Advance Praise for THE SUMMER COTTAGE“Every now and then a new voice in fiction arrives to completely charm, entertain and remind us what matters. Viola Shipman is that voice and The Summer Cottage is that absolutely irresistible and necessary novel.” — New York Times Bestselling Author Dorothea Benton FrankFrom the bestselling author of The Charm Bracelet and The Recipe Box comes the perfect … The Charm Bracelet and The Recipe Box comes the perfect summer escape about the restorative power of family tradition, small-town community and the feel of sand between your toes
Adie Lou Kruger’s ex never understood her affection for what her parents called their Cozy Cottage, the charming, ramshackle summer home—complete with its own set of rules for relaxing—that she’s inherited on Lake Michigan. But despite the fact she’s facing a broken marriage and empty nest, and middle age is looming in the distance, memories of happy childhoods on the beach give her reason for hope. She’s determined not to let her husband’s affair with a grad student reduce her to a cliché, or to waste one more minute in a career she doesn’t love, so it becomes clear what Adie Lou must do: rebuild her life and restore her cottage shingle by shingle, on her terms.
But converting the beloved, weather-beaten structure into a bed-and-breakfast isn’t quite the efficient home-reno experience she’s seen on TV. Pushback from Saugatuck’s contentious preservation society, costly surprises and demanding guests were not part of the plan. But as the cottage comes back to life, Adie Lou does, too, finding support in unexpected places and a new love story on the horizon. One cottage rule at a time, Adie Lou reclaims her own strength, history and joy by rediscovering the magic in every sunset and sandcastle.
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I enjoyed this sweet summer read of Adie Lou and her reinvention of herself. When her marriage crumbles into divorce, and Adie Lou is faced with selling her summer cottage with all its memories, she can’t do it. So, instead, she plans to open a B&B and change her life.
This is a sweet story of understanding the importance of family and true friendship. It is about being kind to others and going the extra mile. It is about 14 rules which help to make life easier.
This novel was a delightful read! Things work out, with a happily ever after, and we need that sometimes!
#TheSummerCottage #ViolaShipman
Viola Shipman books are one of my favorite authors! This is the second book I’ve read and love the way the author focuses on family, traditions, relationships, regrets and life. You will experience a lot of emotions as the story flows through the pages. There are some difficult emotions but then the positive ones definitely outweigh those.
I want to visit The Summer Cottage and focus on each of the “rules” of the cottage. You will be cheering Adie Lou on and realizing that she has done a wonderful job in raising her son. Her husband is a jerk and Adie Lou does a wonderful job of keeping her head above water and learning that she is a worthwhile individual and doesn’t need his harassment and ugly attitude.
While there is some romance, the main focus of the book is relationships…the relationship with her parents, her son, and a special friend.
This is definitely a book you need to be on your TBR list!
I have read all of Wade Rouse’s books and this one was my favorite. The characters, the cottage, but mostly memories and traditions. Miss Viola would be proud. Highly recommend.
When Adie Lou’s world falls apart, she heads back to the one place that has been a constant comfort to her—her family’s Creaky Cottage. When she decides to turn it into a bed-and-breakfast as a tribute to her parents and grandparents–her past–she remembers how important it is to follow and live the cottage rules.
I have absolutely just fallen in love with every one of Viola Shipman’s stories. The author takes some ordinary item, such as in the case of his first book, a charm bracelet, and in this case, a summer cottage, and weaves a warm, beautiful tale, full of love and lots of wonderful memories. They always make me stop and think about the treasures that we have in our family and the stories that they could tell.
The Summer Cottage is the perfect book to read right now as we are coming up on beach-read season. You will become wrapped up in the lives of Adie Lou and Creaky Cottage, just like I did. I would so love to take a vacation there after reading this book.
The Summer Cottage by Viola Shipman
Love the idea of this book and was very close to doing something similiar when my mother passed away and left her estate to the children. I was 1 of the 5 but others wanted to sell the houses and land.
Adie Lou always wanted it to become a quilt retreat where others would go and spend time on the quiet island and learn how to quilt and be taught how to do so-you could live in the houses and be fed. Just sold last house a week ago.
Starts out with a woman who’s going through a divorce, her son is going to her ex’s school, tuitiion paid for and she’s at lost ends with her job. Cashes in and heads back to the house on the lake where she grew up. She wants to turn int into a B&B but others in town have other ideas.
She needs to meet their standard of approval. She then seeks out help from the locals who can do the work she needs done to improve the house/rooms and the boat so she can take guests out on sundown cruises on the lake.
Love how she struggles and gets the jobs done! This would make an awesome movie as all the scenes are described in great details.
Love the rules of the cabin-priceless! Love hearing what her name means, history of fish cottage.
Love how her girlfriend and her son both help with the project-they are so resourceful.
Love hearing the story of the author’s childhood, very similair to mine during the summer months. Brothers used to work on the ferry-not chain driven-you had to just throw a heavy rope over the piling, LOL
Like instructions on how to make a sand castle=so cool! Like this romantic love story intwined with the beach story. Notes from the author at the end.
