Summer Secrets: A Novel

Jane Green

Jun 2015 · Sold by St. Martin's Press

About this ebook

Told with Jane Green's keen eye for detailing the emotional landscape of the heart, Summer Secrets is at once a compelling drama and a beautifully rendered portrait of relationships, betrayals, and forgiveness; about accepting the things we cannot change, finding the courage to change the things we can, and being strong enough to weather the storms.

When a shocking family secret is revealed, twenty-something journalist Cat Coombs finds herself falling into a dark spiral. Wild, glamorous nights out in London and raging hangovers the next day become her norm, leading to a terrible mistake one night while visiting family in America, on the island of Nantucket. It's a mistake for which she can't forgive herself. When she returns home, she confronts the unavoidable reality of her life and knows it's time to grow up. But she doesn't know if she'll ever be able to earn the forgiveness of the people she hurt.

As the years pass, Cat grows into her forties, a struggling single mother, coping with a new-found sobriety and determined to finally make amends. Traveling back to her past, to the family she left behind on Nantucket all those years ago, she may be able to earn their forgiveness, but in doing so she may risk losing the very people she loves the most.

"Gripping and powerful."-Emily Giffin

"The perfect summer read...You'll be hooked." -Kristin Hannah

Ratings and reviews

I just finished Summer Secrets by Jane Green. This book bounces between 1998 and 2014 to tell the story. Catherine “Cat” Coombs has been drinking since she discovered vodka at age fourteen. Her father was nasty, distant (cold), controlling, and a bully. Her mother, Audrey hid from her husband by staying in bed during much of Cat’s adolescence. Alcohol made Cat feel better about herself and life. Fast forward to 1998 and Cat is still drinking every night. Once Cat starts drinking she does not stop. She usually passes out sometime during the night. One morning she wakes up in an apartment with a stranger. Cat is very lucky that Jason is a nice stranger. Jason is a recovering alcoholic. Jason and Cat’s mother convince her to quit drinking. Cat is doing well until she goes to America to meet her biological father, Brooks Mayhew. Cat meets Brooks and his two daughters in Nantucket. Brooks and his younger daughter, Julia drink all the time and Cat joins in. The summer comes to an abrupt halt when Cat wakes up one morning with Julia’s boyfriend naked in her bed. Cat returns home and gets sober for a while. She even gets married and has a daughter. Cat does not stay sober for long. It is a constant battle for her. Cat will have to lose everything she holds dear before she decides to get help. Then comes the ninth step. Amends is the ninth step. Cat will have to go see her long lost sisters in America to make amends. Will Cat be able to get forgiveness for past sins while staying sober? I give Summer Secrets 3 out of 5 stars. I found Summer Secrets very depressing. This book left me feeling sad when I had finished reading it. The basic story was good as well as the writing, but I felt it was something that had been done before. It is not the type of book I would want to read on summer vacation (or if I was feeling down). I received a complimentary copy of Summer Secrets in exchange for an honest review. The review and opinions expressed are my own.

I'm not the type of person to pick up a book but this book kept drawing my attention the more that I read I love books like this and now I'm on the hunt for a new book

Great book! Read it all in one day. Couldn't put it down.

About the author

A former feature writer for the Daily Express in the UK, Jane Green took a leap of faith when she left, in 1996, to freelance and work on a novel. Seven months later, there was a bidding war for her first book, Straight Talking, the saga of a single career girl looking for the right man. The novel was a hit in England, and Green was an overnight success. She's since written many bestselling novels including The Beach House, Second Chance, Jemima J, and Tempting Fate. Most weekends see her cooking for a minimum of twenty people in her home in Westport, Connecticut, where she lives with her husband and their blended family. When she is not writing, cooking, filling her house with friends and looking after their animals, she is usually thanking the Lord for caffeine-filled energy drinks.