Review: A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams

A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams

Expected Publication: May 30, 2013
Format: ARC in exchange for an honest review
Publisher: Putnum
Rating: 5/5

Summary via Goodreads

Memorial Day, 1938: New York socialite Lily Dane has just returned with her family to the idyllic oceanfront community of Seaview, Rhode Island, expecting another placid summer season among the familiar traditions and friendships that sustained her after heartbreak.

That is, until Greenwalds decide to take up residence in Seaview.

Nick and Budgie Greenwald are an unwelcome specter from Lily’s past: her former best friend and her former fiancé, now recently married—an event that set off a wildfire of gossip among the elite of Seaview, who have summered together for generations. Budgie’s arrival to restore her family’s old house puts her once more in the center of the community’s social scene, and she insinuates herself back into Lily's friendship with an overpowering talent for seduction...and an alluring acquaintance from their college days, Yankees pitcher Graham Pendleton. But the ties that bind Lily to Nick are too strong and intricate to ignore, and the two are drawn back into long-buried dreams, despite their uneasy secrets and many emotional obligations.

Under the scorching summer sun, the unexpected truth of Budgie and Nick’s marriage bubbles to the surface, and as a cataclysmic hurricane barrels unseen up the Atlantic and into New England, Lily and Nick must confront an emotional cyclone of their own, which will change their worlds forever.

My Thoughts

Where do I start? I can’t find the right words to describe how I feel about this book. In my opinion, simply put…it’s PERFECTION!

It’s an epic love story that spans the decade. I loved how the chapters alternated between how Nick and Lily meet and what was happening at the moment. You get to know and know these characters and you feel like you’re falling in love with them as they are with each other. It has rich characters, those you root for and those you despise, mainly for me that meanie Budgie. I swear there were times I wanted to jump into the pages and just smack her! For me it’s the true test of the author’s writing when they can make me love or truly hate a character. When they make them feel so real I can’t help but invest in them emotionally. It has drama, betrayal, romance and it keeps you interested and glued to the very end…literally! I won’t spoil anything but my emotions were nearly a wreck by the very last page. UGH!

After a decade of lies the truth all comes to ahead in the awake of a hurricane. You will be surprised, never quite guessing what’s in store. This book is a fine example of why I love to read. It’s one of those rare books that will stay with you way after you turn the final page. It has everything you could want in a story and more. Trust me you won’t be disappointed at all. Do yourself a favor and get it! It’s one of the best books I read...EVER…HANDS DOWN!