Whether you’re lazing by the pool or snuggled up listening to the rain pattering on the windows, here are 5 book recommendations you should be reading this summer.
With similar themes but totally unique, I know you’re going to love diving into these contemporary fiction worlds.
Jera’s Jamboree receives payments for affiliate advertising. This is at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. As a Cratejoy affiliate I earn if you click on a link and shop from my link. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.
1. The House in the Olive Grove by Emma Cowell
Twitter: @emmalloydcowell
Facebook: EmmaCowellAuthor
Instagram: @emmalloydcowell
- Publisher : Avon (25 May 2023)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 432 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0008515875
- ISBN-13 : 978-0008515874
Will one week in Greece change their lives for ever?
Chef Maria is running a successful cookery school in her home village of Petalidi, Greece – but she is also running from the secrets of her past.
Food journalist Kayla thought this was going to be just another work trip. But right before she leaves for Greece, she discovers that her whole life is built on a lie.
Jewellery-maker Alessandra has always lived according to her own rules – despite what it has cost her to do so. But she has just had some devastating news.
As these three very different women come together at the house in the olive grove, unlikely friendships blossom and a season of self-discovery begins. Will the sumptuous flavours, sapphire waters and golden sands of Greece give each of them the answers they so desperately seek?
My Thoughts
I’ve never experienced a prologue hooking me in as much as this one, I needed to find out more about Maria, Kayla and Alessandra!
Maria is an outsider in her home village and feels she’s never enough for her mum. Despite a front of having dealt with her past and at peace with her choices, she has insecurities. She intuitively knows the flavours suited to each student at her cooking school and how those flavours will nourish their souls.
Kayla and Alessandra are totally opposite. Kayla controls life by following the rules while Alessandra is unconventional. When she arrives with her openness and lack of filter, I knew she was going to shake things up!
While the cooking school is working its magic for these two, Maria is dealing with something that builds in intensity and left me feeling fearful for her and wondering what the outcome could be.
I felt totally immersed in the Greek way of life and culture. The setting itself feels like a character – feminine and sensuous, drawing you out to experience and feel. Emma Cowell’s writing style somehow feels as if represents Greece too. I’m thinking this comes from Maria’s narration, setting the pace and style.
I had tears a few times for all three of the women and felt honoured to be a part of their self-discovery and acceptance.
The House in the Olive Grove is about living with the land in harmony and being open to the things we can’t see to heal and belong. The friendships, romance and community are perfect for experiencing this. A story that won’t be easily forgotten!
2. Summer Wedding by Sarah Morgan
- ASIN : B0BKK1Y7ZH
- Publisher : HQ (25 May 2023)
- Language : English
- File size : 8347 KB
A family wedding
Catherine Swift is a bestselling romance author, but her personal story hasn’t been quite so successful; three failed marriages have left her relationship with her daughters strained. Engaged once again, Catherine is counting on this wedding, at her villa in Corfu, to finally bring the family together.
A summer of secrets
Adeline can’t believe her mother is getting married for a fourth time, or that she’s expected to attend. It brings back the pain of her mother’s infidelity and the baby who was the result. Not that she blames her half-sister Cassie, but then she’s never tried to know her, either. Cassie, on the other hand, is thrilled by her mother’s news – she’s always admired Catherine’s resilience, and is excited to meet the mystery groom. Cassie also has a secret of her own, and a summer in Corfu will give her the time she needs to process everything.
A chance to start over again
As the guests arrive on the island, and the big day approaches, Catherine begins to reveal secrets from her past, and suddenly both Cassie and Adeline realise that they don’t know their mother at all . . .
Twitter @SarahMorgan_
Instagram @sarahmorganwrites
My Thoughts
Life experiences have given Adeline and Cassie totally different outlooks on life.
Adeline has shut down her emotions and likes to live by a formula. A clinical psychologist, she prefers her career writing a column than face-to-face patients as it gives distance from those she helps. Close to Cassie when she was a baby, her move from the family home to live with her dad as a child created a chasm.
