A typical beach read. Unreal, because you knew what couples would get together in the end. ( )

Summer Breeze by Nancy Thayer is a refreshing, multi-layered, angst free novel. The characters are engaging and the plot is distinctive with unexpected twists and turns. An appealing story about friendship, love and self-discovery that I enjoyed immensely and highly recommend. To read my review in its entirety, please visit
http://www.bookreviewsandmorebykathy.com/2012/06/04/summer-breeze/ ( )

"Summer on Dragonfly Lake is ripe for romance, temptation, and self-discovery as the lives of these three women unexpectedly intertwine. Summer Breeze illustrates how the best of friends can offer comfort, infuriate, or even sometimes open one's eyes to the astonishing possibilities of life lived in a different way. I have read all Nancy's books; however this one as well as her last one Heat Wave were not my favorites. Appears her writing has changed as very slow and characters not exciting or engaging." Her last two books are different than her earlier books which I loved! ( )

I was pleasantly suprised by how much I connected with the characters in this book, because there were several. I especially loved that all the characters were from a variety of backgrounds and places in life.

I reached a point in the story where I didn't want to put the book down and was frustrated by interruptions that kept me from getting the next piece of the story.

My only complaint with this story is that I felt that it wrapped up too quickly. There was some sexual and romantic tension between several of the characters that was not resolved as realistically or logically as it might have been. It felt abrupt compared to the rest of the story. There was a lack of introspection, for some characters, that had been present throughout the rest of the story.

Overall, the book is good and will be one I'm likely to suggest when doing reader advisory. ( )

In Summer Breeze: A Novel, Nancy Thayer tells the wonderfully moving story of three women who forge a unique bond of lasting friendship during one sun-drenched summer on New England's Dragonfly Lake. Morgan O'Keefe feels trapped in a gilded cage. True, the thirty-year-old mother had agreed to put her science career on hold in order to raise her young son while her husband pursued his high-powered job. But although Morgan loves many things about staying home with her child, she misses the thrill of working with her colleagues in the lab. She's restless and in dire need of a change.

Fed up with New York City's hectic pace, Natalie Reynolds takes her aunt's offer to move to the Berkshires and house-sit her fabulous lakeside house for a year. Passionate about applying brush to canvas, Natalie is poised to become the artist that she has always longed to be. But life on Dragonfly Lake is never without surprises, and for a novice swimmer like Natalie, the most welcome surprise of all proves to be the arms of a handsome neighbor pulling her up from the water for a gulp of air.

When her mother breaks her leg, Bella Barnaby quits her job in Austin and returns home to help out with her large, boisterous family. Among her new duties: manning the counter of the family business, Barnaby's Barn, an outdated shop sorely in need of a makeover. While attractive architect Aaron has designs on her, Bella harbors long held secret dreams of her own.

Summer on Dragonfly Lake is a season ripe for romance, temptation, and self-discovery as the lives of these three women unexpectedly intertwine. Summer Breeze: A Novel illustrates how the best of friends can offer comfort, infuriate, or even - sometimes - open one's eyes to the astonishing possibilities of life lived in a different way.

I absolutely loved this book. I became completely immersed in the story, and it only took me two days to finish reading it. I definitely give this book an A+! ( )