This is a touching story of Maggie, who makes the decision to finally live again, and maybe even love again. Nearly five years have passed since the death of Maggie’s husband, and Maggie, along with her four-year-old daughter, Zoey, is back in Seabrook, North Carolina, for the summer. This is where her late husband’s family lives, including his sister, Erin, and brother, Josh. Both are close friends of Maggie’s, and Josh, especially, has been there for her and Zoey whenever they needed anything.

Just as Maggie feels like she is getting better at accepting the untimely death of her husband, a young man crosses her path at a carnival who looks exactly like Ethan, her late husband. She sees him disappearing into the crowd and, although she tries to follow him, he is not to be found.

Josh agrees to help Maggie track the unknown man down, and after an exhaustive search, they find he works at the carnival. Josh is also startled at the resemblance this young man has to his brother.

This is a fascinating story, complicated by the fact that Josh, Maggie’s brother-in-law, who both she and her daughter adore and are thankful for, has secretly been in love with Maggie since they were teenagers. However, she was always his brother’s girlfriend. The unreciprocated love Josh has for Maggie has destroyed his ability to love anyone else, and he has bounced around dating many, always quickly moving on to the next one.

Such a heartfelt, fascinating story with a few astonishing revelations that made it impossible to put this book down. I neglected my entire to-do list so I could keep reading until I turned the last page. Each of Denise Hunter’s books is always my new favorite. They have lovable, relatable characters that get right into my heart from the start. Denise is a gifted storyteller who brings a warm, cozy feeling of coming home each time I open one of her books.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All comments and opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this sweet romance! Denise Hunter gives readers a summer read full of sweet characters and beachy vibes! I loved the relationship the built between Josh and Maggie, plus the little mystery kept things exciting!

Y’all know I don’t usually give 3 stars, but I’m on the fence with this one. On one hand, I read the book in one sitting. I’ve always had an appreciation for Denise Hunter’s books, so we can probably attribute my compulsion to keep going on the writing.
Now for the other side of the fence… I was bothered by the fact that the hero, Josh, claimed he’d been in love with the heroine, Maggie, all through her marriage to HIS BROTHER. And she seems charmed by this admission. I could go into more detail, but not without major spoilers.
I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher, but as always, my opinions are my own.

Mystery, romance, family relationships, and suspense all blend into a beautiful story. This plot is full of surprises. The wonderful characters and beach town location add depth to the book. Definitely worth the read. This book was provided by @Denise Hunter, her publisher and #NetGalley for me to read. The opinions expressed here are my own thoughts.

This was another great book from this author. If you are needing a new read I recommend this book. You won’t be disappointed.

I really enjoy most of Hunter’s books; I loved the plot of this one but not so much the character development.

It was fine for me that Josh was Maggie’s brother-in-law, but I always felt it a bit off to have him refer to her as “honey” pre-relationship. And the tight writing and plot developments I’m used to with Hunter weren’t quite there for me either; it emphasized thoughts and feelings disproportionate to either plot or character development—and suddenly interjecting Will’s POV past the halfway point (and only for a handful of times) felt oddly disjointed. It was a fine read, and I really appreciated the faith element, but for me it wasn’t a wow read.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Five years after the death of her husband, Maggie is finally ready to move on at a chance to love again, but when she sees a man who looks exactly like her husband, at a carnival, she and her brother in law are on a new mission this summer.

To be honest, the story line was really good. It really keeps you guessing and when you think you finally get the answer, the author throws in surprises. The writing and story line made me think I was reading a Nicholas Sparks book.
However, the romance was not my favorite. I really tried to like it, but I just couldn’t. I give this story 3.5 stars because I really did enjoy the story line, just not the romance part of it.

I graciously received an advance e-copy from the publisher and netgalley for review. All opinions are my own.

