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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
Freshly divorced, Adie Lou is looking to make a change. Stuck working at a job that she hates, she's looking for the change that will light the fire in her soul and make her happy again. And so she decides to turn her family's summer cottage into a B and B. As we know, nothing in life ever goes according to plan, and soon Adie Lou is questioning her sanity and her ability to make her dream a reality.
Inspired by a letter she finds in the walls of her family's property, Adie Lou is determined to make her new life in Saugatuck happy and everything she wants it to be.
I thoroughly admired Adie Lou's courage and conviction to live the life that she wanted and to do what made her happy. Women all too often succumb to society's pressures and we lose our essence, our inner fire, sacrifice our dreams, and become what others want us to be. This book was an eye opener to what we could become if we have the guts to go after what we want. And it brought tears to my eyes often because Adie Lou is a character that so many of us can relate to. I know many of us hold back (myself included) on taking a chance because of fear. Fear of failure. Fear at change. But we just have to take that leap of faith and hope that everything works out in the end.
“‘ Success is not final, failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.’”
The Summer Cottage is a beautiful and inspiring tale of love, friendship, courage, adversity, and a woman looking to find herself and her place in this world. This was my first book by Viola Shipman and I can assure you it won't be my last.
Inspired by a letter she finds in the walls of her family's property, Adie Lou is determined to make her new life in Saugatuck happy and everything she wants it to be.
I thoroughly admired Adie Lou's courage and conviction to live the life that she wanted and to do what made her happy. Women all too often succumb to society's pressures and we lose our essence, our inner fire, sacrifice our dreams, and become what others want us to be. This book was an eye opener to what we could become if we have the guts to go after what we want. And it brought tears to my eyes often because Adie Lou is a character that so many of us can relate to. I know many of us hold back (myself included) on taking a chance because of fear. Fear of failure. Fear at change. But we just have to take that leap of faith and hope that everything works out in the end.
“‘ Success is not final, failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.’”
The Summer Cottage is a beautiful and inspiring tale of love, friendship, courage, adversity, and a woman looking to find herself and her place in this world. This was my first book by Viola Shipman and I can assure you it won't be my last.
Freshly divorced, Adie Lou is looking to make a change. Stuck working at a job that she hates, she's looking for the change that will light the fire in her soul and make her happy again. And so she decides to turn her family's summer cottage into a B and B. As we know, nothing in life ever goes according to plan, and soon Adie Lou is questioning her sanity and her ability to make her dream a reality.
Inspired by a letter she finds in the walls of her family's property, Adie Lou is determined to make her new life in Saugatuck happy and everything she wants it to be.
I thoroughly admired Adie Lou's courage and conviction to live the life that she wanted and to do what made her happy. Women all too often succumb to society's pressures and we lose our essence, our inner fire, sacrifice our dreams, and become what others want us to be. This book was an eye opener to what we could become if we have the guts to go after what we want. And it brought tears to my eyes often because Adie Lou is a character that so many of us can relate to. I know many of us hold back (myself included) on taking a chance because of fear. Fear of failure. Fear at change. But we just have to take that leap of faith and hope that everything works out in the end.
“‘ Success is not final, failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.’”
The Summer Cottage is a beautiful and inspiring tale of love, friendship, courage, adversity, and a woman looking to find herself and her place in this world. This was my first book by Viola Shipman and I can assure you it won't be my last.
ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Inspired by a letter she finds in the walls of her family's property, Adie Lou is determined to make her new life in Saugatuck happy and everything she wants it to be.
I thoroughly admired Adie Lou's courage and conviction to live the life that she wanted and to do what made her happy. Women all too often succumb to society's pressures and we lose our essence, our inner fire, sacrifice our dreams, and become what others want us to be. This book was an eye opener to what we could become if we have the guts to go after what we want. And it brought tears to my eyes often because Adie Lou is a character that so many of us can relate to. I know many of us hold back (myself included) on taking a chance because of fear. Fear of failure. Fear at change. But we just have to take that leap of faith and hope that everything works out in the end.
“‘ Success is not final, failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.’”
The Summer Cottage is a beautiful and inspiring tale of love, friendship, courage, adversity, and a woman looking to find herself and her place in this world. This was my first book by Viola Shipman and I can assure you it won't be my last.
ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Absolutely LOVED this book!!!!! The story pulls you in right away. You laugh (out loud), cry, and all the in between.
I received a copy of this book from the Goodreads giveaway.
I read a lot of books about vacations and getaways, but this one actually felt like taking a vacation when I read it. Lighthearted but also filled with lessons and reminders about what’s really important in life: family, self-discovery, love. I’m actually sad I finished it, but I would highly recommend this as a great book to read on your summer vacation, lake trip, beach escape, or cabin weekend. Enjoy!
I read a lot of books about vacations and getaways, but this one actually felt like taking a vacation when I read it. Lighthearted but also filled with lessons and reminders about what’s really important in life: family, self-discovery, love. I’m actually sad I finished it, but I would highly recommend this as a great book to read on your summer vacation, lake trip, beach escape, or cabin weekend. Enjoy!
