The Summer We Came to Life

by Deborah Cloyed

Every summer, Samantha Wheland joins her childhood friends Isabel, Kendra and Mina on a vacation, somewhere exotic and fabulous. Together with their mixed bag of parents, they've created a lifetime of memories. This year it's a beach house in Honduras. But for the first time, their clan is not complete. Mina lost her battle against cancer six months ago, and the friends she left behind are still struggling to find their way forward without her.

For Samantha, the vacation just feels wrong without Mina. Despite being surrounded by her friends, the closest thing she has to family, Mina's death has left Sam a little lost. Unsure what direction her life should take. Fearful that whatever decision she makes about her wealthy French boyfriend's surprise proposal, it'll be the wrong one.

The answers aren't in the journal Mina gave Sam before she died. Or in the messages Sam believes Mina is sending as guideposts. Before the trip ends, the bonds of friendship with her living friends, the older generation's stories of love and loss, and Sam's glimpse into a world far removed from the one in which she belongs will convince her to trust her heart. And follow it.

Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit, Contemporary, Womens Fiction, Friendship, Summer Reads, Book Club

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Margaret · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just couldn't get into this book, thus the 1 star. I am at a point in my life where I can tell myself it is ok not to finish a book. It took a while to reach that point, but there are so many choices to read out there and my goal when reading is to enjoy or at least be intrigued by a book enough to finish it.

This book was just too confusing from the get-go. There were 4 young women, one of whom had died too early in life. Not necessarily a unique plot, but I do love books about women and their friendships that survive the years. But then the mothers of the women, their fathers, their significant others came into the story before I could even get the main characters names and backgrounds straight. Chapters bounced back and forth from characters and their stories of the past and then the present and I just got bored waiting for the "real" story to take flight.

From glancing at other reviews, this book appealed to other readers so maybe I just didn't give it a chance--but if reading a book is painful (and so much required reading for various classes at various levels of my education was painful), I am now at a point where I can say, "This one isn't for me."

[Harlequin Books]

My personal opinion: This book was so much more than what the cover says, "Four friends. Two worlds, One second chance." Yes, there are four friends but you'll greedily read about their parents and what shaped their lives. Yes, there are two worlds but is that all? Yes, there is a very big second chance for the friends but I would say the book was full of second chances for all the characters.

The four friends and their parents have been taking family vacations together since they were young. This year will be different though. Mina lost her battle with cancer. Everything is changed. Everyone knows this vacation will be hard but they still go except for one who is facing life changing choices and tries to hide from her friends which never works. I was laughing and crying throughout the story. I connected with each person in some small way. I was just as anxious as the "children" to hear about the past. I hurt when they suffered. I rejoiced when they found happiness. My heart pounded when they faced hardship and danger. The book had it all and presented it in a unique way. Great read for a vacation or a hot sultry night when the heat keeps you awake because you sure won't want to put it down.

Happy reading,
Kim S., Harlequin Books ambassador

[Erin Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was not at all the book I was expecting, and I don't think I enjoyed it. There were some interesting insights into life and death and the interaction of them, but I was never really captured by the story. Here are my critiques:
1. I was expecting the main characters to be older ladies, so I was really thrown when they were in their thirties and vacationing with their parents.
2. Around page 200 we hit a major plot twist that turned the book distinctly more paranormal than I was expecting. I don't think the story ever recovered from the twist.
3. The chapter numbers are so mysterious! In the beginning, they all have lives under the numbers. Then we got chapter 46, followed by chapter _ with no number, and then back to chapter 41 with no line underneath. What does this mean?? Is it symbolic? Am I supposed to get it by myself? Because I definitely do not understand.
4. The ending was the obvious ending, and it would have happened even without the paranormal stuff.

[Terje Aruoja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kuna hetkel ei suuda midagi tõsist kätte võtta, siis hakkasin seda ühe sõbra soovitusel lugema. Ja üllatusin - täitsa intelligentne naistekas. Lood, millest sünnib omakorda lugu.

