The Summer That Made Us: A Novel

It was a bit choppier than I expect of Robin Carr's books. The whole story ark was there but some of the characters needed more development. It wasn't as focused either. I'm used to being drawn in quickly with her books and it just wasn't there this time.

every thing that I have purchased through the store has been perfect if I am not happy with some of the things I have ordered is my fault, I or4dered the wrong thing. the store is my best friend when i need to find a product.

The Summer that made us didn't quite make it with me.

I have read most or Robyn Carr's books and this one is my least favorite of all of them. For some reason I didn't find myself as absorbed in the story. The premise is good. A family spent their summers at their summer home. They were happy and enjoyed each other's company. Then one summer everything changed. A young girl tragically drowned and the summer home was boarded up for what they believed would be for good. That summer changed their lives for many reasons. Relationships became strained, distant and at times painful.

In the present day the family members are dealing with various personal issues - illness, relationship issues, family drama,etc. The family members agree to return to their summer lake home to re-connect, deal with their past and reunite in the present.

This book deals with death, illness (cancer & dementia), teenage pregnancy, adoption, love, family, forgiveness and relationships. Great themes and they usually would draw me in. I found that I just didn't connect entirely with this book. I devoured her other books but this was was just okay at best for me. Her writing continues to be strong and she continues to write about real issues, this one just did not grab me as her other books have done. I'm actually sad about this because as I mentioned I am a Carr far - her Virgin River series being my favorite. As a whole she is a wonderful Author. I believe most will really enjoy this book by her as well. It just didn't WOW me as her others have done. Still a fan!

I received a copy of this book from Harlequin and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Anyone who knows me or has looked at my past reviews should not be shocked that this is the first Robyn Carr book that I have ever read. Why? I am not that type of person who enjoys reading romance books. I am sure that you as a reader has a genre that does not tickle your fancy. As a result, when I was thinking of doing this review I definitely hesitated though the blurb was so intriguing, as I am sure you have read, the book's focus on a family that was torn apart by tragedy but is it possible for the family to overcome their differences and reunite? Well, that has nothing to do with romance so I jumped at the chance to review this book. Guess what? It rocked!

Charley remembered. She was quite young when she heard, You think you can treat me like that and get away with it? You’ll see when I’m not here anymore and it won’t just be me, but me and the babies. I’ll take them with me. Check in the basement when you get home next time and see if we’re not all hanging there, dead!

The story held my interest with its compelling plot. Throughout the book the plot goes from the present day to the past through memories; a keen way to portray the story. There are a lot of characters, therefore when you start reading it can be slightly confusing, for that issue I made a family chart, although after being immersed fully in the family drama it was not needed. Whereas, having a huge cast was an ace move due to the variety of personalities and all the pandemonium that transpires. Thus, delivering the reader stellar predicaments which incorporates colossal divergent moods. Unquestionably, you will enjoy the roller coaster ride of the up’s and down’s, with agitation, shame, sorrow, happiness, and humor at one point I laughed out loud so hard I almost woke my roommates up, these are just a sample. Did I mention there could possibly be a bombshell or two? With all this in mind, I felt like this was a family I could relate to or for some readers a family you know. Believe me it’s far from a down-home book it rides the crazy side the side that makes sense in today's world. All of this is what made me enjoy the book immensely.

“Hope, forgive me, but I don’t think Frank regards Pam as temporary,” Maxine said. Hope laughed again, but her laugh was hollow this time. “But of course she is! Just the other night Franklin said something awfully like he was just this close to coming home. Of course I don’t intend to make it that easy for him. He’ll have to make a few changes, that’s for sure!...”Hope! He divorced you! Years ago! He’s remarried! They have a child!”

Overall, it is well worth your time as a reader. Now that I am aware a smattering of Robyn Carr’s writing goes beyond romance I must do a bit of investigation to see what other books of hers I can find. Got any ideas? Please, leave any suggestions below.

Robyn Carr weaves an engrossing tale of family bonds, hurt, betrayal and tragedy that touched me deeply!

