Hideaway at Silver Lake by Jennifer Greene (Review by Stephanie Rowitz)

Rating: 2.5/5

Poppy is great at taking care of others including her father, her sisters, and her colleagues. What she isn’t so great at is taking care of herself so she decides to take two weeks off from her obligations to hit the reset button on her life. During that time, she encounters many interruptions including a handsome neighbor and his loveable dog, her needy sisters, and her hapless dad. And while Poppy doesn’t want to rid herself entirely of familial interruptions, she does hope to gain more of a balance in her life and get her family to respect her boundaries.

I always enjoy a story about a stressed-out woman who decides to put it all down and flee to a remote cabin for a few weeks. However, this story fell a little flat to me. From her unloading her life story to her hunky neighbor upon first meeting him, to them both falling in love with each other after only a few days together, to them nearly sacrificing said love because their respective families demand so much of them, the story felt a little unbelievable to me. I love a good romantic story about instant chemistry and learning how to incorporate a new love into an already hectic life, but there were just a few too many unrealistic moments for me in this book.

I also wanted to see some of Poppy and Sam’s flaws. For both Poppy and Sam, their worst quality was that they both give too much of themselves to others. Without seeing a messier side to them, they felt a bit one-dimensional. It’s a sweet story, but it’s missing some punch.
At its core, this book is something many of us can relate to–getting overwhelmed by life’s obligations and trying to attain that elusive balance we all hear so much about. If you want a light, easy read to fall into, this book fits the bill.