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A faded scrapbook reveals secrets that reconnect old friends in a place called Sweethaven.
Campbell Carter has come to Sweethaven in search of answers about her mother's history. Just before losing a battle with cancer, Suzanne Carter sent letters to childhood friends from her hometown of Sweethaven, Michigan. Suzanne's three friends — Lila, Jane, and Meghan — haven't spoken in years, yet each has pieces of a scrapbook they made together as girls. Suzanne's letters have lured them all back to the idyllic lakeside town, where they meet Campbell and begin to remember what was so special about their long Sweethaven summers. As the scrapbook reveals secrets from the past, old wounds are mended, lives are changed, and friendships are restored — just as Suzanne intended.
What a treat this story was! At first I wasn't sure I would like this story because it sounded like it could be a bit of a downer, but wow, was I surprised at how much I loved it in the end. I wanted to read this novel every chance I could. I thought about the story even when I wasn't able to sit down, relax, and enjoy it. That's a good book...one that preoccupies my thoughts.
I loved how romantic it was on so many levels. Though each character had their own grief to deal with, it wasn't only about their pain. It was about how God uses the unexpected things in our lives to bless us. He took someone like Campbell, who felt alone in the world, and gave her a new family through new friendships and people who also tied her to her mother's history. I loved how the book ended. I totally adored Luke. I didn't want his heart broken any more than his momma did. Man, I adored that man. He was a great hero and I could see how even the hardest of hearts could melt under the warmth in his eyes.
The author did a fantastic job at making me care. She made each character seem like a friend, or at least someone I could easily know. Their happiness and their healing became a primary concern for me as the book veered toward a conclusion. Everything about this book was awesome. It even had a bit of mystery to it when it came to figuring out who her father really was. Great story! It's making my top fiction list for 2012.
13 out of 15 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.SuperBookish
Posted July 13, 2012
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Good story line. Very well written. A great summer read.
7 out of 8 people found this review helpful.
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Posted July 26, 2012
I became really involved with these characters! I hated for the book to end and when it did I went looking for more books by this author! To the author if you read this review can we have a sequel? I would really like to return to Sweethaven :)
6 out of 7 people found this review helpful.
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Posted July 21, 2012
This is a wonderful, heartfelt story which moved me to tears. Well written with genuine characters and an insight into love and friendship. We Brits haven't quite caught onto scrap booking but my next visit to the US might find me exploring this art. An inspirational debut book. Highly recommended.
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I love it when you get the opportunity to review a debut novel because it's either going to introduce you to an great new author or will leave you disappointed. This novel, A Sweethaven Summer by Courtney Walsh is the introduction to a fabulous new author I can't wait for you to meet.
In this novel you are introduced immediately to Suzanne who is in the process of sharing a bombshell secret that she has been compiling for the last five years in a scrapbook/journal she created along with her three friends, Jane, Lila and Meghan. In it, each of them added photos, ticket stubs or notes scribbled on scratch paper that they had gathered every summer since the eighth grade. Would her secret taint those memories? Even though she called the three girls their best friends they didn't even know the secret she'd carried with her on the road out of town. The pages in front of her begged her to come clean, to tell the truth, after all this time.
In the pages of this scrapbook we learn that Jane hated her body, Lila painfully recounted her relationship with an indifferent mother and that Meg confided about being the only nondrinker at a high school party last summer. Confessions. They were all nice girls. All except Suzanne. But they weren't kids anymore - and even their darkest secrets didn't compare to the bombshell she was about to drop. - August 1987.
Now we find Campbell Carter who is Suzanne's daughter and is dealing with her mother's funeral. Little over a week ago, her mother called and asked her to come over to talk about somethings she needed to discuss. She could tell by her mother's tone that she was nearing the end of her struggle with cancer and was squaring things away. Only she would never get to know what she wanted to discuss because when she arrived home, she found her mother lying on the floor. She would never wake up and thus Campbell would be orphaned at 24. If only she could know what her mother wanted to tell her before she died. She wouldn't until she came across the scrapbook her mother and her friends made and that is where the story begins.
