I very much enjoyed Lily’s story of how she overcame a hard situation & found herself. I also enjoyed getting to know Rose & the other characters from Safe Harbor Village. I’m not sure I understand why the book is title the summer house that title makes me think of a second home someone has for summer, but I still enjoyed the story. Highly recommend this!

The Summer House is a wonderful, heartwarming book about starting over! Lily is a young bride, who suddenly finds herself alone in a new town, when she gets a chance to start over in a thriving community as their hairdresser! Rose is the manager of this community, and has hardened her heart after years of hurt and disappointments. I loved watching these two women as they open up their hearts to the possibilities of life and love and friendship. This book is filled with lovable and quirky characters that I was happy to spend time with! This is such a perfect summer/beach read, set in a small coastal town--the sultriness and the salt air adding another layer to this story.

4 1/2⭐️‘s
When Lily wakes up one morning to a note and divorce papers, she isn’t quite sure what hit her. Having no real home to return to, she takes a job as a hairstylist in the retirement community of Safe Harbor. Filled with a wonderful cast of delightful characters, hearts are changed one haircut at a time. Burdens are lifted as locks hit the floor and lives are forever changed, not only for Lily, but for the entire Safe Harbor community! A warm hearted, charming story of hope and second chances!

An enjoyable summer read with characters that you will long remember. Interesting and believable premise.

Thank you to the publisher and author for providing me with a digital ARC of this title via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I had never heard of this title or author before coming across the book on Netgalley. I must say I was drawn in by the pretty cover and was pleased to receive a copy. I was even more delighted when I began reading and found that the story matched the cover. It is sweet and touching, a perfect light summer read as the cover led me to believe. I liked the various characters and learning more about their personal stories. It was nice to see them developing and growing throughout the book as they turned outward instead of focusing on themselves. I liked the story of friendship, of family, new relationships, and most importantly, of finding your own personal strengths and joys. This title was a pleasure to read and I would easily recommend it to friends.

Lauren Denton has done it again. Mrs. Denton always develops stories full of characters you feel connected to instantaneously. The Summer House is a warm read, which left me feeling like I had just spent time with dear friends. Full of southern charm and set in lower Alabama near the Gulf Coast. As the story unfolds, I was able to visualize the characters in their community on Bon Secour Bay, near Gulf Shores. I won't share any spoilers, I will only say this book is about healing and forgiveness. This book would be a great read while sitting on the beach or swinging in a hammock.

I received this digital copy from NetGalley/Thomas Nelson, opinions stated above are honest and my own.

This book brought me to tears! It's wonderfully written and such a page-turner,I was hooked from the first page. It was a reflection of the power of friendship and how sometimes you just need someone. I liked Lily and was so rooting for her and Rose. Loved it!

Lily wakes up one morning to a note from her husband, saying he can't do this marriage anymore. So she must now make a life for herself. She applies for a job as a hair stylist in Safe Harbor, AL. Safe harbor is a retirement community, filled with loveable characters. Rose Carrigan is 68, divorced and unhappy. She tells herself she's happy, but deep down she's not. But the future might be beginning to brighten for both Lily and Rose. I loved the quaintness and preciousness of this book. I even wouldn't mind a visit to Safe Harbor. These characters just wormed their way right into my heart.

*My thanks to Thomas Nelson Publishers for a copy of this book via Net Galley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank you, NetGalley and to the publisher for the advance reader in exchange for my honest review.

I read about 25% of The Summer House, and sadly say that I had to stop reading it. I enjoyed the first part of the book about Lily and her husband and their separation, but maybe due to my age, I just did not find the plot intriguing anymore when it dived into the lives of the characters in the retirement community. This is just not an angle that I enjoy reading about, and therefore decided not to continue the 200+ pages I had left. I had high hopes going into it, but it just was not for me.

This author has such a way with bringing her characters to life. This is my second book from her, and that is a main takeaway from both. I can let a lot of things slide in a book...a plot that’s mediocre, pacing that’s off a bit...but if a book doesn’t contain characters that I can visualize, walk beside or become invested in, it just won’t work for me.

This book is about two women in different phases of their lives. Lily is a 28 yo whose
husband of 18 months leaves her with a note and divorce papers. In her search for a soft place to land and regroup, she meets Rose, the gruff 68 yo co-owner/manager of the Safe Harbor Retirement Village along the Alabama coast who takes a chance on her and gives her a job as a beautician.

There are a cast of seniors, as well as Rose’s nephew and great niece to fall in love with here...and I did, head over heels. But at it’s core, it’s a story of two women, their struggles, their losses (both of loved ones and of their own dreams) and their self-discoveries and forgiveness of their flaws so that they can move forward with their lives.

Beautifully written and highly recommended. All the stars.

A big thank you to #NetGalley and #ThomasNelson for providing me the ARC. The opinions are strictly my own.