I had read one of Denise Hunter’s works before and hadn’t noticed that I had requested another one of “the author who writes lighthearted books with not much content” (or so I thought.) I’m glad I made this mistake because this story is unlike the previous one. Lots of mystery with some very unexpected twists. It keeps you guessing (your guess will probably be wrong) and you wonder where this is going to end up. True to life characters with problems you can relate to and some good advice in between. The story is both intense and lighthearted, and relaxing to read. It goes much deeper than a beach read and touches on issues that I’m sure some of us struggle with like loss, abandonment, manipulative parents, lack of self-esteem and daring to set boundaries. You’ll feel right at home with the Reynolds family. I highly recommend this enjoyable and clean book,

Many thanks to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for providing me with a free complimentary copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A closed door romance with a little mystery, a lot of drama, and multiple ‘what the heck is going on’ moments.

I tend to like Denise Hunter’s writing and this way the same. I think she captured emotions well, as well as the conversation for adults with kids that felt realistic. I especially enjoyed the first third of the book - while it was destined to be a bit heartbreaking, I wanted to keep reading.

However, there was too much drama in the second half of the book for my liking. Without spoilers, I had a lot of thoughts including ‘poor Josh’, ‘poor Maggie’, and ‘how is this not a huge lawsuit’. I personally would have enjoyed less drama / a more believable story.

Thank you to NetGalley, Denise Hunter, and Thomas Nelson for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was so great. I have been a long Denise Hunter fan and her books are always heartwarming and give me all the feels!

Denise Hunter has written another delightful story. Seabrook Island, South Carolina is the setting of a mystery that leaves everyone pondering.

Josh and Maggie are best friends. Maggie thinks she has seen her deceased husband at the carnival, and is determined to find him. Josh offers to help with a stranger than life outcome. It turns out to be quite the adventure.

Without giving away the story, the complicated romance that develops concludes with a surprise ending. Denise Hunter is a master storyteller. Writing well rounded characters, she is able to convey her characters deep feelings and emotions. Publication is in April so you need to put this on your TBR list.

I received a complimentary an e-copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This delightful story takes readers on a whirlwind journey filled with unexpected twists. Just when you think you've pieced everything together, another layer unfolds. I loved getting to know Maggie and Josh—their friendship was heartwarming, marked by his steady perseverance and her courage to push forward despite challenges.

This book is labeled Christian fiction, I'd say there's references to Christian practices, but faith elements weren't particularly strong in the characters.

*A big thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC and for the opportunity to post an honest review.

The Summer of You and Me is a Christian romance set on Seabrook Island, South Carolina. This is the first book I've read by Denise Hunter, and the cover design and book synopsis made me interested to read the book.

The story surrounds main character Maggie Reynolds, who is a war widow and mother to a preschool age daughter. While visiting her late husband's family one summer, Maggie spots a guy who looks just like her dead husband walking around the town carnival. Maggie enlists the help of her brother-in-law and close friend Josh Reynolds to investigate who this mysterious doppelganger could be. Josh and Maggie work together to solve the mystery, and during the process, end up confessing their developing feelings for one another. With many twists and turns, they are faced with obstacles that could keep them apart or ultimately bring them together.

I won't summarize the second half of the book, as it would give away too many of the twists and create spoilers. But, trust me there is drama and surprises along the way.

I personally found the book to be too dramatic and unbelievable at times. I didn't like some of the feelings that were revealed toward the end, and I had a hard time connecting to the characters. At times, the writing style felt choppy and amateur, and parts of the plot were unbelievable and cheesy. However, I did find myself wanting to know how it all ended and was satisfied that my questions were answered in the end.

This book contains Christian content (prayer, mentions of church, etc.) and does not have alcohol or swearing. Romantically it is kisses only. Themes of parental abandonment are encountered throughout the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for the complementary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. My review is my honest opinion and is in no way influenced by the author or publisher.

3 stars out of 5.

It took me a little bit to get into this book and it just fell a little flat for me. I was not a fan of Maggie falling in love with her brother in law, it just felt a little weird to me. I did like the other part of the story where we get to find Will and find out who he really is. The pacing was a little slow but I absolutely loved the location. It sounded a lot like Carolina Beach to me which is a place that my family loves to visit in the summertime. Overall, this book had really good writing but the plot wasn't there for me.

