Friendship with boy at summer camp turns into love years later during renovation of camp.

2.5 stars. Not my usual genre, so maybe my rating should be taken with a grain of salt. I needed something light and distracting. This story of summer camp revisited as an adult pretty much fit the bill. ( )

Enjoyed the descriptions of being at a summer camp for wealthy kids mostly. Never did truly understand why Connor ever wanted to date Lolly during his final year at camp - understood the friendship but not the love. Truly admired Connor for his ability to pull himself up as an adult while dealing with family issues (drunk father, non-caring mother). Also wonder how future books will deal with his half brother, Julian which was an entertaining character. Liked the comparisons of father's behavior to daughter's for dealing with someone of a lower class. Mother exhibited the typical snob attitudes. ( )

Summer at Willow Lake is a fun romance novel that touches some serious themes. The story is set at Camp Kioga in the Catskills. The camp has been owned and operated by the Bellamy family for multiple generations, but it has been shut down for the past nine years. When the novel begins, Olivia Bellamy, a twenty-seven-year-old business woman who owns a company that prepares (or fluffs) homes to be put on the market, is approached by her grandmother, Jane Bellamy. Jane's plan is to hire Olivia to renovate the camp so that she and her husband, Charles, can hold their golden anniversary party there.

Olivia is good at her work, so her business is very successful. However, she's not very good at her relationships with men. Something always goes wrong. Shortly before Olivia's Nana approaches her, Olivia suffers her latest breakup. Although renovating a camp that's been shuttered for so long is a project that will be challenging, an opportunity to get out of the city for the summer is just what she needs. She agrees to handle the project.

One of the first things Olivia needs to do when she arrives at the camp is to hire a contractor. Of course, there's only one contractor in the small town and he turns out to be the person who broke her heart one summer when they were both counselors at the camp.

The plot of Summer at Willow Lake is centered around Olivia's relationship through what is happening in the present as well as flashbacks to her time as a teenager. Yet the story also branches off to touch other romances, including events that happened to Olivia's father back when he was at the camp. I liked way these other stories were woven into the main narrative.

Although the book has some very humorous sections, it also deals with some serious topics such as alcohol addiction and the effects of divorce on children. ( )

Not really into contemporary romances anymore, but since I really loved Wiggs' historical work, I thought I would give this series a try. I -almost- did not like the heroine, and I'm still troubled by the "weight loss made me beautiful" trope. BUT I really loved the chemistry, the hero, and the interwoven story lines. Clearly, the rest of the series is going to be interesting. Looking forward to catching up. ( )