This was such a cute summer read that really makes me crave a beach vacation. I’d love to visit Hatteras Island + have one of Meghan’s famous muffins.

It was a bit lacking in the romance. I was just hoping for a bit more in that department, so I’d say this is a light romance. With that being said, I did enjoy this story and the family ancestral ties.

I liked the characters, but wanted a little more depth from Toby. I loved Rupert and the grandfather connection. It really made me miss my grandfathers. I loved the family secret aspect at play, which made this a page turner for me. Overall, a good light summer read that I’ll be recommending.

Summer reads are my jam! There is absolutely nothing that makes me smile bigger than the creek, sunshine, and a new summer romance. This one was truly a delight!

Feeling like her life is going nowhere,, Meghan quits her dead end waitressing job in New York and heads to her grandpas cottage on Hatteras Island. Shes spent a decade running from his memory, and coming back opens up old wounds shes never allowed to heal. Finally opening the manilla envelope he left for her, she finds a photograph and an old key. With no idea what either of them mean, she sets out on an adventure that teaches her not just about her beloved Pappy but also about herself.

This isn't just a summer romance. Part love story. Part drama, with a little mystery thrown in. This book takes you on a ride through Hatteras Island from the Golden Age of Hollywood era all the way until the present. Each supporting character has their own story and all are just as important as the next. This one kept me up at night in a good way. Highly recommended!!!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture, and Jenny Hale for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This book is a nicely written book. It is easy to read and will pull at the heart strings as well as making you smile. It's one to read when you don't want to concentrate too hard and just have something light and easy to read.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. Author Jenny Hale certainly knows how to write a book that keeps you turning the pages. While the romance part of this book felt forced and rushed, the mystery of it all was great. I liked this one minus the forced romance.

What an interesting story. The storyline is awesome! The characters are wonderful. The relationship between Megan and Tess is just what you would want with your best friend. The emotions that Megan and Toby deal with are so on point to what folks deal with every day. Who wouldn’t love to hang out with Charlie every day? I would love to be able to go back and check on Rupert, Megan, Toby, Tess, and Charlie again. I received this book from NetGalley, but my opinion is my own.

I loved every second that I spent reading this book and was sad when I finished it.

An Island Summer beautifully tells multiple story lines; a story of family history/connection, a story of romance, and a story of friendship, all woven together seamlessly. The main character, Meaghan, is super relatable in her journey to find fulfillment and joy in her life. Meghan arrives on the island hoping to find new direction for her life, but she did not expect to unearth family secrets along the way. This book is a perfect blend of mystery and romance, making it a must-read summer novel!

I will now be searching for more titles by Jenny Hale as I loved her writing style and creative storyline.

**I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Sometimes people do things that they have no idea why but when they get there, they just know this is where they are supposed to be. This happens in the story, which I liked. I felt like they were right in knowing this is where they are meant to be, but then you have to find out why. Many times, I felt like there were things that you couldn't see, it was just below the surface.
The book intrigued me, I do sometimes think we get the feeling that we need to do something or be someplace, and we have to decide if we do it or not. Megan went back to the Outer Banks to the cottage she inherited from her Pappy. She hadn't been back since her Pappy died ten years ago, but she just sensed she had to go there.
When she arrives, there is some mystery, some past meets the present, and she just knows she is being guided to find things. The story kept me reading, and like in the story Megan and others could sense things, I could sense some things while reading this, but like them didn't know why. I enjoyed this story very much and would recommend it to my family, friends, and anyone reading the review.
I received an ARC from Bookouture through NetGalley.

I really enjoyed this novel. It proves that you can go home again even if it kind of hurts. Jenny learns to live again.

Meghan and Tess are in need of a change and decide to leave their NYC lives behind and set out for an island summer in the Outer Banks at the home that Meghan's Pappy left to her. Meghan hasn't been back in years and is hoping this can be the fresh start that she needs. Her first day back she meets Toby and his charming grandfather Rupert who mistakes her for the late actress, Hester Quinn. As Meghan spends more time with Rupert, secrets start to emerge about his past... and her own as well.
This was such a lighthearted, fun read. Perfect summer beach read with a bit of romance and even a little mystery as well. Read it in two days- very much enjoyed!
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC.

Jenny Hale’s, newest book, An Island Summer, is a perfect book for your beach bag or to take with you on any vacation!! I also highly recommend this truly beautiful story if you're at home and want to read a really loving story. An Island Summer is a story of resiliency, family, friendship, love and hope.

Megan dreamed of becoming a chef, so working as a waitress at a prominent NYC restaurant was her beginning, but she couldn't achieve her dream. So she packed up and went back to her Pappy’s house in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Her Pappy was her whole world and he had told her that she could always come back to his house when she needed to find answers. "Come back here and find your calm", Pappy would tell her. Megan and her best friend Tess, both quit their jobs and headed to the Outer Banks to begin their new lives. Pappy told her, before he died, "Your dreams are just your future stretching out in front of you".

