The Summer Skies

by Jenny Colgan

[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.