Kinsey
and Brynn were childhood enemies at summer camp. Eli was Kinsey’s best friend and Brynn’s
secret crush. The frenemies relationship
ended when they were fifteen after Kinsey and Eli did not come back to camp
that year. Time has passed, and the
three have been thrown back together again.
Brynn has returned back to her home town after a failed relationship.
She knows she can’t stay with her Moms forever so she rents a room from Eli in
his house. Kinsey lives in the home as
well as Eli’s half brother Max. Kinsey
has secrets of her own and one that she wants to share with Brynn, but can’t
bring herself to do. What is Kinsey’s secret? Will Brynn and Eli rekindle the romantic
feelings of their youth?
Jill
Shalvis writes good characters with flaws and intriguing stories. I love that for each character, life has
thrown them hurtles, and they need to figure out how to put the pieces back
together and move on to fulfillment and happiness. Although there was romance, The Summer Deal
was at its heart a story of two women and their friendship. I enjoyed their journey from frenemies to friends. All of the characters were great. I loved that Brynn had two mothers that loved
her, but could be embarrassing at times as they smothered her with love. Kinsey on the other hand has two parents that
have been constant disappointments and can’t find time in their day to spend
with their daughter. Understanding their
backgrounds is a much deeper way to understand their motivations and actions. Eli was a great character himself also coming
from a broken family, but together with his half brother Max, Brynn, and
Kinsey, they are able to create a new supportive family of their own.
The
story is told alternately in third person from Brynn and Kinsey’s perspective
and most chapters start with a diary excerpt from one other other’s diary from
camp when they were kids. I really liked
this format.
Favorite
Quotes:
“This
is what happened when one fell for a con artist; you lost your perspective and
self-trust. Because everything felt like
a mirage now.”
“Sometimes,
people keep secrets because it’s easier than the hurt and disappointment that
knowing those secrets will lead to.”
Overall,
The Summer Deal is a great story of broken characters that are able to pick the
pieces of their lives and form new friendships and relationships. I enjoyed it.
Book
Source: Review Copy from William
Morrow. Thank-you!
ABOUT JILL SHALVIS
New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental. Look for Jill’s bestselling, award-winning books wherever romances are sold and visit her website,
www.jillshalvis.com, for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.
ABOUT THE SUMMER DEAL (a standalone Wildstone novel)
Brynn Turner desperately wishes she had it together, but her personal life is like a ping-pong match that’s left her scared and hurt after so many attempts to get it right. In search of a place to lick her wounds and get a fresh start, she heads back home to Wildstone.
And then there’s Kinsey Davis, who after battling serious health issues her entire twenty-nine years of life, is tired of hoping for . . . well, anything. She's fierce, tough, and she’s keeping more than one bombshell of a secret from Brynn -- her long-time frenemy.
But then Brynn runs into Kinsey's best friend, Eli, renewing her childhood crush. The good news: he’s still easy-going and funny and sexy as hell.
The bad news: when he gets her to agree to a summer-time deal to trust him to do right by her, no matter what, she never dreams it’ll result in finding a piece of herself she didn’t even know was missing. She could have real connections, possibly love, and a future—if she can only learn to let go of the past.
As the long days of summer wind down, the three of them must discover if forgiveness is enough to grasp the unconditional love that’s right in front of them.
Connect with Jill
Facebook: @JillShalvis
Twitter: @JillShalvis
BUY LINKS for ALMOST JUST FRIENDS:
GIVEAWAY
As a part of the William Morrow Book Tour, I am giving away one copy of this novel. If you would like to win this book, please leave a comment on what interests you about this book.
As part of your comment, you must include an email address. If I can't find a way to contact you I will draw another winner.
For an additional entry, blog about this giveaway or post it on your sidebar.
Provide a link to this post in your comment.
I will be using random.org (or a Monte Carlo simulation in excel) to pick the
winners from the comments.
This contest is only open to addresses in the United States and Canada.
The deadline for entry is midnight on Friday June 19th!
Please make sure to check the week of June 22nd to see if you are a winner. I
send emails to the winner, but lately I've been put in their "junk
mail" folder instead of their inbox.
Good luck!
