The Summer I Found Myself

Colleen French

May 2021 · Kensington Books

About this ebook

In Colleen French’s heartfelt summer read, a Delaware oceanside cottage is the perfect setting for a season of surprising lessons about how much there is to gain—when you finally let go . . .
 
In the last two years, English professor Ellen Tolliver has weathered heartache with grace—including an unwelcome divorce and losing her parents. In her more honest moments, Ellen might admit that she’s sick of loss. She longs to stretch and grow, to truly fill her days. Maybe this year, she’ll have something to recount in her Christmas letter other than her son’s travel adventures. Maybe she’ll be too busy to even write a Christmas letter.
 
On impulse, Ellen invites her ailing best friend, Lara, to spend the summer with her at the Delaware beach house she inherited from her parents. Lara can relax on the big front porch after chemo while Ellen readies the house for sale. But Lara has plans too—she’d like to help Ellen discover who she is, or better yet, who she can still become.
 
At Lara’s urging, Ellen joins a local writer’s group, tries online dating, and mingles with the new friends Lara brings home from her support group. She forgoes white wine (won’t stain if you spill it!) for red and eats French fries for breakfast. She even flirts with the local bookstore owner, a handsome, sun-kissed, younger man. And as she embraces the freedom that comes with breaking her own rules, she wonders if it’s not just her past that lies in this beloved quirky town, but her future too . . .
 

Ratings and reviews

4.5 stars This is the first book I’ve read by Colleen French and I really enjoyed it for the most part, although I didn’t care for the ending. This was an emotional read that had me needing tissues several times. Ellen returns to Albany Beach, Delaware with plans to get her family’s beach house ready to sell. She’s lost both her parents and is recently gotten an unwanted divorce. Her best friend, Lara, joins her. Lara’s cancer has returned and Ellen is going to be there for her during her treatments. One morning, Ellen enters the kitchen and finds an elderly, barefooted woman making coffee. Who is she and why does she call Ellen “Doris”? You’ll find out, but I’m not telling. Then Lara starts inviting other cancer patients home. They all have varying stages of cancer and they quickly become a tight group. I loved getting to know each and every one of these characters. One of them, Grace, has a son Barrett. He owns a local bookstore and is gorgeous. Ellen fights her attraction to him because he’s younger than her. I won’t leave any spoilers, so give this book a read and see if you don’t love this amazing characters. I received an advanced reader copy of this book and this is my voluntary and honest review.