Summer Days

by Lisa Jackson, Mary Carter, and Elizabeth Bass

[Angie]

You Again by Elizabeth Bass ★★☆☆☆

You Again had a cute premise of reuniting with the one who got away, an exotic setting, and funny hijinks involving an engagement ring. But it was brought down by awful characters, which got us off on a bad start. I really liked Meredith. She's sweet, and apparently the only one who appreciates the trip to Peru. Her sister is the least supportive person on the planet who believes they're being supportive. She thinks exchanging pleasant conversation with an ex after seven years is some unspeakable event and should be avoided at all costs! Well, that's kind of hard to do when they're on vacation together! Sam and Meredith had a summer love after graduating from college, but she dumped him for legit reasons. Now he's dating an awful woman named Gina, and just aahh! I hated them both.

In the first chapter Gina calls Meredith fat and gross just because she's not a size two. Sam also calls her stupid because she did her undergrad in theater and never went to graduate school. Just because she's not academic like him, doesn't make her unworthy. They just have different goals and passions! I did not want Meredith to get back with that idiot, even if his fiancée was a mega-bitch. I might also add, that I hate the horrible girlfriend trope, since it's suppose to make the cheating acceptable. Sorry, it's still not. Also, one of the other women in the group acted like a high school gossip queen rather than a 30+ year old woman, and it just made no sense other than to create drama.

Summer Memories by Holly Chamberlin ★★★☆☆

Summer Memories was very different than what I was expecting, but not in a bad way! It actually made it much more interesting and unlike other romances that I've read. Ellen is heading back to her home town for a Summer of solitude. She's recently broken up with her fiancé and just wants some time alone to get herself back together. Of course, it doesn't work out that way. Her elderly neighbor, Cora, takes it upon herself to invite Ellen to all kinds of social events and (not so) slyly tries to pair her up with the local artist, Rob. I love matchmaking stories, so I thought this was really cute even though the story was very slow. Cora is a funny old woman!

What made this one stand out to me was that twist! I didn't see it coming at all, and I don't think I've seen it done before. At least not quite like this. The title makes much more sense when it gets to that point. I was annoyed at how Ellen reacted to the situation. Although, I suspect I'd behave in a similar manner, but less dramatically. It's definitely a strange situation to be in, but I'm happy that it worked out for them. They'll have an interesting story to tell for sure!

Return to Hampton Beach by Mary Carter ★★★★☆

Return to Hampton Beach is my favorite of these four stories! It's so full of drama! It's like if Gossip Girl had focused on the parents instead of the teens! Celia's father has just died, and in his will he states that he wants her to take his ashes and return to Hampton Beach where they lived for five years. He also wants her to reconnect with her first love, Jacob, whom she hasn't seen in twenty years. Apparently a whole lot of crap went down the last Summer they were there, and it's finally time for Celia to get some closure and maybe some revenge.

I always find it a bit silly when adults act like overly dramatic, gossip fueled teenagers, but I was just so caught up in this story that I didn't care. What happened between Celia and Jacob when they were eighteen was quite messed up! I would love a full length story just focused on that! Celia's revenge on the woman who ruined her father's life was sweet and subtle, and oh so satisfying! Seriously, there is a lot of delicious drama, and I loved it!

His Bride to Be by Lisa Jackson ★★★★☆

I love fake relationships and His Bride to Be is certainly a good one! Hale Donovan wants to acquire a new company, but the owner's daughter is convinced they're meant to be. Before heading on a working vacation with them, he hires Valerie to be his personal assistant and fake fiancée. She's not too happy with her new assignment, but she needs the money for her mother's medical bills, and it's just two weeks, right?

I really enjoyed this one! I'm just a huge fan of staged relationships turning into real ones, and I'm also kind of a sucker for the rich guy/poor girl trope when done right, which it is here.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.