Sünd ja surm on inimese elus kaks sündmust, mis näitavad ühte asja: meie ei tee otsuseid. „Ainus lohutus on armastus ja parimad sõbrad.“.
Kuid lein raiub hinge, jättes sinust alles ainult killukesed.
… puu ütleb, et armastus elab. Et armastus on tegelikult kõige tähtsam ja et kõik muu on lihtsalt selle erinevad ilmingud eri dimensioonides.
… see väike ingliparv oli saadetud meile meelde tuletama, et elus pole midagi muud kui hetkede summa ja et täiuslikke hetki ei tohi jätta tähele panemata.
Kendra vanemate abielu oli minu jaoks õnneliku suhte mõõdupuu. Nemad olid kui narmendavate nurkadega foto, mis oli alati mul tagataskust võtta kui tõestusmaterjal, et armastus on olemas. Neid tülitsemas näha oli kui jälgida maavärina ajal sfinksi. Rassidevaheline abielu kuuekümnendate Virginias. … See pidi olema veidi nagu kõrbesse monumendi ehitamine.
Saatus aga nõuab ainult seda, et sa usaldaksid ja naudiksid täiel rinnal olevikku.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book seems like it was not edited very well at all. For me to find as many mistakes as I did I'm sure other readers would find even more. It just really takes away from the book itself. I was also very disappointed in the fact that she did not take time to describe the characters, you don't even find out the main character has red hair till like 200 pages in. This also made it hard to get into the book since I couldn't picture these people she was writing about. The book had a nice story and many "quotable" lines, but overall just uneventful.

[Shawna · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is so annoying! Basic writing dictates pick a topic and stick with it. Sadly this author believed she had so many mind blowing thoughts to convey and only one book to write them in. The story starts nowhere and ends in the same place - absolutely nowhere. Glad this was just filler between the titles on my list.

[Marjorie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh one of the worst reads ever. The plot-tired. The characters-tired. I am so bored when I read a book where I know all the words.

[Susan Hoffer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Worst book ever. Kept reading hoping it would get better. Finally gave up before the last couple of pages. Couldn't have cared less how it ended.

[Alysia Wolfe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Four friends. Two worlds. One second chance.
I'm just going to come out and say it. This book ruined me forever. I will never be the same. There were some words I didn't understand, mainly because they were Iranian. It was defiantly fiction. I mean who dies and then comes back to life hours later? And why didn't they go looking for Samantha? Or call someone to retrieve her body? So many unanswered questions.

[Bridget Bailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first book by this author so I wasn't sure what to expect other than a chick lit type novel. At first, it was hard starting out and it made it appear it was going to be about these journals that the dead friend writes and most of the one girl's journal was all about physics and boring topics. As you get further in the book, it gets much better. There are a lot of characters so it is hard to keep them all apart but eventually you do figure it out. Each parent goes on to tell each of their stories and those were probably the best parts of the book. The book is mostly about one girl dealing with the death of her friend which can get a little out there at times but some parts make it redeemable. This is not a run out and read or even great read. It's not a letdown but it's above standard.

[Tony · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book annoyed me and I struggled to read it through to the end. None of the situations or characters were believable in my view. At one stage there is a very serious car accident at high speed which is described as a "...near death experience..." yet all vehicles are driveable, no one gets injured and off they go again. The incident and the reactions to it did not just ring true. This is only one example but I found it all annoying. The ending which I won't spoil is almost laughable. Finally the author chooses at the end to pose some questions for discussion. I haven't seen this before and the last thing I felt like was discussing the book any more.

[Deep2.dejavu · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started with this book unsure of whether I was gong to read the entire book or discard it after a few pages. The name of the book hadn't appealed to me and neither had the cover. But since it was already on my kindle I decided to give it a try...

http://deepsdejavumomentz.blogspot.in...

[Apryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow - so many different themes were explored that would be better fit in separate books. I liked the beginning of the book and feel so confused by the end of it . The characters were interesting but why so many of them ? The metaphysical death situations were interesting but not exactly executed In a way that connected with me . Wish I could give it 2.5 but rounding down.

[Kate · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was so confusing, chapters bounced around, jumping from past to present. I don’t feel it was edited very well, there was no character development and I didn’t like the writing style. Overall a dud

[Paula L. · Rating 1 out of 5]

I appreciate the research, discipline and time it must take to write a book and I respect all of that. My one star review is in honor of that. Describe this book in one word? Mishmash or frustrating.

