Wendy Francis

Summertime Guests

Mary Blog Tour, Graydon House Books, Wendy Francis

Summertime Guests by Wendy Francis

Expected publication date:  April 6, 2021 – Graydon House

E-galley courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley

Description:

The Seafarer is the place to see and be seen in the summer…

With its rich history and famous guests, the glamorous Boston hotel is no stranger to drama. But the bustle at the iconic property reaches new heights one weekend in mid-June when someone falls tragically to her death, the event rippling through the lives of four very different people. 

Bride-to-be Riley is at the hotel to plan her wedding. She would have preferred a smaller, more intimate celebration, but her bossy mother-in-law has taken charge and her fiancé hasn’t seemed to notice. Jean-Paul, the hotel’s manager, is struggling to keep his marriage and new family afloat, but now he must devote all his energy to this latest scandal at work. Claire, recently widowed, comes to town to connect with a long-lost love, but has too much changed in the last thirty years?  And then there’s Jason, whose romantic getaway with his girlfriend has not exactly gone the way he’d hoped and instead has him facing questions he can’t bring himself to answer.

Over three sun-drenched days, as the truth about the woman who died—and the secret she was hiding—is uncovered, these four strangers become linked in the most unexpected of ways. Together, they just might find the strength they need to turn their own lives around. (publisher)

My take:  Summertime Guests starts out with an unexpected surprise for guests dining at The Seafarer, a posh Boston hotel where people go to be seen. The unexpected event affects our characters in ways that are, well, unexpected. We have Riley, a bride-to-be whose fiancé’s mother has decided to help the young couple plan their wedding. Mother-in-law Claire also has another reason to be in town. Then there’s a couple who are trying to overcome a serious issue. Speaking of serious issues, the wife of the busy new hotel manager seems to be experiencing one herself. There’s a lot going on in this novel, perhaps a bit too much for my taste. But, if you enjoy a mystery and emotional upheaval in your light summertime reading, plus a bit of a back-and-forth timeline, you might want to give Summertime Guests a try.

About the author:

wendy-francis-author-photo

Wendy Francis is a former book editor and the author of the novels The Summer Sail, The Summer of Good Intentions, Three Good Things, and Best Behavior. Her essays have appeared in Good Housekeeping, The Washington Post, Yahoo Parenting, The Huffington Post, and WBUR’s Cognoscenti. A proud stepmom of two grown-up children, she lives outside Boston with her husband and eleven-year-old son.

Join Wendy at her launch event at An Unlikely Story @ April 6th 8 p ET, in conversation with Kristy Woodson Harvey

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The Summer Sail by Wendy Francis

Mary Contemporary Fiction, NetGalley, Touchstone, Wendy Francis

By Wendy Francis

May 1, 2018 * Touchstone * Trade Paperback Original * $16.00 * 978-1- 5011-8891- 6

Review galley from Touchstone and NetGalley

Description:  After not seeing her friends for a year, Abby decides to invite Caroline, Lee, and their families aboard the Bermuda Breeze cruise ship. As the ship pulls away from the pier, everyone is looking forward to a week of lounging by the pool, sipping sunset cocktails, and reminiscing together. But soon enough, they realize their adult problems won’t just disappear at the beach or during cocktail hour.

Hard-working Caroline anticipates several crucial days with her boyfriend, Javier, who she may leave if he doesn’t propose on this trip. Single mom Lee desperately wants to win back the affections of her formerly sweet daughter Lacey, who after her first year in college, has returned home a much more difficult person who is harboring a secret. Abby, the mother hen of the group, will renew her vows with her husband, Sam. But the couple is hiding a major problem from everyone else, including their twin sons, Chris and Ryan.

THE SUMMER SAIL is a vacation they won’t soon forget, but not for the reasons they expect. (publisher)

My take:  In her new novel Wendy Francis tells the story of three “forever friends”. They bonded twenty years earlier when they met in college. Now, as one is set to renew her marriage vows, they are at much different places in life. One is a successful magazine writer, one is a pre-school teacher with a empty nest at home, and one has just been given life-changing news. They’ll find out if they can still share their secrets, disappointments and joy on an eight-day cruise to Bermuda. It’s a tale of friendship, loyalty and life. Told in a breezy, enjoyable style I found it a very fast read that had me reminiscing about my own forever friends. I’d love to cruise to Bermuda with them and was glad to be along for the trip with Abby, Lee and Caroline.

About the author:

Wendy Francis is the author of the novels The Summer Sail, The Summer of Good Intentions, and Three Good Things. A former book editor, she has written for Good Housekeeping, The Washington Post, The Improper Bostonian, and Cognoscenti. She lives outside Boston with her husband and son.

 

Photo credit:  Claudia Starkey

Praise for THE SUMMER SAIL:

“Every reader longs for the kind of female friendships Francis has created in The Summer Sail… Hope and heart fill these fast-turning pages.” —Lynda Cohen Loigman, author of The Two-Family House

 

“What could be more fun than a summer cruise with old friends, along with all their hopes, fears, and extra pounds, not to mention husbands, children, and the one who can’t commit—yet.  A thoroughly entertaining summer read!”

—Shelley Noble, author of The Beach at Painter’s Cove

 

Three Good Things by Wendy Francis

Mary Contemporary Fiction, Edelweiss, Simon & Schuster, Wendy Francis

three good things

  • Title:  Three Good Things
  • Author:  Wendy Francis
  • Genre:  Contemporary Fiction
  • Published:  January 2013 – Simon & Schuster – 256 pages
  • Source:  Review copy from the publisher via Edelweiss

Synopsis (publisher): Ellen McClarety, a recent divorcée, has opened a new bake shop in her small Midwestern town, hoping to turn her life around by dedicating herself to the traditional Danish pastry called kringle. She is no longer saddled by her ne’er-do-well husband, but the past still haunts her—sometimes by showing up on her doorstep. Her younger sister, Lanie, is a successful divorce attorney with a baby at home. But Lanie is beginning to feel that her perfect life is not as perfect as it seems. Both women long for the guidance of their mother, who died years ago but left them with lasting memories of her love and a wonderful piece of advice: “At the end of every day, you can always think of three good things that happened.”

Ellen and Lanie are as close as two sisters can be, until one begins keeping a secret that could forever change both their lives. Wearing her big Midwestern heart proudly on her sleeve, Wendy Francis skillfully illuminates the emotional lives of two women with humor and compassion, weaving a story destined to be shared with a friend, a mother, or a sister.

My take:  I found Three Good Things to be a quiet novel about finding out and remembering what’s most important in life.

I think many readers will be able to relate to Ellen and Lanie and their circumstances but, that said, I wish each sister would have been even more fleshed out. At 256 pages it seemed there was room to do so.

There’s a little drama toward the end of the book that wrapped up a bit too conveniently but I still enjoyed the book. I liked the Midwest setting and I’m now craving some of Ellen’s kringle. There’s even a recipe at the end of the novel.