Boardwalk Summer
Grade : B

In Boardwalk Summer, Hope is desperate to find a bone marrow donor match for her teenage son. This desperation leads her to contact the two people she trusts the least - her mother, and the kid’s father, Nick. Hope thought she and Nick had the forever kind of love, but he left her in the dust as he pursued dreams of NASCAR superstardom (pun intended). Faced with the information that not only is he a father, but he’s father to a very sick boy, Nick has some decisions to make. Then again, so does Hope. Boardwalk Summer is an angsty, emotional story that will dampen a few tissues on the way to the satisfying HEA.

When they were younger, Hope and Nick thought for sure they were going to be together forever. When they parted ways after high school, the plan was for Nick to go off and make a living driving cars and then to return and meet Hope at the courthouse four months later. When he’s a no-show, Hope frantically calls him only to find his number disconnected. Not only was she furious and broken-hearted at his abandonment, she had some pretty important news for him - she was pregnant with twins.

Abandoned by both her mother and her partner, Hope soldiered on and built a good life for herself. We meet her about sixteen years after that series of events, when her son, Joshua, is critically ill. Everyone else in their lives has been tested and are not matches for the bone marrow transplant he desperately needs, not his twin sister, Susan, not his mother, none of his friends. There are no matches in the registry and time is quickly running out. Hope musters up all her courage and calls her mother.

Hope’s mother, Claire, has never met her grandchildren; in fact, Hope is not even sure she knows their names. Claire ignores her daughter’s pleas for help and Hope is forced to contact the famous Nick Fortune.

Nick’s immediate response to hearing he has children is fury - how could Hope keep this from him? He then commits to helping in any way he can, and the journey to insert himself in his children’s - and in Hope’s life - begins. Hope and Nick are initially wary of each other and both have resentments to work through and questions that need to be answered. That sounds vague, I know, but we’re getting into spoiler territory if I delve any further.

While the synopsis of the book focuses on Hope and Nick - which makes sense since this is a romance - I was more fascinated by the relationship between Hope and her mother. Hope and Nick’s slow progression towards permanence is just that, slow. It may be realistic because they have sixteen years of silence to deal with, but it occasionally feels overwrought and overdrawn. The HEA is satisfying, don’t get me wrong, but the road to get there takes a few more detours than I would have liked.

Hope and Claire, however; different kettle of fish. There is no working through anything here, there are just raw and real misunderstandings. These two women cannot exist together for whatever reason - as we’re never really given one - but this added element gives complexity and grounds the conclusion of the story. There is a glimmer of moving towards something positive - at least Claire knows her grandchildren’s names now - but no guarantee. In a novel that is largely about risks and rewards, that note sttikes true.

Boardwalk Summer may look like a frothy story, but the cover is deceptive. Inside are painful truths, sick kiddos, and a few adults learning to swallow their pride. It’s a worthwhile read for sure, but caters more to those readers who love drawn-out tension than those who like quick and snappy HEAs.

Buy Now: A/BN/iB/K

Reviewed by Kristen Donnelly
Grade : B

Sensuality: Warm

Review Date : June 28, 2017

Publication Date: 06/2017

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Kristen Donnelly

Voracious reader, with a preference for sassy romances and happily ever afters. In a relationship with coffee, seeing whiskey on the side.
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