Summer at Willow Lake

excellent

It was difficult at times to keep up with the story. The author bounced from past and present day too much. Once i got past that, it was easier. Overall, it was an excellent book.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Heartwarming start to the series

I pretty much went backwards here, because I read the Lakeshore Chronicles #8 (Marrying Daisy Bellamy) before I read #1, but I'm not terribly sorry that I did. I enjoyed both books, and by reading the newest one first I got rid of all that pesky "will they or won't they?" bit. (Not that there really is any, but still. You never know.)

Summer at Willow Lake introduces us to the Bellamys and to Camp Kioga, a family and a location that feature prominently in the rest of the series. This novel focuses on Olivia Bellamy, the only child of a wealthy but unhappy-until-they-get-divorced couple. Olivia spent summers at her grandparents' summer camp, Camp Kioga, of which she has mostly uncomfortable memories. Lolly, as she was called back then, compensated for her tense home situation by overeating, and this made her awkward and out of place at camp. She slims down in college, gains much needed self-esteem, and as a adult owns her own business in New York; her love life, though, leaves much to be desired. As the novel begins, Olivia is just about to be almost engaged for the third time...but gets dumped instead. Her grandmother asks her to oversee the renovations of Camp Kioga, which has been closed now for many years so that her grandparents' fiftieth wedding anniversary party can be held there. Olivia agrees, not realizing that by doing so she will come into direct--and near constant--contact with Connor Davis, local contractor and the boy who broke her heart so many summers ago.

A touching start to the series, Wiggs gives readers a nice introduction to the characters and locations that will feature prominantly in the next seven books. I'll be looking for #2 soon!

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Frustrating

The back and forth of this story was a bit frustrating. Not that I didn't like the characters. I liked them but I didn't need it to go back to some time in the past. I felt like it was kind of useless. She could have just said so somewhere else. It took forever for Connor and Olivia to finally get together. They waisted a whole summer before doing anything. I skimmed through a lot of useless information to get to that part. I want to go on but I'm a little leary about it the stories are this way.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Excellent Reading! Good start to a great series

This is very well written with good characters that have depth. Their personalities shine and they appear to be human. Ms. Wiggs is great about making human frailties surmountable.

I kept avoiding reading this series thinking it would be all suagar and sweetness. However much sweetness it does have, it has enough conflict to make it great.

I've actually tried two recipes and they are pretty good.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Enjoyable Read

This was the first book that I have read by this author. I will definitely be reading more of her books!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

cute story

but unexciting, predictible romance.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

The Lakeside Chronicles by Susan Wiggs are well worth reading.

You will feel like you are right there with the Bellamy family. Each member is a story and this is Olivia. If you read one book you will be checking out all of the rest to find out "What happened?" It is a wonderful series. With Susan Wiggs you can hear the lapping of the lake's water and the bird song as thought you were there. I certainly enjoyed my visit.

I loved this book. I loved the development of the characters.

This is a winner

Loved it

Very emotional

Good book

I bought another by this author because I liked this book so much.

Enjoyable!

Love Susan Wiggs books and this is no exception. Good story and very hard to put down. An excellant, heartwarming, feel good book!

Nice story....slow read for me.

This story was actually beautifully written. It was lovely story with lovable characters; however, it took me forever to get through it! It was definitely not what I would call a "page turner" and it took me over a week to finish it. I like a little bit of suspense in my stories and this was just very sweet and predictable.

Great read....

It was easy to become immersed in the characters. Susan Wiggs does a lovely job of interwining the family stories and I look forward to reading more from this author.
I was excited to see this book was a series and I will see more of these delightful characters that I became invested in during Summer at Willow Lake.

Very Enjoyable Read

I really enjoyed reading this book. The story was well-paced and the central characters, Olivia and Connor, were both interesting. It was an easy, yet engrossing read. You could put it down and pick it back up and go right back into the story with no trouble. My only complaint is that the resolution is in the last ten pages of the book.
This is the first book of The Lakeshore Chronicles, and I can't wait to read the rest of the books. I'm really excited to hear Julian and Daisy's story.

Summer at Willow Lake

If you are looking for some good chick-lit I would recommend this book. It's actually good for book clubs as well - people had mixed reviews which always makes for a good discussion.
When I first started this story about a woman who is trying to get her life on track after her third serious relationship falls apart through no reason she can understand, I was interested. I liked the flashbacks to the camp, I liked her best friend, I liked her. I was willing to believe that this book deserved its RITA nomination. It was solidly entertaining, which is all I ever look for in my romance novels.
This is a romance without getting all mired down with bodice ripping writing. The characters are likable and we see both Olivia and Connor's sides of the story. I also enjoyed the descriptions of the scenery and wished I could visit. All in all, a good read.
This is the first of a series and I plan to read the following books.

great book

love the author

Great Romantic Read that digs a little deeper.

This book is a very enjoyable romantic read that causes the reader to dig a little deeper and confront some past demons while reading. The only complaint I have (and I find that I feel this about all of Susan Wiggs' books) is that the ending is a bit rushed. It's almost like Ms. Wiggs suddenly realizes she needs to wrap things up and she rushes to tie things up in a neat little ball, leaving the reader feeling a bit sideswiped and short changed, saying "But wait?!?!? What about.....?"

Great Series

Great storytelling. I could not put this book down.

A Great introduction to Susan Wiggs!

A friend recommended Susan Wiggs and I can see why. This book had all the qualities I love -- great characters, a bit of quirkiness,sentimentality, and a story that kept it all together. I liked the way there were subplots all woven together to make a great and seamless story. I would have preferred a little more romance development between Olivia and Connor because I'm a sucker for romance but I still loved it and went out to buy other Lakeshore Chronicles series books. It was definitely a keeper.

first-time susan wiggs reader

This was the first Susan Wiggs book I read and I absolutely loved it! It was obviously a romance but had so much more to it. I loved the stories about multiple family members and about life at camp. It made me remember my time at camp and wish I could go back. I can't wait to read the other books in this series!