Member Reviews
The Summer Swap is about three different women's point of views: Cecilia, Kristen, and Lily. Each of the three women are in different areas of their lives but they all can relate at the same time as well. Each woman shares their own story through their struggles throughout marriage, grief, and how they handle different situations in each of their lives. Cecilia is older and she ends up getting away from her family and the cottage is her hideaway. The cottage is Lily's hideaway as well but she does not know Cecilia is there until they run into each other. Cecilia ends up inviting Lily as her guest in her home. As their friendship starts to evolve, they learn more about each other and how they each can help one another with their situations and encourage each other. This book is a great summer read as I could really relate to some situations that happened throughout the book. Also the cottage I wish I could visit in real life as it sounds beautiful. You also find out that Lily has a crush on Cecilia's grandson Todd. Overall, I enjoyed the different point of views between the three women and the different scenarios they encountered throughout the book. If you love romance reads, romantic comedies, or need a good summertime read, this one is for you!
Another Sarah Morgan book that I loved. It was fast-paced and kept me hooked. I liked the multiple points of view. It was great to hear all three women's perspectives. I also really liked the art aspect of the book. Thank you NetGalley & Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC copy of this book.
Such a great summer read! I devoured this in a day and it was the perfect feel-good summer book I needed. I'm new to Sarah Morgan, having just read her most recent Christmas book, and I cannot wait to read more. I enjoyed the different perspectives from the female characters and it helped move the story seamlessly. Morgan showed each character's growth in a realistic way that made you root for all of them to get their redemption story. Add this to your beach bag for a light, easy summer read!
A wonderful summer read. A fabulous escape to Cape Cod with a multi person point of view.
The book tells the story of Cecilia, Lily, and Kristen. Lily and Cecilia both escaping something help each other help and own who they are. There is love and reconciliation weaved throughout.
There were secrets thy revealed themselves throughout the book and it was an overall enjoyable nostalgic read.
I loved that this book was told from the perspectives of three different women in three different age generations. I wasn’t sure at first when I started reading this how they would all interconnect but it was woven together very creatively!
A lovely novel about three women- Cecelia, her daughter Kristen, and Lily, who was more or less squatting in Cecelia's home on Cape Cod until Cecelia arrived. Oh, and Theo. This is all about grief, resiliency, friendship and mostly family, both blood and found. There's romance, yes, but there's also some unexpected and deeper drama. There's also nice Cape atmospherics. While yes it's trope-y, it's also the sort of easy read that you need sometimes. And, Morgan's a good storyteller. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. Perfect for the beach.
This is a wonderful book with 3 women's point of view on their life choices, marriage & love. I loved the beach setting. It was relaxing & almost it's own character. I enjoyed getting to know the characters & what choices they would make for their new chapters in life.
After a slightly slow start I absolutely fell in love with this book. At the very beginning all of the characters are at a bit of a watershed moment. They're all facing down things that aren't quite what they seem and decisions that have consequences.
I loved all the characters and watching them learn to figure out what they want and in some cases find their voice. Normally in a book with an ensemble cast there are some stories I like more than others and some characters I don't really care for. I didn't find that to be the case for this book. I really enjoyed each story and could identify with each of the characters.
This was a bit of a predictible romance but it was so cozy and heartfelt with likable characters that deserve happy endings that I thoroughly enjoyed it from beginning to end. Sarah Morgan may become my go to comfort reading author.
Thank you to NetGalley for the advance review copy in return for an honest review.
What a cutie little beach novel. All the characters were so sweet and fun to read. I also love when a book is tied up in a neat bow.
The summer reads have officially begun and I'm so glad I started with this book, because truly it healed something in me. The characters, the setting, the plot, everything about it just scratched an itch in my brain and filled a hole in my heart that I didn't even realize existed.
Lily is on the run. After going against her parents wishes and dropping out of medical school, she finds herself cleaning houses on the Cape as she figures out her next move. After some time couch surfing, she realizes that the abandoned cottage she's been cleaning would be the perfect spot to post up until she sorts out where she wants to be and what she wants to do. After all, the cleaning company she works for said no one uses the cottage to begin with. But when the owner, Cecilia Lapthorne, shows up, looking to escape her own home troubles, the two form an unlikely friendship, and they may just be the person needed to help each other heal.
