Reviewer: Ashley Mackler-Paternostro
Single mom Grace Mason doesn’t believe in miracles, magic, or love at first sight. She likes the quiet life, complete with her eight-year-old son, their tiny house, and her teaching job. For Grace, happiness means that nothing much ever changes in Ocean Springs, Mississippi.
Then, one thousand miles away, tragedy strikes. A massive heart attack leaves Grace’s estranged father comatose in an Upstate New York hospital. While a team of doctors fight to keep Henry Mason alive, Grace and Evan rush to his bedside to say their final goodbyes.
Henry’s passing brings little closure for Grace, but she finds herself inexplicably drawn to her new surroundings. What begins as a short trip results in an entire summer spent with Henry’s second wife, Kathleen, and her next-door neighbor, Ryan Gordon, the town doctor. When a series of unlikely events lead to Evan’s disappearance, Grace must face her worst fears to find her son and bring him back home.
Stardust Summer explores the complexities of forgiveness, what it means to be a family, and the fabulous possibility of falling in love—again.
STARDUST SUMMER begins at the end of one love story and at the start of another.
Grace Mason adores her son, Evan. She’s built her life around him, even her career as a teacher has been carefully selected to ensure she can spend as much time with him as possible in their small hometown of Ocean Springs, Mississippi. She’s happy, content even, but a tragic twist in her otherwise simple life will send Grace (with Evan in tow) to the Finger Lakes region of New York state to face old resentments and maybe find a way to put the past behind her.
Ryan Gordon knows something about loss. His marriage has failed and it’s the sort of devastation he hasn’t come to terms with yet. His position as a small town doctor has left him overworked and now, to share the burden of the tragedy that draws Grace to his town. He never imagined that in the middle of those two blows he’d find a new start…but life is sometimes surprising.
As Grace and Ryan meet, there is something undeniable happening between them, even if Grace is standoffish at first. But once she steps out of her own way in this charming, albeit at times dark, deep, novel…something magical happens, like the ‘stardust over the water in summer.’
Beautifully written, STARDUST SUMMER is a journey of love and loss, redemption and second chances. Clark has created a cast of likable, relatable characters which unfold themselves throughout the pages and ultimately leaves the reader wanting, heck, rooting for them to end up happy. Easily digestible chapters allow the reader to become quickly and fully engrossed in the story and Clark’s prose is, in a word, lovely. Written in the vein of startling romances with simple beginning and epic ends, a la Nicholas Sparks, this book is a must read for Women’s Fiction fans.
TWFR Rating: 4 Stamps…Really good, highly enjoyable!
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Lauren Clark is also hosting a giveaway!
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The Women's Fiction Review 