Book Reviews of Summer At Willow Lake (Lakeshore Chronicles, Bk 1)

I really enjoyed this book. There was more humor and lightheartedness in this story than in other books by Susan Wiggs. A good curl-up-and-read book. I generally don't read books in the romance genre, but Susan Wiggs is an exception.

After a third failed engagement, Real Estate Expert Olivia trade her Manhattan Apartment & lucritive job to renovate an old family resort in Catskills. She meet an old flame which reignites, family secrets are exposed. Its a really great story. Enjoyable all the way through.

this is another can-you-go-back-home story. In this one, the family owned Summer Camp is seriously in need of repair so a granddaughter agrees to fix it up. She hires a contractor - who happens to have been a teenaged love - and things get interesting. I wanted to go back to camp, too.

Loved it! Great character development! Perfect partner to her other book The Winter Lodge. I'll be looking for more Susan Wiggs novels...she's a great writer!

I LOVED this book! Wonderful storyline and great characters! You will be able to find aspects of yourself in one or more of the characters...timeless.

I love to read books by Susan Wiggs and this book was no exception. This is the first of the Lake Shore Chronicles. The Winter Lodge is the second. I would recommend reading them in order. Can't wait for the third to come out!

good as always****

A quick easy read. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.

Loved it, can't wait to read the next one !!!!

Book 1: The Lakeshore Chronicles

My first Susan Wiggs book. Enjoyed it. Good light summer read! I plan to look for more books by her to try.

This a great book. A fun read.

wonderful story with great characters

very good reading

I really enjoyd this book.

Lovely story.

Easy, nice read.

It is an easy read and an enjoyable book.

Absolutely loved this book!!!! A must read. I read the last book in this chronicle series first without realizing that it was a series (can be read separately though). I loved that book so much, I ordered all the other books in the series. After reading this first book, I am off to read the next!!!! This book is on my bookshelf so definitely check it out!!!!
Mary

An author who can grip you in the first chapter and keep you till the end of the book.

Book 1 of the series. Loved it! You get wrapped up into the lives of the characters from the beginning. I found myself wanting to jump ahead to see what was going to happen. But, Wiggs is terrific at holding your attention in the moment so you can't quit. The recipes featured in the story are published on her website. They sound terrific and lend a homey feel to the entire story.

The first time I have read this autor, I thought it was a very good book,
A human and multilayered story exploring duty to both community and family...

Good read and looking forward to reading the next in the series. Nice book for those that like a good romance without all the graphic sex. I really liked the family mystery and the way it ended but left room for upcoming stories. Sweet and fresh!

This book and the two that follow are very good. I love the characters and the way she tells about what went on in the past with them as a back story to how they are relating to others in the current time. THE WINTER LODGE is #2 and DOCKSIDE is #3. The "lakeside series" will continue with future releases.

Thoroughly enjoyed the book; Really like author Susan Wiggs' style of writing. Currently reading another of her books.

I have become a Susan Wiggs fan and this book is one of her very best. The story is an interesting blend of romance and personal growth for the central female character....how she comes to terms with her unhappy childhood and adult love life....just waiting for the "right man".

A Lakeside Chronicle-Delicate dynamics between family,friends and lovers.

Olivia is renovating her grandparents summer resort for a large reunion and is working with Connor Davis, contractor who is an old flame from her days as a young girl attending the summer resort.

Real Estate expert Olivia Bellamy reluctantly trades a trendy Manhattan summer for her family's old resort camp in the Catskills, where her primary task will be renovating the bungalow colony for her grandparents, who want one last summer together filled with fun, friends and family. A posh resort in its heyday, the camp is now in disarray and Olivia is forced to hire contractor Connor Davis, a still-smoldering flame from her own summers at camp. But as the days grow warm, not even the inviting blue waters of Willow Lake can cool the passions flaring or keep shocking secrets at bay. The nostalgic joy of summers past breathes new promise into a special place and people...a promise meant to last long after the season ends.

Real estate expert Olivia Bellamy reluctantly trades a trendy Manhattan summer for her family's old resort camp in the Catskills, where her primary task will be renovating the bungalow colony for her grandparents, whowant one last summer together filled with fun, friends and family. A posh resort in its heyday, the camp is now in disarray and Olivia is forced to hire contractor Connor Davis - a still - smoldering flame from her own summers at camp. But as the days grow warm, not even the inviting blue waters of Willow Lake can cool the passions flaring or keep shocking secrets at bay. The nostalgic joy of summers past breathes new promise into a special place and people - a promise meant to last long after the season ends.

Classic Susan Wiggs - a very heartfelt story.

Loved the book read it in record time.

Olivia Bellamy is a three times loser in the romance department. Reeling from her latest breakup, she decides to go to her grandparents' camp in the Catskill Mountains. The camp holds a lot of painful memories for Olivia because she was always the fat unpopular kid. Determined to disassociate her past from her present, she decides to renovate the camp for her grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary celebration. It has been closed for a long time and she has her work cut out for her. She didn't count on running into her first love, Connor Davis. They had been at camp together as kids and both had walked away from their relationship with broken hearts. The story goes back and forth between their past days at camp and the present work being done. Working together causes them both to remember the past and their feelings for one another.

This is a romance without getting all mired down with bodice ripping writing. The characters are likable and we see both Olivia and Connor's sides of the story. I also enjoyed the descriptions of the scenery and wished I could visit.

Book was very interesting and fun to read. I almost believed the story was real. Would recommend.

I love the book, it was a great summer read with a lot of romance, but not overly detailed.

Enjoyable reading.

I really liked this book. A perfect example of don't judge a book by it's cover. It looked kind of boring, but it was a quick easy read. I got into it from the first chapter. Really loved it.

