4.5 stars.

Butternut Summer is the absolutely charming second installment in Mary McNear's delightful Butternut Lake Trilogy. With central themes such as forgiveness, trust and the age old question which ponders whether people can truly change, this novel also features a dual storyline with both Caroline Keegan and her daughter Daisy both finding love over the course of a summer.

Caroline's tumultuous marriage to Jack Keegan ended in divorce after he walked out on both her and their daughter Daisy. Unbeknownst to Caroline, Daisy and Jack have repaired their fractured relationship and in fact, Jack is moving back to the small town of Butternut Lake. Jack would like nothing better than to reunite with Caroline, but she is nowhere near ready to forgive him for his past transgressions nor is she willing to trust his claims that he is a changed man. Adding to Caroline's stress is the financial crisis she is facing with the family owned business. But it is Daisy's out of character relationship with Will Hughes, an auto mechanic with a questionable past, that is the biggest source of frustration to this overprotective mom.

Daisy's romance with Will figures most prominently and it is incredibly sweet watching them fall for one another. The two have the disadvantage of coming from completely different backgrounds, but their budding relationship becomes a catalyst for Will to find a new direction for his life. Daisy is about to embark on her senior year of college and while her future has a few uncertainties, she is a smart, capable young women who remains focused on her career goals. Will's family life is heartbreaking but seeing himself reflected through Daisy's eyes gives him the direction he has been lacking up until now.

Caroline's past with Jack colors her present day viewpoint of both Will and Jack and she stubbornly clings to her opinion that neither of them deserves a second chance. Caroline and Daisy have always been close, but during this summer of change, she is feeling disconnected from her daughter. Her relationship with Jack is adversarial at first, but slowly, Caroline begins to see that Jack is different than before but she is afraid to trust that he won't revert back to the man he used to be. With a financial deadline fast approaching, Caroline finds help from a very unexpected source when she finally shares the burden she has been carrying on her own.

Jack knows that trying to get back together with Caroline is going to take a lot of time and patience on his part. He respects the boundaries Caroline places on their relationship and he bides his time trying to show her he has truly turned over a new leaf. Jack has overcome a lot of his past demons but he knows he must remain vigilant to avoid falling back into the destructive lifestyle he has worked so hard to escape. Caroline's realization that Jack is serious about the changes in his life is gradual but that is what makes the resolution of their part of the storyline so realistic.

Butternut Summer is a thought-provoking novel with a warm and inviting setting, a likable and sympathetic cast of characters and a credible storyline that is very heartwarming. An easy to read and engaging romance that is heartfelt and moving, this latest addition to Mary McNear's delightful Butternut Lake Trilogy can be read as a standalone but I highly recommend the entire series. ( )

The second book in the Butternut Lake series gives a more in depth story to Caroline and her daughter Daisy.

Three years have passed since the first story, Caroline is in a relationship with Buster and Daisy is almost done with college.
The story begins as Caroline's ex husband Jack comes back to town. He left when Daisy was only a toddler and his marriage with Caroline ended very badly.

Around this same time, Daisy sees an old classmate named Will. He was a bit of a bad boy in high school and Daisy was (and still is) a very serious student.

I give the author credit for coming up with a reason to explain how Jack could have left and still not be the worst person possible. That being said, he was a really bad husband and it was hard to root for him getting another chance at first.

So, because of that, it was harder for me to get into this story than it was with the first Butternut book.

I liked the Daisy/Will storyline more.

I plan to check out the short story that follows this book before picking up with the next full book in the series. ( )

I find the Butternut Lake Series very interesting. I like the way Mary McNear draws you in to the story and characters. I always can't wait to read the next installment. ( )

I never received this book and therefore cannot review it.

I read the first book in the series,UP AT BUTTERNUT LAKE and liked it. This is the next book in the series,it was likeable,but very predictable.I did not enjoy this one as much.This book focused on a Mom and Daughter in town.The characters from the first book came in mid way thru. Just very predictable.I doubt I'll read the rest of the series. ( )