Mallery is an expert at writing about strong women, their friendships, and their romances.”— Booklist She also found a couple of early Dutch strongboxes,” Mindy added. “Those sell for at least thirty K.” Robyn is a single mom trying to figure out the rest of her life. Although Robyn lives in a sophisticated home in Naples, Florida, she is recently divorced, and dealing with family issues. She stands at a crossroad with her children. Her daughter is behaving as a bridezilla with intolerable demands for her wedding and her son is finishing high school with no plans for college or his future. On top of that, her ex is vocal about his problems with his new girlfriend.

Imagine all the drama you could think of happening within a family, and quadruple it. This family goes through a lot, with cheating, divorce, serious illness, death, lies, debt, in-laws, as well as everything else! Corr this is a book and a half. This will be your read of the summer, that’s for sure! Hell, maybe even your read of the year! Robyn had not planned on her children tagging along for the summer, but they made it work and realized the time together is just what they needed. This story is as if you are watching a real family play out their emotions and drama. The vibes of the summer are paramount for this atmospheric and situational wave of emotions. I loved getting to know all the characters in this story. Lillian is the kind, loving and wise elder we all wish for in our lives. Robyn is like so many other women who put their families first until an event or situation makes them look at what they want for themselves. The contrast between the three men, past and present in Robyn’s life could not be more different and at times entertaining. Robyn’s son and daughter added to the drama with their growing pains but were also the cause of some of the most tender and realistic exchanges. There are many complicated problems happening all at once which felt believable, but it also made for a lot of character hopping, and I felt sometimes this fragmented the flow of the story. Thin eyebrows rose as much as the Botox would let them. “Your ex-husband is dating your daughter’s fiancé’s twin sister.” While feeling defeated, Robyn receives an invitation for a summer visit at her Aunt Lillian's estate in Santa Barbara. Her aunt is eccentric and a free spirit in her nineties. She makes plans for her estate with one of her late husband's relatives, Mason, who has retired from the military. Mason and Robyn's friendship blossoms naturally and openly.... perfect timing.Up to this point this was amusing. I especially liked the part where a new person showed up everyday and how all the different people brought their drama across the country for it to play out under one roof.

THE SUMMER GETAWAY by Susan Mallery is a women’s fiction story full of family drama, but also humor, familial love, and romance. The story is centered around the life changing decisions a divorced mother contemplates with her entire family in flux. This is a standalone read. Is Cord’s relationship going to be a problem for you and Harlow? Boys will be boys, but it’s just so awkward.”Audiobook review: the narrator wasn't very good -- she was often monotone, then annoyingly squeaky or fast. There were times when I missed the character's POV change, all voices were similar, no pause in change of scene or POV.