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oxfordcommas91 's review for:
These Summer Storms
by Sarah MacLean
dark
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Ughhhhh there is nothing I love more than a delicious slow burn of character drama and this absolutely delivered. I was gripped from the very start of this Succession-esque tale of four siblings returning home to their family's estate in Rhode Island after the sudden loss of their billionaire tech magnate father. The tension builds from chapter 1, where we meet Alice Storm, the estranged daughter, on her train ride from the city, as she grapples with her father's legacy and her place in it.
The entire book takes place on the family estate, over the course of a little under a week, but the reader is treated to a series of what should be fairly mundane twists and turns that are amped up within this wealthy beyond belief family struggling for meaning in the aftermath of the loss of the patriarch. This was definitely a scenario of characters that you hate to love and love to hate and I was actually surprised by the romance element woven through the book. It caught me off guard, in mostly a good way, but I did find the relationship a bit insta-love, though that is maybe a reflection of the heightened emotions of all the characters. Every moment feels fraught with tension and consequential, though at its core, it's just a book about the complexity of family, relationships between adult siblings and the parents they have (mostly) outgrown, the power of secrets, and the corrupting element of money.
I think that the book lost some of the carefully-built tension as it went along, and the ending was a bit lackluster, which is what brings this down from a 5 star read for me. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and thought that the author's use of storm metaphors throughout were clever but sometimes overused. It could have done with a bit more editing so these moments didn't come across as trite. As mentioned above, the relationship felt a tad insta-love to me, but it didn't take away from the chemistry between the two characters.
This is a delectable book to read by a pool over Labor Day weekend with a glass of something cold and crisp. The perfect summer read full of drama and intrigue that you won't want to put down until you binge your way all the way through it.
The entire book takes place on the family estate, over the course of a little under a week, but the reader is treated to a series of what should be fairly mundane twists and turns that are amped up within this wealthy beyond belief family struggling for meaning in the aftermath of the loss of the patriarch. This was definitely a scenario of characters that you hate to love and love to hate and I was actually surprised by the romance element woven through the book. It caught me off guard, in mostly a good way, but I did find the relationship a bit insta-love, though that is maybe a reflection of the heightened emotions of all the characters. Every moment feels fraught with tension and consequential, though at its core, it's just a book about the complexity of family, relationships between adult siblings and the parents they have (mostly) outgrown, the power of secrets, and the corrupting element of money.
I think that the book lost some of the carefully-built tension as it went along, and the ending was a bit lackluster, which is what brings this down from a 5 star read for me. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and thought that the author's use of storm metaphors throughout were clever but sometimes overused. It could have done with a bit more editing so these moments didn't come across as trite. As mentioned above, the relationship felt a tad insta-love to me, but it didn't take away from the chemistry between the two characters.
This is a delectable book to read by a pool over Labor Day weekend with a glass of something cold and crisp. The perfect summer read full of drama and intrigue that you won't want to put down until you binge your way all the way through it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting
Moderate: Bullying, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Abandonment, Classism
Minor: Body shaming, Terminal illness, Abortion, Alcohol