Review: The Summer Sail by Wendy Francis

Title: The Summer Sail

Author: Wendy Francis

Published: May 2018, Touchstone

Format: Paperback, 307 pages

Source: Publisher via GetRed PR

Summary:

A trio of college
friends who reunite aboard a cruise ship experience an unforgettable
vacation in this compelling novel from the author of The Summer of Good Intentions, which was hailed as “everything a summer read should be” by Elin Hilderbrand.

Three
college roommates are celebrating a twentieth wedding anniversary by
taking a cruise to Bermuda. As the ship pulls away from the pier,
everyone is looking forward to lounging by the pool, sipping sunset
cocktails, and reminiscing. Abby, the mother hen of the group, will be
celebrating her wedding anniversary in style, even as she and her
husband keep a secret from the group. Ambitious career woman Caroline
happily anticipates several stress-free days away from her magazine job
with her boyfriend, Javier, who may or may not be finally inspired to
propose. And single mom Lee (annoyingly gorgeous and irresistibly
popular in college) hopes she’ll win back the affections of her formerly
sweet daughter Lacey, who after her first year in college, has
inexplicably become a little bit of a monster.

As the balmy pink
shores of Bermuda come into view, tensions simmer, and old jealousies
flare, sending the temperature from soothing to scorching in this
engrossing tale of three best friends on a vacation they won’t soon
forget—but not for the reasons they expect.

My thoughts: This is the first book I’ve read by Wendy Francis and with that eye-catching, summery cover, I knew I was in for a treat. I ended up reading it in one afternoon – it was that good and that quick a read!

Even though cruising is not my thing, I still enjoyed this book quite immensely. I found it to be the perfect afternoon reading during a warm, summery day – it really was the perfect escape read! And what I loved is that it is such a balanced read – it’s not all light and fluffy – though there are some moments of that interspersed. Rather, it’s an emotionally spun tale of three “forever” friends coming together for some R&R as well as some much needed girl time. 

I loved how the book was told from multiple view points. This really allows us to get to know the characters, and while most of it was from the three friends, there were occasional sections narrated by Lacey, Lee’s college-aged daughter. Every one of these characters has some issue they are dealing with – some that are more vocal about said issue than others. This vacation comes at a good time for all of them as they really need to be with their circle of friends, those they most trust. 

All along you are pulled into the womens’ lives, and if you are anything like me, desperately trying to figure out what Abby’s secret is. She’s the one that organized, and paid for, this trip and while it’s supposedly for her twentieth wedding anniversary, it’s also for something else. She’s not quite herself and as only good friends can, the others pick up on it. I so needed to know what this secret was, and more importantly, when she was going to reveal it.

This book is the perfect book to take to the beach and while an afternoon away. It’s a light-hearted read with some intense moments throughout – balanced just right so as not to skew the scale one way or the other. It explores the theme of friendship and that no matter what you might have going on in your own life, your true friends will always be there for you in your time of need. It’s one book you won’t forget and might even have you reminiscing about your own “forever” friends!