A review by mldavisreads
The Summer Cottage by Viola Shipman

adventurous hopeful

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

Adult contemporary realistic fiction.  Adie Lou is fresh off of a divorce, looking to start over.  She decides to turn her grandparents' Michigan summer cottage into a B and B.  The cottage is blessed with lakefront property and her grandfather's well-maintained boat, so she has some assets to work with.  But turning a one-family cottage into a full bed and breakfast takes a lot of time and money.  Luckily Frank the contractor (the grandson of the original cottage builder) is up to the task.  Scooter, her childhood friend, agrees to not only check on the boat but also to drive it on sunset cruises.  And her son Evan is happy to put his business and marketing skills to use.   Adie finds a very supportive community and is determined to be open for the start of the tourist season Memorial Day weekend.

This book was organized around the rules for the cottage, things such as "everyone must be present for sunset," and "dinner is a family affair."  Another winning novel about connecting with our past but not being scared to face the future.