He never meant to stay. He certainly never meant to fall in love… Summer Island off the coast of Norway was the place London chef Jack Greene should have been from. He’s an outsider in the community that should have been his family, and now he’s setting foot on the strange land he has inherited for the first time. Ninni Toft, his nearest neighbour, has come to the island to mend her broken … island to mend her broken heart. With her wild spirit and irrepressible enthusiasm, she shows city-boy Jack the simple pleasures of island life – and what it means to belong. To a place. To a people. To one person in particular…
Home is where the heart is, but is Jack’s heart with the career he left behind in London, or on the wind-swept shores of Summer Island, with Ninni?
Summer Island is just what you need right now! Don’t believe us? Look at what our readers think:
‘The perfect escape during this globally stressful time…delightful’ Sarah
‘Oh, how I would love to live on the Island…heartwarming, full of hope, love, friendship, fun and is everything that friends and family should be!’ Sarah Lizzie
‘This was such a good book! I couldn’t put this book down and it filled me with warmth!’ Sinead
‘This book was so good!’ Alicia
‘Absolutely loved this story…make sure you have some time to spare – you’ll not want to put it down till you’ve finished!’ Sara
‘The unique setting was really lovely and a breath of fresh air…also, love a dog in a story!’ Andi
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A perfectly wonderful summertime read. I love an Island story, and this one, set in Norway, was a pleasant escape. The food, the characters, the salty fresh air; not to mention, a sweet love story to top it all off. This is your beach read of the year.
A light and easy read by this Norwegian author.
I absolutely loved this book by Natalie Normann. Her two characters of Jack and Ninni were complex, beautifully written and their arcs are adeptly drawn. There is a beautiful tone and cadence to this writing – seemingly succinct on the surface but with great depth, each word obviously chosen with care to reveal the heart and soul of these characters’ lives.
Highly recommended and can’t wait for Christmas Island.
Strong Scandinavian flavour: summer romance or serious connection?
Summer Island served up what I had hoped for – a romance with characters heavily influenced by the rustic, Norwegian island setting. Traditional foods, festivals and land and seascapes that made me want to join them there, rain or shine! With two lead characters recovering from disappointment the angst level was still pretty low-key. The secondary characters on the island and group social activities gave it a tight-knit community feel. Overall I found the book positive, a little educational about living a more self sustaining life in a coastal, rural setting, and good reading.
Thanks to publisher Harper Collins/One More Chapter and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.
After discovering Christmas Island by Natalie Normann last December, I knew I would have to read Summer Island so I could return to the tranquility of the Norwegian islands again so I was utterly delighted that I had opportunity to review this lovely book.
Summer Island is written in such a manner that you cannot help but become immersed in the fictional world that truly feels real. You can practically taste the salt in the sea air, hear the sheep bleating on their inlet and oh my! the food descriptions, just like in my previous literary visit sound heavenly and I really do wish I could try Old Cheese! This is so different to the type of books I normally read, but I will happily read every single book Natalie Normann writes as she’s gifted us a vivid world, with wonderful diverse characters who you just know you’d enjoy a beer with (if you remember to buy them before 8pm) and learn each quirky new thing the Islands have to give those who inhabit them.
The love story of a Norwegian translation whose heart has been broken and trust destroyed and an English chef whose whole world has done a full 180° if not more is one that you cannot help but love seeing develop. They’re broken, and beaten down – uncertain and unsure in a way that unlike a lot of stories with romance in them, feels believable. You’re going to sigh softly (and deny it like I did), and you’re going to get extremely frustrated with their exes who need to stay gone for good, Normann writes characters in such an excellent manner that your skin will crawl over one particular character’s antics trust me.
From hurt dogs, potato planting, memories hidden in dusty books and revelations that will make you want to shake the two lovers into seeing what you see? Summer Island has it all and it’s got the addition of being set somewhere that sounds so tranquil and isolated, that I’d click my fingers in a heartbeat to be there – just, can anyone ensure all my books get there and enough tea to sink a ship?