This book has everything that I love: A family that sticks together through difficult times; characters that have their own strong personalities and hold their place well in the storyline; a gorgeous setting that adds interest and helps drive the story; and a plot that is absorbing and heartwarming. I love Suzanne Woods Fisher’s Amish and historical novels, and reading this contemporary Christian fiction book written by her was a delight. This is really not a “romance” novel, although one of the characters does have a love interest in the story. It’s more about coming together as a family; finding peace after tragedy; and trusting God for purpose and direction. I loved this first book in the series about Three Sisters Island, and look forward to the next book in this series.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

A sweet story about a family torn apart by life itself coming together when their father purchases an island. Each of the three sisters are very different in personality, drive and ambition. I love the name of the island and the way the towns people stuck together. Faith was a big part of this story but not in an overpowering way. Forgiveness and finding your purpose was an encouraging message. Peg was my favorite character, a no nonsense, tell it like it is person. She had great wisdom. Highly recommended!

Gorgeous cover! On a Summer Tide is a nice story about three sister's and a widowed father trying to move on with their lives. Over the course of the book they finally deal with their grief and past and are able to move forward. The story is a bit slow paced for my taste and a bit all over the place, but a nice story nonetheless.

I should note, there is very little romance in the book, this falls more under fiction than romance

I am a huge fan of the Amish books by Suzanne Woods Fisher and now I’m a huge fan of her contemporary works. On a Summer Tide blew me away.

Direct quote “Planning doesn’t make the wedding. And the wedding doesn’t make the marriage. The marriage is what we live with, day in and day out.” Oh, how I wish engaged couples would read this book just for that quote. It is so true! Look beyond the glitz and glam of the ceremony and reception and look toward your future. Where do you want your marriage to be in ten, twenty years?

There is religion in this beautiful work of art but it is expressed serenely and at the most appropriate moments. It makes the reader sit back and reflect before moving on.

At the end of the book is a recipe for chocolate chip cookies using rice crispy cereal that I plan on making this weekend and a discussion guide. This book has just about everything in it.

I am looking forward to reading the next installment of The Three Sisters series.

I received a complimentary copy from Revell through NetGalley. Any and all opinions expressed in the above review are entirely my own.

Suzanne Woods Fisher's new contemporary series begins with On a Summer Tide. This tale opens with Paul Grayson announcing to his daughters Camden, Madison and Blaine that he just sold their family home in Boston and is moving to a remote island off the shores of Maine. Paul's daughters are in shock. This action is so out of left field that they are worried he may have dementia!

Maddie follows her father to Maine to check out his new property. Both Maddie and her father feel like they have stepped back in time. There are no modern day conveniences, like fast-food and cellular service!

Once Cam and Blaine join the investigation of this small island, you will see the family dynamics come out in force. Past hurts and current complications soon become apparent, as these sisters work together to help their father settle into his new home!

Watch everyone leap into action after Cam creates a plan to restore the campground her father has purchased. At the same time, these sisters each have life trials with which they are dealing. You will learn very interesting information about the pasts of each member of the Grayson family by the end of this tale!

I really enjoyed this story! It was refreshing to read a contemporary novel by Suzanne Woods Fisher! I loved the whole family and Peg! I definitely can’t wait to read more from this series! I’m looking forward to seeing how their stories continue. I think there were some good messages in this book. I would recommend this.





I was given a complimentary copy of this ebook from the author, but was not required to write a review. The thoughts and comments are my own.

On a Summer Tide by Suzanne Woods Fisher is the first book in the Three Sisters Island contemporary fiction series. It was also my first Suzanne Woods Fisher book that I picked up since it was not her typical Amish series. Paul Grayson buys a rundown camp on an island. His three estranged daughters head to the island to talk some sense into their father, but the island draws them in unexpected ways. This book centers on Camden Grayson whose high pressure business deprives her of a work-life balance. When a little boy interrupts her life, she retreats to the island hoping to find a life for both of them. Schoolteacher, Seth Walker, causes her to rethink her life. and begin anew. I struggled to be drawn in to Three Sisters Island, but it may be that this book sets the stage for subsequent books by introducing the place and the characters. I eagerly await the rest of the series as there are many stories left to tell on Three Sisters Island. Fans of Irene Hannon's Hope Harbor series should pick up the Three Sister Island series.