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every summer, Samantha Wheland joins her childhood friends—Isabel, Kendra and Mina—on a vacation, somewhere exotic and fabulous. Together with their mixed bag of parents, they’ve created a lifetime of memories. This year it’s a beach house in Honduras. But for the first time, their clan is not complete. Mina lost her battle against cancer six months ago, and the friends she left behind are still struggling to find their way forward without her. For Samantha, the vacation just feels wrong without Mina. Despite being surrounded by her friends—the closest thing she has to family—Mina’s death has left Sam a little lost. Unsure what direction her life should take. Fearful that whatever decision she makes about her wealthy French boyfriend’s surprise proposal, it’ll be the wrong one. The answers aren’t in the journal Mina gave Sam before she died. Or in the messages Sam believes Mina is sending as guideposts. Before the trip ends, the bonds of friendship with her living friends, the older generation’s stories of love and loss, and Sam’s glimpse into a world far removed from the one in which she belongs will convince her to trust her heart. And follow it.

I’ve been sitting here for about an hour wondering how to review The Summer We Came To Life. But, right now, words seem to be failing me. I don’t think I can adequately convey what this novel made me feel. Without a shadow of a doubt, The Summer We Came To Life is one of the most emotional novels I’ve ever read. I’ve read numerous novels where people die and the people left behind grieve and don’t know how to move on, but The Summer We Came To Life hit me right in the solar plexus for reasons I really can’t comprehend. Honest to goodness, I stayed up until 1am finishing the novel because I just couldn’t let go. I couldn’t put it down and parts of it made me cry like a baby. I know that I enjoyed a novel when I can’t get to sleep at 1 o’clock in the morning because I can’t believe I’ve finished a book and it refuses to let me go. When I started the book, I didn’t know the journey I was going to take. It’s my own fault, I dove into the novel without really knowing what it was about so everything that occurs came as a surprise to me but it surprised me in the best way possible.

I’m not entirely sure what category I’d put The Summer We Came To Life in. It’s a Chick Lit novel of some sort, I suppose and probably veers more toward ‘Women’s Fiction’, as the book is more about friendship than it is about anything else. It’s a novel that a lot of people will be able to understand as Sam, Kendra and Isabel find themselves wondering how to move on after their best friend Mina dies. Not only that, but the girls have their own troubles as Isabel finds herself out of work, Sam is wondering whether to accept her boyfriend’s proposal and Kendra finds herself with an unexpected dilemma. For most of their life, the four girls along with Isabel and Kendra’s mother go on vacations together, but after Mina’s death none of them feel like it, not really, but Jesse and Lynette (Isabel and Kendra’s mother) refuse to let the tradition slip, they all converge in Honduras for a holiday, bringing along Mina’s father Arshan and Kendra’s father Cornell. During the holiday, although there’s a vacant gap where Mina is meant to be, it does indeed help them to be together.

There’s quite a lot of stories we learn whilst reading the novel. Jesse tells us all about Isabel’s father, Arshan tells us about his life, Cornell and Lynettte tell everyone how they overcame segregation in the 60s to be together. Sam is desperate to contact Mina in any way possible, and we see numerous diary entries from the two of them as they try to figure out a way to be able to contact each other from the other side. I think that the moral of the story is that no matter what happens, you can overcome anything. That’s the message I learned whilst reading the book. The characters are as wide and diverse as you could believe, but the love they all feel for each other is immense. I found myself enraptured by the novel as we get to know the characters better. Sam drives the story, but we regularly switch narratives from first-person to third-person and somehow despite the mish-mash way the novel is written, it somehow works. I wasn’t bothered by the change in which the novel was written, switching from Sam’s first-person narrative to third-person and back and forth. It worked, I have no idea how, but I found it captivating.

I must admit to not really believing in the afterlife, all those theories Sam and Mina present about contacting the dead confused me, I’m not ashamed to say. However the love they have for each other, as best friends, as confidantes for so long, negated my confusion and I could understand why they were reluctant to leave each other without at least making a go of contacting each other once Mina was gone. How many people would kill to be able to talk to someone who has passed away, even if it’s just to say goodbye? I know I would love to do that if it was possible. Surprisingly, for a Chick Lit novel, there is a slight paranormal/spiritual touch to the book. I’m not going to give away what happens, because it’s one of the best parts of the book (for me, anyway) but it did surprise me because I enjoyed it. It was such a shock to me, but it was yet another good shock. A lot of people might not be able to grasp it and may not like it (and if you’d told me before I’d read it what was going to happen I’d have said it would have put me off the book) but it was charming. It worked.

