I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Summer Song
by Lindsay Detwiler
Published by Independently Published on March 12, 2024
Setting: Ocean City, Maryland
Genres: Sweet Romance
Pages: 246
Format: Kindle
Source: the Author
Goodreads
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Get Your Copy at: Amazon, Kobo, Amazon UK, Amazon Canada, Nook, Amazon AU
From author Lindsay Detwiler comes a sweet, beachy romance perfect for fans of Emily Henry, Jane Green, and Debbie Macomber.
They always say you can't go home again, but let me add to that advice. If you do return home to live with your stoic, lawyer father and meddling mother, make sure you're not thirty with a bankrupt business and a failed romance.
At thirty, Mathilda "Tillie" Ashby's life is in shambles. After a failed business attempt in New York City and a deep betrayal, she's forced to return home to Ocean City, Maryland, the beach town she tried to escape. Trying to sort out her next career move and her finances, she finds herself working at a boardwalk restaurant called Tino's and living in her childhood bedroom with her helicopter parents.
When Tillie's life collides with Leo Turner, a UK pop sensation who's hiding from the pressures of fame for the summer, her life might just take a different turn. An injury causes Tillie to slow down, and she'll start to rediscover who she really is. Together, Leo and Tillie escape their difficult pasts as they explore Ocean City together. Will they find new dreams as they build their summer romance-or are their vastly different worlds and past heartbreaks too much to overcome?
A sweet, friends-to-lovers beach read, The Summer Song is a powerful story about how love can help us uncover who we really are.
The Summer Song by Lindsay Detwiler is about remembering your dreams and acting on them.
Can Tillie remember who she used to be before she lost everything?
Tillie Ashby
Mathilda “Tillie” Ashby is thirty years old and living at home once again in Ocean City, Maryland. The main reason her business failed is that she was betrayed in the worst way possible. Tillie is now at home, mending her broken heart and trying to figure out what to do with her life—one that doesn’t include going to law school or working at the same hotel as her mother. Tillie is working at Tino’s and ends up meeting Leo Turner there.
Tillie is this brokenhearted heroine who doesn’t believe that her dream can still be acquired or that she is meant to be loved. Will everything change? Tillie is a bright young woman, and I love witnessing her blossoming into something totally different by the end.
Leo Turner
Leo Turner is a pop sensation. He’s been down on his luck lately and needed a long overdue break. Instead of doing one the easy way, he just left. I have to say that I generally liked Leo, and I believe that he is good for Tillie, despite the fact that he does come with a lot of requirements. We only see Leo through Tillie’s eyes, but even still, Leo’s personality comes through quite clearly.
The Romance
The two told each other that they weren’t looking for love this summer, just friendship. Except love crept up on these two, and I loved seeing how their friendship turned into love without them even realizing it. Leo and Tillie are great for each other, and it clearly shows, even when they were just friends, which I truly love to see.
I love to see how they built each other back up by offering friendship and the days when they can just relax and be themselves. Without even realizing it, Leo and Tillie helped heal each other after everything they’d both gone through before summer.
Five Stars
I am giving five stars to The Summer Song by Lindsay Detwiler and recommending it to all the sweet romance readers out there. It was truly a great novel, and I’m already missing them so much. I believe Leo and Tillie can make things work even if they are worlds apart.
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of The Summer Song by Lindsay Detwiler.
Until the next time,
Happy Reading!
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About Lindsay Detwiler
Stories have always been swirling in my mind since I first learned what it meant to read. It wasn’t until college, though, that I considered I could actually grow up to be an author. I took a class called “The Literature of Health & Healing” that was all about chasing your dreams before you run out of time. My biggest dream? To see my name on the cover of a book.
I went home that night and sat down with a green notebook to begin writing what would become my first published romance, Voice of Innocence. After realizing my dream and also recognizing I had more stories in my head that I wanted to get out, I also came across a very real issue in the romance world: Many of the romances celebrated love stories of fantasy.
I married my junior high sweetheart (we met when we were 12!), and our love story is beautiful, magical, and real… but it isn’t the kind of romance where we jetset around the world or go for thousand dollar bottles of wine or slow dance in a soft rain. It’s the kind of love story that involves real life–sweatpants on the sofa, small gestures that remind me he loves me, and hectic family moments.
It was after entering the romance genre I realized my true goal with my writing–to showcase real, genuine couples in my stories. I wanted to write about modern women who don’t have all the answers and who aren’t great at walking in high heels. I wanted to write about sweet, hardworking men who couldn’t always afford the huge diamond ring but supported their lover’s dreams in big ways. I wanted to let the average woman see her love story as beautiful and novel worthy, even if it was imperfect–or maybe because it was imperfect.
Today, I have over thirteen romances just like this: real, genuine, and emotional. My Lines in the Sand series is set in Ocean City, Maryland, and was named a Romance Readers’ Favorite Pick in 2019. My romantic drama Remember When was named a Route One Reads Romance of the year. In addition to my love stories, I’ve also had numerous articles for women published in Huffington Post, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Harness Magazine, and more.
Currently, I’m a Communications Specialist by day and a romance writer by night. I also am a USA Today Bestselling thriller author under the pen name L.A. Detwiler. I live in Pennsylvania with my husband, Chad; our Great Dane, Edmund; and my six rescued cats. My next release is The Holiday Bake-Off with Harpeth Road in October of 2024.
Join me in my pursuit of real, sweet romance with a touch of spice. If you want to see your own realistic and special love story in the pages of a book–if you want to read about women you can connect with on a deep level–head to Amazon and check out all of my romance novels. From romcom to romantic drama, there’s a book for every kind of woman and every kind of love story.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2024 Goodreads RC
- 2024 Literary Escapes
- 2024 Romance Book Reading Challenge
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