At the center of the story is Meg and Charlie, sisters enduring their own crisis’, but Meg’s is more urgent. She’s been battling cancer for four long years and just had a bone marrow transplant after chemo and needs to recuperate. Her prognosis is not good, and Charlie wants to be there for Meg in whatever way she can. Life gave Charlie a great opportunity, freed up her time, because she just lost her job as a talk show host, and has no idea what to do next. Add to that Charlie’s long-time committed man (they’ve been together for twenty-years) has just proposed marriage and for some odd reason this rattles Charlie. Meg’s wish is to go to the lake house, a place that holds some of their fondest memories, but a place where tragedy changed their lives forever. Meg and Charlie’s little sister, Bunny, drowned and their mother and aunt parted ways in an ugly way. For twenty-seven years neither family has been back, but that’s about to change.

Spending time at the lake house will stir up drama, but it’s Meg’s wish, and who can deny a woman what is most likely her dying wish? To get to the heart of why everything went to hell they must travel back with their memories to the time when their mothers: Louise and Josephine, (sisters who married brothers) would take them out to Lake Waseka those summers long ago. Was Bunny’s death the only reason for their estrangement or was it something more?

I loved this story sooo much! It made me cry, stirring up so many emotions! It sounds like a lot is going on, but it’s not hard to follow as a reader. I loved the sister dynamic between Meg and Charlie, they’re so very close, but Krista, Josephine’s daughter, and Meg and Charlie’s cousin quickly bonded with them again after so many years apart. Krista had a hard life, but managed to see the positive, and I adored her little slow burn romance that was unexpected, but so sweet for her!

Charlie has basically a marriage-in-crisis sort of situation even though she’s not technically married, her relationship is at odds and I so wanted her to work it out, because Michael was the best kind of man! Meg was just so centered and at peace with her situation, she just broke my heart, though!

Louise, Meg and Charlie’s mom, and Hope, Josephine’s daughter, are also notable characters, but not in a good way. I was stunned and shocked by their behavior, but also less upset with them by the end, as details of their lives are revealed. Each and every character, flaws and all came to life; felt realistic they were crafted so well.

The Lake Wasuka house and location was vividly depicted, and sounded gorgeous! I could smell the pine and wood of the forest, feel the breeze coming off the lake and wish that I was there with Meg, Charlie and Krista having a glass of wine on the porch!

The Summer That Made Us was a beautiful and intricate story of family and love that took my breath away!

Wow this book was such an emotional read, way more than I was expecting it to be! There were highs and lows, ups and downs and I loved every minute of getting to know the dysfunctional Hempstead family. When I say dysfunctional I’m not even sure that word accurately describes things, this is a family steeped in tragedy going all the way back to the summer of ’89 and to say the events of that fateful summer messed them all up something fierce is putting it mildly.

Megan’s dying wish is to reunite her shattered family. At one point they were all super close and twenty seven years later most of them hardly speak at all. Jo and Lou are sisters who married brothers and they each had three daughters. They spent magical summers at their family lake house and life was pretty damn perfect for those summer months. When the youngest child, Bunny drowns the family is completely broken. Jo and Lou don’t speak and the daughters all mostly went their separate ways as well. Twenty seven years later and they’re back, for better or worse.

What makes Carr’s books standouts for me is her phenomenal characterization. Almost immediately I find myself invested and engrossed in the lives of her characters and this may be my favorite book of hers to date. I can’t even pick a favorite one here because they were all so real and raw, but Megan definitely wormed her way into my heart. I also really liked Krista, she is fresh out of prison after serving twenty five years and she was just such a unique women’s fiction character with her own type of spunk.

The plot mostly focused on repairing the families fractured relationships while slowly revealing secrets from the past and there were quite a few doozies. I’m always fascinated by complex families and hidden stories and there were so many here. There was one little twist that I totally didn’t see coming, twists in women’s fiction always through me for a loop because I’m not waiting on the edge of my seat for them like in a thriller.

Despite it being a highly evocative read it’s still very much a lighter read with substance. Carr’s trademark charm and easy writing style is in full effect making the perfect combination for a late summer read.

The Summer That Made Us is an amazing book that touches the soul. It’s an emotional story about loss, heartache, healing and forgiveness.