I loved it. I hope there's another one that follows this to tell us how Kicking Moose turns out and follows the journey of the three sisters! I have to give the author credit, too....as many books as I read, I can usually tell how it's going to end by 50% through....but she really threw us for a loop there! I wonder sometimes...did she know how it would end, from the start? Or did the characters just take on a life of their own as the story progressed? Vividly beautiful with scenes of summertime Maine, with the addition of a few kooky characters, a few despised ones, and some just plain lovable ones, make this a story you'll want to make time for on a lazy day...

If you are familiar with this author's book's, this book is not an amish book. For the first few chapters I thought for sure the author was going to try and tell all three sisters stories in one book, after about the 2nd chapter I realized the book was mainly about Cam and her story with check-ins from her sisters. I found that Cam was high strung and all about just "getting" things done. I did like how she was blunt and to the point and you never had to wonder where you stood with her. I wasn't sure if as a reader we would find out how Libby Lost her life but that does get told later in the story and it totally broke my heart. I really enjoyed the Island and I really loved Peg she was one of my favorite in the story over all. This book was a good clean read and suitable for all.

This is the first time I have read this author and I thoroughly enjoyed this book about three sisters different in everyway and how they followed their Dad to this old camp where he met their mother on Three Sisters Island.

ON A SUMMER TIDE. Suzanne Woods..Fisher
I would suggest with reading the details of the characters, giving one the age and where each is at in life as this story unfolds.
Children now as grown adults do tend to associated memories with the house, and town they grew up in. Even more so, with their mother gone. I like how the writer, tried to soften the blow, of him telling the three girls. He bought an island. A little one. Part of one. As though that would help. The reaction came and stopped with he brought an island. Then the why’s. A humorous story of how each fills in to why, then the association and memories of their camping trips. Did the name of the island translation have anything to why he bought that specific island.
Life changes for all, new memories were formed, as they came together to rebuild the place, and being together.
Different, looking into a family life, as changes come. Like a set of dominos, they didn’t fall but became stronger with this change.
Given ARC for my voluntary review and my honest opinion by Net Galley and Revell.

On a Summer Tide is a heartwarming,refreshing contemporary read that focuses around faith and family, and grief and healing. The first book in Suzanne Woods Fisher's Three Sisters Island series, this beautiful story tells of familial drama, troublesome relationships, and the promise of a new romance,all set against the backdrop of an idyllic setting of a small, coastal island in Maine.

At the beginning of the story, Paul Grayson's three daughters don't appear to have much in common, and their relationship isn't in the greatest of places. At each other's throats more often than not, Cam, Maddie and Blaine have had years to perfect the troublesome relationship they currently have based around jealousies, insecurities and past hurts. Cam's the oldest, and a bit of a workaholic. She's always dreamed of having a big career, and she's finally accomplished her goal. However, achieving her dreams has meant that she's been unable to be the mother her adopted son Cooper needs, and he's developed behavioral challenges as a result. Middle sister Maddie has spent years working towards her psychology degrees, and she now tends to look at the world in terms of theories, and diagnoses; often causing a further wedge with her sisters. Youngest sister Blaine has had a hard time figuring out exactly what it is she wants out of life, and her sister's don't understand how she can keep wasting her potential.

While these three sisters may not have much in the way of a close relationship, they're all in agreement that their father buying a falling apart island is one of the craziest ideas they've ever heard. While they don't share their father's excitement of the purchase; they all insist on accompanying him to find out just what he's gotten himself into, and it's even worse than they'd expected. The camp he purchased the island for is in shambles, the town's dying, with very few businesses left, and there isn't even any wifi or cell reception. The more time they spend on the island though, the more its charms start to work on them. Soon Cam is noticing a huge change in Cooper, Maddie is smitten with small town living, and Blaine's finally finding a purpose for her life. As each woman learns to let go, and to learn to follow God's direction for their lives, changes come about they never could have expected, and their relationship grows in the process.

