So glad I was able to attend the book signing in Sumter and get my copy signed! So excited to read this trilogy! ( )

I picked this trilogy by Mary Alice Monroe as my ready for a summer read. The first book did not disappoint and left me ready to grab the next book in the series. MAM captures the feel of family ties so well in this story, especially between a grandmother and her granddaughters. Sullivan Island is where the story is set and the author does a wonderful job of transporting you to this beautiful island. A great read for summer! ( )

(Listened to audio version.)
Good book. Typical Mary Alice Monroe “beach read” but with a little bit more substance. Loved the plot and am looking forward to the other books in the series.
This particular version was the audio book (I was making a long drive.) and read by the author herself. The tone that MAM chose for each character's voice added another dimension to the story. I realized that i would have read some sentences differently than the way she intended them to be read. It was an interesting perspective. ( )

Understood that the grandmother, Mamaw, wants the girls to be close but yet I get the feeling she was the cause of several of their personal issues. Glad to learn about the backgrounds of each girl knowing there will be more. Want to read more about Harper and how she will deal with her mother later. You need to realize this is part of a series so it is easier to understand how most of the story centers on one girl. Carson's interaction with the shark/dolphin was exciting ; as well as the dolphin's later injury. Also related to Blake and his emotional stance for his career verses personal wishes. Hope the rest of the series gives us more about the Carson / Harper relationship. ( )

I haven't read any Mary Alice Monroe novels in a while. I still do re-read "The Beach House and "Swimming Lessons" over and over again usually during the summer months.

Ms. Monroe's latest debut, "The Summer Girls" sets the stage for a trilogy taking place on Sullivan's Island, South Carolina. In the first book in this trilogy, we have three half sisters (Dora, Carson, and Harper) that have not seen each other in years finally called back to their grandmother's home on Sullivan's Island. Their grandmother, Marietta Muir, wants all of her 'summer girls' back for the summer since she plans on leaving her home soon to retire nearby and wants one last perfect summer with her granddaughters. This trilogy focuses on the middle sister, Carson, who is still beating back demons she has never let go of that are still affecting her present.

I think most trilogies often suffer a bit since the author has to also balance the other characters in the story even when the plot is supposed to focus on one of the characters. However, I was happily surprised that was not the case in this novel. Ms. Monroe manages to balance all of the sisters' in this novel and also still manage to focus on Carson. I have always loved to read "The Beach House" and "Swimming Lessons" because Ms. Monroe manages to make me feel as if I am standing at Sullivan's Island and can smell the salt air and see the ocean. In this novel she is still able to touch me in that way and I was so reluctant to put the novel away when it finished.

I do want to say that I was happy that the novel did not end with a cliched happy ending. Events that occurred in the book really showed that the ending was what it should be and was glad to see that Ms. Monroe did so. Frankly it just makes me more eager to read the next book in the trilogy to see how Dora, Carson, and Harper are doing. ( )