Reviews

The Summer of Sunshine and Margot by Susan Mallery

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katekate_reads_'s review

2.0

The Summer of Sunshine and Margot is a book with a great premise that ultimately didn’t work for me. Sunshine and Margot are fraternal twins who are opposites in many ways - but both believe they are doomed when it comes to finding love.

What I liked:
I enjoyed the premise and learning about their jobs - especially Margot who helps people understand etiquette and cultural norms in other places.

I also liked that the setup gave us 2 love stories in one book - we could see each sister finding love.

What I didn’t like:

The way safe sex was handled in this book. One couple has sex with no protection and no discussion. Later it’s implied that another character should have used a condom because the woman he had sex with was “ah, friendly with many men.” First - no need to slut shame a single adult woman because you know she had sex with two men. Second - that’s not the only time a condom should be used.

The pacing. In many places the pacing felt waaaay off. Both sex scenes felt really rushed and awkward and weird. Sunshine and Declan fought their feelings for each other, had phone sex once while he was away, he came back and immediately declared that he loved her and asked her to marry him. What???? They haven’t even kissed yet. Also - Sunshine has been saying she always rushes into situations with men and isn’t doing that anymore. Why the rush??

I would suggest passing on this book. Thank you very much to Harlequin Publicity Team for the free review copy in exchange for my honest review.

kbranfield's review against another edition

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4.0

The Summer of Sunshine & Margot by Susan Mallery is an absolutely charming novel of new beginnings, family and love.

Thirty-one year old Margot Baxter is looking forward to her newest assignment working with impulsive, quirky former actress Bianca. Margot is an etiquette coach who is tasked with helping Bianca temper her behavior so as not to harm her fiancé's career as a diplomat. Bianca insists Margot stay with her during their lessons which is not normally an issue. However, Bianca is temporarily living with her son Alec Mcnichol who prefers the quiet life. Initially keeping to herself, Margot is surprised when she and Alec form an easygoing friendship that eventually turns into an unexpected attraction. Alec fears turning into his chaotic mother so how will he react when he has few troubling instances of out of character behavior as his relationship with Margot becomes more serious? And is Margot finally free of the one man from her past whose infrequent interruptions of her life have spelled troubled for her after she makes impulsive choices?

Margot's fraternal twin sister Sunshine is determined to break free of her self-destructive behavior. She has a long history of making impetuous decisions and she is resolute as she holds firm to her commitment to change her life. She is loving her latest position as a nanny for eight year old Connor. However, her college class is not going as smoothly as Sunshine hoped. She is also fighting an strong attraction to her boss, widower Declan Dubois. Will Sunshine trust her instincts once she realizes that she is falling for Declan and that he has feelings for her too?

The Summer of Sunshine & Margot is an endearing novel with a marvelous cast of winsome characters. Margot and Sunshine are extremely close and they have worked hard to overcome their residual issues from their mother's abandonment. Alec is a delightful blend of nerdy and sexy and although he loves his mother, he does not share her propensity for creating turmoil. Declan is still attempting to heal from the events that preceded his wife's death but he is also surprisingly ready to move forward. Young Connor is a bright and loving child and his interactions with Sunshine are an absolute joy.

Susan Mallery newest release is an engaging feel-good story that will delight and captivate readers of the genre.

jmcfaddy's review against another edition

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4.0

Thank you to Net Galley for giving me a copy of this book. I loved it! The story of the two twin sisters was uplifting. The fact that they were so different in personalities, their lives had taken on such different paths and those chose such different types of men proves that even if you are a twin you are still distinctly different. Ms. Mallery has written a book which entertains and makes you laugh out loud. The antics these two sisters get into is quite amusing yet at the same time is very thought provoking. I applaud the way she took Sunshine through her "complete life change" with the struggles that come with it and she comes out the other side a stronger and more confident person. The same can be said about Margot to a degree. It was nice that Margot could kick her useless boyfriend to the curb and finally find someone that appreciated her. Very enjoyable book and a great summer read!!!!

linakats20's review against another edition

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fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

If this book had finished 150 pages earlier, I might’ve given it more stars. When I started reading this book I loved getting to know the main characters and the fast pace story of their blossoming relationships. After 200 pages of nothing really happening and a lot of repetition, I found myself closer and closer to just skipping to the end. It became a bit of chore to finish this book, mostly motivated by my interest in starting a new book, rather than seeing how this one ended. Once I was FINALLY getting to the end of this book, it felt so rushed and I was left thinking “really, this is how we decided to end things🤦🏾‍♀️?”.

Spoiler

After the nonstop panic and brainstorming, Sunshine and Declan decide to get MARRIED!?? Like what?!!? This was ridiculous in my opinion.

. Like I said, this could’ve been a better book if things had concluded earlier.

Content Warnings

jen2499's review against another edition

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5.0

As always I like the characters & dynamics between that Susan Mallery creates. I like the interactions between the sisters. I liked the inclusion of kid’s love of ants.

msbandthebooks's review against another edition

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4.0

This was a cute read! I enjoyed the back and forth perspectives of the characters. The story follows 2 sisters, Sunshine and Margot. Sunshine is a nanny who is trying to turn her life around. When she was younger, she would fall for guys too quickly and abandon her responsibilities, so now she is determined to be better. Sunshine is going back to school to get her degree while trying to ignore her building feelings for the single father of the boy she is a nanny to. However, that is hard when the single father feels the same way about her. Margot is an etiquette teacher/business manager who is working with a well known older star. During the job, she is staying with the handsome son of the star who she quickly falls for. However, she struggles to accept her feelings when her last relationship ended so badly. The son does too because he does not want to be like his flighty mother. I recommend this book for anyone looking for a cute adult romance.