Reviews

The Summer Theatre by the Sea by Tracy Corbett

emmalux1991's review

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

ticktockcrocky's review

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

thebooktrail88's review

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4.0

description

Visit the locations in the novel

Sunshine in a book! There's a lot of summery magic in this book - a chip shop with a cool name like Coddy Shack, and a cafe called Candy Craves. But it was Dusty's Boutique that really tickled my fancy with its cool allure and nostalgic displays.

The characters were fun too - Barney Hubble! ha there's a story behind that as there is with the others in this novel - fun stories which feel fresh and flighty in the Cornish sun.

The theatre was the main attraction and how it brought the characters together and I've never been part of amateur dramatics but I can imagine what fun it could be but also what could lie behind that curtain!

A lot of fun and a cool read for summer!

lineee's review

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adventurous funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

retroclaude's review

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4.0

A very enjoyable summer read.

booksuperpower's review

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4.0

The Summer Theatre by the Sea is a 2018 Avon publication.

A light, charming story with a healthy dose of depth and emotion-

Charlotte’s entire life was upended practically overnight. She lost her job, boyfriend and residence all in one day. Without a place to live or a job, Charlotte’s only option is to call her harried sister, Lauren, who lives in Cornwall, and beg to stay with her for a little while until she can figure out what to do next.

Charlotte is ill prepared for the state of her sister’s home or how stressed she is. Attempting to help her only brings on more resentment. Meanwhile, Charlotte is facing criticism of her own, when everyone she knows advises her to relax, take a few risks, and for heaven’s sake- LIGHTEN UP!!

As the days pass, Charlotte becomes more involved in the Cornwall community, reconnects with her father and his new lady friend, and develops a friendship of sorts with a local doctor who is under intense pressure from his family to stop being a surfer dude and go back to practicing medicine.

But, the more Charlotte relaxes and grows to enjoy the laid -back community of Cornwall, Lauren becomes more and more uptight, losing weight, and pushing those who care about her away.
This story is, as the cover might suggest, lighter fare, with no real super heavy or dark dilemmas, but it also has plenty of drama and emotional moments. The most poignant moments take place between Charlotte, Lauren, and their father, who has made some big mistakes with his daughters that had long-term consequences.

The Summer theatre, where Lauren works part-time, is a big summertime draw for the community, with this year’s play being a “Midsummer’s Night Dream’. Charlotte, who badly needs an outlet for her energy gets involved in the theatre, and soon finds herself to enjoying life outside of the hustle and bustle of the city, although she seems bent on getting her old job back.

At the end of the day, as far as the romantic elements went, I ended up enjoying the speech Nate gave Lauren, although I did like the way things turned out for Charlotte and Barney, too.
Overall, this story was a nice well-rounded contemporary novel with a nice combination of family drama and romance set against the gorgeous backdrop of Cornwall.

Best quote: You know what they say.. what doesn't kill you...

"makes you stronger?"

I was going to say, gives you a lot of unhealthy coping mechanisms and a really dark sense of humour"



4 stars

leahmichelle_13's review

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5.0

Another absolutely brilliant read from Tracy Corbett, she’s slowly becoming a must read author for me and I’m so pleased to see she already has a new book to pre order, due out in October.

I adored the Cornwall setting - if I could afford to move to Cornwall, I would go tomorrow. It just sounds so idyllic and picture perfect. The characters were fantastic, I loved Charlotte especially once Barney got under her skin and made her loosen up a bit. Lauren’s story was both interesting and frustrating since I just wanted to shake her shoulders and tell her to just bloody confess her debt to her sister so she could help, especially since there was never any reason not to.

This was a splendid summer read. I loved the romance, the storylines, the setting, everything basically. Tracy is such an amazing storyteller and I can’t wait for book number three!
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