If you are looking for a sweet summer read that is going to pull out some emotion while making you smile, this is the one that needs to be on your TBR. It really draws on the need for empathy (you truly never know what someone is going through, even if they're in your own family) and shows that even the most self-centered characters (I'm looking at you, Kristen) can experience a great depth of development if they open their eyes to what's going on around them.
Sarah Morgan is an incredibly talented author and this completely put me in the summer reading mood!
ARC Review! Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the advanced copy of this read in exchange for my honest review!
I struggled with this one, as there was far more drama than I was expecting. That took away from this being the cozy, uplifting beach read I had anticipated based on the cover and description. This was far heavier. I did enjoy the multiple POV's, which featured three generations of women, a mother and daughter and a friend. All three were flawed and relatable. Numerous topics are addressed in this book, including death and grief, cheating, bullying, and toxic relationships--quite a bit to tackle in one story that looks like a fun summer read. The pace was slow, and that, along with the heavier topics, made it hard for me to stay engaged. There is romance aspect, but, sadly, it's cheesy. I think the book could have been better without it. I did appreciate the reminder that one is never too old to reinvent themselves.
The Summer Swap is a smart romance story full of heart and complex topics. The author does a good job covering complex topics while still keeping the story a light read for the summer. I adored that the story had multiple POVs. I definitely recommend this to romance readers looking for their next summer read.
In Sarah Morgan's latest work, women across generations navigate life's challenges with depth and insight. With a blend of depth and lightness, it delves into themes of family, friendship, and romance.
The three central characters—Lily, Cecelia, and Kirsten—each offer a compelling perspective. Lily, a young artist healing from heartbreak; Cecelia, a widowed matriarch burdened by secrets and her late husband's legacy; and Kirsten, navigating loss, family dynamics, and an absent spouse.
Through skillful multi-POV storytelling, Morgan intricately weaves together their journeys, captivating readers with relatable struggles and aspirations. Set against the picturesque backdrop of the Cape, the narrative is enriched by vivid descriptions that transport readers to sandy shores and sun-drenched landscapes.
Ultimately, it's a tale of secrets unveiled and resolutions reached, leaving readers with a sense of hope and fulfillment by its satisfying conclusion.
Thank you to netgalley, Sarah Morgan, and Harlequin for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This was such a beautiful way to write 3 stories in one book and have it work out perfectly. I really enjoyed the stories told, the author did an amazing job!
This was such a great book! A fast paced, and very easy read. Perfect to pull anyone out of a reading slump! Super cute, and intriguing from the very beginning! Lots of secrets, which I love! Three different relationships in three different stages, and a rekindled romance! I would highly recommend this book to everyone I know.
This was my first Sarah Morgan book, it was a wonderful romance I will be reading more of her work in the future. This was the perfect book to lay in the backyard under the sun, envision your toes in the sand and the ocean breeze against your face. If your lucky enough to actually get to do that bring this book!
This is a multigenerational book that followed 3 women thru a summer of navigating life. Each woman is in a different stage of life. Cecilia is 75 year old widow who has lived her entire life in the shadow of her famous husband, she has to learn to let go of hurtful secrets and find happiness in who she is without her husband. Kristin is in her late forties, after losing her dad she has been unable to cope while living with a work-aholic husband who emotionally is absent. And Lily, sweet Lily, freshly dropped out of medical school to pursue what makes her happy with the disapproval of the ones she loves most.
Their stories are so fun to read about, the characters all come together so well and youwill easily fall inlove with Todd. I feel like he was not in the book enough.
My only complaint is the pace of Todd and Lily. Their love for each other developed off the pages, making it go from Lily silently pineing over him to holding hands and inlove. I wish we had had more depth there, maybe a chapter or two from Todds perspective!
Thank you Sarah Morgan, Harlequin Trade Publishing, Canary Street Press & NetGalley for the oppurtunity to enjoy The Summer Swap.
