THE SUMMER HIDEAWAY

Alice Emerson, a single mother in her mid-20s, is at a crossroads in her life, living in Chesapeake, Virginia, with her 6-year-old son Henry. Her boyfriend of two years has just dumped her; six months earlier, her grandfather Paul died and left her the beachside building that housed his bicycle shop in Kitty Hawk on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. (“Gramps’s shop and his apartment upstairs had always been her solace whenever things went awry.”) Taking a leap of faith, she moves to Kitty Hawk with Henry and their new rescue dog Einstein to open an ice cream shop called the Summer Hideaway. Her best friend, Sasha, dealing with her own heartbreak, joins them. As they use their marketing talents and creativity to realize their dream, they become part of the community. Their neighbor Melly St. James, a nurse at the community hospital, keeps them abreast of local news, including a possible business downturn. Sparks fly between Alice and Jack Murphy, who was her summer crush at age 16, but the situation is complicated by Jack’s imminent return to Chicago for a five-year medical residency. Making things worse, Einstein goes missing. Through it all, they persevere, working to turn the Summer Hideaway into a place where memories are made, love blossoms, and families are reunited. Hale’s prose evokes the magic of the Outer Banks and its hold on Alice—it’s a place “where the sound of the ocean was always there to greet her and the summer breeze seemed to go on forever.” Alice’s vulnerability and uncertainty—offset by her growing self-confidence and determination to prioritize her dreams and her young son’s happiness—are relatable, and readers will root for her happiness. In true romance fashion, loose ends tie up in a heartwarming manner. Recipes for delicious drinks mentioned in the story and a book club guide complement the text, making it perfect for armchair travelers and book clubs in addition to fans of romance.

Jun 1, 2025 - 17:36

Alice Emerson, a single mother in her mid-20s, is at a crossroads in her life, living in Chesapeake, Virginia, with her 6-year-old son Henry. Her boyfriend of two years has just dumped her; six months earlier, her grandfather Paul died and left her the beachside building that housed his bicycle shop in Kitty Hawk on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. (“Gramps’s shop and his apartment upstairs had always been her solace whenever things went awry.”) Taking a leap of faith, she moves to Kitty Hawk with Henry and their new rescue dog Einstein to open an ice cream shop called the Summer Hideaway. Her best friend, Sasha, dealing with her own heartbreak, joins them. As they use their marketing talents and creativity to realize their dream, they become part of the community. Their neighbor Melly St. James, a nurse at the community hospital, keeps them abreast of local news, including a possible business downturn. Sparks fly between Alice and Jack Murphy, who was her summer crush at age 16, but the situation is complicated by Jack’s imminent return to Chicago for a five-year medical residency. Making things worse, Einstein goes missing. Through it all, they persevere, working to turn the Summer Hideaway into a place where memories are made, love blossoms, and families are reunited. Hale’s prose evokes the magic of the Outer Banks and its hold on Alice—it’s a place “where the sound of the ocean was always there to greet her and the summer breeze seemed to go on forever.” Alice’s vulnerability and uncertainty—offset by her growing self-confidence and determination to prioritize her dreams and her young son’s happiness—are relatable, and readers will root for her happiness. In true romance fashion, loose ends tie up in a heartwarming manner. Recipes for delicious drinks mentioned in the story and a book club guide complement the text, making it perfect for armchair travelers and book clubs in addition to fans of romance.