The summer house on Lake Waseka was a special place for Jo and Lou, and their daughters, until a tragic accident occurred. The two Hempstead families were always a bit dysfunctional, but after the accident, they completely fell apart. The two sisters, Jo and Lou who were once inseparable, were now estranged, and their daughters, permanently scarred.

The summer house had been off limits for over twenty-five years. Meg, one of the daughters, however, has Cancer, and wished to spend her last summer at the lake house. Meg was the kindest sweetest and most giving daughter of them all, but she wasn’t done yet. Meg had one last gift to give everyone.

This story moved me to tears, made me laugh and warmed my heart. I loved every page of this superbly written, uplifting and heart wrenching tale. Do yourself a favor and don’t miss out on reading this quality book; crafted with raw emotion, rich dialogue, and fully developed characters.

Thank you, Harlequin and NetGalley, for my advanced review copy! I loved it.

“The Summer that Made Us” by Robyn Carr

An extremely moving and heartfelt novel of two sisters and their children and their summers at the lake house. A long standing tradition that suddenly stopped when tragedy hit.

One one of the children of the sisters is facing a terminal illness, she decides she wants one more summer at the lake house. Throughout this time, wounds are busted open again, others are healed, family members come and go, and the truth of the two sisters and the dysfunction within their own families and between themselves is all thrown out in the open. The question is, will the last summer Meg has bring the family members together again or have the almost 30 years torn them all so far apart that it is a lost cause? Will they learn their flaws can also be strengths and how they can learn from one another or continue to harbor their personal ills toward others? Is healing and forgiveness able to take place in dysfunctional families or have the wounds become so deep nothing can heal and one cannot forgive?

Amazing and realistic characters, a fast moving storyline that keeps the reader engaged and a part of the story. A gem of a novel that is heartwarming and heartbreaking, wounding and healing, and most of all about forgiveness and understanding.

Rating: 4.6
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

** I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this novel. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Check out the full review at Kritters Ramblings

Let me start by saying I am a Robyn Carr fan and I love her romance series and the stand alone women's fiction books. She can write a book so I was surprised throughout this whole book that I couldn't get into it or care about any of the characters. This book was all about the characters - two sisters who marry two brothers and each have three girls and one summer at their lake house sends these families spiraling out of control and many years later two of the girls decide to return and one invites the others and of course drama ensues.

Sisters and cousins: they gather at the much-loved house on Lake Waseka. The last time they were there became wrapped in the unexpected drowning of one of their members. Along with that tragic event was one no one but the sisters of the children knew about, but no one spoke of it for 27 years. And yet, that event is among the reasons Louise claims they will never use the lake house again. That is, not until Meg insists on going back for one last summer. She's battling breast cancer and losing that battle, although she denies it whenever anyone asks how she's feeling.

Reliving the joys of being on the lake during the summer is encapsulated with the current lives and loves of the sisters and cousins, one of whom has finally been released from prison, one of whom is acting crazy (why finally becomes clear), and one of whom faces an unexpected love also linked to her cousin.

This is the kind of tale perfect for a lazy summer day, a day when reflection isn't fraught by regrets, but rather the joys of reliving innocent childhood experiences and friendships that seem unlikely to change, but which do.

The Summer That Made Us by Robyn Carr is a multi-layered novel about a once close-knit family that was torn apart by tragedy.

Once upon a time, sisters Louise and Josephine, along with their daughters, spent idyllic summers together at the family’s lake house. They each had three daughters and the cousins were just as close as their mothers. However, in the aftermath of a tragic accident, Lou and Jo become somewhat estranged and their daughters’ lives take very troubling turns. Fast forward to the present and Lou’s daughter Meg decides it is time for the family to reconcile and she invites everyone back to the lake house for the summer. There is never any doubt Meg’s sister Charley will agree to her sister’s plan but will cousins Hope, Krista and Beverly accept her invitation? And is it too late for Lou and Jo to repair their long strained relationship?

