Romance

Essentially, the summer that Bunny drowned, everything changed for a family who vacationed in Lake Waseka. Now with Meg dying, she asks for one more summer at the house and the family gathers and remembers. ( )

Rambling story of women from the same family gathered together for the summer, to heal old wounds, and to restablish and clarify the family history. It had some surprises in it. But it did ramble on and on. ( )

Look this is marketed as chick lit and a romance and it is not for all of the characters. I mean we have someone who is convicted for murder. We have an attempted rape scene. There is a secret pregnancy (that everyone knows about) and then the woman who got pregnant didn't know the real name of the father. Well hello there random man in the story. I can guess who you are. Someone has cancer that has a grim prognosis.

This book was a mess.

Not all of the characters were given equal weight and it was just all over the place.

I think I was also disappointed with the secret that was eventually shared with everyone too. It was so lackluster. And the reason for the aunts falling out was beyond stupid. I just had nothing when I got to the ending. ( )

The Summer That Made Us by Robyn Carr is a multi-layered novel about a once close-knit family that was torn apart by tragedy.

Once upon a time, sisters Louise and Josephine, along with their daughters, spent idyllic summers together at the family's lake house. They each had three daughters and the cousins were just as close as their mothers. However, in the aftermath of a tragic accident, Lou and Jo become somewhat estranged and their daughters' lives take very troubling turns. Fast forward to the present and Lou's daughter Meg decides it is time for the family to reconcile and she invites everyone back to the lake house for the summer. There is never any doubt Meg's sister Charley will agree to her sister's plan but will cousins Hope, Krista and Beverly accept her invitation? And is it too late for Lou and Jo to repair their long strained relationship?

Alternating between the various characters' perspectives, Robyn Carr's newest release is not a light or happy read and quite frankly, it is a bit of a chore to even like many of the characters. Meg is the most sympathetic, and while she sets the reunion into motion, she remains firmly in the background as the story unfolds. Her sister Charley is probably the least likable as she alienates her long-term partner, Michael, after she loses her job. On the other end of the spectrum is their cousin Krista whose life took a dramatically wrong turn but she is incredibly appealing as she faces each challenge with a positive and cheery attitude. Krista's sister Hope makes a couple of very memorable guest appearances that will leave readers shaking their head in disbelief. Their other sister Beverly remains on the periphery of the unfolding drama. Jo is an utterly fantastic character and she never hesitates to do whatever is necessary to help her daughters. Her sister Lou is nowhere near as personable and well, it is not easy to feel much sympathy for her even though she has endured some very painful losses.

Despite a somewhat slow start, The Summer That Made Us is an engaging novel with an interesting (but sometimes overly busy) storyline. While not a particularly joyful read, it is easy to become swept up into the various characters' story arcs. Robyn Carr brings the novel to a bittersweet yet uplifting conclusion.
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