Reader’s guide is also enclosed.
Received this review copy from HARLEQUIN – Graydon House Books (U.S. & Canada) Graydon House Romance, Women’s Fiction via Netgalley and this is my honest opinion.
#TheSummerCottage #NetGalley
I have read all of Viola Shipman’s books and was thrilled to be approved for an ARC of The Summer Cottage.
The beauty of the book lies in following Adie Lou through the bumps, setbacks, and joys of both an emotional journey and a practical journey. She picks herself up, gives herself a talking to (or someone else does) and moves on. I can only imagine that her journey is similar to those that other divorced or widowed women find themselves going through.
Evan was an awesome character, as was Scooter and several others. Really there are too many to list. I especially enjoyed the Dragoon Lady.
If you haven’t already treated yourself to a Viola Shipman novel, do so soon! You will be happy you did.
Many thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for approving my request for an ARC. All thoughts in this review are my own and freely given.
Freshly divorced, Adie Lou is looking to make a change. Stuck working at a job that she hates, she’s looking for the change that will light the fire in her soul and make her happy again. And so she decides to turn her family’s summer cottage into a B and B. As we know, nothing in life ever goes according to plan, and soon Adie Lou is questioning her sanity and her ability to make her dream a reality.
Inspired by a letter she finds in the walls of her family’s property, Adie Lou is determined to make her new life in Saugatuck happy and everything she wants it to be.
I thoroughly admired Adie Lou’s courage and conviction to live the life that she wanted and to do what made her happy. Women all too often succumb to society’s pressures and we lose our essence, our inner fire, sacrifice our dreams, and become what others want us to be. This book was an eye opener to what we could become if we have the guts to go after what we want. And it brought tears to my eyes often because Adie Lou is a character that so many of us can relate to. I know many of us hold back (myself included) on taking a chance because of fear. Fear of failure. Fear at change. But we just have to take that leap of faith and hope that everything works out in the end.
“‘ Success is not final, failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.’”
The Summer Cottage is a beautiful and inspiring tale of love, friendship, courage, adversity, and a woman looking to find herself and her place in this world. This was my first book by Viola Shipman and I can assure you it won’t be my last.
ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I absolutely adored this book! A touching, heart-warming read that I had a hard time putting down. Beautifully written with so much insight I wanted to scribble quotes in a notebook so I wouldn’t forget them. I can’t recomend this enough!
Rule 1 of The Summer Cottage … Leave Your Troubles At The Door,
Adie Lou grew up at the Summer Cottage, it’s where she returns when her marriage dissolves, when her husband has a mod life crisis in the form of a grad student!
She realizes she has lost herself and returns to her family roots to redefine her life!
I loved this book , the town, the people , Adie Lou dared to dream and then live that dream to the fullest !
This is my second book by this author and she pulls me into the story from the first chapter and I always turn the last page a better person !
The Summer Cottage by author Viola Shipman is another tender story about family, love, regrets, and starting over. I loved this story as it seems I love all the previous books such as The Bracelet and the Recipe Box. This story is set in Michigan on the shores of Saugatuck. Adie Lou remembers wonderful summer vacations being at Creaky Cottage with her grandparents and later her parents. After she marries the man she thought was her dream, has a wonderful son who is now college age, she begins to find out there is more to life than dreams. Did she leave a part of her true self behind in the years of having a busy career, being a wife and mother? After her parents have passed and her marriage has dissolved into memories, she must make a decision about selling the family cottage or working harder than she ever believed to save Creaky Cottage and starting totally anew. It seems that at each turn a new problem arises.
Follow along with Adie Lou as she uses the all-important rules of Creaky Cottage and campers to find her way in a new and lonely path. Oh, but really it is not so lonely, you will love Sonny!
Publication Date: April 23, 2019
This will be the perfect book to read as Summer 2019 begins. It’s about starting over despite adverse circumstances and its about love and family. The setting is beautiful Saugatuck Michigan, one of the resort towns along the beautiful Lake Michigan shoreline.
Adie Lou is facing middle age with her only son in college when her husband decided to leave her for a much younger woman. She decides to leave Chicago and move back to the small lakeshore cabin that her parents owned in Michigan and turn it into a bed and breakfast. When she starts out, she has no idea of the work and the costs involved. Her belief that her parent’s cabin can successfully be turned into a B&B is met by problems all around – from the unexpected repairs to the Historical society of the town who don’t want the home modernized. Along the way, Adie Lou has to find inner strength that she didn’t know she had, she has to learn to rely on others and to accept the help of her son and her friends to make a success of her plans.
Adie Lou was a wonderful character. She loved her cottage and she had strength and determination to make her plans a success. Her goal was to move on with her life and be a success instead of thinking about her husband’s betrayal. The other star of this novel was the location – the author described it all so well that you’ll feel like you’ve been to Lake Michigan when you finish it.
Thanks to netgalley for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.