Alternating between the various characters’ perspectives, Robyn Carr’s newest release is not a light or happy read and quite frankly, it is a bit of a chore to even like many of the characters. Meg is the most sympathetic, and while she sets the reunion into motion, she remains firmly in the background as the story unfolds. Her sister Charley is probably the least likable as she alienates her long-term partner, Michael, after she loses her job. On the other end of the spectrum is their cousin Krista whose life took a dramatically wrong turn but she is incredibly appealing as she faces each challenge with a positive and cheery attitude. Krista’s sister Hope makes a couple of very memorable guest appearances that will leave readers shaking their head in disbelief. Their other sister Beverly remains on the periphery of the unfolding drama. Jo is an utterly fantastic character and she never hesitates to do whatever is necessary to help her daughters. Her sister Lou is nowhere near as personable and well, it is not easy to feel much sympathy for her even though she has endured some very painful losses.

Despite a somewhat slow start, The Summer That Made Us is an engaging novel with an interesting (but sometimes overly busy) storyline. While not a particularly joyful read, it is easy to become swept up into the various characters’ story arcs. Robyn Carr brings the novel to a bittersweet yet uplifting conclusion.

I received a complimentary copy for review.

Let me start by saying I love Robyn Carr’s writing. Her stories are lessons that model how family and friendships should be, when in bad times and the good times, too. It doesn’t matter if I can relate to the character’s dilemma or struggle, I can always count on a positive or satisfying solution to their problems and I leave every story wanting to be a better mother, daughter, neighbor, and friend. This story is no exception. Though I have to confess, it took me a while to get all the characters straight, there were too many for a single title in my opinion. This made for a slow beginning. Yet, that didn’t keep me from listening. I got the audiobook. It kept me engaged. It picked up pace after the halfway mark. There are many issues and dilemmas such as family feuds, loss, illnesses, job loss, scammers, etc, etc... It’s a pretty messed up family after a particular summer. Years later one of the sisters brings them back together in an effort to fix things. I was satisfied how things turned out. I couldn’t help crying in a couple of scenes. I’m happy I read it. I give The Summer That Made Us 3.75 Stars. It’s closer to a 4 than a 3.

4 1/2 STARS!

A beautifully woven story about love, life and forgiveness! Seeking emotional healing is the main underscore of this story. It brings together a family that through circumstances and life were torn apart many years ago. In one healing summer, they come together to support one special member of the family, but in the end it's a blessing for them all. I really enjoyed getting a glimpse into each of their lives and having the opportunity to see what really made each of them tick in their own way. The culmination of the summer gutted me, but there was too much happiness and love flowing to let that one heart-wrenching piece take away the fulfillment of the story.

For so many years, summers at the family lake house in Minnesota were idyllic for the Hempstead family ... until tragedy strikes and leaves the place sullied with ugliness and grief. The house was closed up and they never ventured there again. The family members each found their own way of dealing with their loss, and lives swirled out of control.

Now years later, one member needs the closure of going back to their childhood oasis to find the peace she so desperately needs to complete her life. She hopes to bring her family back together in this place that they shared so much love and laughter and open their hearts to forgiving each other for wrongs they perceive and most of all, to forgiving themselves for the mistakes they each made.

This was a great story to read, but at the same time it was a tough story to read. These two families had so much going for them, summers together at the beach house, cousins getting together each summer making wonderful memories. Until one summer, when it all starts to fall apart. The drowning death of the youngest little cousin seemed to send everyone into a tail spin. But evidently, there was so much more going on, secrets were being kept, blame was placed on others, and sisters who were estranged for years and years afterwards.

Now, one of the cousins is dying of cancer and she wants to spend one last summer at the beach cabin, to try to heal this broken family. Everyone is invited to come and spend some time together but not everyone is happy about the prospect of opening up all the old wounds. The family dynamics and the drama of it all made this an engaging story that I was totally wrapped up in.

I truly loved this story with all the supposedly 'normal' characters as well as the ones with their plethora of issues. Not everything and everyone is who or what they appear to be and figuring it all out made this book a page-turner for me.

The Summer That Made Us is my first Robyn Carr book but I loved her complicated characters and I loved the depth of her story, so it will not be my last. I will definitely be looking for more of her stories to read.