The setting of The Summer We Came To Life is perfect, absolutely perfect. I’ve never read a novel set in Honduras and despite the poverty we’re shown in the novel, it sounds like a magical place and I couldn’t think of anywhere else Deborah Cloyed could have set the novel. The setting encapsulated the entire novel. The novel manages to pack in so much. The history of the older characters is rich and interesting, never boring, and I liked the way the older characters taught Sam and Isabel about their struggles and how the world has changed in such a short space of time. There aren’t enough superlatives in the world for me to describe this novel. Just look at the ones I’ve already used: magical, charming, stunning, unputdownable. Just the fact it kept me up so late is all you need to know. I love my sleep but I literally couldn’t wrench myself away, I couldn’t make myself say ‘That’s enough’ and to turn my Kindle off. It was more ‘Oh, there’s only x percent left, I may as well finish it’. I started the novel last night at 45% and even then I was unable to put it down. I read 55% of a novel in about two hours, which is how desperate I was to finish it. I love lots of books, that’s a given. I read more books than most people ever will in their life, and I give lots of 5 star ratings, but there are some novels that should be 5 star stars, if that even makes sense. The Summer We Came To Life touched me deep down, and it’s absolutely worth purchasing. I loved it.

[Alissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is hauntingly beautiful, and I am better for having read it

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

2-1/2 stars. This was a weird story.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

An original and thought provoking look at the bonds between lifelong friends who become family and the attempt to remain close even after death.

[Robin Pelham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very nice story of true friendship among four women.

[Ava Hemstreet · Rating 3 out of 5]

i just love pretty words and when people talk about friendships

the plot wasn't all that interesting and the third act was kind of confusing but overall SO MUCH GOOD EMOTION!

[Julie Potts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could be that I read it right after the passing of my best friend…. But this book touched my soul. I felt all the feels reading it and couldn’t put it down until it was finished.

[Kayora · Rating 1 out of 5]

No Offense to Debby, but I think she tries really hard to be edgy by throwing in some physics about life after death.

"Love lasts."

[Bree T · Rating 3 out of 5]

Samantha, Isabel, Kendra and Mina have been close ever since they were young girls. Samantha and Mina grew up motherless and Jesse and Lynette, mothers to Isabel and Kendra respectively stepped in to mother Samantha and Mina too, to make sure they had some female influence in their lives and felt some love. Every summer Jesse and Lynette took the four girls away for a holiday, some ‘girl time’ and it’s a tradition they continue well into the girls’ adult lives.

The summer the girls are turning 30, is different. Mina has lost her long battle with cancer and Samantha, who was closest to Mina, doesn’t feel right about continuing the summer tradition. She has fled the United States, bumming around Paris and then holidaying in Honduras before she has to return to work in the fall as an artist in residence at a university. Isabel, Lynnette and Jesse descend upon her along with Lynette’s husband Cornell and Mina’s father Arshan. Only Kendra remains behind in the US, tormented by a secret she has and a decision she has to make.

Samantha is becoming obsessed with the idea of finding Mina. Before her death, they traded a journal back and forth as communication, to say what they couldn’t put into word. Samantha, with her degree in physics, was searching for a way in which to make contacting Mina after her death, finding her, possible. She torments herself each day, searching for signs, reading Mina’s journal and looking for answers within its pages. She can’t move on, not without exploring every possible opportunity to find her friend.

Retreating to a holiday cabin on a beautiful beach in Honduras, Samantha, Jesse, Isabel, Lynette, Cornell and Arshan try to deal with their varying forms of grief and find the courage to move on. Realising that the death of Mina has meant that Arshan left many things unsaid, Jesse finally tells Isabel about her tumultuous marriage to Isabel’s father, a wealthy South American whose family almost destroyed her. Vibrant, beautiful Jesse has always been flippant or brushed off Isabel’s questions but she bares her soul for them all and Lynette and Cornell chime in with the story of how they met and fell in love as a mixed race couple in conservative 1960s America.

