A Sweethaven Summer

Sweethaven Circle #1

by Courtney Walsh

Campbell Carter has come to Sweethaven in search of answers about her mother's history. Just before losing a battle with cancer, Suzanne Carter sent letters to childhood friends from her hometown of Sweethaven, Michigan. Suzanne's three friends -- Lila, Jane, and Meghan -- haven't spoken in years, yet each has pieces of a scrapbook they made together as girls. Suzanne's letters have lured them all back to the idyllic lakeside town, where they meet Campbell and begin to remember what was so special about their long Sweethaven summers. As the scrapbook reveals secrets from the past, old wounds are mended, lives are changed, and friendships are restored -- just as Suzanne intended.

Genres: Fiction, Christian Fiction, Romance, Audiobook, Summer, Christian, Contemporary

318 pages, Paperback

First published February 7, 2012

About the author

Courtney Walsh is a novelist, theatre director, and playwright. She writes low spice romance and women's fiction while juggling the performing arts studio and youth theatre she owns and runs with her husband. Her debut, A Sweethaven Summer, hit the New York Times and USA Today e-book bestseller lists. She is also a Carol award winner and Christy award finalist.

A creative at heart, Courtney has also written two craft books and several full-length musicals. She lives in Illinois with her husband and three children and a sometimes naughty Bernedoodle named Luna.

Visit her online at www.courtneywalshwrites.com.

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a treat this story was! At first I wasn't sure I would like this story because it sounded like it could be a bit of a downer, but wow, was I surprised at how much I loved it in the end. I wanted to read this novel every chance I could. I thought about the story even when I wasn't able to sit down, relax, and enjoy it. That's a good book...one that preoccupies my thoughts.

I loved how romantic it was on so many levels. Though each character had their own grief to deal with, it wasn't only about their pain. It was about how God uses the unexpected things in our lives to bless us. He took someone like Campbell, who felt alone in the world, and gave her a new family through new friendships and people who also tied her to her mother's history. I loved how the book ended. I totally adored Luke. I didn't want his heart broken any more than his momma did. Man, I adored that man. He was a great hero and I could see how even the hardest of hearts could melt under the warmth in his eyes.

The author did a fantastic job at making me care. She made each character seem like a friend, or at least someone I could easily know. Their happiness and their healing became a primary concern for me as the book veered toward a conclusion. Everything about this book was awesome. It even had a bit of mystery to it when it came to figuring out who her father really was. Great story! It's making my top fiction list for 2012.

[Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book.

I loved the plot, the characters, the writing, the setting. In short…oh yeah, I already said that, but I’ll say it again. I loved this book.

There is a pure freshness about the story and the characters that fill the pages. It’s my favorite kind of novel to read. Filled with characters that struggle and yet push on, characters that fill my heart and a plot that grips with maybe a twist or two.

With four point of view characters, you’d think things might get a little squirrely, but it never once did. The story flows with incredible dexterity, these women twining around my heart and their struggles tugging at my emotions. Campbell searching for her father. Jane trying to forgive herself. Lila struggling to find who she is.

I could go on and on with all this book packs into 316 short pages. The story is perfect is so many ways. Dialogue, setting description, character depth, just a bit of romance to palpitate the pulse, a tinge of mystery and enough tension and love for these characters that kept me returning to the book over and over again.

I wasn’t ready for the story to end. But I’m so eager for the second novel in Sweethaven and find out what happens with Campbell and Luke. Lila and Tom. Adele and Meghan. You get my point. It’s a story I won’t be forgetting about anytime soon.

This review is my honest opinion. Thanks to the publishers through CFBA for my copy to review.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Campbell Carter has just lost her mother, Suzanne, to cancer. Suzanne was a beloved art teacher in her early forties. She raised Campbell as a single mother, never sharing with Campbell who her father was, or much about her childhood. Campbell knew practically nothing about the close friendships Suzanne had with Jane, Lila and Meghan, the girls she spent her summers with in Sweethaven, Michigan. What happened to their friendships? Upon mailing the letters she found left by her mother to Jane, Lila and Meghan, and discovering some scrapbook pages left in an old trunk, Campbell decides to travel to Sweethaven, having made contact with Meghan's mom, Adele. Campbell must choose to confront the truth and open her heart to forgiving those who hurt her.
The characters are likable and flawed, giving warmth to the story. A sweet summer read.

