Tuesday, August 27, 2024

Book Review: "Seven Summers" by Paige Toon

I’ve been trying to think how best to express the way this book made me feel, and then I saw this blurb from Carley Fortune: “This book wrecked me in the best possible way.” Same, Carley, same.

Liv and Finn knew each other in grade school until he moved away. But six summers ago, they meet again at the bar Liv is working at, because Finn is filling in as lead singer for the house band. Their flirtation lasts all summer, and just when they give into their feelings, tragedy strikes. Liv is utterly bereft and Finn is there for her, but ultimately, he has to go back to Los Angeles and his real band.

They love each other deeply, but neither can move to the other. Finn doesn't want to come back to Cornwall because there are too many bad memories (and his music career is taking off), and Liv can't leave her older brother, Michael. So they make each other a promise—Finn will come back to Cornwall every summer, and if both are single, they’ll be together until Finn leaves again. But each summer it gets harder and harder to say goodbye and wait until the next year.

This summer, Liv meets Tom, a brooding man who rents out her guest cottage. At first she thinks he is surly, but she realizes this handsome man has so many layers, and is just as attracted to her as she is to him. As they draw closer, Liv realizes she’s found the reason to move on to a love that will stay all year long. But is that enough to give up on Finn?

The book alternates between the present and each of the previous six summers. Essentially it’s Liv’s story, as you see everything that unfolds through her eyes. Once again, Paige Toon dazzles with her ability to make you smile through your tears and weather the ups and downs with these characters.

I absolutely loved this book and I’m such a huge fan of Toon’s writing. This was a beautiful, emotional story I couldn’t get enough of.

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