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areadinggal's review against another edition
1.0
I don't know what this book was about. It was brimming with feelings; feelings when you go for a poop, feelings walking down the road, feelings from summer camp, feelings meeting a sister.... I was sick to death of all the "feelings" spilling out of the book that I was tempted to throw it at the wall and indulge in a few of my own feelings. Of all the pontificating, hypocritical pieces of scrap paper, this one takes the cake.
Readers familiar with previous books in the Wildstone set, please approach this one with zero expectations. Or maybe, just stay far, far away from it. It will be good for your 'feelings'.
Readers familiar with previous books in the Wildstone set, please approach this one with zero expectations. Or maybe, just stay far, far away from it. It will be good for your 'feelings'.
llehouser's review against another edition
4.0
The Summer Deal took a different approach to the "summer romance" scene. Finding herself back home and broke, Brynn needs to figure out what's next. Knowing she doesn't want to live with her moms, she sets out to find lodging... but comes up short on budget. Enter Eli, blast-from-the-past and summer camp crush. Eli happens to have a room for Brynn to rent... right next to Brynn's camp nemesis and Eli's best friend, Kinsey.
Brynn and Eli quickly strike up a relationship. The real relationship development in The Summer Deal turns out to be Brynn's and Kinsey's. A refreshing change to the summer romance, Brynn and Kinsey each realized something about themselves as well as the other that they hadn't discovered all those years ago.
I really enjoyed the "woman power" aspect of this novel and liked the non-traditional take on the "slow build." Granted, Brynn and Eli still had some relationship developing to do, Brynn and Kinsey really took center stage here, and it worked out for the better.
Brynn and Eli quickly strike up a relationship. The real relationship development in The Summer Deal turns out to be Brynn's and Kinsey's. A refreshing change to the summer romance, Brynn and Kinsey each realized something about themselves as well as the other that they hadn't discovered all those years ago.
I really enjoyed the "woman power" aspect of this novel and liked the non-traditional take on the "slow build." Granted, Brynn and Eli still had some relationship developing to do, Brynn and Kinsey really took center stage here, and it worked out for the better.
skys_shelf's review
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
cakt1991's review against another edition
4.0
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
While The Summer Deal is the fifth book in the Wildstone series, it works very well as a stand-alone, with the only identifiable overlapping feature with the previous book I read in the series being the setting of the small town of Wildstone.
One thing I enjoyed about this book is that the characters feel real and flawed, to the point where you don’t always like them. It took me a while to warm up to Brynn, Kinsey, and Eli, but once I did, I could really relate to them and their lives. The way Brynn and Kinsey as secret half sisters go on their journey from hating each other to bonding with each other was particularly sweet, and while I didn’t know what to expect with Eli and thought the two women would have a bit more melodrama where he was concerned, I was pleasantly surprised at the direction it took.
This is a great read about family being about more than blood ties. I recommend it to anyone who likes sweet contemporaries flawed, yet endearing characters.
While The Summer Deal is the fifth book in the Wildstone series, it works very well as a stand-alone, with the only identifiable overlapping feature with the previous book I read in the series being the setting of the small town of Wildstone.
One thing I enjoyed about this book is that the characters feel real and flawed, to the point where you don’t always like them. It took me a while to warm up to Brynn, Kinsey, and Eli, but once I did, I could really relate to them and their lives. The way Brynn and Kinsey as secret half sisters go on their journey from hating each other to bonding with each other was particularly sweet, and while I didn’t know what to expect with Eli and thought the two women would have a bit more melodrama where he was concerned, I was pleasantly surprised at the direction it took.
