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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Graydon House Books for an Advanced Reader's Copy in exchange for an honest review.
Adie Lou, middle aged and at a crossroads in both her marriage and career, decides to renovate her deceased parents' beloved summer cottage and embark on a fresh start as an innkeeper on the shores of Lake Michigan.
Liked: The main character was mostly likable, and as readers we are able to root for her evolution into the woman she hopes to become after a series of changes in her life. I loved the setting of Lake Michigan since this region doesn't often make an appearance in other summer novels similar to this. The book reads like a Hallmark movie, which is exactly what I needed in my life right now.
Disliked: The entire prologue could go, as it's not necessary to set up the story. The cheesy factor is a tad high for me. The romance felt rushed and I wasn't invested. It annoyed me to no end that this grown woman wants to be called Adie Lou and she falls in love with a man she calls "Scooter".
I can recommend this book as an enjoyably light summer read.
Adie Lou, middle aged and at a crossroads in both her marriage and career, decides to renovate her deceased parents' beloved summer cottage and embark on a fresh start as an innkeeper on the shores of Lake Michigan.
Liked: The main character was mostly likable, and as readers we are able to root for her evolution into the woman she hopes to become after a series of changes in her life. I loved the setting of Lake Michigan since this region doesn't often make an appearance in other summer novels similar to this. The book reads like a Hallmark movie, which is exactly what I needed in my life right now.
Disliked: The entire prologue could go, as it's not necessary to set up the story. The cheesy factor is a tad high for me. The romance felt rushed and I wasn't invested. It annoyed me to no end that this grown woman wants to be called Adie Lou and she falls in love with a man she calls "Scooter".
I can recommend this book as an enjoyably light summer read.
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a fun read especially if you have a fondness for cottage living and even better if you are familiar with the West Michigan/ Saugatuck locals described in the story. A bit sappy throughout, but a fun book to have in your summer pile.
I like sweet books but this one was too sweet, too preachy, too forced for me.
I so enjoyed this novel and meeting Adie Lou. This is my first Viola Shipman novel but definitely will not be my last. The story follows recent divorcee Adie Lou as she remodels her parents old summer cottage and takes on the challenge of turning it into a thriving bed and breakfast. Of course along the way Adie Lou finds herself, love and a back bone. I found myself constantly picking this one up to see what would happen next and read about the character's antics. It was a heart warming read while also being funny and entertaining. Thank you to Harlequin/Graydon and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review
The Summer Cottage is about love, family, regrets, and new beginnings. Adie Lou leaves Chicago behind along with her arrogant ex-husband who left her for a younger woman, to flip her family's old cottage into a Bed & Breakfast. Little does Adie Lou know how much it's going to take mentally and physically to make her families creaky cottage into her dream come true. I hope as you read The Summer Cottage it takes you right there with Adie Lou, as it did for me. A wonderful feel good story for this coming summer. I received an ARC of The Summer Cottage from NetGalley and Harlequin
- Graydon House Books for an honest review.
- Graydon House Books for an honest review.
A delightful summer read. Here's to all the unconventional women, is like to think I'm one.
3.5 stars
Viola Shipman is actually the pen name for male author Wade Rouse, who writes under his grandmother’s name as a way to honor not just her, but also all of the elders in his family. In addition to the pen name, all his novels are inspired by both of his grandmothers’ heirlooms as well as the lessons they taught him and the lives they led. At its core, his books are all “feel-good” stories that pay homage to family. In his latest novel The Summer Cottage, Shipman finds inspiration in his grandparents’ log cabin in Missouri where he spent countless summers, a place where there was “nothing but an outhouse, fishing poles, inner tubes, books and each other.” Despite the cabin’s simplicity, it was a “magical” place where the only rule his grandparents had was “to be happy.” Though the log cabin was eventually sold after his grandparents’ deaths, Shipman later came across a cottage in Michigan that reminded him of that cabin and immediately fell in love with it, which prompted his decision to quit his job and move to Michigan, eventually settling there and becoming a writer.
In the book, Shipman expands upon this through the character of Adie Lou Kruger, a 40-something divorced mother whose affection for her parents’ summer cottage – dubbed the Creaky Cottage – draws her back to the happy place of her childhood where she eventually decides to start over and rebuild her life. Armed with plans to convert the dilapidated old cottage into a bed-and-breakfast, Adie Lou encounters one obstacle after another, but through it all, she rediscovers the joy and strength that the freedom of pursuing her dreams brings.