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My sweet friend Courtney Walsh's debut novel is wonderful! It had me from the beginning. I felt like Campbell was my sister & I was on a secret mission with her to Sweethaven. The characters in this novel all became my dearest friends & Sweethaven became a dream place to visit. Thank you, Courtney....your book showed me alot! Friendship, forgiveness, love & memories. So proud of you & can't wait to read more!!!

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an engaging and easy to read book. I enjoyed the clean content and the message of forgiveness and unconditional love. However, there was just a little too much drama squeezed into such a short story. Overall I enjoyed this but will probably take a break before diving back into the world of Sweethaven.

[Dawnmcd · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good first novel. I found it a bit hard to read for more than a few chapters at a time until I got about 2/3 rds of the way through the book. The last third really improved and I read it straight through to the end.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Downloaded this for vacation--thought it would be a quick read while I was on the beach. Not impressed. This book is too simplistic and saccharine for my tastes--I prefer books with more realistic plots. Plus the story meanders all over the place.

[JulieP · Rating 2 out of 5]

Against the general consensus but I found this to read more like a young adult novel. Wishy washy characters, repetitive writing, overuse of questions rather than solid writing. I really wanted to love it but found it rather tedious. I'll definitely pass on the sequels.

[Cindy Davis- Cindy's Book Corner · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Sweethaven Summer was Courtney Walsh's debut novel back in 2012! I can't believe I have been reading her for years and never read this novel. Now that I have rectified that, I look forward to continuing the series.

When I first read the synopsis and started reading the story, it gave off vibes of another book I had read that had a similar synopsis and storyline, but, thankfully, this one was much better written, and other than sounding like similar books, it was executed very differently. Also, if you read the synopsis, it's wrong. The letters were not sent before Cambell's mother's death, and not all the friends returned to Sweethaven.

After the death of her mother, Campbell wants answers to her family history. Information that she did not have time to get before her mother passed away. Living with regrets and at a crossroads, Campbell heads to Sweethaven for answers. Campbell has no idea how this will change her life, and the lives of her mother's friends forever.

A Sweethaven Summer is told in multiple points. We get brief snippets of the past, interspersed with the present. The story is mainly in Campbell's POV as she tries to process her mother's death and find her father. The story is emotional and full of angst.

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars!

[Catherine Richmond]

I can see why this book hit the bestseller list! Author Courtney Walsh hits all the emotions just right. I want to hug all the characters, especially the long-suffering Campbell. I kept expecting her to haul off and slug the next person who answered her questions with "It's complicated." Fortunately Campbell's more patient than I am. I loved the brief journeys back to the 1980s - a decade I missed because I was busy have babies, the pitch-perfect romance with Luke, and the warmth of summer in Sweethaven. Bravo!

[Deborah Raney · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Sweethaven Summer captivated me from the first paragraphs. Bittersweet memories, long-kept secrets, the timeless friendships of women––and a touch of sweet romance. Beautifully written and peopled with characters who became friends, this debut novel is one for my keeper shelf––and, I hope, the first of many to come from Courtney Walsh's pen.

I had the privilege of reading this book for endorsement.You won't want to miss it when it comes out Spring 2012.

[Alayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the story here, and I am aware that this was the author's debut, but there was far too much labouring of the facts of bereavement. Also, the main character was 24 but behaved more like she was 14. The text was very badly edited - there were times when I wasn't sure who was talking, and at other times the text was in italics for only part of the "past" remininscences. If I were a teacher, I would have put "could do better" on this one!

[Nicole Williamson · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF an hour into the audio book due to each chapter getting repetitive. Old friends realizing how much time has passed. Life is hard and dreams didn’t pan out. Reminiscing about the good old days. And not ever being able to go back to Sweethaven. Then boom. Cue the tears because of cancer. This was decently potent the first time, but after the third? 🤷‍♀️

I’m not a huge fan of modern romances so maybe it just wasn’t the book for me.

[Carolyn Vandine West · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this story. I think I read sometime in the past but just remembered parts of it. Totally forgot most of it
Campbell has never known her dad and the day her mother is going to tell her, she dies. This is her journey to find him and along the way connects with her mothers past summer friends
Great nostalgic book

[Natalie Walters]

A fantastic summer beach read! I listened to this by audiobook and the narrator did a great job. I was instantly transported into the lives of Campbell and her mother's childhood friends: Jane, Lyla, and matriarch, Adelle in Sweethaven and her search to unravel a secret. A little bit of mystery, a rekindling of friendships, and a tender romance, this story has it all and then some.

[Charlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

A summer after twenty years where healing begins for a group of woman and their families.

Healing can be painful and messy but it also can bring you to a place of restoration and freedom. Courtney Walsh takes you through the journey of how this process can look from different perspectives of life.

“Scars are healed wounds but they still show on the skin”.

I really enjoyed the family feel and the creativity.

I’m looking forward to reading book two in the near future.

Recommended for Christian contemporary fiction fans :).

[Barbara Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great start to what I feel certain will be a wonderful series! With her mother's death, Campbell Carter knows there will be changes but she has no idea just how large they will be. Wondering for years about the father she's never met, Campbell embarks on a journey that leads her to a world of secrets and a life she never knew her mother had. Can she forgive.. accept..move forward.. and love again?

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a cute start of summer read! I was really invested in the characters’ lives and connected to them instantly. The ending was so unexpected and shocking, but was written so well. I kinda wish it wasn’t so much of a slow burn romance though. I wanted to get together sooner. I wanted more.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first Courtney Walsh book and definitely not my last! Loved it!

[Krista-Marie Linegar]

This book was sweet….I only started it because I realized the Christmas book I wanted to read was part of this series. I almost decided not too but I’m glad I did

[Rebecca Redman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very tropish

[Elizabeth Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I truly enjoyed this story of friendship and hope. There is heartbreak and discord, but everything wraps up nicely in the end.

[Kathleen (Kat) Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love it when you get the opportunity to review a debut novel because it's either going to introduce you to an great new author or will leave you disappointed. This novel, A Sweethaven Summer by Courtney Walsh is the introduction to a fabulous new author I can't wait for you to meet.

In this novel you are introduced immediately to Suzanne who is in the process of sharing a bombshell secret that she has been compiling for the last five years in a scrapbook/journal she created along with her three friends, Jane, Lila and Meghan. In it, each of them added photos, ticket stubs or notes scribbled on scratch paper that they had gathered every summer since the eighth grade. Would her secret taint those memories? Even though she called the three girls their best friends they didn't even know the secret she'd carried with her on the road out of town. The pages in front of her begged her to come clean, to tell the truth, after all this time.

In the pages of this scrapbook we learn that Jane hated her body, Lila painfully recounted her relationship with an indifferent mother and that Meg confided about being the only nondrinker at a high school party last summer. Confessions. They were all nice girls. All except Suzanne. But they weren't kids anymore - and even their darkest secrets didn't compare to the bombshell she was about to drop. - August 1987.

Now we find Campbell Carter who is Suzanne's daughter and is dealing with her mother's funeral. Little over a week ago, her mother called and asked her to come over to talk about somethings she needed to discuss. She could tell by her mother's tone that she was nearing the end of her struggle with cancer and was squaring things away. Only she would never get to know what she wanted to discuss because when she arrived home, she found her mother lying on the floor. She would never wake up and thus Campbell would be orphaned at 24. If only she could know what her mother wanted to tell her before she died. She wouldn't until she came across the scrapbook her mother and her friends made and that is where the story begins.

I received this heartwarming and charming novel compliments of Christian Fiction Blog Alliance for my honest review and have discovered a new treasure in Courtney's writing. You can't help but be swept away into the story and thus the reason for giving this debut novel a perfect 5 out of 5 stars. I can't wait for the next novel by this amazing and talent author.

[Victor Gentile · Rating 5 out of 5]

Courtney Walsh in her new book “A Sweethaven Summer" Book One in The Sweethaven Series published by Guideposts brings us into the lives of four women in the town of Sweethaven, Michigan.

From the back cover: Campbell Carter has come to Sweethaven in search of answers about her mother's history.

Just before losing a battle with cancer, Suzanne Carter sent letters to childhood friends from her hometown of Sweethaven, Michigan. Suzanne's three friends -- Lila, Jane, and Meghan -- haven't spoken in years, yet each has pieces of a scrapbook they made together as girls. Suzanne's letters have lured them all back to the idyllic lakeside town, where they meet Campbell and begin to remember what was so special about their long Sweethaven summers.

As the scrapbook reveals secrets from the past, old wounds are mended, lives are changed, and friendships are restored -- just as Suzanne intended.