I'm so happy that this is only the first book in the series, as while I loved all the groundwork and background information we're given in this one, I really can't wait to read more about the sisters, and where their story goes from here. From start to finish I found myself enthralled with this beautiful story, and all the drama unfolding within it. This is my first experience with a Suzanne Woods Fisher novel, and I can guarantee it won't be my last.

I always appreciate when an author can successfully tackle the complex relationship that tends to exist between sisters, and Suzanne Woods Fisher has definitely done so in On a Summer Tide.

This one will be highly recommended by me, and I love that the author chose to include a recipe of one of the many baked goods that Blaine makes during the course of the story. Such a small thing, but something I always enjoy when it's included!


Final Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thanks so much to Revell and NetGalley for the opportunity to advance read this!

I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher (Revell) via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I was not required to give a positive review.

On a Summer Tide begins Suzanne Woods Fisher new series, Three Sisters Island. Widowed Father, Paul Grayson shocks his three daughters by selling his home and buying an island! How will this event affect them all?

I have to admit; I was not sure how I would like On a Summer Tide. I am not used to Miss Fisher writing contemporary novels that did not involve the Amish. After reading this, I realize that she is so talented, that she can write a fantastic novel in any genre she decides to. Within the first few pages, I was hooked and held my attention until the end. I enjoyed every single word.
I highly recommend On a Summer Tide and am giving it a well deserved five plus stars. I can not wait to find out which Grayson sister will be featured in book two of the Three Sisters Island series.
I received this book from the publisher. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.

This novel is a great read! Health issues force the father to retire. With his three girls wrapped up in their own lives, he decides to buy and return to a camp full of happy memories of his late wife. The daughters worry he has dementia. When they arrive on the small isolated island where the camp is located, they see the dilapidated camp buildings and decide he must be stark-raving mad! As the sisters work to refurbish the camp into a viable inn, they fall under the spell of tranquility and the satisfaction of seeing progress made. They learn to stick together to work toward the acceptance of the small island community residents and discover the beauty of hope as love is kindled. This back to nature novel is a great read!

4 stars
On a Summer Tide
By Suzanne Woods Fisher

On a Summer Tide is packed full of believable, infuriating and lovable characters. Ms. Fisher is an exceedingly talented author. She writes stories and people who you cannot but help to connect too, root for and hate at the same time. This story is filled with a few twists and turns and the love of a family that comes together when the need is greatest.
I recommend this book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. The views given are my own. #OnASummerTide #NetGalley

Family dynamics can be really messy. I can’t imagine a father selling his home (the children are grown, or nearly so); buying an island in the state of dishabille; AND expecting all three daughters to move there improve it. Maybe Paul Grayson truly has lost his mind.
Suzanne Woods Fisher writes about this widower’s family with three disconnected sisters in such a beautiful way that I found myself quickly mired in the quicksand of uncomfortable and dysfunctional family relationships.
Each sister is delightful, yet shortsighted in her own way, which leads to a mess for them and an intriguing story for us, the readers. The island and its wildlife sound wonderful, yet there are drawbacks.
Anybody not born there is a foreigner. No wi-fi. And a diner with a lady who can’t cook anything, let alone make coffee. I laughed and laughed over the silly antics until the tale wove back upon itself in a serious way that calls for tears.
So many worthy quotes.
“Mom always told us that life would surprise us with important choices, and our true character would emerge in how we responded.”
“...life was full of simple miracles if you just opened your eyes to them.”
“Life presents you with important choices. You can lash out, become bitter. Or draw closer to God, become better.”
“...it’s never too late to learn to listen.”
“We love each other, we tell each other the truth, and we keep working on things. That’s what families are all about.”
Woods leaves just enough threads dangling that I am anxious for the next book in the series already. Good discussion questions follow, making this an excellent choice for book clubs.
I received this complimentary book from the publisher and NetGalley. No positive review is required and all opinions are my own.

