ABOUT THE BOOK:
A summer to remember…Charlotte Saunders has always loved the buzz of city life. So, when she finds herself abruptly fired, dumped and forced to leave London to move in with her sister Lauren in Cornwall, she thinks the world is ending.
To keep herself busy in the quiet coastal town, Charlotte agrees to help the local drama group. Designing the set for their performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, just for the summer, while she figures out her next career move. But could days at the beach, new friends and a dashingly handsome doctor, change Charlotte’s mind? Suddenly Cornwall doesn’t look so boring after all…
READ AN EXCERPT:
MY REVIEW:
The Summer Theatre by the Sea by Tracy CorbettMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Summer Theatre by the Sea is a 2018 Avon publication.
A light, charming story with a healthy dose of depth and emotion-
Charlotte’s entire life was upended practically overnight. She lost her job, boyfriend and residence all in one day. Without a place to live or a job, Charlotte’s only option is to call her harried sister, Lauren, who lives in Cornwall, and beg to stay with her for a little while until she can figure out what to do next.
Charlotte is ill prepared for the state of her sister’s home or how stressed she is. Attempting to help her only brings on more resentment. Meanwhile, Charlotte is facing criticism of her own, when everyone she knows advises her to relax, take a few risks, and for heaven’s sake- LIGHTEN UP!!
As the days pass, Charlotte becomes more involved in the Cornwall community, reconnects with her father and his new lady friend, and develops a friendship of sorts with a local doctor who is under intense pressure from his family to stop being a surfer dude and go back to practicing medicine.
But, the more Charlotte relaxes and grows to enjoy the laid -back community of Cornwall, Lauren becomes more and more uptight, losing weight, and pushing those who care about her away.
This story is, as the cover might suggest, lighter fare, with no real super heavy or dark dilemmas, but it also has plenty of drama and emotional moments. The most poignant moments take place between Charlotte, Lauren, and their father, who has made some big mistakes with his daughters that had long-term consequences.
The Summer theatre, where Lauren works part-time, is a big summertime draw for the community, with this year’s play being a “Midsummer’s Night Dream’. Charlotte, who badly needs an outlet for her energy gets involved in the theatre, and soon finds herself to enjoying life outside of the hustle and bustle of the city, although she seems bent on getting her old job back.
At the end of the day, as far as the romantic elements went, I ended up enjoying the speech Nate gave Lauren, although I did like the way things turned out for Charlotte and Barney, too.
Overall, this story was a nice well-rounded contemporary novel with a nice combination of family drama and romance set against the gorgeous backdrop of Cornwall.
Best quote:
You know what they say.. what doesn't kill you...
"makes you stronger?"
I was going to say, gives you a lot of unhealthy coping mechanisms and a really dark sense of humour"
GET YOUR COPY HERE:
https://www.amazon.com/Summer-Theatre-Sea-feel-good-holiday-ebook/dp/B06XGJ4TSX/
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-summer-theatre-by-the-sea-tracy-corbett/1128246592
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Tracy grew up in Berkshire with her large, noisy and adorable family. She now lives in Surrey with her partner and started writing in her late twenties, song lyrics, sketches for pantomimes and short stories, before venturing into the wonderful world of novel writing. She describes her writing style as modern tales of romance, with engaging quirky characters, who overcome adversity, grow as people and conclude in satisfying optimistic endings. When Tracy isn't writing, she enjoys amateur dramatics and can regularly be found dressing up in various strange costumes and prancing about the stage pretending to be all manner of odd characters!