This is the third of Shipman’s books that I’ve read and while I found the story heartfelt and charming, I will admit that I didn’t love this one as much as I did his previous novel The Recipe Box. Perhaps it was because that book had checked all the right boxes for me, from its endearing characters and heartwarming story to its engaging narrative revolving around food and the bonds of family, I had felt a connection to the story almost right off the bat. With this book, I never really connected much with the characters and to be honest, the story felt like it moved a tad bit too slowly at times. I also felt there wasn’t as much emotional depth to the story that his previous novel had and that I’ve come to expect from his works. With that said though, I did love the descriptions of the cottage and its surrounding scenery, which Shipman did a great job of bringing alive for me, almost as though the cottage itself was a character in the story. This is one of the things I actually enjoy most about Shipman’s novels – his way of storytelling that is able to bring the inanimate object at the center of the story to life.
Overall, I would say that I liked this book, but didn’t love it. Out of Shipman’s 3 books that I’ve read, The Recipe Box is so far still my favorite. I have yet to read his first novel, The Charm Bracelet, but hope to do so at some point, preferably before his next novel comes out. This is an author I will definitely continue to read, as I appreciate the fact that with his books, I always know what to expect -- a light-hearted, feel-good story that is at times a bit too saccharine and maybe even too simplistic, but a comforting read that celebrates family, love, hope, friendship, and, most important of all, happy memories! With the world we live in currently, sometimes we need books like this to escape into and to remind us (even if only for a brief moment), the important things in life and that it’s possible to find joy even in the small moments.
Received ARC from Harlequin / Graydon House Books via NetGalley
Viola Shipman is actually the pen name for male author Wade Rouse, who writes under his grandmother’s name as a way to honor not just her, but also all of the elders in his family. In addition to the pen name, all his novels are inspired by both of his grandmothers’ heirlooms as well as the lessons they taught him and the lives they led. At its core, his books are all “feel-good” stories that pay homage to family. In his latest novel The Summer Cottage, Shipman finds inspiration in his grandparents’ log cabin in Missouri where he spent countless summers, a place where there was “nothing but an outhouse, fishing poles, inner tubes, books and each other.” Despite the cabin’s simplicity, it was a “magical” place where the only rule his grandparents had was “to be happy.” Though the log cabin was eventually sold after his grandparents’ deaths, Shipman later came across a cottage in Michigan that reminded him of that cabin and immediately fell in love with it, which prompted his decision to quit his job and move to Michigan, eventually settling there and becoming a writer.
In the book, Shipman expands upon this through the character of Adie Lou Kruger, a 40-something divorced mother whose affection for her parents’ summer cottage – dubbed the Creaky Cottage – draws her back to the happy place of her childhood where she eventually decides to start over and rebuild her life. Armed with plans to convert the dilapidated old cottage into a bed-and-breakfast, Adie Lou encounters one obstacle after another, but through it all, she rediscovers the joy and strength that the freedom of pursuing her dreams brings.
This is the third of Shipman’s books that I’ve read and while I found the story heartfelt and charming, I will admit that I didn’t love this one as much as I did his previous novel The Recipe Box. Perhaps it was because that book had checked all the right boxes for me, from its endearing characters and heartwarming story to its engaging narrative revolving around food and the bonds of family, I had felt a connection to the story almost right off the bat. With this book, I never really connected much with the characters and to be honest, the story felt like it moved a tad bit too slowly at times. I also felt there wasn’t as much emotional depth to the story that his previous novel had and that I’ve come to expect from his works. With that said though, I did love the descriptions of the cottage and its surrounding scenery, which Shipman did a great job of bringing alive for me, almost as though the cottage itself was a character in the story. This is one of the things I actually enjoy most about Shipman’s novels – his way of storytelling that is able to bring the inanimate object at the center of the story to life.
Overall, I would say that I liked this book, but didn’t love it. Out of Shipman’s 3 books that I’ve read, The Recipe Box is so far still my favorite. I have yet to read his first novel, The Charm Bracelet, but hope to do so at some point, preferably before his next novel comes out. This is an author I will definitely continue to read, as I appreciate the fact that with his books, I always know what to expect -- a light-hearted, feel-good story that is at times a bit too saccharine and maybe even too simplistic, but a comforting read that celebrates family, love, hope, friendship, and, most important of all, happy memories! With the world we live in currently, sometimes we need books like this to escape into and to remind us (even if only for a brief moment), the important things in life and that it’s possible to find joy even in the small moments.
Received ARC from Harlequin / Graydon House Books via NetGalley
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No