Monday 16 June 2014

Books Read: Karen Swan - The Summer without You

Rowena Tipton isn't looking for a new life, just a new adventure; something to while away the months as her long-term boyfriend presses pause on their relationship before they become engaged. But when a chance encounter at a New York wedding leads to an audition for a coveted house-share in the Hamptons - the beach scene for Manhattan's elite - suddenly a new life is exactly what she's got.

Stretching before her is a summer with three eclectic housemates, long days on white-sand beaches and parties on gilded tennis courts. But high rewards bring high stakes and Rowena soon finds herself caught in the crossfire of a vicious intimidation campaign. Alone for the first time in her adult life, she has no one to turn to but a stranger who is everything she doesn't want - but possibly everything she needs.



Amazon links: Kindle or Paperback 

In recent years Karen Swan has become known for her Christmas related books but this year she has spoilt us by also writing a Summer book, The Summer Without You, which takes us to the elite playground of the rich, The Hamptons.

Rowena (Ro) Tipton's carefully planned life is pulled out from under her when her long-term boyfriend Matt suddenly announces he wants to go travelling alone before they settle down to spend the rest of their lives together.  At first this completely floors her but she soon finds herself being offered her own opportunity to experience something different, the chance to spend the Summer in The Hamptons.  What follows is a fantastic story that sees Ro making the most of this opportunity that came about in the most bizarre way...

At first I really wanted to shake Ro for her woe is me attitude but loved how she really came into her own as she immersed herself into the whole elite Hampton's lifestyle which is so different to her everyday life back home in England.   Will this break in their relationship actually be the making of her?  

I loved the setting of The Hamptons and the diverse mix of characters that Ro soon finds herself mixing with, not just her three housemates, but also the rest of the community who mostly welcome her with open arms.

Having read almost all of the authors previous books I knew to expect twists, and there were certainly plenty here as the various subplots all played out across the pages, which all added to the intrigue and made this one of my favourite reads so far this year.  

If you're after a quick read then this is definitely not that at almost 600 pages but what you will get is a real page turner of a read that draws you in so much that you find yourself reading late into the night as you don't want to put it down!

I'm already looking forward to Karen Swan's next book and fortunately we don't have to wait a year for it as she's spoiling us with a second book this year, a new Christmas related book which is being published in November.

I'd like to thank Katie at Pan Macmillan for sending me a proof copy of this book to review.  

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