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A review by rhyttinen
The Summer Cottage by Viola Shipman
5.0
This is an Advanced Reader Copy, and the reason I requested it was because it takes place in Saugatuck, MI, a place I used to vacation at quite frequently.
The story follows Adie Lou, a middle-aged woman who leaves her cheating husband and life behind and decides to reinvent herself by restoring an old cottage on Lake Michigan that she inherited.
While growing up, she always referred to it as "The Creaky Cottage," and it's easy to see that the cottage holds plenty of precious memories for her. Even though she's pressured by her ex-husband and attorney to sell it, she instead decides to take one hell of a gamble and, spending money she really doesn't have, decides to fix it up and transform the creaky old cottage into a Bed & Breakfast.
Of course, our brave protagonist has to face all manner of obstacles, everything from a cantankerous preservation society, overly demanding guests and unsurprisingly, unexpected expenses. She honestly had no idea of the work and the costs involved in such an undertaking, and I loved journeying with her as she tried to pull off the impossible and discovers support in unexpected places.
Now what was fun about this book is that each section is themed after one of the delightfully simple 14 rules that her parents had for the cabin, with the first one being "Leave your troubles at the door." Adie Lou names every room in the B & B after one of the rules as well. This clever plot device worked magnificently in this story and made me think that we all could use some of these rules in our own lives from time to time. I'm not going to tell you any more of them lest I run the fun of discovering them for yourself.
I loved seeing how as the cottage was brought back to life, so too was Addie Lou as she discovered parts of herself that she'd forgotten or never knew were there. So in this way, what we have here is a book about healing, reinventing oneself, discovery, and hope for someone who's not quite sure of their direction or their path.
All in all, I loved this book. It's an uplifting, poignant and heartfelt novel that is empowering as it is beautiful, and a couple of surprising twists rendered this a truly memorable read. The Summer Cottage is an atmospheric book, and I felt that the author did an excellent job with the setting, which added an extra charming element to the story.
You know, I love the "running away and rebuilding your life" trope, and this one did not disappoint. I also enjoy stories where the focus is on the restorative power of small-town community, so this one hit all the right chords with me. All in all, a lovely story about turning lemons into lemonade and I ended up giving this one 5 stars.
The story follows Adie Lou, a middle-aged woman who leaves her cheating husband and life behind and decides to reinvent herself by restoring an old cottage on Lake Michigan that she inherited.
While growing up, she always referred to it as "The Creaky Cottage," and it's easy to see that the cottage holds plenty of precious memories for her. Even though she's pressured by her ex-husband and attorney to sell it, she instead decides to take one hell of a gamble and, spending money she really doesn't have, decides to fix it up and transform the creaky old cottage into a Bed & Breakfast.
Of course, our brave protagonist has to face all manner of obstacles, everything from a cantankerous preservation society, overly demanding guests and unsurprisingly, unexpected expenses. She honestly had no idea of the work and the costs involved in such an undertaking, and I loved journeying with her as she tried to pull off the impossible and discovers support in unexpected places.
Now what was fun about this book is that each section is themed after one of the delightfully simple 14 rules that her parents had for the cabin, with the first one being "Leave your troubles at the door." Adie Lou names every room in the B & B after one of the rules as well. This clever plot device worked magnificently in this story and made me think that we all could use some of these rules in our own lives from time to time. I'm not going to tell you any more of them lest I run the fun of discovering them for yourself.
I loved seeing how as the cottage was brought back to life, so too was Addie Lou as she discovered parts of herself that she'd forgotten or never knew were there. So in this way, what we have here is a book about healing, reinventing oneself, discovery, and hope for someone who's not quite sure of their direction or their path.
All in all, I loved this book. It's an uplifting, poignant and heartfelt novel that is empowering as it is beautiful, and a couple of surprising twists rendered this a truly memorable read. The Summer Cottage is an atmospheric book, and I felt that the author did an excellent job with the setting, which added an extra charming element to the story.
You know, I love the "running away and rebuilding your life" trope, and this one did not disappoint. I also enjoy stories where the focus is on the restorative power of small-town community, so this one hit all the right chords with me. All in all, a lovely story about turning lemons into lemonade and I ended up giving this one 5 stars.