My Thoughts
The Summer Daughter by Colleen French has Natalie Sullivan living with her husband and two children in Albany Beach, Delaware. Natalie learned some devastating news from the doctor. It has her looking at her life and the choices she made. When her teenage daughter, Mackenzie introduces her new friend, eighteen-year-old, Bella to Natalie, she is shocked by the resemblance between the two girls. When Bella mentions she was adopted, Natalie wonders if it is the daughter she gave up for adoption while in college. Despite protests from her husband, Natalie spends time with Bella over the summer. Natalie wonders if she made the right decision giving up the child and what will her other children think when they learn they have an older sister. It is a summer of reflection for Natalie.
The Summer Daughter introduces us to Natalie Sullivan who is upset after receiving news
from her doctor. It has her questioning
different aspects of her life. I was not
a fan of Natalie who is an intense character.
She became obsessive about the daughter she gave up for adoption to the
point of neglecting her husband and other two children. McKenzie acted out frequently (lots of
teenage angst and drama). Natalie’s
husband, Conor is a little too perfect (I am surprised there was not a halo
over his head). I found it hard to complete the book. I found the ending to be a letdown especially
after all the drama. I was not a fan of
the mother being labeled as crazy and nuts. Natalie did become focused on Bella
and the idea that she was her adoptive daughter. Natalie needed understanding from her family,
and she was not getting it. She is at
the point in her life (late 30s) when you begin to wonder if you made the right
choices. Natalie’s medical issue is one
of the driving forces in the story along with adoption and DNA testing. I did not like some of the ageist comments
regarding Natalie’s surgery. I found The Summer Daughter to be just okay. The Summer Daughter was not the right book for me.
I always suggest that readers download a sample so they can see if the
book suits them. The Summer Daughter is
a family drama with surgery unease, pub pangs, daughter drama, genetic quandary,
beautiful beaches, and an unexpected conclusion.
The Summer Daughter is available from Amazon*. You can find Colleen French's other novels here (many of her novels can be read for free with Kindle Unlimited). Thank you for joining me today. Tomorrow I am featuring Clause of Death by Lorna Barrett. It is the 16th A Booktown Mystery and it comes out June 7. I hope that your day is filled with happiness. Take care and Happy Reading!
Kris
The
Avid Reader
*This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
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