Author: Mary Kay Andrews
Published: June 7, 2011
Genre: chick lit
Hardcover: 402 pages
Source: borrowed from the library
My Rating: 3.5 stars
Synopsis (from GoodReads): Ellis, Julia, and Dorie. Best friends since Catholic grade school, they now find themselves, in their mid-thirties, at the crossroads of life and love. Ellis, recently fired from a job she gave everything to, is rudderless and now beginning to question the choices she's made over the past decade of her life. Julia—whose caustic wit covers up her wounds--has a man who loves her and is offering her the world, but she can't hide from how deeply insecure she feels about her looks, her brains, her life. And Dorie has just been shockingly betrayed by the man she loved and trusted the most in the world…though this is just the tip of the iceberg of her problems and secrets. A month in North Carolina's Outer Banks is just what they each of them needs. Ty Bazemore is their landlord, though he's hanging on to the rambling old beach house by a thin thread. After an inauspicious first meeting with Ellis, the two find themselves disturbingly attracted to one another, even as Ty is about to lose everything he's ever cared about. Maryn Shackleford is a stranger, and a woman on the run. Maryn needs just a few things in life: no questions, a good hiding place, and a new identity. Ellis, Julia, and Dorie can provide what Maryn wants; can they also provide what she needs? Five people questioning everything they ever thought they knew about life. Five people on a journey that will uncover their secrets and point them on the path to forgiveness. Five people who each need a sea change, and one month in a summer rental that might just give it to them.
My Thoughts: When the weather starts warming up, I start longing for those great summer reads. Books that take you away but aren't too much. For me, Summer Rental was one of those perfect summer reading books. A bunch of old friends renting a place at the Outer Banks for an entire month, a hot landlord, a little embezzlement, and you have a great summer read. While not a literary masterpiece, I loved every moment of this book and it left me wanting to keep on following these four women to know what happens next.
The three main characters are old childhood friends, all in their mid-30s and needing to reconnect. Julia was a great character and I wish that she had been featured a little more throughout the novel. Dorie reminded me a lot of a 15 year old girl and that became very old, very quick. Ellis reminded me a bit of myself, but I felt like she was taken to an extreme. I just wish that Mary Kay Andrews had flushed the three leading ladies out a bit more. The fourth woman in the house, Madison/Maryn, was interesting. I do wish that she had been featured more, especially together with Julia. They had a few interactions together, but those were some of the best moments in the book.
I will definitely be adding more of Mary Kay Andrews' books to my summer reading list. This book was a perfect summer read, and I cannot wait to go outside and read another one of her books.
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