AUTHOR: Melody Carlson
DATE: 2016
PUBLISHER: Revell
STARS: ***
Though it means giving up the chef's job at her uncle's small town Italian restaurant in Washington, Tia D'Amico is thrilled to move to San Francisco to help her aunt with a new business venture: transforming an old luxury yacht into an upscale floating restaurant. The icing on the cake is that Leo Parker, Tia's crush from a long-ago sailing camp, has been hired as the yacht's captain. The only problem is that he's engaged to someone else.
Tia hides her feelings and rolls up her sleeves as she sets out to make her aunt's dream a reality. But as the tide turns on Leo's relationship, does Tia dare hope he might set a course for her heart?
The cover of All Summer Long captured my interest, as did the author’s name. Melody Carlson is a well-known author, and I expected a real treat in this story. Hmm…how do I say this? It wasn’t what I expected.
While All Summer Long is a sweet story, suitable for teens and even younger, I could not identify with any of the characters. Tia and Leo seemed awfully immature at ages 26 and 28. I wanted to shake Leo and his fiancé, Natalie, while Tia spent too much time wishing she could hate Natalie. But she was just so nice…
So while I cannot recommend this story for adults who prefer depth to their reading, it is suitable for tweens and teens. As such, All Summer Long earns three stars.
Disclaimer: I was given a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.