Veel drama voor zo'n klein boekje. Wel lekker leeswerk. Heb me ermee vermaakt ( )

Summer on the Island by Brenda Novak has Marlow Madsen along with two of her friends spending the summer on Teach Island at her family summer home, Seaclusion. Aria is recently divorced and is looking for a fresh start. She found out her husband had been cheating on her. Claire lost her home to California forest fires and her yoga studio to the pandemic. She has also broken up with her boyfriend who happened to be Aria’s ex-husband. Marlow lost her father a month ago. She has been feeling overwhelmed by the negativity of her family law practice due to the number of contentious divorces. Marlow has yet to tell her mother, but she has sold her condo in Los Angeles and closed her law practice. Eileen, Marlow’s mother, has multiple sclerosis which has taken a sharp decline since the death of her husband. She has been relying on her housekeeper, Rosemary for extra assistance. While on the island, Marlow learns a devastating secret about her father. Marlow will need the support of her friends as well as that of her new love interest to get through this challenging time. Summer on the Island takes us to the tropical Teach Island off the coast of Florida. I enjoyed the beautiful descriptions of this tropical locale. I thought the book contained good writing with steady pacing. The characters were realistic and relatable. Summer on the Island is an emotional story. It contains some scary and heart wrenching situations. There is family drama, romance, a touch of mystery, and secrets. Families and friendships will be tested. I could have done with less repetition. Certain details get repeated throughout the book. I also felt that that the epilogue was incomplete. I want to let you know that the story does contain foul language and intimate situations. You need to tuck Summer on the Island in your beach bag as it is a great book to read at the beach or while lounging by the pool. Summer on the Island is an emotional story about female friendships, surprising secrets, a second chance romance, a family calamity, a scary storm, fresh start at the sea, helpful healing, and offering forgiveness. ( )

Marlo and a few of her friends have decided to spend the summer on Teach island off the coast of Florida. Marlo is dealing with lots of issues, the loss of her father, the closing of her law practice and a possible stalker. This should be a trip to rebuild and reevaluate. But, her past comes back in the form of the new police chief, which she needs to make amends.

Marlo has some family drama which comes to light while she is closing out her father’s will. Her dad kept a huge secret from his family. She is just not sure how she is supposed to deal with this. Then there is Walker. You MUST read this to find out!

This is a wonderful story to get lost in. I was so caught up in Walker and Marlo, just about everything else took a back seat. Well, that is until the stalker made an appearance! Talk about a tale full of all kinds of feels!

Need a good story about love, family and secrets…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review. ( )

Summer on the Island by Brenda Novak

Three women head to a small Florida island for the summer. Friends that came together through a divorce with one the lawyer, one the cheated upon wife and the third the woman that the husband was cheating with. The summer will have them all dealing with emotions, healing, and growing as they fact their unknown futures.

What I liked:
* Marlow: divorce lawyer, only child, mother has MS, father recently deceased, wealthy, intelligent, debating what she wants for her future
* Walker: police chief, brother, son, all around nice guy, had a crush on Marlow most of his life, housekeeper’s son
* Reese: Walker’s brother, tennis pro, has a bit surprise coming toward the end of the book
* Aida: beautiful, ex-Hollywood wannabe, divorced and trying to figure out what she wants to do with the rest of her life
* Claire: yoga instructor, the other woman in Aida’s marriage, trying to figure out what to do with her future
* Rosemary: housekeeper, mother of Walker and Reese, has a big secrets she hope will never come out, considering getting back with her ex-husband
* Eileen: Marlow’s mother, wealthy, has MS, a bit of a snobist (maybe?), has a big shock toward the end of the book, deals with it well…eventually
* Teach Island: gorgeous small and wonderful place to set the story
* The relationship that develops between Marlow and Walker

What I didn’t like:
* Dutton: ex-husband, philanderer, liar, troublemaker,
* The secret that came out and hurt so many

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more books by this author? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin-Mira for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4-5 STARS ( )

In Brenda Novak's latest novel, Summer on the Island, successful young divorce attorney Marlow Madsen leaves Los Angeles to go to her family's summer retreat on Teach Island in Florida, unsure if she will return to her life in LA. Her father, a longtime respected Senator, has passed away from COVID, and her mother has suffered from MS for years.

Marlow intends to help her mother pack up the family's other homes in Virginia and Atlanta for sale, and then reassess her life plan. She brought two friends with her- Aida, whom Marlow represented in a difficult divorce, and Claire, a young woman who lost her home and yoga studio in a recent California wildfire.

When Marlow returns home, she finds her grieving mother Eileen and longtime family housekeeper Rosemary, who helps with Eileen's care. Rosemary's son Reese takes care of the house and property, and his older brother Walker is now the town's chief of police.

Walker and Marlow grew up together, and as teenagers their friendship blossomed into something more. Because of their different backgrounds, they grew apart. Marlow went onto college and law school, Walker into police work.

Things ended badly between Walker and Marlow, but clearly the heat is still there. (Oh yes, it is steamy in summer in Florida!) Even though Walker does his best to avoid Marlow while she is home, when they are in close proximity things happen.

Marlow's work makes her jaded about love and marriage. She has to deal with Aida's ex-husband who threatened her during the nasty divorce. Although she knows her marriage is over, Aida still remembers the good times she had with her husband. Claire also has to deal with a man- her ex-boyfriend who lied about being married and is determined to win her back.

Summer on the Island is about former loves, secrets, friendship, and how to (or if you should) forgive people who have wronged you. I found the theme of forgiveness intriguing, it really made me think about the topic. Brenda Novak writes characters who are interesting; they certainly have their flaws, and who doesn't love a book with a fabulous beach town setting when the spring weather is so unpredictable? This is another solid book from Benda Novak.

Thanks to Harlequin Books for putting me on their Winter 2022 Women's Fiction Blog Tour. ( )