“The Summer House” is the first book of Lauren K. Denton’s that I have ever read. It won’t be the last, as I loved her ability to tell a story. Lauren K. Denton lives in Alabama, and in this book, writes about the area she knows best. She has written other books such as “The Hideaway” and “Hurricane Season”.
The story focuses around the life of Lily and Rose. Lily’s life is turned upside down unexpectedly. With nobody and no place to go, she finds herself at a retirement community run by Rose. Lily is hired to be the community’s beautician and builds relationships with many of the residents. Rose, a recluse in the community, bonds with Lily and they both grow throughout the summer.
Both characters are terrific women. They each show tremendous growth and I was rooting for both throughout the story. The theme of the story is starting over, and both women show their ability to do this. Even the minor characters are enjoyable.
The setting was fun and made me want to visit this retirement community. There were even references to Jimmy Buffet, which gave it a fun beachy vibe.
I will say that I thought the story line was a little predictable. This wasn’t a bad thing, as I enjoyed reading the story, but I wish there would have been just a little bit of surprise in the story.
“The Summer House” has a June 2, 2020 publication date. It can be purchased in hardback from Amazon for $26.99 and on Kindle for $14.99.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book!

I really enjoyed this book. It took me a little bit to get engaged with the story but once I did I couldn't put the book down!

Very good book about a woman's journey in finding herself.
I would recommend this book.
Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review

Read this book in one day and loved it!!!!!!!!!!!! This book has Lauren K. Denton's signature southern charm and is another 5 star story. In this book we have Lily whose husband of one year just up and leaves her one day. After moving them for his new job. He just leaves a note and divorce papers. She is devestated, confused, and at a loss what to do. Then a job as a hair stylist falls in her life with a new place to live. So she takes it and moves into a retirement village and meets the most essentric but amazing community. Her new life and new friends help her finally find her way in life and in her own ways she helps them too . This book is a delightful southern read and i would like to thank Netgalley and Thomas Nelson Publishing for my honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for
a complimentary copy of this book. The review and comments are my honest opinion.
An entertaining, fun read with colorful characters who learn if you trust your memories you can start over and second chances can be very sweet.

I requested this book from NetGalley because of the gorgeous cover. Lauren Denton did a great job describing the south and the retirement home where Lily ended up living after her husband walked out on her. Lily shows how strong and resilient she is with the help of her new friends. It's the perfect summer read.

If you’re looking for some feel-good Southern fiction, then look no further than the upcoming novel by author Lauren K. Denton, The Summer House. The novel begins with Lily waking one morning to a goodbye note and divorce papers left by her husband Worth. Even better, they had just moved there and were leasing the home from the company he works for. So in addition to her husband leaving, she also has to move within a few days. Rose is a co-owner of a retirement village called Safe Harbor. She has been there for decades, running the place alone since her husband left her for another woman. Rose doesn’t socialize with others, doesn’t make friends, and basically keeps to herself unless she has no choice but to be around others. Everything changes, however, once Lily moves to the village as their new hairstylist, and an unlikely friendship forms between these two women very different in age, but both needing a fresh start.

I loved this story about Lily and Rose and especially loved how the author so easily found similarities between a young woman and women many years older. I’m not positive about the ages but I think Lily was around 30-ish and Rose was around 70-ish. When they first meet, they are both sad, and honestly, they are both lost. Lily’s issues obviously stemmed from her worthless husband, who ironically was named Worth, but she also missed her mother who had died years before. Rose was holding onto years of hurt and regret after events that caused her to become estranged from her beloved brother and his wife, Stella. But as Rose quietly encourages and cheers for Lily as she starts over, Rose suddenly decides to make some changes in her life. But my favorite thing about Rose and her desire to make her life better was that it all starts in her kitchen one night dancing to the radio. It was such a powerful scene that had me smiling and crossing my fingers that changes were coming.

My only criticism of the novel is the development of Lily. There were a lot of flashbacks explaining her relationship with Worth, and there were a lot of flashbacks regarding her memories of her mother. However, I found her character somewhat flat and strangely subdued for someone her age. Rose was beautifully developed making it effortless to picture her appearance, hear her voice, and feel her emotions right along with her. But with Lily, I’m not even sure what she looked like. This is the only reason that this is a 4-star read for me instead of 5.

Nevertheless, The Summer House is a fantastic read that will make you feel nothing but happiness as it comes to an end. This book made me cheer for all of the lovely characters, made me crave a cheeseburger, and made me want to further investigate Jimmy Buffett’s retirement communities down the road when we are older!

*Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for providing this review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Denton is amazing at setting the scene in her books. She really brings you to the South.

I enjoyed Lily's story of finding herself and finding a place to call home. The retirement village was a fun group and I like how Rose and Lily formed a friendship. Overall this was a sweet fun read. i highly recommend Denton's books.

The Summer House tells the story of Lily Bishop who wakes up one morning to unexpected divorce papers from her husband. As Lily navigates the dissolution of her marriage and searches for a new job and new community, she finds a job in a retirement community. As she moves into the community, she discovers not only who SHE is, but also who she is becoming. This book is uplifting, encouraging, enjoyable, full of quirky characters and small town life. This book is hard to put down!

I first need to gush on this cover! It is so beautiful and perfectly summery! That cover alone made me want to read the book, but the story seemed like it would be good too. And it was! I was hooked for about 3/4 of the book. But I have to admit the ending was a tad disappointing for me. I wanted MORE from Lily and Rawlins and also Rose and Coach. Not that their relationships had to get super heated, but both couples finally getting together just fell flat for me after they worked so hard to get to that point. However, that being said, this was the perfect summer read. I loved the village of Safe Harbor and all the quirky people that were there. I loved Rawlins' daughter Hazel, so full of spunk and life. Overall, a delightful summer read.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for the eARC!