I must firstly apologise for the amount of time it has taken me to provide a review of this book, my health was rather bad for quite some time, something that had me in hospital on numerous occasions and simply didnt leave me with the time I once had to do what I love most.

Unfortunately that does mean I have missed the archive date for many of these books, so It would feel unjust throwing any review together without being able to pay attention to each novel properly.

However, I am now back to reading as before and look forward to sharing my honest reviews as always going forward. I thank you f0r the patience and understanding throughout x

A spellbinding second chance romantic read infused with heart, humour and hope, Rachel Burton’s The Summer Island Festival is a wonderful read.

As a young girl growing up in the small island village of Seaview, Willow yearned for wider horizons. After being betrayed by her childhood sweetheart Luc, Willow had vowed never to set foot back home ever again and had escaped to London where she had made a new life for herself. Everything seemed to be going swimmingly for Willow in London, but she had soon realized that all that glitters isn’t necessarily gold and when she had found herself with nowhere else to go, Seaview had been the only option available to her. But Willow is not the only former resident coming back to Seaview this summer…

Luc is no longer the boy she had left behind, but a world-famous musician who has returned back home to headline the Isle of Wight’s annual music festival. As Luc and Willow reconnect, sparks immediately begin to fly and the two of them begin to get closer and closer. Coming home was only meant to be a temporary stopgap for Willow, but the more time she spends with Luc, the more she finds herself falling for him all over again. Could Seaview give her the second chance she had been craving?

For the first time in a very long while, happiness is within Willow’s reach – until a powerful secret comes to light that could end up jeopardizing everything she holds dear to her heart.

The Summer Island Festival is an engaging and emotional read readers cannot help but be completely captivated by. A poignant and feel-good tale about healing from the past, renewal and going home, Rachel Burton’s The Summer Island Festival is an intense, poignant and uplifting read that will have readers laughing and crying – often on the same page.

An unmissable romantic treat, Rachel Burton’s The Summer Island Festival is top-notch escapism at its best.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Found this one okay. Nothing to write home about, unfortunately, and aside from the setting which was beautifully put across (and the extreme mention of mandolins, LOL), there won't be much I'll remember from this one. Didn't really connect with Willow, who felt rather 'flat' to me as a character, and the details kept getting repeated and dragged a bit (I suppose because I read this over a few days, I didn't see them dragging so much, but in a single sitting, these would totally jump out). Also not really a sweet and comfy vibe to this one, but if you put that aside, it's good to while the time

Lovely feel good book to read. It was a joy to read. Lovely characters. Great plot. The book was charming. Very well written. I’d definitely recommend this book

Loved reading this book and author. If you haven't read it yet I highly recommend her books. Happy reading and enjoy

This was a brilliant read and is being featured on my blog for my quick star reviews feature, which I have created on my blog so I can catch up with all the books I have read and therefore review.
See www.chellsandbooks.wordpress.com.

Lovely cosy book set on the Isle of Wight. I loved the main character of Willow and how she was still really in love with her childhood sweetheart and you found yourself really hoping that the secrets wouldn't jeopardise her chance of happiness

Willow's home was on Seaview village but she left when she was betrayed by someone who she thought would be her whole life. She finds herself back on the island after she can't go through with her own wedding, just walking away from it and her former life in England.
Life pretty much picks up where it left off on the island and that includes the man from her past, the love of her life. The man who betrayed her. What she doesn't know is why he betrayed her, it wasn't on purpose. Meeting up with him again after all these years it's so easy to fall back into old habits when those loving feelings come to the surface again. In the years that she was gone he became a famous musician but he's also come back to the island to head the annual musical festival and to win her heart back. Will their renewed feelings be enough for them when messy secrets come to light?
A sweet second chance romance.

Pub Date 04 Mar 2021
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Willow is back on the island she once couldn't wait to escape from but she isn't the only one, her old 'love of her life' is also back. Can they bury the past and work together to save the island and it's community and once again call the island home.

