The Summer Deal by Jill Shalvis / A perfect small town summer read

The Summer Deal by Jill Shalvis

Years ago, in 2013/14, I devoured the author’s Lucky Harbor series. And although I moved on from reading her books routinely, my tbr is ever growing, I love that she continues to write heartfelt and lighthearted romances that anyone can relate to.

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Brynn Turner desperately wishes she had it together, but her personal life is like a ping-pong match that’s left her scared and hurt after so many attempts to get it right. In search of a place to lick her wounds and get a fresh start, she heads back home to Wildstone.

And then there’s Kinsey Davis, who after battling serious health issues her entire twenty-nine years of life, is tired of hoping for . . . well, anything. She’s fierce, tough, and pretty much the opposite of Brynn except for one thing: they’re half-sisters. Kinsey is keeping this bombshell, and a few others as well. Long time frenemies from summer camp, there’s no way she’s going to tell Brynn they’re related.

But then Brynn runs into Kinsey’s lifelong best friend, Eli, renewing a childhood crush. He’s still easy-going and funny and sexy as hell. When he gets her to agree to a summer-time deal to trust him to do right by her, no matter what, she never dreams it’ll result in finding a piece of herself she didn’t even know was missing. She could have a sister, love, and a future―if she can only learn to let go of the past.

As the long days of summer wind down, the three of them must discover if forgiveness is enough to grasp the unconditional love that’s right in front of them.

The Summer Deal by Jill Shalvis

MY THOUGHTS

The Summer Deal was the perfect summer beach read.

Light-hearted, and fun to read. With some family drama (who doesn’t like that) thanks to a complex sibling dynamic, the story was a wonderful comfort read.

The author did the family/siblings dynamic very well. The characters felt real and authentic. Although they were flawed, in a messed up kind of way, they were still endearing, and easy to root for.

And even though I loved that we got two romances in one book, the most important relationship definitely happened between Kinsey and Brynn. The book excelled at complicated relationships. And I thought the author did a great job resolving it all, but first she had them both stumble around a bit.

I also loved that each chapter started with a summer camp journal entry from either Kinsey or Brynn. They were too adorable at times, and gave the reader glimpses of the time it all began. When the girls met at camp, shared a cabin, and their rocky ‘frenemy’ship really started.

Overall, the entire setup was very summery, it had a beachy feel to it. From the guys surfing, to the roommate situation, and the complex relationships, the book had the perfect summer vibe.

A feel good novel with heart-warming characters.

But it didn’t surprise me that out of the two couples, Kinsey and Deck were the ones that stood out to me the most, they were a bit more interesting!! Kinsey and Deck had more charisma, more character, and just the right dose of edginess.

ABOUT THE AUDIOBOOK:

The audiobook was well done. And the narrator did a fantastic job with her male voices, the roughness in her voice came across really well. I pretty much flew through the book, probably didn’t take me more than three days, and with only 8 hours it had the perfect length too.

I received a copy & audiobook of this book from the publisher for free in exchange for an honest review.
My opinions have not been influenced by the publisher or the author.

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The Summer Deal by Jill Shalvis