{ The Summer House by Lauren K. Denton - TLC Book Tour }

Hardcover: 352 Pages
Publisher: Thomas Nelson (June 2, 2020)

Sometimes it takes losing everything to find yourself again.

Lily Bishop wakes up one morning to find a good-bye note and divorce papers from her husband on the kitchen counter. Having moved to Alabama for his job only weeks before, Lily is devastated, but a flyer at the grocery store for a hair stylist position in a local retirement community provides a refuge while she contemplates her next steps.

Rose Carrigan built the small retirement village of Safe Harbor years ago—just before her husband ran off with his assistant. Now she runs a tight ship, making sure the residents follow her strict rules. Rose keeps everyone at arm’s length, including her own family. But when Lily shows up asking for a job and a place to live, Rose’s cold exterior begins to thaw.

Lily and Rose form an unlikely friendship, and Lily’s salon soon becomes the place where residents share town gossip, as well as a few secrets. Lily soon finds herself drawn to Rose’s nephew, Rawlins—a single dad and shrimper who’s had some practice at starting over—and one of the residents may be carrying a torch for Rose as well.

Neither Lily nor Rose is where she expected to be, but the summer makes them both wonder if there’s more to life and love than what they’ve experienced so far. The Summer House weaves Lauren K. Denton’s inviting Southern charm around a woman’s journey to find herself.

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

 

About Lauren K. Denton

Born and raised in Mobile, Alabama, Lauren now lives with her husband and two daughters in Homewood, just outside Birmingham. In addition to her fiction, she writes a monthly newspaper column about life, faith, and how funny (and hard) it is to be a parent. On any given day, she’d rather be at the beach with her family and a stack of books. Her debut novel, THE HIDEAWAY, was a Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Amazon Charts bestseller. Her second novel, HURRICANE SEASON, released in spring of 2018, is a USA Today bestseller. GLORY ROAD will release in March, 2019.
.

Connect with Lauren

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

REVIEW:

I read my first Lauren K. Denton book, last year.  I had not previously read any of her work but was so pleasantly surprised, and she is now an author I keep an eye out for.

In The Summer House, we meet Lily and Rose.

Lily is hit with some devastating news, in the form of divorce papers from her husband.  She was not expecting it, was completely caught off guard and has no clue what to do or how to move on from it.  To make matters worse, her husband and her had just moved to a new town in Arkansas. 

While she's figuring out what to do, she decides to take a job as a hair stylist, at a local retirement community.  She has no plans, no concrete ideas on where her life is headed but figures that she may as well be doing something with her time.  Of course, little does Lily realize that this moment is going to throw her life upside down even more, but in a good way.

Before I go on, be aware that this is a story that is told from two points of view, that of Lily and the other of Rose.

Rose.  A name well known in the small retirement community also referred to as Safe Harbor.  Rose is not exactly a warm and welcoming figure, she doesn't let anyone in, she doesn't care for friendships or relationships, aside from her beloved nephew who is a single dad to a sweet girl named Hazel.

She brings Lily on board. 

Her icy appearance and demeanor are not exactly what Lily is expecting but in each other, the two women find a bond that quickly becomes indestructible.  The walls that have been built for a very long time, start crumbling away for both Lily and Rose, and for Lily that means a renewed relationship in Rawlins, Rose's nephew.

What I loved about the story is that it touches on the beauty of friendship between women.  It is a story of broken hearts, hardened harts that over time once again find the joy of human connection.

If you're looking for a great summer read, this is it.  Grab a copy and settle in for a sweet story of redemption and love.

Thank you to TLC Tours and the Thomas Nelson publishers,  for providing me with a review copy of this book, in exchange for my honest review.