This is a beautifully written book that I thoroughly enjoyed from beginning to end. Willow ran away to London from her childhood island home of Seaview Village twelve years ago and now she is making an unplanned return as she runs from her life in London. On the island, she is hoping to find answers of what she truly wants in life. But what she doesn't know is that her return to the island will be the perfect time to confront her past. Luc is the main reason she ran away all those years ago and he has just returned from his life in America to visit his boyhood home. Luc and Willow decide to work together to save the Summer Music Festival that the island holds every year. While trying to convince the people of the island to continue the festival they accidently start to reveal a secret hidden away for many years between their families. To explain the secret there is a dual storyline that tells the past of Willow's mom, Cathy.
I loved the alternating storylines of the present and present and past. The secret that involves both Willow and Luc's familes slowly unravels throughout the book and is revealed at the perfect pace to keep you interested from the first page to the last.
With likable characters, interesting story lines and a beautiful island setting this is a great book to grab if you are looking for a lighthearted and enjoyable story. I am grateful to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

Synopsis:
When Willow walks out on her own wedding, there's only one place she can go: Seaview village, on the island she once called home. But she's not the only islander back for the summer...

Twelve years ago, Willow ran away to the mainland after her childhood sweetheart, Luc, betrayed her. Luc has since become a heartthrob musician, touring sold-out stadiums around the world, but he's finally come home to headline the island's annual music festival – and to win Willow back.

As Willow untangles her messy past, she stumbles on a secret that could destroy the island's fragile community – and her second chance at love...

I enjoyed this book more that I thought I would. It was sweet and cute, and just right on my alley. Sweet summer read. 3.5 stars.

A story of self discovery
Willow ran away from her wedding and returned to her mums house on the Isle of Wight where she grew up. She reconnects with Luc, the man she had been in love with at school, and the headliner for her mums Folk Festival but her mums past comes back to haunt them
Whilst the story telling is split between Willow, Luc and her mums past, the main voice is Willow. I did like Willow, she learns so much about herself and realises that she changed herself to fit into her ex fiancées life but she wasn’t really happy. Her return to the island may not have been planned but coming back allowed her to start to relax and understand more about herself and to realise what is actually important in her life. She is so conflicted throughout the book that I struggled to warm to her at times but as she starts to unravel her past and become the person she actually is instead of the one she thought she had to be she became more and more likeable to me. I will admit that I did love Luc, he lives in America but isn’t really happy there, he suffers from anxiety and panic attacks but his return to the island helps him to become more of himself. He still adores Willow but their past may be to much to overcome. Luc felt real to me, I could understand his issues and I was routing for him and Willow to find a way to be happy together
The spectre of the past is a huge part of this book and I will admit that it wasn’t until late in the book that I fully understood why we were jumping from the past to the present and back again but once I realised why it actually had been skilfully woven into the story
My initial draw to this book was its location, the Isle of Wight, it’s my holiday refuge and somewhere where I feel safe, happy and relaxed and this was something that the characters experienced as well which I think really made this story work for me
I would recommend this book to those who enjoy a story that blends the past and present into a world of character self discovery

Willow jilts her fiance at the altar and returns to her home town to try to decide what do do with her life. She has rarely returned to the Isle of Wight since leaving 12 years ago with a heart broken by her first love Luc. She is shocked to find he has also returned to the island following a career crisis. Can love heal them both or will their secrets get in the way?
The Summer Island Festival is a warm romance novel set in two timelines: the 1980s/90s and the present day (2018).
Willow and Luc both return to the Isle of Wight and get pulled into the community that they shunned when they were 18. They are determined to save the folk music festival that Willow's mum Cathy organises. Meanwhile they also need to reassess their own lives and follow their hearts.
In the second timeline we see Cathy as she leaves home to follow a musician on tour. This allows us to make connections and assume outcomes of the past which will impact on the present day. It saddened me that both Cathy and Willow were treated badly by men yet they couldn't turn to each other.
I enjoyed the musical focus of the book and wanted to know if Gamble Gold is a real song! It is! Music permeates through both timelines but family is another important theme, finding people who connect with our true selves. There is also an important message about loving, accepting and respecting ourselves before we trust others to do the same.
The Summer Island Festival is an enjoyable romantic novel about second chances and finding your own happiness in life instead of blaming or relying on others for your choices.