A good book that kept my attention but not an all time favorite.

I have read all 5 chronicles in order and from what I can say this was fantastic I would advise anyone who is into romanic this is a must read and all 5 an best to read in order.

I really enjoyed this book, it brought back so many memories of my own summer camp adventures. Those are some of my favorite memories of my youth! I'm jealous of Olivia, being able to inherit that kind of camp!! I WISH! I thought the story was sweet and inviting, continuing to ask you to come back for more. Now I'm looking forward to Book 2.

Wonderful book! First in the Lake Shore Chronicles series. Second and third books are "The Winter Lodge" and "Dockside".

really enjoyed reading

This book started slow for me, but it really started to pick up after the first couple of chapters and I had a hard time putting it down. I enjoyed reading this book.

I was told If I like V.C. Andrews, I would love her writing style. I loved this book. I am now almost done with book 2. Great easy interesting read.

makes you want to read the next one in the series to see how the other characters develop

"Susan Wiggs paints the details of human relationships with the finesse of a master." - Jodi Picoult

This book is brand new.Never read.I have read a copy of it before.It is a good book.For all the romantics!!!

Oliva Bellamy sets out to renovate her family's resort camp in the Catskills, and hires an old flame from her summers at camp as the contractor.

I thought it was a good read!

a great book!! Susan Wiggs is one of my new favorite authors!!

Excellent book

Very good book. I like this writer

This was a very nice romance and tale of growing.

Praise for Susan Wiggs:

"Wiggs is one of our best observors of stories of the heart. Maybe that is because she knows how to capture emotion on every page of every book." --Salem Statesman Journal

"The characters' intimate personal interactions are pure gold." --Publishers Weekly

"Wigg's thouroughly captivating tales draw readers into her character's lives and minds in a way that makes them real and true and unforgettable." --Booklist

"Wiggs excells at portraying the delicate dynamics among lovers, friends and family members, and her keen awareness of sensory detail ensures that the scents and sounds of Rosa's kitchen are just as palpable as the heady attraction between the protagonists." --Publisher's Weekly and Summer by the Sea

Real estate expert Olivia Bellamy reluctantly trades a trendy Manhattan summer for her family's old resort camp in the Catskills, where her primary task will be renovating the bungalow colony for her grandparents, who want one last summer together filled with fun, friends and family. A posh resort in its heyday, the camp is now in disarray and Olivia is forced to hire contractor Connor Davis -- a still-smoldering flame from her own summers at camp. But as the days grow warm, not even the inviting blue waters of Willow Lake can cool the passions flaring or keep shocking secrets at bay. The nostalgic joy of summers past breathes new promise into a special place and people . . . a promise meant to last long after the season ends.

Olivia Bellamy returns to her grandparents' Camp Kioga as an adult. She is there to renovate it for her grandparents' vow renewal ceremony. Olivia reconnects with her first love, Connor Davis and discovers family secrets and her own inner strength. Sweet love story and although the book is long, it is hard to put down. Recommended.

Excellent book!

Wonderful book!!!!

I cannot wait for the next book in this series!!!

I just got lost in this book - could barely put it down! Susan Wiggs just gets better and better. What a beautiful story - and she promises more stories in the "Lakeshore Chronicle"; stories about the Bellamy family of Camp Kioga and Willow Lake.

This is the first book I have read from this author and enjoyed it very much. It certainly brought back memories of my own years at camp! My son experienced a summer romance one year as a camp counselor and it was a terrific coming of age experience for him. I'd recommend this book to anyone who has ever gone to camp, whether it was a positive or negative experience - there is something for everyone in this book. I can't wait to read more from this author.

LOVED the story! Can't wait for more in the Lakeside Chronicles series.

Excellent story. Very fast read. Can't wait for more books in this series.

story about 2 people at camp as kids then a few years later meet again where they are trying to put the resort back into shape. I enjoyed reading this book and can't wait for her new one coming in February 2007.

Summer by a lake and rediscovered love, what a combination. I enjoyed reading this book a great deal.

Real estate expert Olivia Bellamy reluctanly trades a trandy Manhattan summer for her family's old resort camp in the Catskills,where her primary task will be renovating the bungalow colony for her grandparents,who want one last summer together filled wiyh fun,friends and family. A posh resort in its heyday,the camp is now in disarray and Olivia is forced to hire contractor Connor Davis-a still-smoldering flame from her own summers at camp.But as the days grow warm,not even the inviting blue water of Willow Lake can cool the passions flaring or keep shocking secrets at bay.The nostalgie joy of summers past breathes new promise into a special place and people....a promise meant to last long after the season ends.
If you never read a book my Susan Wiggs this is a great one to start with. If you have don't miss this newest one!! It is wonderful and if you went to summer camp you will find you weren't alone in all those things you did and hide. Enjoy!

Great summer read.

I really enjoyed the book as I do all of Susan's books

This is a novel about family, first love, and rediscovering the past. It is the first novel in a series.

Wiggs is wonderfual as always. A story of family and true love.

I really enjoyed this book.It was a great story.

I read this one straight through! Great story, good romance and lots of characters and storylines of interest, but doesn't take away from the bad boy/rich girl main romance. Excellent.

Touching story about a family. The whole class distinction thing gets tired after a while but only because the author harps on it.

Lovely story and a fun read.

Another awesome story by Susan Wiggs.

I highly recommend this book. The storyline was easy to follow and kept you involved. I didn't want to put the book down.

Susan Wiggs writes about strong characters and shows a lot of insight into young people and how a broken family can effect the lives of teenagers. This is a great book about a summer camp and the complicated stories of how those teenagers and their families interact. A good read.

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