It is after one of these stories that Isabel and Samantha take to the beach for a swim. Before they know it the current has sucked them under and out and they are fighting for their lives out there. To Samantha’s surprise, she is taken…somewhere else and what she finds there is what she has been searching for the most. Now it is Samantha that has a decision to make and what she decides will change not only her life, but the lives of her best and closest friends. It will take courage and belief…and the strength to finally say goodbye.

I won this book in a giveaway by my local bookstore – I thought it was going to be a story of friendship and mourning and that sort of thing and for a little over half of the book, it is. We meet Samantha, the narrator and we’re always with her, even when she’s describing to the reader what others are doing when she’s not in their company, which is a little disconcerting and jarring, narrative wise. Her grief is a powerful presence in this book and it’s all-consuming. Samantha is more than just mourning the loss of Mina, she is tormented by it and obsessed with figuring out a way to contact her friend, wherever she is now. Wherever her death has taken her.

To enjoy this book involves a suspension of disbelief, because it does involve some mystical/magical elements. The last third of the book is, without saying too much in the way of spoilers, about Samantha’s journey of ‘finding Mina’ and because I wasn’t expecting the book to go in that direction, it did throw me! That sort of story line isn’t exactly my favourite but I kept reading because I wanted to see where it was going to go.

What I would’ve liked was for this book to give us a bit more about Mina – her character, her friendships with these girls. The author spent so much time on letting us know how much everyone was grieving but it was largely ineffective because we knew next to nothing about Mina herself. There were snatches, brief scenes from the girls lives growing up, and we got to read entries in the journal that Mina and Samantha shared but ultimately, I felt like I never really knew much about Mina, about her personality or her adult life and because of that the overwhelming grief wasn’t quite as powerful as it could have been.

While I enjoyed the first two thirds of the book, bar the slightly jumpy narrative, the last third diminished my enjoyment of it – not for any real good reason other than the sort of story isn’t to my personal taste! If you’re the sort of person who enjoys reading about life after death and what happens to us when we die and how we might use that to change both the fates of ourselves and others then you’ll probably enjoy the path this book takes.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

As of lately, I have been craving some good adult contemporary. Luckily enough for me, Deborah Cloyed’s The Summer We Came perfectly feed to that craving with its flawed yet complex characters, well-developed storylines, and rich, detailed writing.

Everything has been different for Kendra, Isabel, and Samantha since Mina, the fourth addition to their group, lost her battle with cancer six months ago. Each girl has a different way of dealing with the death. For Kendra, it means throwing herself into her high-powered job and dodging her own personal problems. For Isabel, it also means throwing herself into her work until she loses her job. For Samantha, it means running from country to country, falling in love with a wealthy French man, and looking for answers to life in the journals Mina left her. However, everything is about to change with summer approaching. Since childhood the girls along with Kendra’s and Isabel’s mothers have gone on some type of exotic vacation, but this year Mina won’t be there for the first time ever. Samantha asks, or more accurately begs, to abandon this year’s trip, saying it would be too hard, but soon enough all three girls plus Kendra’s parents, Isabel’s mother, and Mina’s father are in the middle of Honduras. Looking for peace and forgiveness, each person will be faced with coming to term with Mina’s demise and the secrets and struggles they have kept over the years.

As I’ve mentioned countless times before what I love most about adult fiction is the intricate and complex characters that are often introduced. For The Summer We Came to Life, these characters were Kendra, Isabel, Samantha as well as the parental units. Each character presented was diverse, distinctive, and thoroughly likable. More importantly, their feelings over life and death were easy to relate to, especially when it came to the saying “life’s consolations are love and best friends” that was always supported within the text.

The plot of this book was another high point. The setting was spectacular because of the rich detail added that often made me feel like I was right there, enjoying this exotic location right along with the characters. I also enjoyed seeing the characters share their stories throughout the book, because they often addressed common social and religion issues for example in a non-preachy and interesting way. It’s easy to say I learned a thing or two within this book!

Deborah Cloyed’s writing was also great for a debut author. I really enjoyed all the layers of detail she put into her characters and storylines as well as the way she seamlessly intermixed past and present invents with Mina and Samantha’s journal entries.

