Customer Reviews

Summer Rental

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(23)
2 star:		(15)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

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.

Since I am stuck in the midwest with this house to sell, I look for any escape to the beach. I actually enjoyed reading this book. Having spent a few days, years ago, at one of the "unpainted aristocracy" that belongs to a relative of my husband, this brought back pleasant memories. I loved the setting at Nags Head, the descriptions of place really evoked the feel of the beach cottages and the beach itself. Many books these days are about thirtysomethings finding themselves, and so the characters were along those lines. The girl, Ellis, brought to mind a line from a John Lennon song, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans". The descriptions of the technology are current, they all have Iphones, which makes me wonder how someone reading this book in 10 years will see it. All in all, I found the book entertaining escapism, it made me want to be at the beach, having fun.

"Summertime and the living is easy..."

Summer. When we were kids, it was the most magical word in our vocabulary - well, except maybe for Christmas. It was a time of freedom - no school, playing outside with our friends, and eating popsicles. As adults, we have more constraints on our time, but there's still something special about summer. The longer days lead to more outdoor time - at the pool, at the beach, by the barbeque. Instead of skipping rope, now there's no better way to soak up the sun than with a good book.

Certain books lend themselves to summer reading more than others. Who wants to read something dark and dreary when the sun is shining brightly? For me, that's where Mary Kay Andrews enters the picture.

In my opinion, Mary Kay's books are summer reading at its best - filled with fun and friendship, and some summer lovin'. ;) When I got the advance copy of Summer Rental, I was so excited! Then, I set it aside for a few days. I knew that once I started it, I wouldn't put it down. And, once I finished, I'd feel a sense of loss - like I did as a kid heading back to school in September, knowing that summer is now a whole year away. .

Summer Rental totally lived up to my expectations. Three friends from Savannah - Ellis, Dorie, and Julia - make plans to spend a month in a beach rental named Ebbtide on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The plan is to recapture the friendship of their youth. But, each arrives with adult problems. Ellis just lost her job. Dorie's marriage is troubled. Julia has career and relationship worries. They have a deep connection to each other, but time and distance has taken its toll and they are initially reluctant to allow the chinks in their armor to show through. As the summer progresses, they let down their guard and figure out how to be there for each other.

The house they've rented is falling down around them. The landlord, the curmudgeonly Mr. Culpepper, is never around. There's a pervert hot guy, Ty Bazemore, living in the garage apartment. He's relieving himself off the balcony when Ellis first pulls up to Ebbtide. But, soon he and Ellis are drawn to each other like magnets. Will this be a summer fling or the real thing?

In the meantime Dorie befriends a stranger, Maryn. She brings her back to Ebbtide as a 4th roommate. The stranger has secrets of her own, much darker than any of the others - and her secrets just might put them all in danger.

Summer Rental has everything I love about summer reading - the beach, hot guys, romance. Being from Florida, and visiting Savannah at least once each summer, I enjoy the Southern scenery. I can relate to it. I get a kick out of Mary Kay's references to real places in Savannah. I also like the fact that Mary Kay's love scenes are steamy, but not explicit. I can read them in public without blushing, without feeling like I have to hide the cover. I don't worry about my teenage daughter picking up the book after me. And, besides, her characters practice safe sex. ;)

A lot of books for adults feature jaded, bitter characters - life has worn them down and made them miserable. Mary Kay's characters have had their share of trouble - Ty is about to lose his family home, Ellis lost her job, the others are struggling as well. But, they all still have hope. They are the kind of people we all wish we could kick back and drink a beer with.

So, on June 7, grab a lawn chair and a cold drink - preferably one with an umbrella - and read Summer Rental by Mary Kay Andrews. It's full of likeable characters and happy endings. Even if you're in the middle of the city, you'll feel like you're at the beach.:)

This isn't a genre I generally read and I enjoyed the story, which is why I gave it four stars. It could also be that I read this at the beach, apropos I think, given the setting. Something about reading a beach book at the beach...the sun, salt and sand all blending together on paper and in reality really brought the characters and their summer rental to life.