Cassie is excited by life and is full of energy. She’s in love with love. A degree in Classics, she’s working as a barista in the Tasty Bite Café while she figures out what she wants to do. She’s inspired by Adeline.
Catherine has her own insecurities that started in childhood. Her experiences motivate her to focus on what makes people feel good and for her that’s writing happy ever after stories.
Corfu is the perfect place to work through a tangle of familial feelings and loosen up.
I love Sarah Morgan’s characters in EVERY story. I’m always invested in what happens and feel what they do. And wow, so many feels from these three! so very relatable. I don’t know how it’s possible to make your characters unique in every story you write (without repeating yourself!) but Sarah Morgan nails it every time.
Even though children have different perceptions of their family life when growing up, there was something nagging at me that I couldn’t ignore. The little nuggets (that hinted at truths) got me thinking all sorts … and wondering what the impact would be on one character in particular when the truth was revealed.
Summer Wedding is one of those stories that you don’t realise just how much you need until you’ve read it. It had such a positive impact on how I was feeling (and stayed with me). Priceless.
Loved the characters, the setting, the relationships, the self-discovery and the romance. Perfection.
Books Read written by this author
3. The Sunrise Sisterhood by Cathy Bramley
Twitter @cathybramley
Instagram @cathybramley
- ASIN : B0BNKYZ28Q
- Publisher : Orion (11 May 2023)
- Language : English
- File size : 6976 KB
Three generations of women, and the summer that saved them.
The holidays are here, and in Salcombe, Liz longs for the arrival of her god-daughters, Skye and Clare and Clare’s daughter baby Ivy. After years on her own, she needs help to save the catering business she built with Clare’s late mother, Jen.
However, half-sisters Skye and Clare couldn’t be more different, struggling with family secrets and hidden jealousies. As the women navigate this unexpected summer together, truths are revealed and their relationships are put to the test.
The Sunrise Sisterhood is a summery slice of joyful escapism as well as an emotional drama about three women healed by the sparkling waves of Salcombe and the power of the sisterhood.
My Thoughts
Liz is lonely. Since the death of best friend Jen, she hasn’t had the energy to keep the Seaside Gourmet Girls in full operation.
Headteacher Clare needs some downtime. Independent and refusing help, she’s close to burn out. She’s looking forward to time in Salcombe with Liz and her own baby daughter Ivy.
Skye is on leave from her role with the Hope Foundation charity project in Uganda. She needs to make a decision but had to have time away to clear her head to do so.
Liz meets up with Jen’s ex-husband Mike on what would have been Jen’s birthday. She’s given news that means she’ll have to get the catering business up and running again. Mike offers the opportunity for Skye to help her out for the summer, but Liz is wary at first. With Clare and Ivy staying for the summer and no love lost between Clare and Skye, it could cause more problems than it solves. Liz believes Mike when he promises to smooth it over.
Oh how I loved this story. I didn’t want it to end! The Sunrise Sisterhood gave me the whole spectrum of feelings. It felt good to snort with laughter (the misunderstanding at the business meeting is a classic), feel uncomfortable in places (the catered birthday party springs to mind – funny to watch on the outside but painful because of why), cry tears of sadness and happiness. The birthday party invite is ingenious! This made me cry big heartfelt tears. Surely it had to make a difference.
I enjoyed finding out what motivated the characters and loved them all. Mike was the biggest surprise of all for me. And it made sense for something else that had puzzled me.
The conflicts are creative, moving the action along on a jagged path to understanding and realisations. I loved how different it was for each of the characters yet comes together to make a whole.
Salcombe is where it’s at this summer. Where secrets are revealed and all three women find their own way through to live their best lives. I loved it!
4. The Beach Holiday by Isabelle Broom
- ASIN : B0BP6NMNZ6
- Publisher : Hodder & Stoughton (22 Jun. 2023)
- Language : English
- File size : 2696 KB
A somebody. A nobody.
A love story waiting to be written . . .