The only aspect of this book that brought it down a notch or two was a certain event that occurred towards the end. I won’t say too much about it due to the fact I don’t want to spoil anything. However, I will say it took a crazy turn, one that I wasn’t expecting and didn’t particularly enjoy. It was just odd and seemed out of place within the rest of the events in the novel.

Even with that, The Summer We Came to Life is still a fantastic debut novel that I’m sure many will come to enjoy. All I can say now is I cannot wait to read more by Deborah!

Grade: B+

[Marcie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Summer We Came to Life by Deborah Cloyed in not what I expected when I picked it up. It is so much more. I originally thought it was a just a story about friends trying to move on after the death of their close friend, Mina. It is but it's also so much more. The first line of the book, "Birth and Death are the two occurrences in a person's life that seem to say one thing: we are not the one's calling the shots.", sets the tone for the entire novel.
The story surrounds four friends: Samantha, Isabel, Kendra and Mina. They have been best friends since childhood. They're so different from each other yet their personalities complement one another. Isabel, Samantha and Kendra are morning the loss of their friend Mina. She passed away six months ago from cancer. In the past they've taken a trip every summer but this year, without Mina, it doesn't seem worth it. However their parents take charge and they set out on not only a vacation but also set out on a journey of self discovery.
The Summer We Came to Life has great characters. Samantha has just gotten engaged, maybe. She has some tough decisions to make. She's also deeply missing Mina. We get to see Mina's character through flashbacks, memories and journal entries. She wrote each of her friends a journal with advice and encouragement for their lives. Isabel has just lost her job and she doesn't know what her next move should be. Kendra is a control freak who has her life planned out. She discovers that she's pregnant and it turns her world upside down. She has had some tough choices to make as well. Their parents: Jesse, Lynette, Cornell and Arshan come with them on their vacation. Together the parents try to impart their wisdom and life lessons on survival, courage and sacrifice.
The plot was really good. This story is told through the different characters. I really like the flashbacks. It gives you an insight to the characters. I especially like the past recollections by the parents. Jesse, Lynette, Cornell and Arshan each have something to share with the girls of their past. The hardships that they endured help the girls to understand themselves more. Another interesting theme in this novel is answering the question, "What happens after we die?" Deborah Cloyed takes a stab at this question through Mina. This was an interesting aspect to the novel because this question is timeless. It's been asked since the beginning and will be asked until the end of time. Death can be a mystery in itself.
Overall I really liked this book. I enjoyed the flashbacks and learning the histories of each character. This book will make you want to take a vacation with your best friends. This is a great summer read.

[Julie Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review first appeared on my blog: http://www.knittingandsundries.com/20...

First Sentence (from a galley - may be different in final copy): Birth and death are the two occurrences in a person's life that seem to say one thing; we are not the ones calling the shots.

Samantha and her friends have lost one of their friendship circle. Of the four friends, Mina was the one Sam felt closest to, with both of them growing up motherless with rather remote fathers. As Mina fought her battle with cancer, she kept journals specifically geared towards each of her friends: Kendra, Isabel and Samantha. The friends had a tradition of meeting once a year and spending a period of time together in a mini-adventure along with Isabel's and Kendra's mothers Jesse and Lynette. Samantha wants to beg off this year, but the moms insist, telling her that everyone is on the way to Honduras, where Samantha now lives. The twist this time is that Mina's father Arshan and Kendra's father Cornell will be joining them.

As the friends (minus Kendra, who begs off at the last minute citing work-related causes) get together, we learn about each of their lives, and more importantly, we learn about their parent's lives. Most of us don't take the time to learn our parent's stories, and in this book, their stories become one of the most interesting pieces.

Samantha is a physics grad, and she and Mina discussed the "Many Worlds" theory in their efforts to find a way to stay in contact after Mina's death. This ends up playing a (somewhat confusing) role later on in the book, in a sequence that turned a bit too mystical and murky for this particular reader.

In the end, though, I came away with a good feeling and a connection to the characters and their personal stories.
QUOTE (from a galley - may be different in final copy):

He slipped into the past like an egg sliding into water to be poached. Arshan regularly boiled himself alive for his mistakes as a husband and a father.

Book Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

[Orbs n Rings · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uniquely written, inspirational tale of true love beyond everyday friendship.

