The High Season

Barely able to afford the upkeep of her house on the North Fork of Eastern Long Island, Ruthie rents out her home every summer. The non-affordability has put a strain not only on her own life, but that of her teenage daughter (a "typical" teenage daughter) Jem and her ex-husband Mike. This year Ruthie is lucky, as she has rented the house for the entire summer season. Along comes Adeline Clay, glamorous and well connected who rents the house for what is known as "the high season." Let the games begin!

With the entrance of Adeline into the season's community, life as Ruthie knows it turns upside down. Currently the director of a small regional museum, her staff betrays her and she is ousted from her job...her daughter is treading dangerously in relationships Ruthie knows nothing about...and Adeline helps herself to Ruthie's ex-husband Mike. But wait, there's more, you'll just have to read it!!

There is quite a lot of angst and drama in this book to keep you entertained, but there are also moments of witty remarks to offset that drama. The book is peppered with many characters, and at times it is difficult to remember who they are, yet it is necessary as it brings the book to life, and there is enough going on to keep you thoroughly engaged. It's interesting to enter the world of the rich and privileged and the author did a fine job of presenting it. The novel is "gossipy" and "bitchy" making it a fun read --- I loved it. This is the first book I have read by Ms. Blundell, it won't be my last. My thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

If you are looking for a summer beach read, look no further than The High Season, for it will definitely help you while away your time basking in the sun on some picturesque beach (or anywhere else, for that matter). Year-round residents of an upscale beach town, Ruthie Beamish, her soon to be ex Michael and her teenage daughter Jem rent their house out for the season to afford living there during the other nine months of the year. Ruthie and her ex have transformed their house into a regularly photographed beach mecca for their upscale renters. This year’s renter is Adeline and her adult, over-the-top son. Ruthie once worked for Adeline’s ex-husband Peter as his assistant and cannot stand Adeline from the get-go. Things go from bad to worse when she catches Adeline flirting with her soon to be ex Michael. In addition, Ruthie may soon be out of local museum director job she holds thanks to a board member coup. Even her daughter has her own “teenager” problems/doldrums. Figuring she has nothing to lose, Ruthie decides to throw caution to the wind and become someone who cares little about what others think of them. How will this newly invented or transformed Ruthie fare during this summer? The story takes the reader through it all, the good and the bad, the ups and the downs.

This book definitely provides a good picture of the summertime world “the haves” populate and their impact on everyone and thing. The descriptions and dialogue were mostly okay, though I found myself skipping some because I just was not into it all. The plot is also not bad. As I said, this is a good beach read, not too deep, but with enough verve to keep you reading. I received this to read and review from NetGalley.

Gamut of emotions over this book...surprised, appalled, sad, mad...a little of everything. Basically two stories here. A woman has her world upended, how far will she go to get it back? Also a tale of social class, those who have and have not and how desperate money decisions can sometimes lead to surprising results. The characters all struggle with their own demons here, and I often wanted to strangle various characters at certain times, but in the end, there is always hope.
Thanks to #NetGalley and #RandomHouse for the ARC for review. #TheHighSeason

A couple of caveats here. There was a storyline between a 15 yo and a 23 yo that was very disturbing and that I felt was NOT handled appropriately.
Also, don’t expect many characters that you can like in this book. The majority are scheming, selfish, and greedy.
It was the writing itself and the flow of the narrative that I enjoyed the most here.

This book melded together all of the good/bad/indifferent aspects for both the year-rounders and the summer residents of living in a upscale summer community. And, it also had coming of age put into it. The author perhaps incorporated too many issues; nevertheless, I enjoyed reading it. I definitely developed feelings (positive and negative) for the characters which to me says they are real.

This is a good summer beach read. I enjoyed it. The cover is inviting. I want to join her on the beach. It moved a tad slow sometimes but for a lazy day read it was good. I was given a copy of this book by Net Galley and the published in exchange for my honest opinion

Summer in Orient, a NY get away, is a familiar scene for those of us who live in an east coast shore town and both love and endure the season with its tourists and “summery blurred edges." Blundell brings the characters of Orient to life with their stories interconnected around a museum and each other. Ruthie, who once had it all together but who now has “lost her horizon line”, fights in a battle she can’t win to keep everything as is. Doe fights to try to change and forget about her past. These two, along with a cast of unique supporting characters, help these two eventually find their true selves and their places in the world.
Blundell’s voice and prose is addictive. She has a way with phrasing the language that’s both honest and captivating- I found myself highlighting simply because I was delighted at her use of words and phrases.
Thoroughly entertaining, I know I will see The High Season in hands as this summer’s beach, lake, and vacation book!

What a really fun summer read. This book is full of twists and turns and the ending was a complete surprise. It really pulls in all the drama and details you would not expect in a beach novel. I loved this book and can't wait to recommend it to all my friends for their summer reading lists.