Childhood friends Elly, Julia and Dorie decide to get away from it all for a month in Nags Head, North Carolina. Always the organizer, Elly sets it all up and finds them what she thinks is the perfect place in Ebbtide. Except that, when she gets there, she finds Ebbtide to be a complete dump. I actually expected poor Elly to completely break down when she saw how trashed Ebbtide is, considering she lost her job at the bank and this was pretty much the only thing keeping her going, the thought of a fabulous month at the beach with her friends. Then there's Julia, the worldly but aging model who's dating the man she loves but doesn't want to marry because she's afraid of commitment. She's smart and sassy but pretty undecided about her future. Finally there's Dorie, who's too sweet for her own good. Her older sister, who invited herself along on the trip, walks all over her and leaves her in the lurch money-wise when she suddenly decides to bail.

So, the summer doesn't start out as they expected and changes even more when Dorie brings home Madison, a stranger on the run from a terrible marriage. Um, she's running from this man because she's scared of him and she leaves the dog and she worries all the time that he'd hurt the dog. Holy cow, this so ticked me off. If you're afraid your husband's going to hurt your dog, why wouldn't you take him with you or, at least find a safe place for the pup. It kept me from feeling sorry for this girl.

I really liked the romance between Elly and their hot landlord, Ty. He was cute and came across the page as a genuinely nice guy who was just doing his best to save his family beach home. And he was a good foil for Elly -- him being pretty easy-going and her being so uptight. Once they started seeing each other, they brought out the best in each other.

While it wasn't unputdownable, SUMMER RENTAL is a great read for a lazy summer afternoon's read in a swaying hammock with a frosty beverage at your side.

This is an interesting book because it is fun to read on vacation at the beach or by the pool, but the story is predictable and weak. The story is somewhat unbelievable and there are side items thrown in, like a small part about sea turtles (why was this put in there? Just to show that the author researched the OBX?) I enjoyed it, but I really wouldn't recommend it. I am surprised it is on the bestsellers list. I would not spend the money on the hardcover version for sure.

A most tiresome book by this author. I feel like she had to write it to fulfill contractual obligations.

I have truly enjoyed her other books, including "Blue Christmas", which was really sappy. But this book, really, had the most sanitized, annoying characters ever. I just can't believe that these thirty something girls(they didn't act like women) could be so clueless. Yet they were.

And the plot...all wrapped up neatly...no zip, no sparkle, no giggles, no suspense, contrived sex..brought on only continual naps by reading this at the beach...and at home.

Sad to say, I would not recommend this book. I'd rather re-read all her others, they were good and the characters had real substance. And I missed those characters after finishing the books. I don't ever want to encounter this group again.

I have followed Mary Kay Andrews since Savannah Blue. What I most like about her books is the rich, detailed Southern atmosphere, and the quirky but loveable Southern belles who just jump right off the pages! Weezie, BeBe Loundermilk and Mary Bliss come to mind. The trio in this book - Ellis, Julia and Dorie, are mid-thirty-somethings who were best friends through high school but 15 years have passed, they literally have nothing in common, and really, don't even seem to like each other very much. Not only did they not jump off the pages for me, I had a hard time even getting through this book. And I got no sense of that Southern locale richness and history - this book could have been set anywhere. Ty comes across as likeable but immature - not someone that a woman like uptight Ellis would, in the real world, even be attracted to. And to introduce the odd-man-out Maryn into that setting was not only odd, but unnecessary to the storyline. You just don't bring a standoffish, rude stranger into your beach rental for a month, even if the justification, in Dorie's eyes, was for financial reasons. She could have told Julia her situation, and Julia, who has money, would have thought nothing about chipping in more cash, rather than have to deal with an obnoxious, unknown woman for 4 weeks. I guess Maryn's story will be a future book???

If you're looking for inane and predictable, get this book. If you would prefer something with substance that will hold your attention and keep you turning the pages long after bedtime choose something else. At least Mary Kay Andrews' previous books were humorous. This one has no humor and is so predictable I found myself thinking of something else as I was reading, which is not my usual modus operandi when it comes to books! I have no problem with fluffy "chic lit" but I at least expect an original story. This one has been done to death. I probably would not have finished it if I had not spent money for the hardback version. Will loan it out to a friend who has liked Andrews in the past but I won't be too worried if I don't get it back!