Waiting On Wednesday: Butternut Summer

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine in which we spotlight upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating!

Butternut Summer

The Butternut Lake Trilogy #2

by Mary McNear

Expected Publication Date: August 12, 2014

Synopsis from Goodreads

An absorbing, highly entertaining novel about family secrets,The Never Never Sisters Return to the golden beauty of Minnesota’s Butternut Lake in this emotional story that vividly captures the joy and pain of first love, as a mother and daughter each come to terms with the desires of her heart.

Summer at Butternut Lake—a season full of surprises . . . and life-changing choices.

Preparing for her final year of college, Daisy is crazy busy now that she’s back at Butternut Lake. She’s helping her mother, Caroline, run their coffee shop and trying to build a relationship with the absentee father who’s suddenly reappeared. She never expected to fall in love with Will, the bad-boy from high school who works at the local garage. With every passing day she and Will grow closer to each other . . . and closer to the day they will have to say goodbye. As summer’s end looms, Will and Daisy face heartbreaking choices that might tear them apart.

Caroline already has her hands full trying to make ends meet at the coffee shop without having her no-good ex suddenly show up. Now that Jack is back, he’s determined to reconnect with the family he walked out on twenty years ago. But with the bank pounding on her door and Jack’s presence reminding her of the passion they once shared, Caroline’s resolve begins to crumble. As Daisy’s departure looms and her financial worries grow, Caroline just may discover the support she needs . . . in the last place she ever imagined.

Why I am waiting....

I read the first book in the series, Up At Butternut Lake, and enjoyed it, but if you read my review, you can see I wanted a bit more resolution in Caroline’s story. It looks like this book is going to give it to me!

Review: Up At Butternut Lake

Up At Butternut Lake

The Butternut Trilogy #1

by Mary McNear

Why did you choose this book? the book blurb comparison to Kristin Hannah

When did you read this book? April 2014

Who should read this book? readers who enjoy ‘women’s fiction’

Source: TLCBookTours.com

Here is a synopsis of Up At Butternut Lake from TLC Book Tours

In the tradition of Kristin Hannah and Susan Wiggs, Mary McNear introduces readers to the town of Butternut Lake and to the unforgettable people who call it home.

It’s summer, and after ten years away, Allie Beckett has returned to her family’s cabin beside tranquil Butternut Lake, where as a teenager she spent so many carefree days. She’s promised her five-year-old son, Wyatt, they will be happy there. She’s promised herself this is the place to begin again after her husband’s death in Afghanistan. The cabin holds so many wonderful memories, but from the moment she crosses its threshold Allie is seized with doubts. Has she done the right thing uprooting her little boy from the only home he’s ever known?

Allie and her son are embraced by the townsfolk, and her reunions with old acquaintances—her friend Jax, now a young mother of three with one more on the way, and Caroline, the owner of the local coffee shop—are joyous ones. And then there are newcomers like Walker Ford, who mostly keeps to himself—until he takes a shine to Wyatt . . . and to Allie.

Everyone knows that moving forward is never easy, and as the long, lazy days of summer take hold, Allie must learn to unlock the hidden longings of her heart, and to accept that in order to face the future she must also confront—and understand—what has come before.

My Review

If you are looking for a light summer read, this book is a perfect choice! It has a small-town setting, the characters are friendly and likeable, and the problems are relatively minor and easily solved. Just grab your cool beverage of choice and settle into your lounger by pool and enjoy!

But what makes this book special is that if you AREN’T looking for a light read, if you want MORE from a book, you can get it with this one! The book has discussion questions at the end that will help you dig deeper, if that is what you are looking to do. Book clubs will enjoy this one as a summer selection! (I suggest holding your meeting poolside!)

There are three related storylines going on with this book, and as you probably can guess, there are some happy endings here. Some of it was a little predictable, but that is expected with a summer romance, and it is the journey that makes the book worthwhile! As you come to know the characters and the town you will wish you could stay. If that is how you feel after reading this one, you are in luck. You can’t stay but you CAN go back and visit Butternut Lake again! This is the first in a series, with the second book due to be out later this summer. I’m hoping to have a little more resolution to the storyline with Caroline when the series continues! Add this one to your summer reading list!

About Mary McNear

Mary McNear lives in San Francisco with her husband, two teenage children, and a high-strung, minuscule white dog named Macaroon. She writes her novels in a local doughnut shop, where she sips Diet Pepsi, observes the hubbub of neighborhood life, and tries to resist the constant temptation of freshly made doughnuts. She bases her novels on a lifetime of summers spent in a small town on a lake in the northern Midwest.

Connect with Mary on Facebook.

My Rating:  ★★★1/2   3-1/2 Stars

This book review is included in a tour by TLC Book Tours. I received a copy of the book in return for an honest review, which you can read above.

Mary’s Tour Stops

Tuesday, April 15th: She’s Got Books on Her Mind

Wednesday, April 16th: Bibliotica

Thursday, April 17th: Kritters Ramblings

Monday, April 21st: Stephany Writes

Wednesday, April 23rd: A Chick Who Reads

Thursday, April 24th: Peeking Between the Pages

Tuesday, April 29th: Walking With Nora

Wednesday, April 30th: A Bookish Way of Life

Thursday, May 1st: missris

Friday, May 2nd: A Novel Review

Monday, May 5th: Always With a Book

Tuesday, May 6th: From the TBR Pile

Wednesday, May 7th: Time 2 Read

TBD: Book Journey

Tuesday Memes: Up At Butternut Lake

Every Tuesday Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea hosts First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros, where you can share the first paragraph, or a few, of a book you are reading or thinking about reading soon.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

Today I am spotlighting Up At Butternut Lake by Mary McNear

In the tradition of Kristin Hannah and Susan Wiggs, Mary McNear introduces readers to the town of Butternut Lake and to the unforgettable people who call it home.

It’s summer, and after ten years away, Allie Beckett has returned to her family’s cabin beside tranquil Butternut Lake, where as a teenager she spent so many carefree days. She’s promised her five-year-old son, Wyatt, they will be happy there. She’s promised herself this is the place to begin again after her husband’s death in Afghanistan. The cabin holds so many wonderful memories, but from the moment she crosses its threshold Allie is seized with doubts. Has she done the right thing uprooting her little boy from the only home he’s ever known?

Allie and her son are embraced by the townsfolk, and her reunions with old acquaintances—her friend Jax, now a young mother of three with one more on the way, and Caroline, the owner of the local coffee shop—are joyous ones. And then there are newcomers like Walker Ford, who mostly keeps to himself—until he takes a shine to Wyatt . . . and to Allie.

Everyone knows that moving forward is never easy, and as the long, lazy days of summer take hold, Allie must learn to unlock the hidden longings of her heart, and to accept that in order to face the future she must also confront—and understand—what has come before.

Opening Paragraph

    “Okay, sleepyhead, time to wake up,” Allie said, reaching into the backseat of the car and giving her five-year-old son, Wyatt, a gentle prod. “We’re here. We’re at the cabin.” Wyatt stirred but didn’t wake up. She didn’t blame him. It had been a long day. Make that a long week, she corrected herself. And, if she were really counting, it had been a long two years. But she tried, whenever possible, not to count. it didn’t make the time go any faster, or the loss and easier to bear.

My Teaser

   The phone rang then, interrupting her thoughts. She reached over to the bedside table and answered it, hoping it would be Daisy.

page 52

So...what do you think? Is this one you would pick up? Leave a comment below!