I received this heartwarming and charming novel compliments of Christian Fiction Blog Alliance for my honest review and have discovered a new treasure in Courtney's writing. You can't help but be swept away into the story and thus the reason for giving this debut novel a perfect 5 out of 5 stars. I can't wait for the next novel by this amazing and talent author.
6 out of 7 people found this review helpful.
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Posted July 17, 2012
Is this good for younger viewers?
4 out of 10 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Take your summer vacation early by visiting Sweethaven. What a wonderful book that brings the small town alive. In addition, the characters are those I'd befriend.
Four girlfriends have drifted apart for over twenty years. Now, through a scrapbook's clues, they meet again to rediscover the magic of forgiveness. New loves and friendships are formed and long buried secrets are revealed.
This is a good read.
Thank you to Bonnie at Christian Fiction Blog Alliance and Guidepost Books for my copy.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted July 25, 2012
This story kind of hit home for me in many ways. I really enjoyed this book and never saw coming what came. It was great. Take the time to read it and cherish every moment you have with the ones you love. This book reminds you of that, you never know what tomorrow brings. Thanks for the great story;)
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted July 23, 2012
Good short story, liked characters
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted February 20, 2012
I just finished the book in less than 24 hours and I have NEVER done that before. I loved it. No, I love it. It will be a movie I know it.. After finishing this book, I had the same hopeful, wholesome, feel good feelings like I had after watching the movies, "Julie&Julia" "The Notebook" or "Steel Magnolia's" or after watching the NBC television show called Parenthood, or like my old favorites, Gilmore Girls, Party Of Five, even a great show from years ago called Providence, or even the show 7th Heaven… Just good ol' good...something this world needs more of! "A Sweethaven Summer" not only reminded me of the “feelings” these shows left me but more importantly, made me want to start scrap booking again, but not just by myself, but together with friends.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.In A Sweethaven Summer, Courtney Walsh has created a town I want to live in. From the first chapter, the characters became my friends, jumping off the page and into my heart. I didn't want it to end. A masterful word painting, A Sweethaven Summer is a story of loss, regret, forgiveness, and restoration. Novel Rocket and I give it our highest recommendation. It's a 5-star must read.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted March 20, 2013
Definitely wouldnt have expected the ending!
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Posted March 16, 2013
Wow is all I can say, I can't wait to read the rest of them.
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Posted March 15, 2013
His book is so sad! But it has a good ending
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Posted February 24, 2013
Wonderful book any time of the year! Looking forward to more from Courtney Walsh!!!
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Posted January 21, 2013
This book was great,i cant wait to read thw rest of her books,i
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Posted January 14, 2013
This was a great book!!! I loved everything about this book, storyline, characters, and etc. It really drawed me in & i never wanted to put it down. Even when i wasn't reading it, i was still thinking about it! Usually when i read a book, it usually takes me a little while to finish it but not this one...i finished faster than any book i had ever read in my life!!! I just finished reading the next book, A Sweetheaven homecoming & it is just as good!!! Now getting ready to read the next one, A Sweetheaven Christmas!! I hope to see more from this author!!
Anonymous
Posted January 9, 2013
Very smooth, easy going read. loved the view from different character aspects. This book pulled me in and let me escape from reality.
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Posted January 8, 2013
The story is a great one. Knowing a loved one's life and friends after they have left this world. Discovering parts of yourself in the process.
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Posted April 13, 2013
Well developed characters in an easy to read format. I love her writing style. I hope she writes many more books.
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Overview
A faded scrapbook reveals secrets that reconnect old friends in a place called Sweethaven.
Campbell Carter has come to Sweethaven in search of answers about her mother's history. Just before losing a battle with cancer, Suzanne Carter sent letters to childhood friends from her hometown of Sweethaven, Michigan. Suzanne's three friends — Lila, Jane, and Meghan — haven't spoken in years, yet each has pieces of a scrapbook they made together as ...