I loved this book from the start. You have Willow after deciding at her wedding that really it’s not what she wants, she ups and leaves returning to her childhood home in the Isle of Wright. She returns to helping out in her mother’s music shop, rekindling her friendships and just enjoying the beauty of home. Then Luc arrives home for the summer not realising that he’s about to see his childhood sweetheart again. I loved the characters, the settings, the hidden secrets, in fact all of it

I really enjoyed this story better than i thought, i liked all the characters even Roger came good in the end, i hope there is more in the series. Q

5☆ A thoroughly Entertaining and Enjoyable Read, I couldn't put down!

The Summer Island Festival was a thoroughly enjoyable Read, oh and the cover is gorgeous, it just made me want to go to a festival!

Willow is on the way to her wedding, except for one thing, she's having huge doubts, and not just the so called wedding jitters. She straight up don't wanna get married. So she runs away leaving her ex at the alter.

What she didn’t plan on, was being back in the Isle of Wight and helping out in her Mums eclectic music shop.
Oh and she definitely wasn't expecting the ever so handsome and Brooding Musician Luc, to walk into her Mums shop. They have a long complicated history together. One they never thought they would revisit!

But with Luc back for the annual music festival, can they repair their fractured relationship or will Willow walk away once and for all!

Oh how I loved Luc and Willow, each has secrets to uncover. But that Sparkle between them fizzles in the background, I was eagerly waiting to see what would happen between them.

Rachel is a very talented Author and she took me to my happy place, a summer music festival. The characters were brilliantly written and the setting was simply perfect.
There was drama, banter, Romance, Plenty of secrets and little twists, a thoroughly Entertaining and Compelling read I couldn't put down.
So grab a pint of cider or a cocktail, jam up the 80s music and settle down as your in for a real treat!!

Set on the Isle of Wight, there is a great sense of place throughout the story. Willow and Luc were brought up on the island and it has had a major influence on their lives. Willow has spent years after University avoiding her background and comes to realise that she has been shaped according to others' wishes. There are plenty of secrets hidden in the past which are slowly uncovered. Some of these stem from their parents' youth in the 1980's when they were heavily involved in the music scene.

I enjoyed the dips into the past which absolutely held the flavour of the times. There are plenty of cameo characters who are all well drawn and with plenty of romance in the background, it feels like a gorgeous Summer read. As Willow and Luc try to come to terms with what they want their futures to be, you are left with a strong sense of family and home, with enduring friendship bonds.

In short: Starting over and moving on.

After leaving her fiance at the altar, Willow retreats to her childhood home in Seaview on the Isle of Wight. She hasn't really been back since the summer when she was eighteen, the summer when everything changed, but she can't face the idea of returning to the upmarket flat she shared with her fiance. Also back on the island is her childhood sweetheart Luc, who has troubles and secrets of his own, and their parents, who have held family secrets close for far too long...

As the summer progresses, we get a dual POV from Willow and Luc, interspersed with flashbacks to Willow's mum Cathy in the eighties. While initially heavy on the exposition, through the flashbacks we begin to understand just how events decades ago led to the mess right now. There are twists and turns, and a fair bit of cheating (not between the leads), but I can assure you of a happy ending

It's a delight to watch Willow slowly reacquaint herself with who she wants to be, not who her fiance expects her to be, as she realises her life in London isn't all it's cracked up to be. Her self-deprecation is balanced by Luc's admiration of her. Luc's got a secret or two that he's held onto for far too long, but once he gets them into the open, it's not hard to feel sympathy for him, especially as he does good grovel.

There's some beautiful themes of family and honesty against the backdrop of musicians - both on tour (in the flashbacks) and preparing for the titular festival - so what could be quite a heavy read is mellowed into a sweet story about following your own dreams, and how it's okay to reassess those in light of new information or events. We might get Luc's POV, but in the end, this is Willow's story, and it's a lovely one.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys homecoming / second chance romances.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book via Rachel's Random Resources; all opinions are my own

Whilst the premise of lost loves is not unique, I did like the festival backdrop. Set on the Isle of Wight, the story features a British summer, seaside, ice cream and a togetherness that comes from a musical event. Indeed, I felt a bit wistful that such things have been hard to experience in the last 18 months!

