The Summer Skies: Escape to the Scottish Isles with the brand-new novel by the Sunday Times bestselling author

by Jenny Colgan

The brand-new escapist summer novel from Sunday Times bestseller Jenny Colgan. Fall in love with a new cast of characters and get swept away in a breath-taking romance you'll want to read again and again . . .

'A glorious, breathtaking, tender romance. I loved every moment of the ride' SOPHIE KINSELLA

'[A] blast of feelgood fiction [...] it makes me want to head for the Highlands' THE TIMES

'You'll be racing through the pages' INDEPENDENT

'Another Colgan classic for the beach bag' WOMEN'S WEEKLY
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Born into a family of successful pilots, Morag is used to flying high. But when a tragic accident above the clouds grounds her, could the future she'd always imagined be suddenly out of reach?

When she receives a call telling her that her beloved grandfather has been taken ill, Morag leaves her fast-paced life in London to return home to the tranquil Scottish Highlands. With her grandfather out of action, Morag has no choice but to take over flying the local route in his rickety old plane, ferrying locals across the beautiful islands of the archipelago.

But as the weather takes a dramatic turn, Morag is forced to crash-land on a remote island and suddenly finds herself far from civilisation and all alone. Then she discovers Gregor, the gruff and reclusive ornithologist taking care of the island for the season. Though the pair don't see eye to eye, Morag is forced to seek shelter at his cabin and it seems the pair are stuck together until help arrives. However long that may be . . .

As she awaits rescue, might Morag discover that a remote Scottish island, cut off from real-life, is exactly the place she needs to be?

Don't miss Jenny's new festive treat, Midnight at the Christmas Bookshop, available to pre-order now!

• ISBN10: 1408726130
• ISBN13: 9781408726136
• Publish Date: 8 June 2023
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 25 January 2024
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
• Imprint: Sphere
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 368
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

The Summer Skies is a "comfort read" romance from prolific and talented author Jenny Colgan. Released 11th July 2023 by HarperCollins on their Avon Books imprint, it's 352 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. 

The protagonist is appealing and relatable, and the descriptions (especially food, as always) are superlative. There's an incredible amount of detail on aviation and aircraft in general included, so it's a bonus for flying interested readers (and, honestly, a bit of a slog in places for readers who don't care much about aviation). It's -about- an aviator, so they should be willing to go along for the ride, as it were. 

The author really shines with the settings... and the descriptions of Scotland's archipelago islands and inhabitants are vibrant and engaging. The books pacing is very (very) slow in places, and readers will probably need some patience to get through the first third of the book. 

There's a trope-y romantic triangle, which she handles surprisingly well. It's open ended, so there's potential for the author to revisit the characters in a sequel, though it's not explicitly foreshadowed anywhere.

Three and a half stars. Well written descriptions. It's one for the author's fans, although this book seems to be something of a departure from her regular style. It would also be a good choice for public library acquisition. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.