Blooming with Books: Summer by the Tides ~ Review

Summer by the Tides
By Denise Hunter

Maddy Monroe's life couldn't get much worse - everything has just gone kaput - her job, her boyfriend, and now her grandmother is missing. And the fact that her life was falling down around so that she didn't answer her phone or text messages means that both of her sisters are now on their way to Sea Haven, North Carolina, too.

The last summer that the family spent together at Sea Haven, is one that Maddy would rather forget after all it was the summer that shattered their family. And no matter how much she's tried to be the peacemaker between her sisters the betrayal of that summer has driven a wedge between Nora and Emma that seems an impossible divide.

With their grandmother missing could this be the chance to heal old wounds and find healing? Or will the bitterness further divide them? And the helpful neighbor who let them all know that they were needed Maddy just doesn't trust him with his surfer beach-bum looks. But could she be misjudging Connor Murphy? Maddy doesn't think so.

But as the summer continues and three sisters work on getting their grandmother's house cleaned and touched-up old memories are revealed and long-held family secrets unearthed. Sometimes there are two sides to every story and the side not known, changes everything we thought we knew. And when your heart has been broken and your trust trampled can you ever love again? Is it ever too late to forgive? Maddy certainly hopes not.

This is a story of family and the bonds that tie us together. Just how strong are they before they break completely and can the fraying edges be woven together again? This book is set in the present with flashbacks to 20 years ago as that fateful summer that changed everything is slowly revealed. This makes for an excellent summer read that is easy to follow. Looking for a potential book club selection - here's your next title. Just like a gentle read for a before bed chapter or two - enjoy!

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by the publisher through TLC Book Tours with no expectations but that I offer my honest opinion - all thoughts expressed are my own.

About the Book:

From the bestselling author of The Convenient Groom (now a beloved Hallmark Original movie) comes a heartfelt story of family secrets, forgiveness, and unexpected romance.

Following a painful betrayal, Maddy Monroe’s love life is a wreck, and her restaurant career is in shambles. When her grandmother goes missing, she and her estranged sisters converge at the family beach house in Sea Haven, North Carolina. Being with uptight Nora and free-spirited Emma at the place where their family broke apart is a struggle, and undercurrents of jealousy and resentment threaten to pull the sisters under. In the midst of the storm, sparks begin to fly between Maddy and Gram’s maddening neighbor, Connor Murphy.

As the sisters pack up the family belongings, memories of idyllic, slow-paced summers are resurrected. But long-buried secrets also come to light as Maddy discovers that all was not as it appeared that last summer in Sea Haven—nor today in the seemingly perfect lives of her sisters.

As family tensions rise and Connor causes tumult in Maddy’s heart, the sisters must find a way to accept each other for the women they’ve become before the bitterness of the past destroys their hope for a future.