Summer Island

By: Kristin Hannah

“Can you let yourself jump without a net? Because that’s what love is, what faith is. You’re looking for a guarantee, and those come with auto parts. Not love.”

Nora walked out on her kids and became a famous talk show host. Ruby, one of her daughters, refused to speak to her since then. She actively hates her mother. Then a scandal breaks around her mother, and her mother gets into a car accident. Someone has to help take care of her mother, and she is the one that has the time to do it. Afterall, the only job she has right now is to write a tell all about her mother. So they go stay at the summer house. There, Ruby is met with her first love and his brother, who is ill. Will things with Ruby get better? Can she grow up?

This book is emotional and beautiful. The relationship between a mother and daughter can be very complicated, I should know. Seeing Ruby’s growth through the book is enlightening. The messages that come from this book are lessons that we should all learn and read about. There is an illness with their family friend, Eric, that is also extremely sad. But his illness brings about realization that life is short for Ruby. This book also shows that what you think you may know about a situation may not be the truth of the matter.

So, while this was a beautiful book with some fantastic moments, the moments were far apart. The storyline wasn’t as captivating as I would have liked it to be. Basically, it felt like a chore to pick the book up to continue to read it. I was bored with a lot of it and started to skim. I know a lot of people love Kristin Hannah, and I realize why they love her. But she’s just not for me with all the prose and description.

If you’d like to check out this book, you can do so here.