In The Summer of You and Me, we meet Maggie and her daughter Zoey. Maggie lost her husband Ethan almost 5 years ago and she is finally getting closure. She is staying at her in laws beach house for the summer while they are on a European vacation. Josh is Ethan's younger bother who has been there for Maggie from the beginning. It turns out Josh has had feelings for Maggie for a long time and he is trying to make it work with Maggie.

Thank you Netgalley and Thomas Nelson for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Denise Hunter’s books never cease to draw me and capture me. This story has heartbreak, mystery, suspense, and love.

It was easy to sympathize with Maggie’s character as she tried to move on from her husband’s death 5 years prior only to have her world rocked by seeing a young version of him. You could feel all the emotions as Maggie tried to process this and get answers. This twist alone to a path I did not see coming.

My only hesitation with this book was the storyline of Josh and Maggie. I struggled to accept this part of the story and get behind it. I think if I read it at face value instead of investing myself in the characters, it would be a little easier to see.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book by the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

I love this author’s writing style, but this book just really fell short for me. From the look-a-like of Maggie’s husband mystery to the falling in love with her brother in law. It just didn’t sit well with me. I felt like the chapters from Will’s POV were pointless and didn’t add much to the book and he was a random character thrown into the mix of this book.

It took a bit to get into this book. There was a lot of hurry up and wait for the mystery aspect of the book and figuring out why Will looked like Maggie’s husband.

Then I felt like there was no balance of the romance and the mystery aspects. There would be chunks of the book that solely focused on the mystery only to jump into focusing on the romance only for 10 chapters. I just wished there would have been more of a balance. I think with balance the book would not have read so choppy. Both aspects of the book could have been better without splitting them like that.

If I wouldn’t have know Josh was Maggie’s brother in law or he would have just been a good friend of Ethan then the book would have been so much better. I just felt weirded out by the whole thing and even at the end when Maggie says “I was only my full self with you.” It just felt wrong.

Not sure I would recommend this book when it just felt off for me but I would still give it a 3/5 because I enjoy the author’s style of writing. I just preferred her previous book so much more.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperChristian for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Summer of You and Me is a well written book. I always enjoy Denise Hunter’s book and this was was no exception. I definitely recommend. I received an advance ebook from the publisher and Netgalley. This is my unbiased review.

I’m always excited at the opportunity to read one of Denise Hunter’s books. Her small-town stories about love, forgiveness, and second chances are always so uplifting. This time, I loved the invitation to step into Maggie Reynold’s world and walk with her through grief and struggles of taking a chance at love while single parenting.

Widowed Maggie Reynolds has returned to Seabrook, NC for the summer with her tenacious 4-year-old, Zoey. When she sees her deceased husband’s doppelganger at the carnival, her heart stops and her mind races with ‘what ifs’.

I instantly connected to the characters and felt all the emotions as they discovered if love was a risk worth taking. Hunter’s exploration of unrequited love, abandonment, trust, and forgiveness kept me spellbound. I especially loved the examination of where we belong and who we consider ‘home’. Although I didn’t find myself in the book, I came away with a deeper commitment to be more welcoming and understanding. I’m quick to judge and Hunter always reminds us that her characters have more to them than meets the eye.

Maggie and Josh’s quest for the truth made for a compelling read - one that I’ll remember for quite some time!

I was gifted this copy by Thomas Nelson Fiction and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

What a beautiful story about family dynamics!
Hunter is at her best here for sure. I love her stories so this one is no exception. In fact, it will be my favorite by her.
There's a little bit of everything to keep you from putting the book down. From grief to mystery to solving it's an excellent guessing game.
Maggie and Josh's journey was quite the adventure.
I loved figuring out along with them on who the mystery man was. They definitely got the surprise of their lives when they did!
5 stars from me for an exciting adventure. I highly recommend.
My thanks for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine.

This is the story of a widow and her deceased husbands brother. They have been friends for years, but that is starting to change to more. There are several complications that pop up, that involve a bit of mystery and difficult family members. I enjoyed the story very much and it has a little surprise in the end that I hadn’t guessed. I was given this book to review and I would recommend it.