Review: The Summer Sisters

The Summer Sisters was the second in Sara Richardson's Juniper Springs series and picks up not too long after Home for the Holidays left off. Just like the first novel, it was full of family and sweet romances that provided a lovely story.

Here's the book's description:

The Buchanan sisters share everything—including their inherited Juniper Inn. But when their mother won’t let go of a decades-long feud with their Aunt Sassy to attend the inn’s grand re-opening, the sisters decide a family reunion is long overdue.
Youngest sister Rose is determined to put together an extravagant celebration. Only she needs to convince a certain surly hardware store owner to help finish the inn’s renovations.
After a heartbreaking end to her marriage, Dahlia and her kids are just starting to rebuild their lives. Dahlia’s even considering opening herself up to love again, but will that upset the stability she’s worked so hard to give her children?
Sassy McGrath has never stopped missing her sister, Lillian, and though they’ve both been too stubborn to reconcile, some shocking news might finally change everything. As family bonds are tested, will these two very different generations of women find the strength to believe in themselves and each other? 

As you can see, this book focused on two (instead of three) Buchanan sisters along with their Aunt Sassy. I wasn't expecting that but I wasn't too surprised either. The third sister, Magnolia, had a clear Happily Ever After in the first book plus she lives across the country from the Inn. She did pop in at the end so the reader is able to see just how great life has been for her since the first book. And I really did enjoy getting to know a bit more about Sassy.

And, bonus, I appreciated that a mainstream romance featured a love story for a woman who was just turning seventy. True, she was one of three characters in the story but there don't seem to be many romances that have heroines over the age of forty, let alone all the way up to seventy. It's not a personal need for me right now but I know by the time I get up there in years I'm going to want to see heroines my own age in the romances I read.

Like with most romances, there's a certain amount of non-communicating that happens amongst a lot of the characters. Sassy refuses to acknowledge worsening headaches which, from an outside perspective, was frustrating. Colt and Rose had such great chemistry but couldn't seem to talk about anything important, like their feelings for each other. And Dahlia was afraid to have any sort of conversation with Ike or her daughter about what a relationship could look like. Ah, but if everyone discussed what they needed to, we wouldn't have romance novels, would we? It was just a bit much to get through as I was anxious for all the Happily Ever Afters I knew had to be coming.

Like the first book in the Juniper Springs series, The Summer Sisters wasn't groundbreaking but Sara Richardson's novel provides a sweet, romantic escape for those who love their small town romances (and prefer them to be closed door). It was a lovely way to spend a summer Sunday and I was so happy with the way the storylines were wrapped up.

My review of Home for the Holidays is here.

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, Forever, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*