Meredith Summers

Saving Sandcastles by Meredith Summers is a 2020 publication.

Summer is nearly here and I’m ready to dive into a ‘beach read’. This book has a summery cover and title- plus the author’s last name is Summers- - so I thought this would be a great choice to kick off my 2024 beach reading season.

This first book in the Lobster Bay series is mainly centered around Claire Turner, the owner of Sandcastles bakery. After her divorce, Claire opens her bakery which means more to her than just her livelihood.

But clouds are brewing up a possible storm when word gets out that a famous bread bakery is moving in right across the street from Sandcastles. To make matters worse, Claire's shop is housed in an old building that is now in need of major repairs. The last thing she needs right now is competition…

This installment also introduces readers to Claire’s friends- each of whom is facing different challenges – an empty nest and a flat marriage- and a parent with dementia. The women are the best of friends who listen and support one another through various storms in life. In this case, they are all very worried that Claire isn’t giving the new guy in town a chance to work with her to help both of their businesses. Claire is convinced he’s trying to close down her business- and nothing anyone says seems to convince her otherwise.

A great start to the series. A solid introduction to all the characters, with a focus on friendship and a sweet romance building in the background. Good people helping each other, building one another up, and being there for them in good and bad times is always a nice thing to read about. So refreshing and inspirational- very gentle and uplifting- just a sweet, lovely story that reminds us how different this world would be if we accepted advice or help when we needed it- or gave it to others out of love- without expecting anything in return…

4 stars… (altro)

Christmas at Cozy Holly Inn by Meredith Summers is a 2021 publication.

This is a cute holiday themed contemporary novel centered around Pinecone Falls, a cozy little town in Vermont. Julie Green’s grandmother, Ida, is selling her B&B, but before the sale in finalized, she wants to host one more Christmas Eve party. Unfortunately, she is a little under the weather, so she calls Julie asking her to help with decorating the B&B. Because Julie is in-between jobs, and she can’t refuse her grandmother under the circumstances, she leaves Boston to spend a few weeks getting the B&B in shape for the big Christmas party finale….

When she arrives, though, the place is in disrepair, a cat she doesn’t want, and who doesn’t seem to like her very much, becomes her temporary responsibility, and a neighbor, Nolan Miller, she doesn’t have fond memories of, is suddenly quite interested in whether she plans to stick around or return to Boston.

Nolan’s family has been through some heavy tragedies, virtually erasing their holiday spirit- seemingly forever. Now they are set to buy the B&B, but Julie’s appearance has made them suspicious. To make sure the sale isn’t about the fall through, Nolan’s family wants him to keep an eye on Julie Green…
This is a festive story with plenty of holiday atmosphere. Lots of snow, decorations, holiday memories and a little romance to top things off. Because this was such a nice story, I hesitate to nitpick- but the small-town vs big city comparisons were too heavy handed. There are salt of the earth people everywhere, not just in small towns, but that is my only complaint.

I was completely won over by the animals in the story- both ‘Kringle” the cat and ‘Snowball”, the dog played key roles in the story, and were occasional scene-stealers.

Overall, I love good, clean, holiday stories- and I read lots of them every year- and yes, often they are predictable-but that is not always a bad thing, in my opinion- but sometimes they do go overboard on the sap- but Summers did a good job of keeping the story light in tone, while avoiding anything too sickly sweet. It had just the right touch of holiday spirit and was a lovely way to spend a dreary Sunday afternoon.… (altro)

FROM AMAZON: Claire Turner finally has everything she wants. A successful business, a small bungalow near the beach, and the camaraderie of her two best friends. She’s successful and independent—something she would never have thought possible before her husband’s midlife crisis and their subsequent divorce.

When a rival business opens across the street, Claire worries that she could lose everything she’s worked for. Her entire sense of self-worth is tied up in her bakery and café, Sandcastles, and she suddenly finds herself taking desperate measures to make sure she doesn’t lose business to the newcomer. Surprise! The business is owned by the guy Claire had a crush on as a teenager. Now he's a grown man and there's still an attraction, if only he wasn't running a rival business. Is Claire overreacting? Her friends think it’s possible, but will they be able to talk her off the ledge before she does something drastic?

Jane's beloved mother, Addie, has dementia, and it's getting worse. Jane has her hands full trying to run the family Inn and keep Addie safe. When Addie wanders away from the Inn, Jane faces the hardest decision of her life.

And then there's Maxi. On the surface it appears as if she has an idyllic marriage, but does she really? Now that she and James are empty-nesters, things aren't the same and Maxi worries that James may not be interested in staying married. But Maxi has dreams of her own. Dreams that she had to set aside while she was caring for her husband and children. Now that she has an empty nest, will she be able to find the courage to turn those dreams into reality?… (altro)