I really enjoyed this book although I'll admit that halfway through I started feeling like I just could not like any of the characters because no one was making smart decisions at all. Very very angsty story about middle-aged characters which I enjoyed since I like angst-why should the teens get it all in these books? Not sure if I liked the way that one character was left off of the hook. Thankfully we were never in his head. His situation with a teenager was glossed over a little too much for my liking. Other than that, a great summer read for those who enjoy reading about the evil rich lol. Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC in return for my honest review.

High Season is one of those perfect summer reads for fans of Elin Hilderbrand. Judy Blundell brings the North Fork alive for people tired of those same old Hamptons stories. I’ll be highly recommending this one!

First off, this cover screams SUMMER and what a great cover it is! Other than the cute cover, this book did not hold my interest. I kept losing track of who was who and I stopped reading at 20%. It did get a lot of great reviews so maybe it's just not meant for me. I received this ARC from the publisher and NetGalley for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. It's a great beach read, with a great summer setting and lots of interesting characters, some behaving badly. The plot is intriguing and kept my attention. Ruthie Beamish and her husband live in Long Island and rent their gorgeous house out during the summer so they can afford to live there year-round. Ruthie is the director of a small museum and used to work for a famous painter. When Adeline, his ex, shows up to rent Ruthie's house for the summer, the sparks fly and Ruthie knows it's going to be a long summer.

I highly recommend this book. Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My first book by Judy Blundell, I did like it, just felt like it was going slow.

Ruthie, main character, well has so many things going on in her life, and her home she rents out in the summer just to be able to keep it, her Ex Husband wants her to sell, its the only thing she has left, and her job at the museum whom they want her out, the socialites. It takes so many turns. A good summer read.

received this book from Net Galley for an honest review.

A quick, entertaining beach read about one crazy, life-changing summer. Though I sped through this one, I found many of the characters hard to like. I would recommend this one to anyone looking for a good, well written beach read.

What a pleasant surprise! The setting was lovely, I was drawn into everyone's lives and and wanted to know how they all ended up.

Looking for a good beach or Summer read? You've found it! This book has it all- drama, humor, family dysfunction, raising teens (is that trauma drama? LOL), friendship and romance! All the crucial elements for a good story! As much as it is a coming of age story for Jemm, for Ruthie it ends up being one too, as what she thought was a standard norm gets tilted totally upside down. As they both gingerly find their way through a new normal, as more trauma happens, they get to learn who to trust, what to yearn for and to look for the joys in life. It's a book for mothers and daughters alike, and appropriate it is coming out now before beach season! So pick up a copy so you can share this one!

This was an entertaining and fun read surrounding social class and the allure and mishaps that accompany each level. Enjoy vacation getaways for the snobby rich and famous intermingled with the everyday life for the unsatisfied natives struggling for more. Experience drama, jealousy, greed, devotion, friendship, and, of course, love. Each and every character were developed so well and held me captive throughout. There were so many layers and storylines, some believable and consistent with the real-life that happens around us every day, and some that maybe were embellished and exaggerated in a playful way. From love affairs to breakups, everlasting friendships to teenage bullying, and acceptance to rejection; the reader experiences a myriad of life milestones through the lives of the characters. I was enthralled by the sociology and psychology in this book and how they were presented through the actions of the colorful characters.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the advanced reader copy of The High Season.

The High Season follows Ruthie's summer, as her marriage completely falls apart and her job as head of a small museum in the less ritzy section of the Hamptons is torn away from her by board member who are socialites and very distasteful and not at all artistic.
That said, I really tried to like this book. It seemed to have promise in it's storyline. It simply didn't reel me in and I tried.
There were so many characters that were introduced within the first 50 pages, introduced quickly and without complete character development, that it was difficult to keep them straight and to have any relationship with them. Mike, her husband, began an affair with the rich widow from NYC, who rents Ruthie's and Mike's house for the High Season. Pretty much the entire story line and characters fell flat to me. It's hard to find a book compelling when all of the characters are boring. I didn't care about the characters, nor what happened to them.

Thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read this novel prior to publication in exchange for an honest review.

I believe characters are the most important part of a book. Sure you need a plot, a good story with relatable circumstance. This book has a good story with a great voice but the characters are not very likable or relatable. It's a bit too much "Big Little Lies" for my taste but if you do like these type of books then you will definitely enjoy this one. This has a lot of humor which is what I like, however, the way the characters behave is a bit of a turn-off for me.

Overall I liked The High Season and its strong characters. There were a few undercurrents, though, that were troubling at times, namely Lucas' character and the whines of the wealthy.

Starts off a little slow but ends up as close to the perfect summer read as possible. Smart, just enough snark, and true observations on the non profit and art worlds.
I couldn't put it down.