I own the Audible edition. A story more women's fiction than romance, The Summer That Made Us is full of Robyn Carr's trademark understanding of family dynamics - love, anger, despair, frustration, redemption, forgiveness. One summer, the very close Hempstead families (two sisters and their children) fell apart. Twenty-seven years later, at the urging of one of the daughters, they began to repair their rifts. It wasn't an easy or comfortable process, but slowly, sometimes even languidly, the ice of almost three decades began to melt. There are many threads to the story and in less talented hands they would have bogged down the tale, but Ms. Carr keeps you riveted. There were moments in the book you knew what was going to happen, and not everyone got their HEA, but they were true to the story and didn't feel contrived. The wonderful Therese Plummer narrates the audio edition and, as usual, brings Ms. Carr's words to vivid life. Together, author and narrator have created a powerful story of family, warts and all.

So much heaviness in this book with depressions, illnesses, pregnancy, and more yet what sticks most with me is the family coming together, putting their histories behind them and rallying around those who need them.

The dynamics of the Hempstead family is interesting. They have been torn apart by the drama of their pasts and now must figure out how to come together as a unit. There is a lot of history to get past and many families would not be strong enough to overcome it but the Hempstead family does with a lot of hard work.

The Summer That Made Us is an emotional rollercoaster. I had tears; there was fear, lots of love, and mostly hopefulness. It was intense and filled with so much feeling. Each character had their own issues, some life threatening, some life changing, but all equally important to the story. I was in awe of how Robyn managed to weave these stories together to make it complete. She was able to take different walks of life and turn them into a total package that I could not put down.

I would recommend picking up your own copy of The Summer That Made Us ASAP.

Thank you Claire McLaughlin from Little Bird Publishing and NetGalley for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book. A story of two sisters that married two brothers and each had three kids all of which were girls. The families would spend every summer at the lake house their grandmother and grandfather owned until the weekend that one of the youngest girls died in a boating accident.

That weekend created a decade feud between the sisters that really tore at their kids and caused some of them act out and question themselves for many years.

I loved all the characters especially the main ones - Charley, Meg, and Krista, the daughters. The sisters had such very different lives even though they married two brothers. I was really glad that the character, Hope, had only a small part in this book. I think if I had to listen to her craziness for much longer, I would have had to throw the book, literally. She was cray, cray.

An excellent read about family and forgiveness that really touched a nerve with me.

Thanks to Harlequin and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Robyn Carr’s latest women’s fiction novel is an emotional story of a family whose dysfunction encompasses four generations. “Women’s fiction” may be generally a somewhat amorphous term, but in this case, it is literal. The Summer That Made Us is a story of women and their relationships to one another and how these relationships define, balance, support, wound, and heal these women. It is the story of how the events of one summer can change an extended family. There are men in this novel—some reprehensible and some admirable—but while their roles are not insignificant, they are clearly secondary. Be warned that reading this book requires a generous supply of hankies. There is irony in the fact that Meg, the cancer patient, is the means of restoring healthy relationships to the wounded.

Romance readers should be aware that the romance in this one is minimal, and some may find the unraveling of so many threads and the optimistic ending unrealistic. I found these concerns negligible. Robyn Carr does in this book what she does best: she gives her readers characters who touch the heart and illumine the human spirit. I give The Summer That Made Us my highest recommendation.

A family torn apart by a past tragedy that slowly decends into a dysfunctional mess. That pretty much sums up the lives of the Hempstead women and their daughters. But how did this all happen one lovely summer by the lake? One moment, everyone was happy and carefree. The next, everything had fallen apart. The lake house is boarded up and left, forgotten.

Fast-forward to the present. Megan’s days are numbered as she battles cancer and her last wish is to bring her sisters, cousins, aunt, and mother back together one last time to the lake house. Enlisting help from her sister, Charley, who’s career is falling apart, the lake house is freshened up, ready for the family to return. And in doing so, old memories are dug up, past differences are rehashed, and new relationships are formed.

The Summer that Made Us is an intricately woven, heartfelt family story that will make you laugh and cry and will warm your heart. I highly recommend it.

(I received a copy of this novel from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.)

THE SUMMER THAT MADE US by Robyn Carr is a layered tale of family relationships, tragedy, and heartbreak underpinned by deep connections and memories that remind the characters of better days.

