A Summer of Surprises

A wonderfully written story that is so much more than just a sweet romance. It's a story of a woman finding her strength and even more, her place in life. She takes control away from those that have kept her in an unhappy place and allows herself to grow into the woman that controls her own path. It's a story of a child overcoming bullying. It's the story of a man overcoming the miserable choices he has made in life. It is sweet, endearing, romantic while also being about strength, kindness, seeing your potential and grabbing life with both hands to live it to the fullest. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can't wait to read more in this series.

Jill Conroy's sister, Cristal, asked her to watch a cottage and relax. When Jill gets there she finds out she is to be housekeeper and cook for 2 men a young girl. That is nothing new for how Cristal treats Jill. It has been this way all their lives and even their own mom makes excuses for Cristal and always covers for her and makes Jill ungrateful<br />But what ends up happening is Jill loves that she is away from New York and meeting new people. So while taking care of the 2 men doing the maintenance work on the house, she becomes friends with them and even getting the little girl to be more open.<br />I loved the characters except for spoiled Cristal and their mom but even then you start learning more of why they are the way they are.<br />Thank you Judith Keim and Netgalley for the chance to review this beautiful book.

Very sweet read about a woman coming into her own in her life after years of a bullying husband and an overbearing, domineering mother.

We meet Jill who has always been known as the smart one. Her sister invites her to Florida for the summer and come to find out she was asked so that she could do all the work. Jill has gotten to the point that she needs more, what is it that she wants for her life. Jill whole life is about to change and for the better, she is not as plain as she thinks, she will not be a door mat anymore, it is time for her to live.<br /><br />rcvd an ARC at no cost to author..(netgalley) voluntarily reviewed with my own thoughts and opinions

The roles we are given in our families at an early age can affect us through the rest of our lives. Jill and Cristal don't have a close relationship because their mother managed to keep them from being friends by always catering to Cristal and demeaning to Jill. She always referred to Cristal as the pretty one and Jill as the smart one. Now that they are adults, Jill feels she is just plain and normal and is a teacher while Cristal is a party girl who is always looking for a good time and expects everyone to cater to her. As the novel begins, Cristal has asked Jill to go to Florida from her home in upstate New York to house sit at Seashell cottage on the Gulf Coast while she and the owner go to Europe. Jill agrees, even while she is wondering what the catch is, and drives to Florida only to find out that the cottage is being renovated and she is supposed to clean and cook for the two men who are working there - one of whom is bringing his spoiled 8 year old daughter. She decides that it's worth staying - the house is on the beach and she will still have a lot of free time. Plus she needs to get away from her home and the memories of her deceased abusive husband. <br /><br />As the summer goes on, Jill begins to change and she stands up to her mother and gains more self confidence. She begins working in a summer camp that helps children learn how to feel better about themselves and it helps her as much as the kids. She has decided to change her whole life and start over again in Florida. When her sister and mother show up at Seashell cottage, she has to decide whether she will continue being just the smart one or whether she will remain being happy with the person that she is becoming.<br /><br />This book has it all -- a beautiful setting at the beach, a hunky guy doing renovations and a summer job at a campground. There is a bit of romance, a lot of family drama and a lot of changes for Jill during that summer. This is a great book with characters who made me smile. The entire book left me feeling happy!<br /><br />Thanks to the author for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.<br />

When Jill finally decides she needs a break, she takes up her sister's offer to house set at a beach house in Florida. Little did she know that she would end up being the house cook and keeper. She especially did not expect to be the taxi driver for a obnoxious little girl on top of everything else. As she stepped into her role for the summer, she begins to find herself torn between liking Brody, one of the maintenance guys working on the house, and reliving the past from an abusive dead husband. Jill finds she likes the cozy beach town and is weaving her way into change. Change from her dictorial mother, demanding sister, and begins to live her own life on her terms. I loved this story and cannot wait to see what Ms. Keim writes next. She is quickly turning into one of my favorite authors. Thanks to Ms. Keim, NetGalley, and Wild Quail Publishing for the chance to read and review this book.

<br />Thanks go to the publisher and Net-Galley for a complimentary copy of A Summer of Surprises by Judith Keim for the purpose of reading and reviewing. My opinions are my own, and no one has influenced them in any way.<br /><br />A Summer of Surprises is a well written novel with enchanting characters and a unique plot. The writing pulled me in right away and kept me engaged until the end. The story has plenty of emotionally charged scenes.<br /><br />When Jill Convoy arrives at seashell cottage for her summer vacation, she learns she’s to be the housekeeper to Greg Campbell and his nephew, Brody while they remodel the cottage. She should have realized her sister had hidden the truth from her. She’s attracted to Brody and becomes attached to his daughter. I liked her character and could identify with her lack of confidence. Her ex-fiancée had really torn down her self-esteem.<br /><br />Greg Campbell is a great hero. He is a loving father and helps his uncle. His patience with Jill amazed me. He will wait as long as she needs for her to be comfortable in her new life. <br /><br />The romance is sweet and develops slowly due to Jill’s need to make a new life in Florida. This is a story of a young woman overcoming the loss of her dreams, finding many things she thought were true are not. Her willingness to start anew with her sister touched me.<br /><br />If you enjoy women’s fiction with plenty of depth and substance and endearing characters, then you will enjoy A Summer of Surprises as much as I did. I have fast become a fan of Ms. Keim’s novels. Happy reading!<br />

A Summer of Surprises was a wonderful story of reimagining life. Judith Keim was a new author to me and I enjoyed her novel. She is another author to add to my list of authors to read. The reclaiming of a life, and the reimaging of what is possible was wonderful. <br /><br />It has been a couple of years since her husband died. Jill is just moving in place, but doesn’t know quite what to do. Her sister, Cristal has asked Jill to house-sit for a friend in Florida whose place is being renovated, while she is away. Jill is reluctant (for a few reasons), but decides that a summer away might be freeing. Her reluctance was appropriate as suddeningly she is chief cook and bottle washer for a couple of workmen and a child. All the free time seemed to evaporate as she also added chauffeur to her things to do, but it opened up an opportunity if she was brave enough to take that step. How much change can a person accomplish in a summer? How much can be a surprise? And then Christal returned early and another challenge happened. <br /><br />The story captured my attention and made me believe that you can start over again with your family, if everyone is really invested. I enjoyed the main characters and found Jill’s reinvention of herself a remarkable feat of strength. A Summer of Surprises by Judith Keim was a good read.

A wonderful story! How can you go wrong with a place at the beach, a hunky carpenter guy and a lonely woman with issues? Never mind that you were tricked into going and expected to cook and clean for 2 men and a child you don't know. This book is all about family and our relationships within those families. And they can be quite odd and quite confining at times. The characters are really well done and naturally, I love the setting of the beach cottage. The romance was good and it left you with very sweet memories.<br />I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

I enjoyed this book. It's an engrossing and entertaining read. With a good storyline and likeable characters it makes for a nice light summer read. This was my first book by this author and i will look out for more,<br /><br />I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.