This is a great read about family being about more than blood ties. I recommend it to anyone who likes sweet contemporaries flawed, yet endearing characters.
brandylyons's review against another edition
5.0
I don’t even know where to begin with this. Brynn is coming home after having heart stomped on, but home is a bit too...smothering for her. So she agrees to rent a room from the man she used to have the worlds biggest crush on when she was younger...only to find out her old enemy from camp lives there too. Brynn’s heart is locked up tight, and it doesn’t matter that Eli gets her and sees her and appreciates her, because she’s done with men...isn’t she? And oh my god, I loved Kinsey, who is prickly and angry and off putting and so dang scared. I loved everything about this book and I totally cried my eyes out.
amym84's review against another edition
4.0
3.5
After the breakup of a disastrous relationship Brynn Turner is returning home to Wildstone to regroup. She's about had it was her life imploding and wants to focus on getting on track, whatever that means. Basically, she wants to stop blindly trusting people that turn around and take advantage of her. So, she's thrown for a loop when one of the first people she runs into is her childhood crush Eli. Unfortunately Eli was best friends with Brynn's childhood arch-nemisis Kinsey Davis. It looks like not much has changed in that department. Eli and Kinsey are still friends, and Kinsey is as rude as ever.
What Brynn doesn't know is that Kinsey has been battling serious health issues for her entire life, and it makes her keep everyone at arm's length because Kinsey knows her situation could take a turn for the worse sooner rather than later, and she can't bear to think of those she loves and cares about in pain. Because, yes, Kinsey does have quite a few people who fit that bill including Brynn. Although the reason for Kinsey's skewed loyalty towards Brynn comes with secrets of its own. Secrets that everyone but Brynn seems to be aware of, which makes things difficult when Eli and Brynn start falling for one another.
I've really enjoyed Jill Shalvis's Wildstone series. Particularly with The Summer Deal I stopped and paused and ruminated on the different sibling relationships that have been front and center throughout the entire series thus far, and I have to really give it to Jill Shalvis with showing so many different facets of the family dynamic.
The Summer Deal was bit different for me because while I was drawn into the story, and while there are specific individual moments where everything seems to kind of magically fit together in such a way of a perfect read, I didn't feel like I connected with the characters all that well. And I didn't feel the punch of the various revelations experienced throughout the story, mainly on Brynn's part. But I wanted to so badly.
I don't know if there was too much going on between Kinsey, Brynn, and Eli's characters each getting their own points of view throughout that no one could stand out or if it's that fact that readers are aware of what's going on so it's like we're just waiting for Brynn to catch up with everyone else. I think there's no real element of surprise for the readers, instead we're waiting for Brynn's reactions.
Regardless, I still found myself compulsively reading the book. Honestly, I felt like it was one of the more sensual books that's I've read by Jill Shalvis. There's not a lot in the way of sex. It's not completely fade-to-black, but we're not getting minute details, but what we do get, and what is done really well in both of the highlighted romances in the story, is this complete sense of connection.
Kinsey learning that she doesn't have to fear love and attachment just because her future is unknown and Brynn learning that her past mistakes in love don't mean that she should give up on forming attachments. These are the moments of perfection within the story.
Of course there is the bonding between Kinsey and Brynn which I loved seeing develop and, honestly, could have used so much more of because I always love when two characters start out as opposites, but slowly realize they are more alike than previously thought, and that's exactly Kinsey and Brynn.
Overall, not my favorite of the Wildstone series, but also a very enjoyable read. I cannot wait to go back again.
*ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
After the breakup of a disastrous relationship Brynn Turner is returning home to Wildstone to regroup. She's about had it was her life imploding and wants to focus on getting on track, whatever that means. Basically, she wants to stop blindly trusting people that turn around and take advantage of her. So, she's thrown for a loop when one of the first people she runs into is her childhood crush Eli. Unfortunately Eli was best friends with Brynn's childhood arch-nemisis Kinsey Davis. It looks like not much has changed in that department. Eli and Kinsey are still friends, and Kinsey is as rude as ever.
What Brynn doesn't know is that Kinsey has been battling serious health issues for her entire life, and it makes her keep everyone at arm's length because Kinsey knows her situation could take a turn for the worse sooner rather than later, and she can't bear to think of those she loves and cares about in pain. Because, yes, Kinsey does have quite a few people who fit that bill including Brynn. Although the reason for Kinsey's skewed loyalty towards Brynn comes with secrets of its own. Secrets that everyone but Brynn seems to be aware of, which makes things difficult when Eli and Brynn start falling for one another.