Two sisters who married two brothers, and had three daughters apiece, used to spend idyllic summers together on the lake where they were as close and as happy as any family could be. But when tragedy struck, it tore them apart where bitterness and jealousy made sure that they would never reconnect again. Until now.
The daughters are all grown up now, living their own lives and making their own mistakes, but when one daughter receives some shocking news, she is determined to bring her family back together so that they can finally heal the heartbreak from the past and face the future together. But life is never that simple and with plenty of emotions, anger, and problems of their own, it may not be as easy as she hoped...

​This book is about a family reuniting after years apart, and as each character has their own issues and lives to contend with, they must also confront that awful summer from all those years ago, and the underlying tension and jealousies that always existed between them. While many believe that you cannot fix the unfixable, this story shows that there is always hope - hope that you can find peace with the past and move forward together. Full of family drama and interesting characters, THE SUMMER THAT MADE US by Robyn Carr, is a story of loss, heartache, and hope, and ultimately the importance of family in all of its forms. While this wouldn't be my favourite book of Robyn Carr's it is definitely well worth reading, and I highly recommend it.

*I voluntarily reviewed this book from Netgalley.com

I love the way Robyn Carr tells a story. In this stand-alone novel we learn about the women of the Hempstead family: mothers, sisters, daughters, cousins all spent their summers at their Minnesota lake house until a tragedy ended the tradition. That tragedy was the tipping point in most of their lives. Now one of the cousins is in the end stage of cancer and her one wish is for everyone to come back to the lake house. What will happen when everyone says yes to her invitation? The Summer That Made Us is a page-turner of a novel. I love stories about second chances. Each person who returned to the lake seemed to have earned that second chance but will the secrets and misunderstandings from decades earlier be explained and resolved? I enjoyed it all and recommend it to fans of Robyn Carr and stories about families. *Book provided by the publisher in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

This is definitely my definition of a grand beach read. The Hempstead family was the poster family for dysfunction yet their underlying love and loyalty is unquestionable. Of the six girl cousins one is dying of cancer, one is fresh from prison, one is covering up her mental illness and the last is deal with a failing relationship and don't even get me started on their mothers. Both families used to spend the summer at their family lake home but something happened that splintered this family into tiny little pieces. The mystery interwoven with the rest of the story makes this the type of book that is very, very hard to put down and while a great beach read it's also one that you will enjoy this winter while bundled up on the couch with a fire and cup of hot chocolate.
ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley

If you haven't already read this then go ahead and pick it up now as it will make you wish for summer days on the beach. This is a family drama focused on sisters Meg and Charley. Meg does not know how much longer she has left to live due to her cancer diagnosis and her sister Charley is on a mission to do anything her sister wants. All Meg wants is for the whole family to get back together and return to the family lake house for the summer. Once all together the family has to deal with many of the issues that were left unattended after their last summer there.

This is such a wonderful and heartwarming read that was exactly what I needed during this cold and long winter.

That was some of the best and most emotion I have felt in some time. I was gasping from shock, laughing out loud from the craziness and crying over everything. One of the most powerful books ever. Makes you want to call up your family members, hug them and tell them you love them. Most definitely makes you feel appreciative. Robyn Carr has a special way that gets me drawn into her books. I thought nothing would ever top the Virgin Series for pulling me in, but this just had a unique and priceless quality. Loved! I checked this book out of the library but wouldn’t hesitate buying it.

My respect for authors rises each time I read a book like The Summer That Made Us. What a challenge to write such a complex but entertaining story of a dysfunctional family that involves five strong women, all of whom you have to love and respect in the end. Learning to love family again provides challenges, but each woman has such strength, courage and compassion. I don't know who I liked the most--maybe Jo! Just the right amount of romance for a book like this. I have been an avid Robyn Carr fan since I found her Virgin River series, and this book will keep me waiting for her next one.

Audible version.
Rather involved family story of many different people, different in many ways.
Hard to stop listening, I felt I was part of the family!
The only thing for me was there are so many people to keep track of. Just the basic fam, the 4 parents, then the 6 children, but several others as well, each with a story. At times, I tried going back some to see if I caught the right name! It's harder on audible, with a book you can flip back.
Anyway, it's a great one, and will be one I remember, can't always say that. Thanks Robyn!

Mothers, sisters,and cousins use to go to the family lake for 3 generations strong but one summer in '89 everything and everyone went crazy! But when one of the sisters decides that after the chemo she wants to spend the summer at the family lake no one argued and that's when everything started to surface and hopefully come to forgiveness cause meg didn't know the future.

