In A Novel Summer, Jamie Brenner (Drawing Home; The Husband Hour) celebrates second chances, love, and the magic of summer in Cape Cod.
Shelby Archer hopes that a summer back in her beloved quaint beach town will provide an escape from her worries. Shelby's first novel was inspired by her college best friends and her favorite place: Provincetown, Mass., on Cape Cod. It secured her a spot on the bestseller list and in the "beach books" sections of bookstores, but it also led to her breakup with her boyfriend, Justin, and one of those college best friends, Hunter. Although she's unsure how to proceed with her second novel following the problems caused by the first one, Shelby puts her uncertainties aside when Colleen, the third member of her college trio, asks Shelby to temporarily manage her family's bookstore, Land's End Books.
The arrival of a second bookstore in town offers her the perfect inspiration for her second novel and even more determination to keep Land's End up and running. The bookshop rivalry, the discovery that Justin's new girlfriend runs the new bookstore, proximity with her ex-boyfriend, and failed attempts at making amends with Hunter all make waves for Shelby.
Shelby's journey as an author, friend, and partner is bumpy and ultimately rewarding. The entire cast of Provincetown characters makes the setting extra charming as readers follow their personal challenges alongside Shelby's. With the end of the season and her second novel deadline on the horizon, Shelby must choose what is most important to her and learn how to make her life as picturesque all year round as summer is in Provincetown. --Clara Newton, freelance reviewer