I've really enjoyed Jill Shalvis's Wildstone series. Particularly with The Summer Deal I stopped and paused and ruminated on the different sibling relationships that have been front and center throughout the entire series thus far, and I have to really give it to Jill Shalvis with showing so many different facets of the family dynamic.
The Summer Deal was bit different for me because while I was drawn into the story, and while there are specific individual moments where everything seems to kind of magically fit together in such a way of a perfect read, I didn't feel like I connected with the characters all that well. And I didn't feel the punch of the various revelations experienced throughout the story, mainly on Brynn's part. But I wanted to so badly.
I don't know if there was too much going on between Kinsey, Brynn, and Eli's characters each getting their own points of view throughout that no one could stand out or if it's that fact that readers are aware of what's going on so it's like we're just waiting for Brynn to catch up with everyone else. I think there's no real element of surprise for the readers, instead we're waiting for Brynn's reactions.
Regardless, I still found myself compulsively reading the book. Honestly, I felt like it was one of the more sensual books that's I've read by Jill Shalvis. There's not a lot in the way of sex. It's not completely fade-to-black, but we're not getting minute details, but what we do get, and what is done really well in both of the highlighted romances in the story, is this complete sense of connection.
Kinsey learning that she doesn't have to fear love and attachment just because her future is unknown and Brynn learning that her past mistakes in love don't mean that she should give up on forming attachments. These are the moments of perfection within the story.
Of course there is the bonding between Kinsey and Brynn which I loved seeing develop and, honestly, could have used so much more of because I always love when two characters start out as opposites, but slowly realize they are more alike than previously thought, and that's exactly Kinsey and Brynn.
Overall, not my favorite of the Wildstone series, but also a very enjoyable read. I cannot wait to go back again.
*ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
sheilasamuelson's review against another edition
5.0
Rating: 5 Stars!! (Wish i could rate it 10 Stars!!)
Review:
This was my first time reading a book by Jill so i wasnt sure what to expect but i loved every minute of this Audiobook!!
The characters were so fun and comical to get to know and the storyline was so amazing that it made me feel like i was actually there at the beach while listening to the story.
I will definately read more by Jill in the future!!
Review:
This was my first time reading a book by Jill so i wasnt sure what to expect but i loved every minute of this Audiobook!!
The characters were so fun and comical to get to know and the storyline was so amazing that it made me feel like i was actually there at the beach while listening to the story.
I will definately read more by Jill in the future!!
hopevollm's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this book!
The main characters, Kensie and Brynn, both seemed pretty real. They were both damaged, both flawed, and both just doing the best they could.
I found myself getting frustrated with both of them. Brynn began to annoy me a little as she became more confident in her self because she just got more and more stubborn, to the point she just refused to listen when other people wanted to say something. Kensie was annoying because she was scared to tell people things... so really they worked kind of well together and kind of horrible.
I really like both Eli, Max, and Deck. They all seemed like relatively well-rounded people who didn't annoy me a ton.
The story was good as well. There were some difficult parts, some sad ones, some really great ones.
I now want to read the rest of the Wildstone series.
The main characters, Kensie and Brynn, both seemed pretty real. They were both damaged, both flawed, and both just doing the best they could.
I found myself getting frustrated with both of them. Brynn began to annoy me a little as she became more confident in her self because she just got more and more stubborn, to the point she just refused to listen when other people wanted to say something. Kensie was annoying because she was scared to tell people things... so really they worked kind of well together and kind of horrible.
I really like both Eli, Max, and Deck. They all seemed like relatively well-rounded people who didn't annoy me a ton.
The story was good as well. There were some difficult parts, some sad ones, some really great ones.
