Member Reviews
I enjoyed Feels Like Summer for the most part. I don’t really think any of the characters were really likeable but I liked where the story went.
Feels Like Summer is the story of the Lancaster sisters and one summer that will change their lives. Kate, is the middle sister who lives a charmed life. She quit her job when she had children, but her lawyer husband is barely home, always off on his next big case. When he admits to having an affair, she makes the decision to leave him. Older sister Shelby is a single mom with a teenage son. She makes a comfortable living as a real estate agent, but she is having an affair with the local veterinarian. She wants to break it off, especially when she finds out about Kate, but has a hard time doing it. Bree, the youngest, is reeling from a recent breakup and in desperate need of her sisters. She needs to ask them for help, monetary help, but is tired of feeling like a failure. She heads to Shelby's house for the summer for support and to escape her troubles. The sisters have always been there for one another, but as Memorial Day approaches, things might just fall apart instead of bringing them together.
This is a light summery read with friends, family, parties, secrets, lies, gossip and more. I enjoy stories about sisters and this was a good one. They all had issues they were dealing with, but each sister thought the others had it better than they did. The baby sister, Bree, was never made to stand on her own two feet, being rescued whenever she needed it, so I was really hoping that she would finally stop expecting her sisters to bail her out. They say you can't help who you fall in love with, and I felt bad for Shelby, although I am never a fan of infidelity. The other saying is that if they do it to one, they will do it to the next one, comes into play as well. The kids were great additions to the story and actually help bring the sisters closer together. There is a big "come to Jesus" moment where they finally have to sit down and talk, which I loved and thought was very well written. There is a mystery about a drowned body that we hear about from the beginning, but doesn't come back into play until the end. I enjoyed this story, and just rolled with it, even though there are some themes and threads that are not my favourites.
Good beach read. Story of 3 sisters, Kate, Shelby, and Bree. All with their own problems, but ultimately find that everything is possible, fixable, with family. A nice positive story about the importance of family.
This is a good book. The three main characters are Kate, Shelby and Bree. They are sisters. One is going through a divorce, one is having an affair with a married man, and one is behind on her rent and bills. They come realize it is all about family. Family means everything. You can’t count on everyone but family is always there.
This was a really great book. The story goes through the three points of views between three sisters. The story starts out with a murder and time goes back to figure out who is killed, who is the murderer and why. I read through this book very quickly.
Feels Like Summer by Wendy Francis is a novel filled with the drama of three sisters’ lives. Each sister has a secret that is bound to come out as well as a determination to find their way forward through the current issues. Added to this morass is a side story about a person who has “fallen” off a sailboat. The chapters go back and forth between the point of views of the sisters and the police chief's investigation into the unknown missing person.
The story takes place over a couple of weeks before and during Memorial day weekend in the town on Hull on the ocean. One sister, Shelby, is a real estate broker and lives near the beach. She has a teenage son who she has raised alone and is in a torrid affair with a married man. Another sister, Kate, is married and has a house in Hull and another one in Wellesley. She has a young daughter and a husband who is a lawyer. Their relationship has hit a serious issue with the husband having an affair with another lawyer from his firm. The youngest sister is Bree. She is an artist who is struggling to make ends meet and pay her bills. All three sisters are planning the annual Memorial Day party that has been part of their legacy.
As the holiday approaches various things happen that bring each issue to the attention of the others. The open dissection of their lives is in some cases like a slow motion car wreck.However it is over this Memorial Day weekend that many issues have the chance to be resolved.
Feels Like Summer by Wendy Francis has some really interesting scenes and interesting characters. I enjoyed the mysteries and found myself curious on how they were going to become resolved. It was an interesting read.
Sisters Shelby, Kate and Bree are very different, but still have that sibling bond despite their different lifestyles. Shelby is a single mom to teenage Noah, and has struggled to build a successful career as a realtor on Hull, on the coast of Massachusetts. Kate is married to a millionaire attorney, and has a quite demanding 3 year toddler Clara. Bree is the baby of the sisters, and is an aspiring artist, but is quite broke. When they all get together at Shelby’s for the pre-Memorial Day party, they discover each has secrets that is upending their lives. With drama, humor and romance thrown in, this is an enjoyable quick read emphasizes again that relationships with family comes before anything else. Despite anyone’s opinions, each of them realizes they deserve happiness, even if it means making major life changes. Highly recommend! Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book; all opinions are my own
It was time for a laid back read so I choose this one primarily based on the cover. With summer vibes in the air, I dove into it blindly and really enjoyed the read.
The story is told through the POV of three sisters and a female local law enforcement officer. While the story focused on the lives of the sisters and the drama surrounding them, the story also weaves in a mystery element and crime to solve.
Overall, the book was well written, attention holding and I did feel genuine emotion for the characters. I can't say I loved all of them or agreed with some life choices being made but it made for a good story. It did take a minute to get into the rhythm of the book jumping between storylines and timelines but it wasn't overly confusing.
