Book Review and Giveaway: The Summer Without You

By Becky Gulc

**Giveaway is now closed**

The Summer Without You is the first book I’ve read by Karen Swan, I’d heard so many great things about her previous novels so I was keen to read this book. A perfect summery cover added to the appeal; just the kind of book I would pick out for a beach holiday myself. Here is the synopsis:

‘Rowena Tipton isn't looking for a new life, just a new adventure, something to while away the months as her long-term boyfriend presses pause on their relationship before they become engaged. But when a chance encounter at a New York wedding leads to an audition for a coveted houseshare in The Hamptons - Manhattan's elite beach scene - suddenly a new life is exactly what she's got.
Stretching before her is a summer with three eclectic housemates, long days on white sand ocean beaches and parties on gilded tennis courts. But high rewards bring high stakes and Rowena soon finds herself caught in the crossfire of a vicious intimidation campaign. Alone for the first time in her adult life, she has no-one to turn to but a stranger who is everything she doesn't want - but possibly everything she needs.’ (Courtesy of Amazon UK.)

I quickly became engrossed in this book, feeling sorry for Rowena (Ro) as her long-term boyfriend Matt suddenly decides to go travelling for six months without her. As the synopsis says, rather than sit around moping (which I think she would have quite happily done) a chance meeting whilst working in New York as a photographer prompts Rowena into taking up the offer of spending the summer at the Hamptons, along with housemates Hump (this name never really grew on me), Bobbi and Greg. Whilst Rowena wants to make enough money whilst out there to pay her bills back home in England and the rent out there , she is otherwise quite happy to live a quiet life, adorned in Matt’s clothes as she eagerly awaits each Skype call. Needless to say this doesn’t last, with high-flying housemates, aggressive strangers and charming locals all in the mix, this will be far from a quiet summer.

I love a book which has a good sense of place, essential for transporting me to sunnier climes as I try and ignore the rain outside in England. I had a little idea of what the Hamptons would be like (mainly from an episode of Sex and the City!), but I felt just like I was there enjoying the summer with these four intriguing housemates. Whilst as a reader we know Ro well, we only really get glimpses into the lives of the other three housemates which added to the intrigue throughout and the interesting dynamics in the home, but we feel we know each of them a bit better by the end, even if I still have a couple of questions in my head.

A key aspect of this story is the question surrounding who has it in for Ro’s new friend Florence, with Ro herself becoming injured in the process as well as Florence. Who would want to injure a lovely older lady who wants the best for the community? I enjoyed this story-line and it developed nicely throughout the novel and I was on tenterhooks by the end, and the culprit was someone I didn’t anticipate.

In terms of the romance side of things, for the reader, but maybe not for Rowena, there are two possible men which may just test how strong her and Matt’s relationship really is. Whilst I enjoyed the anticipation of what was going to happen, the closer I got to the end I realised that what I wanted to happen wasn’t going to happen. I was gutted to be honest, but I hope I’m in the minority here. I don’t want to spoil it for anyone who will read this but I just didn’t feel ‘it’ for the guy in question, even though there are certain insights into his life that are designed to make us warm to him, it just didn’t work for me. When things develop between Ro and the guy in question, it just felt a bit sudden, and a bit cliché in the descriptions when I’d loved the rest of the writing.

All in all, I did really enjoy this book, and at 500+ pages it’s a long story, but I never felt bored by it; it never felt stretched out. I loved spending time at the Hamptons with these characters, I just wish that the ending had been different, but like I said, I hope I’m in the minority of readers that think this, and wouldn’t it be boring if you always got the ending you wanted in a book?

Thanks to Macmillan UK for the book in exchange for an honest review. They have THREE copies for some lucky readers anywhere in the world!

How to win:
Please tell us what kind of ending you prefer in a book (i.e. wraps up neatly, has a surprise twist, goes against what you wanted for the characters, etc.)

One entry per person.

Please include your e-mail address or another way to reach you if you win. Entries without contact information will NOT be counted (and we do not count Google + as contact information).

Open worldwide. Giveaway ends June 22nd at midnight EST.

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