On a Summer Tide

I received an ARC in exchange for a fair review.

This is a story of love, relationships and faith. When Paul loses his wife and his career, he sells the family home in pursuit of his dream of purchasing the island where he met his wife and to reunite his three daughters who have moved on to live separate lives. The book excels in the cast of characters who reside on 3 sisters island and the described pace of life afforded the community. I loved the author’s description of the island, complete with wildlife and tide pools as well as the one house schoolteacher, Seth, who teaches from the heart. I am happy that this is the first part of a collection, and look forward to reading more about life on 3 sisters in the books to come.

I’d rate this lovely read 3.5/5 stars.

I have read many of this author's books. But this one was a breath of fresh air. It was so different then what I usually read. I have read her Amish, Quaker and similar books, but this was a really new idea from this author. It was modern, contemporary and full of warmth.

I loved how the sisters grew and changed as the events in their lives led them to realize that God is watching, although at times, He might be silent or seem to be silent. He is aware of our paths and although we think our life has turned in a way we don't want, it may be to a wonderful outcome.

This is a great Christian read. I simply enjoyed and loved it. So glad I read it!

I received an ebook copy from NetGalley. All thoughts are my own.

Thoroughly enjoyed it his story of a family following their dad to a new house - thinking he has lost his mind
Finding that this new house is their new home and falling in love with the island and the people that live there
A few little twists made the story interesting, but just a pleasant read - though could have done without all the “gods plan” references
I am looking forward to the next book in the series

A refreshing and charming contemporary novel, On A Summer Tide brings together a story of family bonds broken and now given the space to heal, a dream unrealised and now given time to grow, and the sparks of a new romance all set against the gorgeous backdrop of coastal Maine. On A Summer Tide is funny, surprising and a joy to read.

Three sisters, with not much in common, their own separate lives and constant conflict hanging over them, are forced to work together when their father buys a summer camp on a small island off the coast of Maine. At first very reluctant to be drawn into their father’s crazy scheme, each soon finds the island gives them something they weren’t looking for.

Oldest sister Cam has a highly successful career but everyone tells her she should be worried about her adopted son, his list of worries and obsession with string. Cam is torn between staying on the island and helping her father bring his dream to life and following her career wherever it takes her. Yet, the island, its slow pace and inhabitants, from the quirky diner/general store owner to the charming school teacher Seth, challenge Cam to see her life and what’s best for Cooper in a new light. Maddie, middle-child, is on track to be a family counsellor, is recently engaged and just needs a training placement. Looking after her family has always helped assuage her constant worrying, but Maddie is not sure what step she should take next. Youngest sister Blaine feels the most removed from her sisters, has just been asked to leave her ongoing university studies, and has no idea what she wants to do with her life. The island and an unexpected opportunity to dust off her cooking skills and work for Peg in the diner, may be just the chance she needs.

While On A Summer Tide features the story of each of these three sisters and each have chapters written from their perspective, it is Cam who gets the most page time, the romance story and the “happy ending”. Each sister has a lot of growing to do. The first few chapters are very amusing and the girls seem almost comical with their bickering and crazy lives. Yet the island and lots of hard work give the girls everything they need to start breaking down the walls between them and starting new directions in their lives.

I enjoyed the renewing of family bonds in this book, loved the way each and every character grows and changes. The book touches on some series topics but retains a lightness and gentle humour that is refreshing. The little snippets dedicated to romance are sweet, and the discussions of faith are thoughtful. And that twist! It was right there in front of my eyes and I didn’t see it. I love when a book surprises me and this one delighted me at every turn. I look forward to continuing the story of this island and the three sisters as they grow into the women they were meant to be.

The publishers provided an advanced readers copy of this book for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own.