Publication Date: 1 April 2017
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books, Inc
Genre: Romance
Pages: 264
Rating: 
In Strawberry Summer, Margaret Beringer lives on her family’s strawberry farm, helping out with the customers and trying to figure out what she wants to do with her life. She has mostly lives through High School unseen, but when city girl Courtney Carrington moves to her town, everything changes. The story is told mostly in flashbacks, and revolves around the romance Margaret has with Courtney. Their relationship goes through its struggles, and through it all, Margaret has to realise that she must make sacrifices for love.
‘But it was the blonde sitting in the rocking chair in front of the store that snagged my focus. Courtney Carrington, still wearing the plaid skirt and the boots, sat there writing something in a notepad. No, wait, drawing something. She’d glance up briefly and then go back to her page, biting her bottom lip in concentration. Her long hair was now pulled into a side braid that rested on her shoulder. She looked infinitely more relaxed than the last time I’d seen her, as if in her element.
I really enjoyed this romance. What I especially liked about it was how it was told, as it occurred mainly during the summer, which added to the romantic atmosphere of the story. I also think that having the events unfold over more than one year made the story have more plot twists, overall influencing it to become more gripping and fast-paced. The plot was organised well and made me want to keep reading.
Initially I was not captivated by the first two chapters, but as I read on, I became really immersed in the story. The first chapter was confusing because you don’t really know what is going on, but soon enough everything connects together. Although, I did forget what happened in the first chapter, and even forgot that Courtney’s father died, which is mentioned very quickly in the story. Perhaps, then, Courtney’s reason as to why she was back in town should have been shared later on in the novel.
The characters were good but had a few flaws, such as Margaret coming off as slightly flat. I preferred Courtney, as she seemed slightly nicer and more well-rounded. I still really enjoyed them as characters and overall thought their romance was unique and fun to read.
By the end I was very engrossed in the story, and loved the ending, even though there were a few cheesy lines! I will definitely be reading more from this author. I recommend this book to those who like romance.
Thank you to Bold Strokes Books, Inc for the advanced reader copy that I received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
- Have you read anything by Melissa Brayden before?
