Book Review: Summer on Sunshine Bay by Debbie Mason

About the Book:

Title: Summer on Sunshine Bay

Author: Debbie Mason

Page Length: 368

Publication Date: May 23, 2023

Publisher: Forever

Synopsis: Lila Rosetti Sinclair returns to Sunshine Bay a bundle of nerves. After being gone for years, sharing the news that she’s engaged—to a man her mother has never met—is going to be difficult to navigate. But when her fiancé David surprises her with an engagement party at Windemere, the upscale inn his parents recently purchased and that just may put her family’s restaurant, La Dolce Vita, out of business, Lila’s got a whole new set of problems.
Eva Rosetti is so ecstatic to finally have her daughter home that she pushes aside her misgivings about having to come face-to-face with Lila’s father again. That is until he sweeps into town and feelings Eva thought far behind her resurface….
With a family business to save and a wedding to plan, Eva and Lila’s reunion is more than either bargained for, but with a little luck and a whole lot of support from friends and family, it may just turn out to be the best summer of their lives.

LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon

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My Review:

Lila hasn’t been home to Sunshine Bay for years, so she is shocked when her fiancée, David, surprises her with a trip to the place where she grew up. She’s even more astonished when she finds out that, not only has David’s mother planned a large, weekend-long wedding, the exact opposite of what Lila wants, but his family also owns the upscale inn that threatens her restauranteur family’s livelihood. It’s a complicated and messy situation as the couple deals with wedding woes, family strife, an unexpected pregnancy, and a lot of mixed feelings and opinions.

The story is set in the beautiful seaside town of Sunshine Bay, where Lila’s family runs a local Italian restaurant. Unfortunately, the livelihood of the restaurant is at risk because of the inn David’s family just bought. Lila is in such a terrible situation, and I really felt for her. She’s always being pulled in different directions – her family’s business and David’s job, her feelings for two men, feeling like she’s torn between her estranged mother and father, and a lot more. No wonder she’s so stressed! But Lila grows a lot, and I like how Lila starts to speak up and fight for what she wants. She’s always trying to make others happy and to placate everyone around her, so to see her slowly gaining more of a voice is fantastic.

I also loved Lila’s family. They are all such strong, independent women, and they have fantastic, dynamic personalities. Her cousins are more like sisters, and they have an incredible bond. I’m kind of hoping they each get their own story because I really want to learn more about them. Lila’s grandmother is very dramatic and hyperbolic, which reminds me of one of my grandmothers, and her aunt and mother are a fabulous duo. And as much as the story is about Lila, her pregnancy, and her mixed feelings about her life, love, and family, it’s also about her mother.

Eva is a riot. Smart and sexy, she’s known as a bit of a heartbreaker, and she owns it. Her story focuses on her feelings about Lila’s upcoming wedding, her flailing business, menopause, and her more than friendly feelings for Lila’s father James. Their love story is as compelling as Lila’s, and I was so rooting for Ava and James to find each other again.

David and his family are much more difficult to like, and they definitely contrast Lila’s family well. Though meddlesome, the Rosetti’s act out of love. David and his father act out of selfish reasons and prejudicial, disdainful feelings. Through the whole book, I wanted to yell at Lila to dump David. He was so self-involved, and he totally didn’t deserve Lila! Of course, I loved Luke and was definitely rooting for him to be end game. I think reconnecting with him made Lila take a hard look at her relationship and what she wanted in her life.

I really enjoyed Summer on Sunshine Bay. The characters and plot are layered and interesting, and the setting has such wonderful small-town charm and beachy vibes. I totally want to be part of the Rosetti family and eat all of the delicious-sounding food they create!

Special thanks to Forever Publishing for sending me a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.