The beach town of Sweethaven along the shore of Lake Michigan is the kind of place where everyone would want to live. Campbell has come there at her mother's request to talk but Suzanne died before Campbell could make it. In looking through her things she finds Suzanne's scrapbook and the Sweethaven Circle. Campbell communicates with the remaining three ladies who also return to Sweethaven. Then the mystery and God's healing begins. I like the name of the town it tells us that this place is not only a haven, a resting place, but a place that is also sweet. I was hooked right off the bat. Ms. Walsh has done an extraordinary job with the characters, I liked each and every one of them. This is a book about family and hope and healing and I liked this book a lot. I recommend this book highly and am looking forward to the next two books due out this year.

If you would like to listen to interviews with other authors and professionals please go to www.kingdomhighlights.org where they are available On Demand.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book for free from Wynn-Wynn Media for this review. I was not required to write a positive review.The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title: A SWEETHAVEN SUMMER
Author: Courtney Walsh
Publisher: Guideposts
February 2012
ISBN: 978-0824945190
Genre: Women’s Fiction

Campbell Carter’s mother has unexpectedly died from breast cancer, and Campbell discovered that her mother’s favorite place in the world was Sweethaven, Michigan. Susanne and her three best friends met there every summer—until the year Campbell was conceived. Then, Susanne dropped out of everyone’s lives.

Campbell wonders who her father was—and she hopes that the three girls her mother knew best would hold the answers. But they didn’t know any more than she did.

Campbell discovers a lot of things while she’s in Sweethaven, some of them unpleasant surprises, some quite pleasant. But does she discover what she came to find? Is she able to handle all the secrets her mother kept?

A SWEETHAVEN SUMMER is set in a real life Lake Michigan town, but with a fictional name. Having grown up in Michigan and visiting all the lake shore communities. I enjoyed getting to know Campbell, Luke, Jane, and the other characters in this book, and I’m glad to have the second book in the series, A Sweethaven Homecoming waiting for me to read it. I’m anxious to get into it! $13.99. 320 pages. 4.5 stars.

[Melissa (Semi Hiatus Until After the Holidays) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Walsh's touching fiction debut will have readers longing for a visit to the idyllic vista of Sweethaven, Michigan. A plot with a touch of mystery, significant friendships, and a charming setting add together to create a real treasure.
SUMMARY: Twenty-four years have passed since Suzanne, Lila, Jane and Meghan spent their childhood summers together in Sweethaven. Right before their final summer, Suzanne sends a letter with a photo of herself pregnant and the girls eventually lose touch. Suzanne's daughter, Campbell, now a young adult, has never known the identity of her father. Just as her mother is about to reveal the information, she passes away from cancer. Campbell gathers her mother's old friends together to try to discover what happened in Sweethaven and hopefully the name of her father.

[Jan Mcleod · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four girls-Suzanne,Jane, Lila, Meghan, had spent many summers together in Summerhaven . Now they are grown women who have not been in contact for years. Suzanne's daughter, Campbell, comes to Summerhaven searching for answers and her father, who she never knew. Suzanne passed away, but the other three women returned to Summerhaven by a request from notes that Suzanne had written and not mailed until Campbell found them. They came with secrets, memories, regrets, but always love for each other and forgiveness between friends.
The plot was so well-developed as were the four very different personalities of the friends and also Campbell's personality and struggles.
Yes, there is a budding love story here, too.
This was a beautiful book ,and I enjoyed it immensely.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story a lot. I loved all the characters and thought the setting sounded lovely. I felt so badly for Campbell, losing her mother the way she did and then learning the secrets that she had kept. The ending, though I somewhat expected it, was still very surprising and made me feel for all involved in that. Jane's history with Sweethaven was hard to read, but I was glad with the way the book ended things in regard with the as well. All in all, this was a very enjoyable book and I'm looking forward to reading the other books in this series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book to review. I was asked to give my honest opinion of the book - which I have done.

[Toni Shiloh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Sweethaven Summer is a sweet read. Campbell Carter discovers her mother's scrapbook from her summer trips to Sweethaven. She decides to go to Sweethaven and discover a part of her mother's life she never had access to.
I loved getting to know the friends through Campbell's eyes and discovering what split the group of friends up. This book made me want to go on a vacation and enjoy the simple things in life.