Robyn Carr’s latest, The Summer That Made Us, is about family and all the emotions family brings forth.

For the Hempsteads, two sisters who married two brothers and had three daughters each, summers were idyllic. The women would escape each summer and gather at Lake Waseka. The lake was a magical place, a haven where they were happy and carefree. Until the summer that changed everything. Years go by with the family drifting further apart. Then one woman decides to draw her family together again, and the only way that can happen is to return to the lake and face the truth.

What drove this family apart? That question is what plagued me as I read this book. One answer to that question is made obvious. But there is more than one answer to that question! It was the more that took a surprising, mysterious twist, which I loved because I wasn’t expecting it at all.

As stated above, the main theme of this book is family. It's about stepping up to help your family, even if you’re not that happy with them at the time. I closed the book satisfied with the ending though it was a little sad. I won’t tell you why it was sad because that would ruin your journey. But I encourage you to take the journey. It’s a good one.

Advanced copy of this book provided by NetGalley.

I usually love Robyns books but I only finished this one to see if the ending would save it ... it didn’t. I can honestly say there is not one character in this book that I liked, and I wasn’t happy for anyone when the ending tied things up in a neat tidy bow.

This book started off great but grew less interesting in the last 100 pages. Certain storylines that were supposed to be so surprising toward the end could be easily figured out at the outset. I really didn't care for the controlling main character of Charley. I think the book has good themes and strong writing. I wish it had help up to its promise.

This book touched my soul. I have a saying I live by. You love your family but don't have to like them. Family dynamics are sometimes very difficult. We don't see eye to eye and let past transgressions ruin our relationships

This book was a little hard for me to read at the start, as the characters seemed to be so flawed. But it came to show that even a very dysfunctional can mend itself, if it's members care enough to try. The women showed their strengths and weakness in varying ways, but their love for each other triumphed in the end. It was very moving, and thought provoking.

A heartfelt look at a family, the drama, the tragedies, the joys, the bond, the troubles of it. Each character is drawn with a sharp pencil, with the place to grow and deal with their issues. The characters might seem like the stereotypes of each of the issues they have, yet most of them manage to break the mold they are set in and surprise the reader, and the rest of the family.
Slowly but surely the story pulled me in and I was mesmerized by the memories from the lake and the troublesome life the two sisters families had lived. There's not so much that happens in the story, it is mostly built of memories of the past and in the current the character development that we witness by a lot of healing, growing, forgiving, moving on and learning to live again.
With the large cast of characters, that most of them also get to tell part of the tale from their point of view, it can get a crowded and confusing to keep up who was who and where in life they were again. The time changes from the past to present and back again, as well as the POV changes, were not marked or separated in the eARC I received.
Some of the family members were easier to relate to than others, to some I felt I didn't get a connection at all. I found Krista, the ex-convict, to be the most likable and relatable character in the story. She was a reasonable, smart, humble, kind, and considerate person.
The family made me laugh with their exaggerated dysfunctions, making my family look rather 'normal' and functioning. Yet they touched my heart, their need to fix things, find solutions to their issues, and find the family connection again was genuine and sincere. The support they were willing to give to each other was admirable, and the fragile connections between the family members were found to be on a solid foundation.
A heartening story about family dysfunctions, about forgiveness, about new chances, and the possibilities to start again, about acceptance, and how the support of the loved ones can change everything, even make the troublesome past lighter and easier to leave behind. A story about hope and love, about home and family bonds.
~ Four Spoons

Charley’s world has just been turned upside down. After years of having her own successful morning talk show in San Francisco, she suddenly finds it cancelled without any job options available. Incredibly, her life partner of twenty-two years decides now would be the perfect time to get married to fix her problems. But the worse thing is that her sister Meg is slowly dying from stage four breast cancer. When Meg decides she wants to spend the summer at the lake house that the family used growing up, Charley knows it will be a huge undertaking to restore the house and the family after twenty seven years. Meg soon sends out letters to the cousins and hopes that everyone will show up, even though she doubts they will. But they eventually do. One cousin is just released from prison, another lives in a make believe world, and the other one fully separated from the family after the accident that split the family apart all those years ago. As they come back together, they start working through the events that tore them down as they are made whole again.