When they arrive they meet Rupert and his grandson Toby. As they spend more time together, they learn how their lives could possibly connect and the beautiful story of family, friends, lost love and reuniting, begins. A combination of stories of hope and different kinds of love, that Jenny can deliver.

I truly loved how Jenny weaves the tapestry of this story and I honestly couldn't put it down. I enjoyed it so so much.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for an Advanced Readers Copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

3 stars!

If you're looking for a romantic, sumer getaway comedy, this book isn't quite that.

This book does have a beach but it's more about Meaghan and her road to self-discovery. There's just a tiny dash of romance, but it's quite on the side.

A very worthy book for a rainy sunday afternoon.

I really enjoyed this book, history, romance, mystery and good characters made a well written page turner. The beginning seemed a bit slow but once the story got underway I was hooked and couldn’t put it down.

When I started this book, I thought it was going to be a typical "girl returns to her roots in a small beach town when her life needs a new direction and falls in love in the process", but it was so much more. There is small town living and romance, and also mystery, caring for family, and unraveling the past in order to move forward. The writing brings summer in the Outer Banks to life, and the heartwarming story will bring a smile to your face. Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the advance digital copy!

Oh my this was the perfect book to kick off my summer!! I absolutely fell in love with this book and the characters!! I hope there will be another one.

Meghan Gray has not returned to Outer Banks since her beloved Pappy passed away. When Meghan’s dreams were crushed in New York she decided to move back with her best friend Tess. On their first night back in Outer Banks, Meghan meets Toby and his grandfather.

An Island Summer is a perfect light summer read.
This was an emotional and engrossing read. A lovely story which was compelling from page one and carried straight through to a wonderful conclusion.
As usual with stories by this talented author, the characters are believable, their backgrounds complex and the whole story is packed with incidents that make us feel so connected to them.
I felt very connected to Meghan and honestly felt her loss. Losing her grandfather.
It is another emotive, enthralling read, that I've come to expect for Hale.
The emotion and details here was outta this world. Felt like I was watching it all unfold right before my eyes! I will always read this Authors work. She is amazing at what she does!

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Bookouture,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review to my platforms, blog, B&N and Waterstone closer to pub date.

A well-written and interesting story. A little beach read and a little more heavy in parts. The characters are awesome and so involved. It's a very enjoyable story!

After a disappointment in being passed over for a chef's position in New York, Meghan and her best friend quit their jobs and decide to head down to the Outer Banks to live in the beach cottage she inherited when her Pappy passed. This book is so intriguing - I kept reading all night. It's part small-town romance and part historical mystery. Meghan meets Toby and his grandfather, Rupert - who believes Meghan is an old movie star friend of his. And a beach cottage renovation start unraveling the pieces of the mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.

An Island Summer is a very cute beach read but honestly just not my favorite style of writing. It has a very slow and leisurely start, though it does pick up as the mystery unfolds. I expected a beach town romance and was given a cute mystery novel with a happy ending.

Overall, a fun read if you're looking for a good short mystery.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

Another winner from Jenny Hale...She truly writes those books that are just perfect for the beach. I have to say, this one is not nearly as romance-y as her other ones, but I loved the mystery and somewhat historical spin to this one. It was a little different than her usual which made it easy to read. I felt that the romance piece actually felt a little forced in this one and could've been left out entirely, but it didn't make or break the book.

Jenny Hale is, by far, one of my favorite authors. Her stories are so heartwarming. I'm pretty sure that her books get better with each one she writes. This one was fabulous. I love that it takes place on the Outer Banks. It's so fun to read about places you know well. I loved following Meghan Gray on her journey to fix up her late Pappy's beach cottage. What she doesn't expect to find is a letter that will lead her on a life changing scavenger hunt. I loved that this story had a bit of a mystery woven throughout it. This book is the perfect read for a summer getaway, or will be a great getaway for you if you're not able to break from the everyday. You won't regret picking up this book!

I loved this book. Such a feel good story about family, secrets, and starting over to follow your dreams.
Meghan's dream was to become a chef, but after years of working a dead end job, she and her best friend, Tess, decide to pack it in and spend the summer at the house on the beach she inherited from her Pappy. Things are harder there than she thought. Pappy's house has been empty for over ten years, and the repairs are piling up faster than she can make money. But under all the stress, there is a mystery that needs to be solved. The problem is the key to the mystery is inside the head of an older man suffering from the onset of dementia.
The characters in the story were awesome, so easy to relate to and cheer for. The plot flowed smoothly from scene to scene. Highly recommend .
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.