I'm trying this new format for my NetGalley reviews. Please let me know what you think.
Author/Title: Debbie Mason's Summer on Sunshine Bay
Publisher: Forever
Publication Date: May 23, 2023
Pages: 368
Peppers: 1 (and it's a bell pepper)
Warnings: Puke
Summary: Lila's fiancé David surprises her by bringing her to her hometown, where his family has just bought Windmere, a restaurant that will directly compete with her family's business. In addition to serving yummy Italian food at La Dolce Vita, the family of six women, known around town as the Heartbreakers, believe themselves cursed in love because all marriages have either not happened or ended quickly/tragically.
Eva, Lila's mother, isn't enjoying her menopausal symptoms, especially her lowering interest in sleeping around. She is dismayed that Lila's father James has announced that he's staying in town for the month until their daughter's wedding.
Tropes:
- return to small town
- second chance (x2)
- dud of a fiancé
- wild family
- family curse
- multiple generations
- independent women who don't want marriage
- busting up an engagement
- a big, out-of-control dog
What I liked:
- alternating pov chapters with mother and daughter (instead of half of each couple)
- fun descriptions of the food
- women who live unapologetically and independently
What I didn't like:
- too many characters introduced all at once
- not much time showing the main couple together
Overall: 2 (of 5) stars
As the Beatles sang, “… getting better all the time.”
Thanks! It’s fun to start this new part of the blog and see how I can make it entertaining for my readers and for myself. I’m glad you like the new format.
New Format (Monday 13March2023): Like. Page length, helpful. Given your highlighted, concise summaries, I’m almost tempted to interrupt my current stack of books waiting to be read with a toe-in-the-water excursion into your Romance Novel land.
Thanks. I’m glad you like the new format. I’d recommend that you wait for a 4 or 5-star review before you drop your other reading. While I haven’t hated any of these books, I don’t predict that they’d win you over to the genre.