This was the first novel by Wendy Francis I have read, and I’ll definitely keep an eye out for more of her reads. I really enjoyed her writing style. Special thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for providing the advanced reader’s copy to review.
I always enjoy reading stories about sisters, and even more when they are set in the summer! Kate, Shelby, and Bree have a dynamic like many sisters, and so this book was much more enjoyable! The beach town setting was a plus!
3.74/5
While reading Feels Like Summer by Wendy Francis, I kept wishing I was actually in Hull, the dreamy coastal town where the Lancaster sisters get together every summer. A vacation at the beach hanging out with friends and family sounds perfect right about now!
Feels Like Summer has dual timelines just days apart. One with a missing person. The other with Bree, Shelby, and Kate doing their best to live their lives and carry on family traditions after the passing of their parents.
It was so easy to get lost in the sisterly drama! I wasn't particularly happy about one of the sisters though. Her choices and justifications for those choices just got under my skin. Other than that, I loved the mystery aspect of the story! If you're in the mood for a drama-filled story that will suck you in, Feels Like Summer would be great for your summer vacay!
Read this if you like:
• sister drama
• secrets, lovers, and betrayals
• a beach read with mystery
Available now! Many thanks to Lake Union Publishing for the digital ARC!
Thank you @NetGalley & publishers for the ARC. Really enjoyed this book about family, specifically sibling, dynamics. Perfect beach read & I felt like I was on their beach!
4 stars⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for the early e-arc of this book. The book was very moving and mysterious! I loved it so much!! I love how it was written!
The storyline is excellent and the characters are interesting and well described. Thank you to Wendy Francis, NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the arc of this book
A story of three sisters as they handle their turbulent lives within one quick week leading up to Memorial Day weekend in Hull. This is definitely a beach read with a little bit of a mystery surrounding a death on the water.
The story is told in multiple points of view - each of the 3 sisters and the Hull police lieutenant. I enjoyed the storylines of all 4 women. They spoke about the struggles of midlife through single parenting, cheating spouses, and work woes. There were some time that I got confused getting characters straight but it didn't cause a problem with the keeping track of the story. I did appreciate how the book started from the end and as a prologue and then backtracked to lay out the storyline. I was very interested in finding out who went overboard. Although I wasn't surprised, I was glad it was written as the character it was.
Thank you to the publisher for giving me a chance to read an early copy of this book! The author, Wendy, reached out to me via Bookstagram and wanted to know if I would like a link to her book. This one "feels like summer" (see what I did there?) because of its setting and plot. I am very close with my sister, so I liked seeing the relationships in the book between the three sisters. They were each navigating their own life and struggles but came back together. This is a story that is all about family and the perfect summer read!
three sisters reconnect on Memorial day weekend. I enjoyed the story very much, read in two afternoons,
This was an interesting story revolving around the lives of three sisters. I enjoyed unraveling their secrets, their emotions, and their dreams. They missed their parents and would love to have their mom's advice as they navigated cheating husbands, divorce, starting over, and soon to be an empty nest. They were pondering what they really wanted out of life.
They were all in their forties except for Bree, the baby in the family who was 36.There was also suspense in the town of Hull over a loose sailboat that the Boston chief of police was concerned about.
This was a new author to me and I enjoyed her style of writing and how the book grabbed my attention from the first page. I tried to put the book down but I had to know how the suspense would end and what would happen to the sisters. I received an advance copy of this book and I willingly chose to write an honest review.
This was the first novel I've read by Wendy Francis. I chose it because I have a soft spot for coastal New England summer reads and it did not disappoint. This book is a great read for fans of Elin Hilderbrand or anyone who likes a good beach read filled with family and romantic drama.
The book focuses on four female main characters, three of whom are the Lancaster sisters: Shelby - a single mother entangled with a married man; Kate - the "perfect" sister whose world is rocked when she discovers something unseemly about her husband; Bree - the "wild child" baby sister; and Robin - a local police officer who is investigating a dead body found in the water after a Memorial Day weekend party at the Lancaster's beach home.
Put this one in your beach bag if you're in the mood for a vacation read with a mystery sub-plot!Unfortunately, I was not a big fan of the narrator, particularly when she was doing the voice of Kate's young daughter, Clara, so I would recommend reading this one over listening to the audiobook. Thank you to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing, and Brilliance Audio for an audiobook and e-book to review!
"Feels Like Summer" is the perfect summer read, offering a captivating blend of romance, suspense, and drama set in a picturesque coastal town. The story follows the Lancaster sisters—Kate, Shelby, and Bree—whose much-anticipated Memorial Day reunion takes a dramatic turn following a mysterious boating accident. As secrets unravel and relationships are tested, the sisters navigate love, betrayal, and their deep bonds, making for a compelling and heartfelt narrative. Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the ARC; this book beautifully captures the essence of summer and sisterhood.
Thanks, Netgalley for the ARC! This is a great read and well-written book. It would be perfect for a beach read as the cover sets the tone. It was a little busy feeling at the start of the book, however, the plot delivered and had the right amount of mystery.