I had higher expectations for this one. The plot was confusing. Why was Ava so hung up on exposing her former-college-acquaintance-turned-pseudo-friend's biggest family secret? And the secret really isn't that much of secret. This book was slower than molasses in January and is not a page turner. It did make me want to visit Tennessee, though: ( )

Ava Dabrowski is in a bad relationship, and has a job she doesn’t enjoy. After her mother’s death she’s feeling particularly alone in her Chicago apartment. So when an old college friend offers her a chance to get away and spend the summer in Tennessee she quits her job and heads south. Will Fraser’s two great aunts live in the family’s large antebellum home in Woodburn, and offer Ava the kind of Southern hospitality that will give her a chance to relax and begin working on that novel she’s always wanted to write. But she will soon discover that the serene calm of this small town is only on the surface. There are secrets no one wants to come to light and some feuds that she is bound to get in the middle of.

This was a pretty enjoyable novel. The story drew me in and kept me reading. Holton uses flashbacks to great effect. There are two “historical” stories that have to be told in addition to the contemporary plot. Holton gives us glimpses of Ava’s childhood as Ava looks for answers to her own background. She also has occasional chapters that take us back to the great aunt’s childhood and youth, counterpoint to the questions Ava raises as she gets to know the Woodburns and other citizens of the town.

However, I think Holton’s characters are somewhat sketchily drawn and stereotypical. Ava is the confused young woman whose mother kept secrets from her. Will is the handsome, quiet, Southern gentleman. Jake plays the handsome, strong, “bad boy” and black sheep. The aunts and other townsfolk are out of central casting. And Holton’s plot got away from her with just one too many secrets / mysteries to be solved. Don’t get me wrong … it’s still an enjoyable read and a good beach book. I would read more of her work.
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Too many characters to keep track of. Sometimes puzzled at the relationships. I found it disconcerting and distracting. It was an OK book but the theme was a little on the thin side. Two cousins fall out over a girl and the "offending" cousin terribly contrite about being ostracized from the family who gave him everything! Yet, when the chance presents himself, he does it again! A lot of rich stuff in the story line that was never expanded! Like Zelda Fitzgerald being a distant relative. Ernest Hemingway a family friend. Ghosts in the house. I will try some other books she has written because it was not all bad. ( )

"I have always enjoyed all Cathy's other books; however, this one was quite different. I liked the historical parts, and the mystery, but did not like the ending..left you hanging....was hoping for an epilogue...left you wanting another chapter....possibly a sequel forthcoming?" ( )

Ava Dabrowski finds herself reeling from a failed romance and the death of her mother when she decides to accept an invitation to spend the summer in Woodburn, Tennessee at the home of an old college acquaintance, Will Fraser. Ava has a dream to write a novel, but she finds it hard to get started once she arrives in Tennessee. Woodburn is a classic small Southern town and Will and his family take center stage. Ava moves into Will's aunts' home - a rambling, historic house that is haunted by the ghosts of the past. When she unearths a family mystery - that of the death of Charlie Woodburn - the story consumes her and her novel comes to life. But things are not always as they first appear, and the mystery of Charlie and his untimely death have been kept secret for a long, long time. As Ava becomes embroiled in the lives of the Woodburns, she discovers that truth may be more compelling than fiction.

Cathy Holton's Summer in the South is a well-written novel about a young woman caught in a dark mystery from the past. It explores the Southern culture, family loyalty and the difficulty of untangling fact from gossip and community lore. Ava Dabrowski is a strong, "Yankee" woman who finds herself unsettled when she moves to a small Southern town where the rules of society are anything but clear. When she begins to dig into the history of the Woodburn family, she finds herself confronting shadows and ghosts and the tricky maze of high class Southern etiquette.

There is a bit of romance mixed into the mystery in Holton's novel, but it doesn't overwhelm the plot. I found this book highly readable, and the ending took me a little by surprise as the reader finally uncovers the truth behind Charlie's death.

Readers who love novels set in the South, and for those who like women's literature and a bit of mystery in their reading, will find much to enjoy in Summer in the South. ( )