This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
Reviewed by Kay Brooks
When Cassie and Henry finally got together, everyone knew it was meant to be, even Cassie’s ex-husband! However, the past has scarred Cassie more than she’d like to admit and, while she has a Tiffany’s ring on her finger, she’s less keen to commit to another marriage than Henry. When he overhears his fiancé advising his younger cousin Gem against marriage altogether, Henry leaves Cassie with an ultimatum. While he is sailing towards Africa on a boat made from recycled bottles, she must decide whether she wants to continue coasting along alone or finally commit to their relationship once and for all.
This is a sequel to Christmas at Tiffany’s and, because of this, I really struggled to engage with the characters at the beginning. I felt there was more that I should know about their pasts and relationships to enable me to fully understand their behaviours and motivations. They all seemed to be introduced quite quickly as well. Despite this, once I had weighed the characters up, I was absolutely hooked.
Swan has the ability to create incredibly cool characters that make you want to be part of their group. Cassie is an intelligent businesswoman with her own catering company. She has many friends and is beautiful. In fact, she seems to have everything going for her but she is still relatable. With Henry away and an old lover on the scene, Cassie seems hell-bent on sabotaging her own happiness. In order to really be happy, she needs to fully recover from the past and move on but this seems so unlikely at the start.
The second part of the novel is set in Cornwall. Archie, husband to Cassie’s best friend, has a heart attack early on and needs to recuperate. Cassie is invited to join the family. The group is then gate-crashed by Gem, Henry’s younger cousin, and her new fiancé, Laird. At first, I disliked Gem and her overly familiar, quirky ways but she soon grew on me. Cornwall is the perfect setting for the adventures that follow, including rowing competitions and music festivals. The other supporting characters are also engaging, though certainly not all likeable! There are a lot of competing egos between both genders.Summer at Tiffany’s successfully evokes the fun and adventure of summer. My only regret is not reading Christmas at Tiffany’s first.
7/10