REVIEW: THE SUMMER DEAL, BY JILL SHALVIS

Brynn Turner desperately wishes she had it together, but her personal life is like a ping-pong match that’s left her scared and hurt after so many attempts to get it right. In search of a place to lick her wounds and get a fresh start, she heads back home to Wildstone.

And then there’s Kinsey Davis, who after battling serious health issues her entire twenty-nine years of life, is tired of hoping for . . . well, anything. She’s fierce, tough, and she’s keeping more than one bombshell of a secret from Brynn— her long-time frenemy.

But then Brynn runs into Kinsey’s best friend, Eli, renewing her childhood crush. The good news: he’s still easy-going and funny and sexy as hell. The bad news: when he gets her to agree to a summer-time deal to trust him to do right by her, no matter what, she never dreams it’ll result in finding a piece of herself she didn’t even know was missing. She could have real connections, possibly love, and a future—if she can only learn to let go of the past.

As the long days of summer wind down, the three of them must discover if forgiveness is enough to grasp the unconditional love that’s right in front of them.

 

A hopeful story of friendship, connection, and unexpected family, The Summer Deal tugged at my heartstrings as I found myself loving the characters and the settings.

Yes, Kinsey was a bit of a pill, but being a mean girl is her way of protecting herself. Eli is adorable, and even his big dog is lovable. I rooted for Brynn all the way through the story, and also especially liked her two moms, who sometimes smothered her and her friends, but added to the coziness of the scenes.

As we finally reach a satisfying conclusion, I knew I would want to revisit them all. 5 stars.

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