Sweet Tea and Summer Love by Regan Claire

Blurb: It’s been more than a decade since Anna Lynne graced the home where she spent every summer of her childhood. Now, she’s back and overwhelmed by memories of her last summer there. One defined by loss, love, growth, and change. A few short months that changed her forever.

Anna Lynne was mourning her father while most of her friends were thinking about college, making her question everything about the life she used to live, and the person she no longer wanted to be. She felt isolated in her grief—until she met Will and his sister, outcasts far outside her normal social circle. Through them, she learned about sacrifice and strength; about loyalty and love. Ultimately, they taught her that tragedy comes in more ways than one.

As she recalls that fateful summer and the reason she stayed away from the only home she ever knew, Anna Lynne can’t help but wonder how the people she left behind managed to navigate the heartbreak she helped create—and if they can ever forgive her.

4.5 stars

This is miss Claire’s first dip into the contemporary romance genre.I think she did beautifully and am excited to see where she goes from here.  I was lucky to get a last minute slot to beta read this book.  In fact, if I’m able, I will always volunteer to beta for this author cause she is so talented.  Oh my gosh, I just realized, she was the first author I ever beta read for!

I really like the timeline of the story.  The flashbacks broke it up in to little bite size chunks for me.  And I love that we get to see the past catch up to the present, I was getting giddy to see how it would play out.  I may have mentioned this before but RC has a way of bringing levity to a serious story without losing the impact of it. It’s not easy to do. The climax really stands out to me as one of her best sequences.  It was just written fantastically.

I totally identified with Anna Lynnes rebelliousness and her anger.  I felt betrayed with her.  I kept thinking, “Its like I’m reading about myself” And I loved how she was affected by Will. In a positive way.

He was such a great influence on her.  Will was solid.  That’s the best word for him I think. He was not afraid to tell you how he felt and while sometimes he came across a bit over-cautious, I admired his convictions.  It’s just a sweet story about second chances at first love.  And it is a prefect read for V-day!