioning any island a ferry ride away from the gulf coast could have summer weather such as the book describes (and not triple digit highs where no beautiful flora would ever survive!!). I enjoyed the sweetness of the characters and the crafty elements - I could see this one as likely screen play for a Hallmark movie!

This was not for me. It felt weirdly out of time? I could tell the author was attempting to make jokes that they thought were relevant but they felt very old. The writing was a bit of a mess, like it was AI generated. I didn't have a good time and I had absolutely no desire to finish it. From what I gather from other reviewers, the end did not have much payoff so I don't feel too bad DNFing. Idk, this felt like it was marketed wrong and it wasn't at all what I was expecting.

This is a book about healing, second chances & finding happiness after heartbreak with some mystery thrown in. There’s a cast of interesting characters & a lot going on in the story. Paul & Luna getting a second chance at lot, Eloisa trying to figure out a scammer among the quilters, Artemis coping with her Dad’s death & finding friendship with Orion (Paul’s daughter), Jeanie(Luna’s Mom) coming to terms with her past. It’s a wonderful book with all the feels that you enjoy!!

This was my first book by this author and I learned at the very end that it's the first book in a new series. Despite some of the confusion in this book, I'll read the next book in the series. Hobby Island sounds like a peaceful place to be, it is a beautiful, colorful, whimsical island created for crafters! Those granted a golden ticket receive the honor of coming to the island to create with the Eloisa Hobby. Jeanie, the talented quilt maker, invited to join the annual crafting competition in hopes of winning the grand prize of $100k! Her daughter, Luna, who is facing problems, moves in with Jeanie with Luna's teenage daughter, Artemis. As they make their way to and around Hobby Island we find moments of growth and healing among the little family of three as well as other characters! I loved Hobby Island and wish it really existed cause I want to go!

Eloisa runs an island filled with crafters. She discovers that someone in her online quilting group is catfishing another participant. Her solution? Send out Golden Tickets to a few select members and have them come to the island for a contest. Her nephew, Paul, will help to sort out the mystery. Paul is a single father raising a teen daughter. He loves his life on the island working as the gardener and the head of security. Jeanie travels to the island after receiving a Golden Ticket. She needs to win the contest because she needs the prize money to save her house. Luna travels to the island with her mother, Jeanie, both as moral support and to get a nice vacation. Luna is raising her daughter alone after losing her husband. There are secrets that the island will reveal and lots of healing that needs to happen.

There is a romance that occurs in the story but I wouldn’t say it’s the focus of the story. This is more of a cozy mystery with a romance sprinkled in. The book focuses on the secrets and the self discovery and then the romance and then the bad guy. First, the island is a magical place. Not that there are magicians or anything but it is very peaceful and beautiful. It is a haven for all things crafting. Second, the bad guy in this book did something that happens often in real life. I like that the author had the characters catch the bad guy because the person harmed was a member in an online quilting group. That was cute. Third, there is bullying and rudeness. I like how the author dealt with that. If it had been handled any other way it wouldn’t have fit the story. Finally, the romance is a second chance romance. Paul and Luna were high school sweethearts. They reconnect quietly and develop feelings slowly. It’s a very sweet love story.

Secrets are revealed, bad guys are caught, new friendships are made and love is rekindled in this story. If you like cozy stories, give this a try. It made me smile. I will read more from this author in the future.

This was just okay. It was a bit slow for me, however I did really like the characters. I liked the overall concept of the book but would have liked more excitement

The Summer That Shaped Us takes place on Hobby Island, a small private island in the Gulf of Mexico. Eloisa Hobby, has created a crafter's paradise, Crafters receive "Golden Tickets" for a summer retreat at the Island. Jeannie, a quilter, brings her daughter, Luna, and grand-daughter, Artemis with her. Artie is not to thrilled to find that there is no cell reception on the island, but does find a young girl with purple hair, Orion, to spend time with. Luna is surprised to see Paul, her high-school crush is a gardener on the island.

This was an enjoyable read. Jeannie, Luna, and Artie all had issues to process and deal with, and Hobby Island becomes the place to grow and expand their worlds. Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advanced Reader Copy of this title. The Summer That Shaped Us is available now!