For The Love of Summer by Susan Mallery

Traveling With T checked this book out from library for her personal reading time.

For The Love of Summer

Summary: From #1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery comes an unforgettable tale about finding friendship with the unlikeliest person…

As the owner of Twisted, Seattle’s best salons, Erica knows that the sharpest cuts come from the people we love. She’s terrified that she’s losing her teen daughter, Summer, to her “other” family, especially to her stepmom, Allison.

All it takes to blow up Allison’s happy life is one collect call. From prison. Her beloved husband, Peter, has been arrested, leaving Allison pregnant, broke, scared and alone with a toddler. But when her stepdaughter ferrets out the truth, the teen rushes to the last person Allison wants to ask for help—her husband’s battle-ax ex.

Erica would do anything for Summer, even take in the woman her daughter loves like a second mom. Allison feels intimidated by Erica—a woman who would never let herself become so dependent on a man. But the more time they spend together, the more Allison realizes what Erica truly needs is a friend. Can two women who married the same man move beyond their complicated past and rethink what it means to be family?

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

I enjoy a book by Susan Mallery. Now that does not mean I don’t have faults with her book (because I usually find 1 or 2 things that gripe me, but never enough to quit reading because I do like them)

From my Goodreads review:

Some of her books, though, seem to have almost characters who their characteristics are amplified to the extreme. Or conversations or themes that are repeated way too many times.

In this book- our 3 main characters suffer from all the above.

Erika: Was probably the best to admire and respect. Her character ran several successful businesses and had drive and determination out the wazoo. Her problem: She couldn’t let anyone in.

Summer: Loved her mom, loved her stepmother. When her stepmother found herself in trouble, Summer convinced her mom to let Allison live with them. Summer was too selfless as a teenager, needed to learn to read the room in the situation between her mom and stepmother, and then just to keep things interesting- acted like a brat about her mom’s mega empire of hair salons.

Allison: Too damn trusting.

What I liked:

The cover. Give me a beachy cover and LIFE IS GOOD.

How all the ladies could ( and did) learn something from each other.

Mara. Erika’s mom was a hoot. She gave Miss Sassy Pants Summer some hard truth bombs and then lobbed one at her daughter, Erika. *clapping hands*

Bottom line: It’s a good book, something that I was able to read in less than 2 days and a nice light break from my mystery type books. Enjoyable, but I probably won’t remember the book in 6 months.

*This book was checked out from library for personal reading time. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.*