I enjoyed the uniqueness of this book and was pleasantly surprised to find it not to be your typical boring bunch of gals on a vacation kind of book. Instead it is a mix of what was, what is and what could be all wrapped up into an interesting little package. While the main character and narrator Sam struggles with many things in her current life, her main concern are her feeling of disconnection. Something many of us artist struggle with. As a starving artist living alone in Honduras Sam's thoughts weigh in on her current relationship with her boyfriend and whether she should relinquish control and have someone else take care of her for a change. With the fresh wounds from the death of her friend Mina still lingering in the air, Sam struggles with feelings of wanting to be alone, when her friends decide they want to drop in on her life instantly for a vacation. Mina was not just a childhood friend, but Sam's best friend. Mina was the one Sam could relate to the most when it came to their group of four, her friendship soul-mate. The story takes an unexpected twist as you find out the planning and promises of Sam and Mina to contact each other after Mina's death. I love the time spent by the friends in Honduras and the indigenous village they visit, the dancing with the elders, like two dimensions intermingling. The parents who tag along on the vacation and their mix of culture and past experiences brings this book to life. The possibility of alternate dimensions intertwined into the story was another exciting twist that I liked. Whether Sam actually has an after death experience or it was just a hallucination, the point is clear. What matters most in our lives is that we all have the gift of free will and whatever your past or your culture may be true love is the act of being there for each other through life's good times and bad without judgement.

[Laura Chapman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deborah Cloyed's first novel, "The Summer We Came to Life," explores the power friendship, family and love. The powerful and well-crafted story uses a band of compelling characters to drive the plot.

Told from the point of view of Samantha Wheland, a free-spirited nomadic artist, the novel begins in the weeks before she begins a year-long residency in Honduras. She and her two best friends — Isabel and Kendra — are still reeling from the death of their childhood friend, Mina, six months earlier.

Since they were five, the four girls turned women took vacations every summer with Isabel and Kendra's mothers. This summer, Samantha is hesitant to take the trip, because it would be their first without Mina. At the same time, Sam is trying to decide whether or not she should accept the marriage proposal from her French film director boyfriend. Isabel and Kendra are also struggling to cope with their grief, and each face changes to their life's circumstances, which they are trying to resolve.

With the insight and experience shared by Kendra's parents, Isabel's mother and Mina's father, the three remaining friends shape their decisions. Cloyed effectively tells these stories to the reader by at times having it shared in the parent's voice and other times with vivid flashbacks.

Cloyed also creatively keeps a link between the three women and Mina. Before her death, she wrote journals to each friend. Through these journals, Mina continues to have a voice and presence in the story.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the novel is the characters' search for life after death and the ability for the living and the dead to share a link.

Cloyed hit the mark in create both an entertaining and emotional story. "The Summer We Came to Life," shows the importance of the bonds of family — even if that connection is not by blood.

Originally published at www.change-the-word.blogspot.com.

[Romancing the Book · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review by Valerie: A story about friendship and all the ups and downs that childhood friends share as they grow older into adulthood. Two of the girls in the group have mothers that are willing to take them somewhere each and every summer. The other two girls don’t have mothers, for different reasons, and are treated like family as they also travel along with their two friends. When one of the girls gets terminally ill, she starts a journal with each of the friends to document her final days and thoughts with them personally.

Now, months later, she’s gone. For Samantha, nothing in her life will ever be the same. She can’t laugh without feeling guilty. Then, there’s the fact that her French boyfriend proposed to her and she just couldn’t say no, another reason she feels guilty. When she gets a call that the gang wants to schedule a vacation, she firmly tells them no! What could they be thinking, she wonders to herself. Yet they show up anyway – with extras.

As the vacation gets underway, you really get to know the other characters. At times, each of them is given the chance to tell their story with bits of history woven in that is relevant to how they perceive the world. Samantha, for most of the story, feels a lot of pressure to figure out how to contact her dead best friend in the “other world.” She simply can’t believe that it isn’t possible for them to connect across space and time. As she deals with the issue of closure that accompanies grief, the story takes an unusual, yet welcome, twist.

By the end of the story, after all the trials and decisions the characters must face, you feel closure when the story ends and a very satisfying feeling that they will, indeed, be okay.

Quote: “Could Isabel not really get how abominable it would be to vacation without Mina? It wasn’t the first time we’d broached the subject.” Page 18