I am torn with my star rating. It’s a solid 3.5 ⭐️ that I just can’t bring myself to round up. Maybe that will change as I sit with it?
I want to thank NetGalley and Harlequin for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
The story over all is a delightful summer read. I can’t call it a beach read as the pacing is very slow in the first half of the book and it’s more than a fluffy story. It takes you on a sojourn (I can’t call it a journey) into complex parental/ child, wife/ husband and beyond relationships by taking a look at the past to shape the characters futures.
I liked the story in that I wanted to know what happened despite it being incredibly predicated from the jump. Part of the story surrounds a painting with some mysterious history of sorts except it was really clear (at least to me) what the providence and origins of the painting was from the beginning.
One frustrating part is the romance aspect of the book. It went from 0 to cheesy in not even a full page. It just didn’t ring true. There was a lot from the beginning half of the book that could have been edited out in favor of a bit more development of the current relationships in the book.
I liked the multi POV aspect although I did. It care at all about Kristen’s until the last 1/4 of the book. She was annoying and I wanted her to go away, thankfully she did for a bit, or at least her POV took a break which is when the pacing picked up.
Lastly, what I did enjoy was the sense that she shouldn’t put someone in a box and reinventing themselves is always an option, even if you’re in your 70’s.
So I do recommend a read of the book despite some grammar issues (which may be fixed for the final copy), some cheesiness and needing a better edit.
My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars and I rarely round up.
⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again
Thanks to netgalley & the publisher for the ARC copy of the book. The love that I feel for Lily. How I’m so glad about the way the book ended. CL. I would’ve never guessed that. I wanted to cry happy tears a lot. I really hope there is another book for Todd’s sisters. One of the best beach reads I’ve read.
Right... I didn't expect this to happen to be honest. I had such a great time with The Book Club Hotel last year that I immediately jumped at the opportunity to read Sarah Morgan's newest story early. I loved the sound of the Cape Cod setting as well as the growing bond between the two women that seemed to have an unlikely friendship vibe... And I admit that I fully expected to enjoy my time with The Summer Swap. Imagine my surprise when I ended up struggling considerably with this summer read instead... It definitely wasn't the book for me after all.
First of all, I have to stress that I'm probably part of the problem here. I'm never a big fan of family drama focused stories, and there is a whole lot of drama to be found in The Summer Swap. I wasn't expecting quite this much in what I thought would be an uplifting summer read, and the main focus is definitely on the heavy topics and drama on multiple levels here. Not necessarily a bad thing, but not my cup of tea at all and as a result I struggled considerably to find the motivation to keep reading. If you like drama, you will love this story though!
The Summer Swap uses three different POVs following three generations of women. Cecilia and Kristen are family (mother and daughter), while Lily is a close friend of Cecilia's granddaughter. All three women have their flaws, issues and secrets, and as a consequence all three POVs focus heavily on the drama to be found along the way. Topics mentioned include for example death, grief, family issues, parental pressure, cheating, unrequited love, bullying and toxic relationships in general, and it's a lot to deal with considering the fact that I thought it was going to be an uplifting story focusing on friendship and self discovery.
I think part of the reason this story didn't work well for me also had to do both with the fact that the pace is considerably slow and the fact that this story is mostly character-driven and nothing much happens during most of the plot. Add the fact that I wasn't able to warm up to any of the characters at all, and it only made this character-driven story even harder to swallow... The way there was SO much drama during most of the plot, only to have everything magically being made better wasn't exactly credible either. I don't mind a happy ending, but this was just too much of an abrupt and 180 change to be satisfying.
In short, The Summer Swap and me sadly didn't get along at all. Between the overdose of drama, unlikeable characters and slow pace I struggled considerably with this story, and it just wasn't for me. Most people seem to love this book so far though, so definitely don't give up on my account if you think you would enjoy it.
Sarah Morgan just gets better every time I pick up a new book! I loved the summer vibe of this novel, as well as the complexity of the relationships and dynamics over time. Lily and Cecilia are the ultimate female friend goals, and I loved every second of getting there.