Following Willow as she walks out of an extravagant wedding to nearly-husband Charlie, Willow returns to her family home after such a long absence. Not wanting to discuss her alter woes, Willow hides in her mother’s music shop as the island gets ready for their annual music festival. Pretty soon, Willow is reunited with faces she has deliberately tried to leave in the past. With feelings resurfacing, Willow not only has to get some closure on her nearly-wedding, but also decide how to move forwards. Its a complicated mess of feelings for Willow and you can’t help but understand why she feels she had to return home after all this time.

Shadowing this narrative, we also learn about Willow’s mother, Cathy, who has a story of her own. I found this part of the narrative more interesting because it explores more relationship dynamics. There’s a lot of ambiguity about paternity and family connections but I personally thought they were a bit too predictable. That being said, Cathy’s story of a rebellious teen leads her to have experiences beyond her wildest dreams. Without them, she would not have had Willow and, of course, there would have been no festival to attend to either.

I found this a lovely story to read but a little predictable. Despite the mysteries that are established, I could foresee the plot direction. That being said, the story felt like a warm, summer break and I enjoyed being carted off to the sands of the Isle of Wight. The novel has to conclude with the festival because of the amount of music references appearing throughout the story. It defines the narrative and I found this did make the book a bit more different to similar stories out there.

The cast of characters are all warm and likeable, even down to the roguish Storm! The book celebrates a freedom of youth that we all seem to forget as time ages us and I liked the innocence that Burton alludes to. On the other hand, there is still an undercurrent of sadness as along the way, people become inevitably hurt. However, there is hope for the next generation and I appreciated the tone of optimism that the novel finishes with.

This was a pleasant read and I felt carried away with the music and excitement of the pending festival. I was keen to see Willow mend her broken heart and enjoyed seeing the happy ending. All in all, this is a pleasing story that would make an ideal beach read. Although there are some lengthy chapters, I hardly noticed as I was so keen to see what would happen to Willow on the island.

With thanks to Head of Zeus, NetGalley and Rachel’s Random Resources for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

INITIAL THOUGHTS

I’m not going to lie. I LOVE this cover, and it is what drew me in immediately. Plus, I was really in the mood for a light, summer read with a little bit of romance.

WHAT I LIKED

Willow. I instantly liked her. Yes, she left her groom-to-be at the alter on their wedding day, but you kind of have to respect her for that. She could’ve just gone through with it and took the easy way out. I think it was very brave. And she seemed so lost in the beginning of this book. I enjoyed following along as she discovers herself again and reflects on the person she has become and where it went wrong. Willow is a very relatable character. I saw myself in her. I think we all lose our way at some point in our lives. It’s when we find our way back that we truly discover who we are, and I absolutely love how this book portrays that.

The mystery. I did not expect so much mystery in the plot. You quickly realize how many secrets are being kept from people. It was fun trying to figure it all out. And I have to say, I was definitely shocked at one point. My jaw literally dropped. Maybe other people saw it coming, but I didn’t. And I love that I didn’t!

The dual timelines. This was such a pleasant surprise! I had no idea there would be dual timelines. I’m not always a fan of these, but this was done so perfectly. You’re already wondering about people’s pasts and how they connect to the present, so when we gradually start learning about Cathy’s (Willow’s mom’s) past, it all starts making sense. I think this was my favorite part of the story. Very well done!

WHAT DIDN’T WORK FOR ME

The connection between Willow and Luc. Don’t get me wrong. Their story is really cute. I love the idea of them reconnecting after so many years. I just didn’t feel it. I wanted to root for them, but at the end, I honestly didn’t mind if they ended up together or not. I think the rest of the story far outweighed the romance in my opinion.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

This was such a great way to start my summer reads. It was not what I expected at all, and I love that it took me by surprise. I wanted a cute, light read, and I am definitely satisfied, but it also had a deep, significant message that we can all learn from. It’s about finding yourself and protecting the people you love, no matter the cost. I love this so much. I do wish that the romance hooked me more, but the rest of the story was perfect. This is the first Rachel Burton book I have read, but it definitely won’t be the last.