The Fourth Summer

Although the cover turned me off a lot, the book was an excellent entry in Seidel's oeuvre. She is an excellent writer and understands people and makes them seem very authentic on the page. And interesting. One thing, besides the cover, that I disliked about this book is that it seemed too short -- more Harlequin length than women's lit. Although the main characters seemed very young, they did mature during the book. The setting was very fresh and the supporting characters were fleshed-out and made interesting. The background -- jury duty in North Carolina, snowboarding, graphic design and video game designing, gave depth to the book and made it more interesting. This isn't my favorite book by Seidel (Again and Don't Forget to Smile) show more but I can't wait for her next book. They seem to come at such distant intervals now. show less

The Fourth Summer by Kathleen Gilles-Seidel
Standing Tall #1

Thrilled to see a new book by this author! That said, I think this book is rated on it being a NA genre rather than a contemporary romance. The story flips between the time the H/h were in their teens and their present ages of mid-twenties. So, my feeling is that it should be geared and advertised to that age reader.

Seth is a snowboarder who won the bronze medal at the Olympics in a clean sweep for America. He has been living a public life and also advertising his family’s board and other products for a decade. Caitlin is a graphic designer who works predominately on video games and book covers. The two spent summers together for a few years then suddenly were apart and have show more not seen each other for over a decade. When Seth and Caitlin are called home to sit on a jury they reconnect, talk, work together on issues that come up and try to decide if there is a relationship to pursue between them or not. The families of both Seth and Caitlin make appearances but the main story is the jury trial and the interaction between the jury members.

I felt both Seth and Caitlin were interesting characters with perhaps Caitlin the more mature of the two. Both did grow during the book and I can see them together as a couple.

Did I like this book? Yes
Would I like to read more by this author? Definitely
Was it my favorite book by this author? Probably not
What was my favorite book by this author? Don’t Forget to Smile

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books – Lyrical Shine for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4 Stars show less