Having only read Robyn Carr’s Sullivan Crossing series, this was not exactly what I expected, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. The recurring theme of hope and restoration of the family shines through in this new novel. This family is messed up, but in reality, aren’t so many others?

The majority of the book is told around the central character of Charley, but does also have a few sideline character views as well. Each of the characters shares their life experience in different viewpoints that really puts everything into perspective. The event that I thought split everyone up wasn’t actually the case. It was something completely different. That added a little bit of mystery.

There is some harsh language and sex scenes throughout, so I recommend this book to mature readers.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

This was a great book about Family Happiness and Tragedies. How they overcome their issues and sometimes how they don't or that it takes a VERY long time. Also how everyone dealt with them in totally different ways. It was a really good book that I'm glad I borrowed from my Online Library.

This complex multi-generational story has all the best elements of a good read. Each character is so detailed that it feels like you've personally known them. The love, losses, and second chances of one large extended family is engrossing and real. I couldn't put this book down once I started reading it. Excellent!

Wow! Talk about dysfunctional families! THE SUMMER THAT MADE US by Robyn Carr brings two sisters and their daughters back to the lake house where summers were spent many years ago. Life was good back then and everyone was happy. One summer, however, was not so happy. A series of events occurred during that one tragic summer that tore a family apart and forced the family to close up the house for good.

One of the daughters, Meg, has had her fill of chemo to treat her cancer, and her wish of returning to those happy days in the sunshine, surrounded by family at the lake house cannot be denied. As the women return, and the house is opened once again, events of the past unfold and new discoveries are made. This is a story about relationships and about forgiveness.

Robyn Carr once again has created characters that warm your heart and force you to grab the box of tissues as you read.

*Disclaimer: I received a complimentary ARC provided by NetGalley and the Publisher for the sole purpose of an honest review. All thoughts, comments and ratings are my own.

This is a multi-generational family drama about dysfunction that, as others have said, starts slow and builds. I am a big fan of Robyn Carr's Virgin River and Thunder Bay series, and this is a huge departure from that type of writing. I liked it but will not re-read it.

I’ve read almost all of Robyn Carr’s books and this one is the best. It is fast enough paced but lets you experience all the love and emotion of the characters. This is a must read. I love happy endings for dysfunctional families.

Once again, Robyn has immersed me in the lives of these complex yet identifiable characters. She has written a beautiful story about the bonds of two generations of sisters pulled apart by loss and secrets and their journeys back to each other. I must know what happens next for all of them. What do you say, Robyn?

When I first started this book, it almost felt like it could have been a memoir.

In the Hempstead family, two sisters married two brothers and, when one sister is battling cancer, her wish is to return to the family summer home, which had not been used in years. The summer home had been in the family for a long while but had been unoccupied after a tragedy struck one summer when the sisters were young.

This story made for a nice, but sometimes sad summer read. Great characters, a good story filled with both love and sadness.

I am a big fan of Robyn Carr's books and have read them all since she published THE HOUSE ON OLIVE STREET in 1999. This book is similar to that standalone women's fiction novel in many ways.

This story is an involved tale of mothers and sisters and children and cousins and aunts and uncles and husbands and boyfriends and an extended dysfunctional family - and staying at a family-owned lake house on Lake Waseka in rural Minnesota.

Meg has Stage IV breast cancer and wants all of her extended family to gather at the lake house since it might be her last summer - and since the family stopped going there years ago after the death of one of the children.

There's a lot of characters to keep track of and the book started out slowly for me with some characters I wasn't too fond of but author Carr, with her usual adept touch, soon had me turning the pages as fast as I could and wondering what was going to happen next.

The pieces fell neatly into place and, again, Carr has a winner!

I received this book from MIRA Books through Net Galley in exchange for my unbiased review.

Mothers, sisters,and cousins use to go to the family lake for 3 generations strong but one summer in '89 everything and everyone went crazy! But when one of the sisters decides that after the chemo she wants to spend the summer at the family lake no one argued and that's when everything started to surface and hopefully come to forgiveness cause meg didn't know the future.