Dedicated: Summer at the Cape by RaeAnne Thayne (Review by Missi Gwartney)
Rating 4.5/5 Coladas
When complicated family dynamics intertwine with romance and just the right amount of seriousness, Summer at the Cape by RaeAnne Thayne is born and becomes a book you absolutely won’t want to miss putting on your summer reading list. This book is everything you’re looking for in a quintessential feel-good summer book. With lovable, relatable characters who pull you in quickly, an amazing setting, and wonderful subplots, this book has something for all and leaves no boredom when reading. It’s a heartwarming story that may just beg the reader to look at life changes in a different way and never forget what it means to take a chance (or a second chance) in life or with your heart…
Cami is a successful attorney following in her father’s footsteps and knows nothing but the busy city life and long hours at work. When she is called to help her mother in the small town of Cape Sanctuary, she is sure it will be nothing more than a quick trip especially since their mother/daughter relationship has always seemed strained. However, will this trip turn out to be the life changing event that she didn’t even know she needed?
Violet has lost her twin sister in a tragic accident and hasn’t really been able to move past it. As a part of her feels like its missing, she struggles to deal with the reality of living “on her own”. As she also makes her way back to Cape Sanctuary for the summer, her old life slowly sneaks its way back in and she must make a decision to keep living with the pain in her past or finally move forward for the life she knows she wants.
Jon has also been called back to Cape Sanctuary to deal with his aging father. Running from his own painful memories of his time in Cape Sanctuary, he has spent the last several years miles away and working hard to push these out of his mind. When his path crosses that of the Porter family, he realizes his life may never look or feel the same again and wonders if that’s good or bad. Can he be okay with life altering changes as he realizes they may be the key to his happiness once and for all?
Told between POVs from Cami, Violet, and Jon, the reader gets an inside look at what makes these characters not only relatable, but also so likeable with their flaws, fears, doubts, and struggles on full display. Thayne has us connect so early on with these characters that even though the reader can “see” the ending coming, it definitely does not distract from story or make you want to quit reading. In fact, it makes you wish for the happily ever after even more!
While this book didn’t have any unexpected plot twists or endings, I don’t think that people read this particular genre for those types of things. This was my first book by Thayne and I’ll definitely be back for more as it had a little bit of everything: love and loss, second chances, fun and complicated family dynamics, forgiveness, and of course the happily ever after ending. Not only do I now have a desire to set off on a glampground vacation, but also want to live more in the moment, deeply love those around me, and look for second chances wherever they may be.
Buy the book!
GBC Reader Reviews