All aspiring novelist Honor has ever wanted is to be successful. It’s the only way she can impress the father who abandoned her, the boyfriend who gave up on her, and the nagging voice in her head that tells her she’s not good enough.
Still, wanting to tell a story is not the same as having a story to tell, and Honor knows she needs to find a new source of inspiration.
When she’s invited to spend a summer abroad in The Hamptons, Honor realises it could be the dream setting for a book, especially when a chance encounter provides her with the perfect leading man.
But blurring fact and fiction is a dangerous game, and Honor soon discovers that writing her way to success might come at the expense of her own happy ever after . . .
Twitter @Isabelle_Broom
Instagram @isabelle_broom
I thought The Beach Holiday was a different style of story to those I’ve read before from Isabelle Broome. For me, the setting didn’t play as big a part – it was all emotion, which I loved!
I couldn’t warm to Honor’s dad, putting himself centre stage more than once. I don’t care about his reasons and motivations. You’d still want to do your best. And it’s no good saying what you did you thought was for the best – the best for him maybe. Now I’ve got that out of the way …
Honor is such a fab character. She’s totally relatable and has a brilliant sense of humour. Through most of the story she’s living under her father’s shadow and trying to get his approval.
Talullah was an enigma. Being mentored by Honor’s dad’s, she’s in New York when Honor arrives and is the one who suggests that Honor goes to the Hamptons with them. I couldn’t figure out where she fit in and had my suspicions. Even with her backstory, I’m still not sure whether I like her very much.
OMG the love story is AMAZING.
After meeting Cellan, Honor experiences a different world. Protective of his private life, he finds it hard to trust others but lets his guard down with Honor. It was awesome to see her start to believe in herself.
I enjoyed the banter between them and loved how their relationship developed. Not so enamoured of the team around him though! There are some passionate scenes between them that felt authentic and brought a lot of heat to the story. With the interference from others, I wasn’t sure how it was going to work out.
I’ve felt betrayed and angry as well as full of love and happiness. Such a mixture of feelings 🙂
The Beach Holiday isn’t my favourite Isabelle Broom story but it is a fabulous love story. Definitely one to read this summer.
Books read written by this author:
5. A Summer Holiday at Bridget’s Bicycle Bakery by Alex Brown
Twitter @alexbrownbooks
Instagram @alexbrownbooks
- ASIN : B09CFV88SW
- Publisher : One More Chapter (30 July 2023)
- Language : English
- File size : 2835 KB
It’s summer in Mulberry-on-Sea and with the arrival of warm, sunny evenings and happy tourists full of candy floss and ice cream, Bridget’s Bicycle Bakery has gone from strength-to-strength. There’s only one small croissant-shaped problem – her cosy kitchen isn’t big enough for all her delicious bakes!
The seaside-town’s old, boarded-up bakery would be perfect for Bridget’s scrumptious sausage rolls and sourdough loaves but she’ll have to breathe life and love into it, just the way she did with the local community. With the help of her local friends and her gorgeous beau Jack, could Bridget’s Bakery dream be coming true, or is she about to wake up to a new surprise?
My Thoughts
It amazes me just how much can be shared in a short story!
The information we find out is important to Bridget’s life in Mulberry-on-Sea.
Loved spending a short time with the community again, in fact, this story highlights just how important community is 🙂
Bridget can be her own worst enemy …
The scrumptious makes and bakes left my mouth watering. There’s even a recipe for Biscoff croissants if you want to try your hand at baking.
I was left with that warm fuzzy feeling that all was right with the world.
If you haven’t read any of these books, I recommend you start at the beginning with the Carrington’s series.
I’m quite sad this is book 2 of 2 (you can read my thoughts about A Cosy Christmas at Bridget’s Bicycle Bakery).
Fingers crossed Alex Brown feels drawn to writing about this world again in the future (although maybe not a gap of 9 years next time though 🙂 )
What’s your favourite read for this summer? You’re welcome to leave a comment and let me know (and for others to have a choice too).