THE ENDLESS SEASON Freelance graphic artist Caitlin McGraw is living the hipster life in San Francisco when a jury summons brings her home to North Carolina. But doing her civic duty wasn’t supposed to include a reunion with Seth Street, the celebrity Olympic medalist—and Caitlin’s teenage love. She fell hard for Seth at thirteen, only to lose him when he left in the middle of that third summer … middle of that third summer . . . when everything changed between them.
You never forget your first love, and a decade of fame and fortune as the face of professional snowboarding hasn’t dimmed Seth’s memory of seemingly endless, perfect summers. Now, sequestered with Caitlin on a high-profile case, could Seth have a chance to rekindle those feelings of the past? Amid family conflicts and hard-hitting revelations in and out of the courtroom, Seth and Caitlin face some tough hurdles. With so much at stake, can they trust in what they’ve reawakened in each other and turn this season of change into a lifetime of love?
“What a joy it is to have a new romance by Kathleen Gilles Seidel! With wit, wisdom, and originality, Seidel tells the story of Caitlin and Seth as they go from friends to lovers along a somewhat rocky road to maturity that includes snowboarding, game design, and . . . jury duty?!! The Fourth Summer is a delight!”
—New York Times bestselling author Mary Jo Putney
more
What a joy it is to have a new romance by Kathleen Gilles Seidel! With wit, wisdom, and originality, Seidel tells the story of Caitlin and Seth as they go from friends to lovers along a somewhat rocky road to maturity that includes snowboarding, game design, and . . . jury duty?!! The Fourth Summer is a delight!
No one writes characters like Kathleen Gilles Seidel. A great story with an unusual setting. I loved it!
I enjoyed Caitlin and Seth’s story. They grew up spending summers together as kids and lost touch as they grew up. Years later they meet up at the courthouse when they were summoned for Jury Duty. This is a wonderful friends to lovers romance.
Romantic
Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team
Mary Jo –
The premise of the book is a good one, but the jumping back and forth – from past to present – made the book hard to read. At one point, I started skipping the “past” portions and only reading the current storyline.
I think the romance was there between the characters and the trial with the sequestered jury gave them both time to get to know each other again, but at the same time, I think it detracted from the romance of the story.
Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of The Fourth Summer (Stand Tall #1) by Kathleen Gilles Seidel to read and review.
I HATE the cover — it has nothing to do with the book — honestly, with this cover, the only thing that would make me buy it is the author’s name. It looks like an explicit book.
I love Kathleen Gilles Seidel’s books. All of her books have a part that I identify with — either something I might have done, said or something I wish I had. Her books are so readable. I have been a fan since the 1980’s – and am so glad some of them are out digitally now as some of my books are falling apart. I do reread my favorite books about once a year.
I enjoyed this book — lots of great information about being on a jury (and also how horrible the media can be – those scenes made me mad!) and what it could be like when you are forced into a situation with your first love. I liked the ending and how it came together — I think that really made sense. I definitely recommend this book, but I’d start with some of her other books (Again, Shut up and Wear Beige, etc). So far, this is not my favorite of her books — but I thought the same thing about Please Remember This and it is one of my favorites now.
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 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
The cover of this book doesn’t go with this story at all. Not that there’s anything wrong with the cover, but it’s just the wrong cover for this story in my mind. This story has way more to do with interpersonal relationships between all ages and backgrounds than a sexy guy laying on a bed.
The flashback to the relationship that Caitlyn and Seth had as young teens is amazingly sweet. The innocent friendship that is their first summer had a wonderful nostalgia for me. Especially when I learned the reason Caitlyn was initially sent to her grandmother’s that summer. Not that I could relate with exactly what she was going through, but haven’t we all had that feeling of being pushed aside for other family members at that age?
From the way this one began I thought it may end up being a coming of age story. Although there are some elements of that here and there, that’s not what this book is at its core. Seth and Caitlyn are selected for a jury for a high-profile case that goes awry. Don’t worry though, it’s also not a courtroom drama. The author does a great job of giving us enough information so the reader understands how confusing the trial is for the jurors without going so deep it takes away from the story. Because again, this is not a courtroom drama.
This is a story about human interaction. The way we are perceived by others and the way we think we are coming across. It’s about how we want to be viewed as opposed to how we are viewed. I was impressed by the cast of characters that made up the jury. When you have such a large cast of non-main characters it can sometimes be hard to remember who’s who. These jurors all had distinct enough characters that I was never confused as to who the author was referencing in any scene. From the shy and meek young lady to the brass and egotistical middle-aged jerk, I got them all down pretty quickly.
Ultimately, this is a love story between Caitlyn and Seth. I liked their connection and connected with Caitlyn, but never truly understood Seth’s motivations for the way things played out in their third summer. Was he just immature or was he as selfish as he seemed? The author never really makes that clear, and maybe that’s by design. Now, I don’t agree with Caitlyn on holding Seth’s decision against him. It was actually selfish of her to think that he should have made a different choice. But the way things played out from there was all on Seth.
This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I’m a bit on the fence. While I enjoyed the story and was impressed with how well she developed even her side characters, her writing is a bit stilted for me. This could just be my own preference, but it just seemed the style was more middle-grade while the content definitely wasn’t. I’m sure I’ll pick something up by her again if I get the chance since the story did engage me quite a bit. And since this is the first in the series I am interested enough in Seth’s buddies that I’d pick up another of this series if they’re about them.
**I received an ARC of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely**
https://allingoodtimeblog.wordpress.com/2018/07/23/the-fourth-summer-book-review/