Summer Rental (Wheeler Large Print Book Series) [Large Print] [Hardcover]

I am a bit of a book snob. I don't read a lot of chick lit. But it has been a cold, rainy spring in Chicago, and it's Memorial Day weekend, and I am a sucker for anything with Summer in the title.

It turns out this is a well-plotted, engrossing story with appealing characters, the perfect escape literature to usher in unofficial summer. The formula of a few characters with various hang-ups, a relaxing resort location, and sparks flying is executed quite deftly by Mary Kay Andrews. We have Ellis, the control freak, newly downsized from her bank job in Philadelphia; Julia the aging model, still gorgeous, involved in a long-term relationship with a boring guy; and Dorie who has always been the man magnet, whose marriage is tangled up in a number of very thorny problems. Then we have Maryn, on the run from a very thorny marriage of her own. The first three have rented a house on the beach in Nags Head, NC, Maryn needs a place to disappear until she can sort things out, there is an extra room at the house, along with an enigmatic, hot landlord....it all falls into place.

They have a month to spend at the house, and the first three weeks or so are relatively uneventful, full of long walks on the beach and sunning themselves. However, the last week is a humdinger.

I wouldn't say Mary Kay Andrews is the best writer I have ever read, but she is far from the worst. She does evoke a picture of a writer with a thesaurus by her side. However, I was drawn into this story and glad for a long weekend to read through to the conclusion. I am giving it 5 stars for great timing and excellent plotting. For me it was the perfect way to kick off the summer.

Summer Rental by Mary Kay Andrews

Considering that this is a book about women in their mid thirties, who are educated and worldly I had to say I was rather amazed at how Ms Andrews portrayed them.

We get to spend the month of August with best friends since elementary school--meet Julie, Ellis and Dorie who are spending the month in a beach house on the outer banks of North Carolina. A very diverse group of women that in "real life" may never bond as well as this group does. Add into the mix the sexy landlord Ty and a stray woman (Maryn, a `run-away' from New Jersey) that Dorie picks up in a diner and we have the makings for either the perfect beach book or a slasher movie! Of course, what would a good beach read be without at least one of them hiding a secret...well how would you feel about at least 4 of them hiding something and one of them hiding something that could be deadly?

The idea behind this story, while is good one, it has been pretty much done to death and I hate to say it, done so much better. Don't get me wrong, I adore the books of Mary Kay Andrews and have all of them on my shelf. Therefore, I was very excited to be allowed to read this as a pre-release. And this books starts out very strong, with Ms Andrews typical well written and drawn characters, each with a clear and distinctive voice. There were quite a few hot and very heavy scenes involving Ty and Ellis too. However, something happens about one third of the way through and the voices of each woman became one, and actually even Ty started sounding like one of the `girls'. In addition, when I say that I mean GIRL as in this group of mid thirty-something successful women start sounding like badly educated adolescents. Words like "dude" and "totally" were used on nearly every page and in every conceivable variation.

I understand that this is a brain candy beach read, so I tried to read this with that in mind, but after a while, the dialogue just got too painful, the action too childish and the outcome too obvious.

Definitely a book to grab from the library.

Brief Book Summary...from the book jacket...
For Ellis, Dorie, and Julia, a vacation in North Carolina's Outer Banks is just what they need. They rent a rambling old beach house from the mysterious Ty Bazemore, who is also at a turning point in his life, and prepare for a month of rest, relaxation and reconnecting.
Their plans for a peaceful summer are interrupted when they meet up with Maryn Shackleford, a woman on the run who desperately needs their help. Soon Ellis and Julia and Dorie, Ty and Maryn will question everything they thought they knew about life as they drift towards a much needed sea change, and uncover the healing power of friendship and forgiveness.
My thoughts...
Hmmm...yum...sigh...those are my sounds of sheer reading contentment while reading this lovely book. What is it about summer reading? Like shedding heavy clothes...for light cottons and linens and other breezy fabrics...this book was a voyage of sheer contentment. It had everything I love in a summer beach book without losing substance. These women in their mid-thirties truly needed to decide what they were going to do with the rest of their lives. Ellis has been released from her banking job. Julia is tired of maintaining what she has to do to continue modeling, Dorie is at a difficult part of her marriage and Maryn is just in danger...then we throw in Ty...who has also lost his career and is trying desperately to hang on to Ebb tide...the house the women are renting and that has been in his family for generations.
All of the above is fun and a bit tense and there is some mystery as Mary Kay Andrews draws us in to this month in August in this rundown ramshackle but lovely old beach house.
I wanted to be there...I wanted to know them...I wanted days on the beach with a cooler full of icy drinks. I wanted Karaoke nights in the local bar sipping drinks and just hanging with old friends. I wanted sand and night time beach walks and fried grouper and wet towels and everything that goes with a vacay in the Outer Banks.
I have to say that I am new to the writings of Mary Kay Andrews...I have not read any of her books before. I loved this book. I love her wit and her humor and her writing style. This is a not to be missed book. It was excellent. I am only sad that I didn't save it for later in the summer. I read it too fast and before I knew it...this lovely delightful book was over before I wanted it to be.
But it was just too much fun to savor and read slowly. This is definitely the perfect summer book.