One day in summer three lives are about to change forever.
The book starts with introducing Agnetha McMaster, mother of 20 year old twins. It is Agnetha’s 45th birthday and her daughters are encouraging her to reclaim her life and put herself first for a change. For the past 20 years she brought her children up, she took care of her elderly parents and she barely takes a day off at her job running the café which has been passed down through generations.
10 years ago Agnetha’s husband Mitchell, divorced her for her ex-best friend Celeste. Mitchell now suspects Celeste of having an affair. Is this karma for how he treated Agnetha?
Meanwhile, Hope McTeer, who was adopted as a baby, takes a DNA test and she is about to meet her biological father for the first time. Will she get the answers she hopes for?
The story is set between the past and present and told from multiple viewpoints. At the start of the story there was a list of all the characters which made me nervous that I would never be able to keep up and that the story could get messy. However, Shari is an exceptional storyteller, all the characters came together to tell the story and they were so well portrayed. I felt like I was part of their circle and living their experiences and emotions through them.
I read this book whilst away for a week and it made the perfect summer holiday read. The story is full of energy and humour, whilst it touches on themes including grief, betrayal, lost love and finding love again. I picked this up thinking it would be a break from my usual twisty thrillers, yet how wrong I was. ‘One Day in Summer’ is full of shocks and surprises, so much so that I could not put it down.
Reads Must 