The High Season is the perfect summer or beach read. Set in Orient, North Folk, New York, Ruthie and Mike are a long-married couple who are separated and have a 15 year old daughter, Jem. The story begins before the "high season" in North Folk - just shy of The Hamptons, the more desirable zip code and summer stay location. Ruth is the director of a small historical museum and Mike is a carpenter. They are legally separated, but still live together for the sake of Jem and their financial situation. In the summer, they abandon their home to rent to the summer people, in order to have enough money to pay annual taxes. When wealthy widow Adeline Clay and her step-son, Lucas, arrive as the renters of Ruthie and Mike's house, things quickly start to go south for Ruthie. She loses her job at the museum, her daughter starts a flirtation with the despicable 23 year old Lucas and Mike ends up falling in love she wishes he wouldn't have. The High Season is fun, witty and shows the life of wealthy folks and their "struggles." The book is a bit slow for the first quarter of the story but quickly picks up and is difficult to put down after that. As I said, a great summer/beach read.

Enjoyable summer read, but I found some of the situations the characters are in seem contrived. For example Ruth's rage, her painting and Lark's becoming the museum director. Also, the characters are either good or bad.
However, it did keep me reading.

I'm not an art person. My drawings still look like a small child scribbled them out in 5 minutes and I can't really tell a Van Gogh from a Pollack (I can but you know what I mean). Art is just not my creative world so much of the novel went over my head.

Ruthie - she's a good mom. Mike - he's a douche bag. Jem is a normal 15 year old, angst and all but the whole thing with Lucas is just horrid.

Entertaining beach read. Definitely did not defy convention in any way, but enjoyable.

Unable to connect to story but no fault of author just constraints of time. Forgive me.

Mike inherited a house in a small town he and his wife Ruthie couldn't afford, Ruthie became the manager of a small museum and Mike did handy work. To pay the bills they rented it out every summer. One summer a rich divorced lady, Adeline, rented it. She called upon Mike to fix several things around the house and they ended up falling in Love. His marriage to Ruthie was already over but because of their daughter Jem, they had remained close. To complicate matters Adeline has a 'spoiled' son in his early 20's who starts persuing Jem, 15 years of age, and Ruthie's job is in danger.. Although many of the outcomes are predictable, Judy Blundell keeps the reader engrossed in the story. A very good read.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book! It definitely qualifies as a great summer read. It takes place near the Hamptons and just reading about the summer Home and summer life makes me want summer more. It was hard to keep up with the constant changing of characters, but in the end I figured it all out. I would read more by this author as she has a great story to tell in her book!

What a breathe of fresh beachy air!! This is definitely what the book doctor ordered for Kendall ;)

The High Season by Judy Blundell is a funny and quirky novel with just the right amount of gossip!

Ruthie Beamish has the perfect life... living in a cute beach town located close to the famous Hamptons. Ruthie lives in a world of money, class, and glamour. What more can she ask for? Director of a high-class museum, mother of a sassy 15. year old, and living in the house that is everyone's dream. The catch? In order to afford this high class home, Ruthie, her ex-husband Mike, and daughter Jem have to rent out their home every summer to tenants in order to afford the luxury.
It's Memorial Day weekend and boy... here comes the new renters from Hamptons. Meet the renters: Adeline Clay who is the widow of a well known famous artist Peter Clay and her twenty three year old sexy stepson Lucas.

All of a sudden Ruthie's world starts to turn upside down. This mysterious billionaire Adeline Clay is pushing herself into Ruthie's life and taking over..... She's losing her job? The home of her dreams is being sold under her feet? And strings are starting to unravel with her family.

Judy Blundell is such an amazing storyteller! I was laughing at the sarcasm and wit to her sense of style!! Characterization was flawless and made this story. I loved Ruthie's character the most and she was hilarious!

Here are some of my favorite quotes " Your own familiar image could be a frightening thing."
"Don't shovel bullshit if you're not a farmer."

I loved how Judy portrays class so well in this novel. I felt this quote sums it up so well ""He wasn't a good-looking man, but he was a billionaire, so everyone and everything was available to him, and everything about him said that he knew it." Don't we all know.... someone things to come you on a silver platter when you have money.

I highly recommend this one! It doesn't have to be a summer day with his gem. It can be storming, sunny, snowing, or hailing. Put this sassy and chic read on your list!

4.25 beachy stars!

Thank you so much to Random House and Netgalley for an advanced arc in exchange for my honest review.
Published to GR: 2/1/18
Expected publication date: 5/22/18.

Oooh, I loved this book! I'd call it THE perfect beach read, but seeing as how I read it in January and just gobbled it right up, I guess it's simply a great read any time of the year.

This is not your typical summer beach book, I love a good light beach book ofcourse but there’s something more substantial here. In a way, it’s the opposite of a beach book because the lead character leaves her beach house every summer and rents it out to someone else.

Ruthie has lived in a quiet little town near the Hamptons for years. The only way she can afford her house is by giving it up at the most desirable time of year to own a beach house.
She has a teenage daughter that hates “the summer bummer”.

Ruthie is also still hung up on her estranged husband. When he left her, he wanted to stay friends. They didn’t legally divorce and Ruthie keeps thinking he’ll realize he’s made a mistake and come back.
I didn’t really like her ex. He seems pretty selfish.

Things are bad for Ruthie at work too. Her boss is trying to push her out so they can go in a new direction with their museum.

When Ruthie’s summer renter moves in, she feels like she’s being pushed out of her own life. Someone wants her job, someone wants her house, someone wants her husband. Life is rough. You can’t help but emphasize for poor Ruthie.

There was a fun little twist that happened about a hundred pages ,or so, into the story. There are a couple wild ideas Ruthie entertains in order to keep her house.

Great story. Likable characters. Unique way of telling a summer vacation story. I liked the way the author wrote. I haven’t read her books before but I’m interested to read more.

I got to read an early e book edition from NetGalley.

“The High Season” by Judy Blundell is what I’d categorize as a beach read. It is set near the Hamptons and most of the action takes place during the summer season. I enjoyed the characters, but it felt like there were too many subplots going on. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Another summer, beach read? No, this is a book that will entrance the reader during all seasons. Taking place in a fictionalized North Fork town, it tells the story of Ruthie Beamish who is shunted from her life, husband and job by the encroaching elites taking over the town.

Ruthie’s reaction is so wonderfully normal, we feel her rage. Blundell is a gifted writer who paints all the characters with a fine nuanced brush. Few stereotypes here, nobody is all black or white (okay, there are a few baddies).

Ruthie is a victim of the takeover of her town when the aggressive elites decide to push her out of her beloved museum job in favor of a scheming rival. At the same time, her daughter is facing the the giant challenge of peer pressure. A young employee copes with her dismal roots as she tries to deal with her identity.

At the same time, her ex-husband becomes involved with one of the “invaders”. Coping with all this often makes a novel difficult to follow, but Blundell guides us with care into the interconnected and beautifully crafted plot.

Best of all, perfect closure and resolution for each character. A very special treat for the beach, library or any chair, just sink in and enjoy.

Ruthie Beamish has a beach house she loves more than almost anything in the world, but there’s a price to be paid for owning such an expensive piece of property. To afford it, she has to rent it out during the summer months. This years renters consist of an uber wealthy widow and her handsome stepson. This year is especially difficult as a cast of characters, including Ruthie’s old boyfriend descend upon the town. When Ruthie stand to lose everything, her jo, her home and her family, she will have to learn to stand up for herself or risk losing it all. A scathing look at the world of the have and the have-nots, this is the perfect beach read