I now want to read the rest of the Wildstone series.
nadenetotallyaddictedtoreading's review
5.0
I am glad I had the opportunity to read this latest offering from Shalvis. The Summer Deal, the fifth book in the Wildstone series, turned out to be both my favourite read of the series and 2020. Shalvis created an awesome and heart-warming story, which featured a cast of lovable but sometimes irritating characters. Collectively they had suffered pain, loss and heartbreak and my heart broke for them all. Throughout the story, I kept hoping they would get the happiness they deserved.
The author treated the reader to not one but two sweet and swoon worthy romances. The romance which existed between Deck and Kinsey and the one developing between Eli and Brynne.
I had a marvellous time watching how the relationships developed between the characters. My favourite of them all was the relationships which existed between Brynne and Kinsey and Deck and Kinsey. Brynne and Kinsey had a complicated relationship. Discovering that the person you grew up disliking and bullying at camp is your half-sister would have been quite a shocker. Her fear of revealing this knowledge to Brynne had the potential to destroy their budding friendship.
Deck and Kinsey loved each other, but her medical issues had her running scared, which led her to keep pushing him away. Deck’s patient and understanding nature would be the catalyst to save their relationship.
The Summer Deal is a story about love, family, friendships and building relationships. The issues raised although heavy were lightened by the humour Shalvis sprinkled throughout the story. This allowed for a few laugh out loud moments. I especially loved the scenes featuring the kindergarteners. Kids really do say the darndest things.
Conclusion/Recommendation
The Summer Deal was a fantastic read and one I would highly recommendThis review was originally posted on Totally Addicted to Reading
The author treated the reader to not one but two sweet and swoon worthy romances. The romance which existed between Deck and Kinsey and the one developing between Eli and Brynne.
I had a marvellous time watching how the relationships developed between the characters. My favourite of them all was the relationships which existed between Brynne and Kinsey and Deck and Kinsey. Brynne and Kinsey had a complicated relationship. Discovering that the person you grew up disliking and bullying at camp is your half-sister would have been quite a shocker. Her fear of revealing this knowledge to Brynne had the potential to destroy their budding friendship.
Deck and Kinsey loved each other, but her medical issues had her running scared, which led her to keep pushing him away. Deck’s patient and understanding nature would be the catalyst to save their relationship.
The Summer Deal is a story about love, family, friendships and building relationships. The issues raised although heavy were lightened by the humour Shalvis sprinkled throughout the story. This allowed for a few laugh out loud moments. I especially loved the scenes featuring the kindergarteners. Kids really do say the darndest things.
Conclusion/Recommendation
The Summer Deal was a fantastic read and one I would highly recommendThis review was originally posted on Totally Addicted to Reading
books_brews_and_booze's review
A very sweet and enjoyable read. I finished it in two days but probably would have finished it in one if I hadn’t gotten sidetracked.
It’s a great summer read. I appreciated the dialogue the most - it felt really authentic and young to me, like the people in that age group would actually talk, with swear words sprinkled throughout. Note: the swearing wasn’t excessive, but was placed thoughtfully and authentically.
This is a book where miscommunication abounds, to occasionally disastrous effect. Maybe sometimes more than occasionally!
One of the best parts of the book, for me, is the friendship between Eli and Kinsey. It’s like family and I very rarely see a strong bond between a man and a woman that isn’t weaved through with sexual tension. This was really refreshing to read about.
I could definitely see this book as a series, with books about future adventures in the family. It’s sweet and fun, perfect for a summer day/beach read.
It’s a great summer read. I appreciated the dialogue the most - it felt really authentic and young to me, like the people in that age group would actually talk, with swear words sprinkled throughout. Note: the swearing wasn’t excessive, but was placed thoughtfully and authentically.
This is a book where miscommunication abounds, to occasionally disastrous effect. Maybe sometimes more than occasionally!
One of the best parts of the book, for me, is the friendship between Eli and Kinsey. It’s like family and I very rarely see a strong bond between a man and a woman that isn’t weaved through with sexual tension. This was really refreshing to read about.
I could definitely see this book as a series, with books about future adventures in the family. It’s sweet and fun, perfect for a summer day/beach read.