Reviewed on Books Cats Tea | Instagram
3.5 stars
[See blog post for intro]
The Summer Cottage is a light book that left me a bit surprised at having enjoyed it. It was a book club pick and I have never read what some would call “chick-lit” before*, so I was taken off guard at how much the simplicity of the story and characters didn’t bother me. The underlying themes of building ones self-confidence, following ones dreams, and ignoring the haters was strong enough to overcome the conflicts I had with the novel.
I love that the book was broken down to follow the summer cottage family rules. The story didn’t feel forced into the confines of them and I enjoyed the creative interpretation of “go jump in a lake.” While the story was predictable in that I knew it was going to have a happy ending and that the protagonist was going to get what she wanted despite the massive amount of money her undertaking would have been, the luck she had in everyone hired by her being laze-fair about getting paid, that her life and divorce was privileged with enough wealth to have a summer cottage and take on the challenge of transforming it, and the unrealistic accomplishment of making money on her first summer opening, I somehow still enjoyed the book. Even as I type this, I’m confused at the positive reading experience despite the numerous negatives I mentioned–things that have turned me away from other books in the past.
The side characters felt fleshed out just enough to have believe-ability in the simple roles they played, though I wholly did not believe the change-of-heart behavior of Nate at the end. I also didn’t relate to Adie Lou in her privilege, but the aspiration to follow your dreams is, I believe, a universal human quality. I was particularly drawn to Adie Lou’s desire to empower more women who have suffered and given up a lot in order to put their husbands or family first. Women who have been used by the patriarchy and discarded or who have to work twice as hard and prove their worth against men who do not. This was such a small piece of the larger story, but I really liked that this was part of her drive. To raise women up.
There is something to be said to reading a novel that has charming qualities, especially when you are someone who tends to be a realist. The book spoke to the optimist in me–the dreamer that wants to see everyone happy and treated fairly and who gets to follow their own dreams. Stories like that can be overly saccharine and quickly leave a bad taste in my mouth. The Summer Cottage managed to skirt the line of improbability with just enough conflict to move the story along.
[See blog post for *]
3.5 stars
[See blog post for intro]
The Summer Cottage is a light book that left me a bit surprised at having enjoyed it. It was a book club pick and I have never read what some would call “chick-lit” before*, so I was taken off guard at how much the simplicity of the story and characters didn’t bother me. The underlying themes of building ones self-confidence, following ones dreams, and ignoring the haters was strong enough to overcome the conflicts I had with the novel.
I love that the book was broken down to follow the summer cottage family rules. The story didn’t feel forced into the confines of them and I enjoyed the creative interpretation of “go jump in a lake.” While the story was predictable in that I knew it was going to have a happy ending and that the protagonist was going to get what she wanted despite the massive amount of money her undertaking would have been, the luck she had in everyone hired by her being laze-fair about getting paid, that her life and divorce was privileged with enough wealth to have a summer cottage and take on the challenge of transforming it, and the unrealistic accomplishment of making money on her first summer opening, I somehow still enjoyed the book. Even as I type this, I’m confused at the positive reading experience despite the numerous negatives I mentioned–things that have turned me away from other books in the past.
The side characters felt fleshed out just enough to have believe-ability in the simple roles they played, though I wholly did not believe the change-of-heart behavior of Nate at the end. I also didn’t relate to Adie Lou in her privilege, but the aspiration to follow your dreams is, I believe, a universal human quality. I was particularly drawn to Adie Lou’s desire to empower more women who have suffered and given up a lot in order to put their husbands or family first. Women who have been used by the patriarchy and discarded or who have to work twice as hard and prove their worth against men who do not. This was such a small piece of the larger story, but I really liked that this was part of her drive. To raise women up.
There is something to be said to reading a novel that has charming qualities, especially when you are someone who tends to be a realist. The book spoke to the optimist in me–the dreamer that wants to see everyone happy and treated fairly and who gets to follow their own dreams. Stories like that can be overly saccharine and quickly leave a bad taste in my mouth. The Summer Cottage managed to skirt the line of improbability with just enough conflict to move the story along.
[See blog post for *]
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Cute story about a woman finding herself and becoming who she’s meant to be.
The characters are like-able. The plot is a little slow and there really isn’t conflict.
The story is more about learning important life lessons alongside Adie Lou.
I loved the theme encouraging people to be who they are - take time to discover yourself. Don’t get caught up in the humdrum of life.
While this wasn’t as good as “Famous in a Small Town,” I still appreciated the through-line that encourages you to figure out what you want and make it happen. Life is short. Be brave. Be you.
A darling read about Adie Lou who makes a last minute decision in divorce agreements to keep her family summer cottage in Saugatuck and turn it into an Inn. I’m here for all of Viola’s Lake Michigan cozy summer reads!!!
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No