Summer rental

In this tailor-made beach read, three longtime friends escape for a month-long vacation in North Carolina's Outer Banks. The break comes at just the right time for each woman. Ellis has just been laid off, and she hasn't been with a man since her disastrous, short-lived marriage years ago. Julia's modeling career is coming to a close, but she's not sure if she's ready to settle down to marriage and children with her longtime boyfriend. Dorie's husband left her just as she found out that she's pregnant. In their ramshackle rented beach house, Ebbtide, the women share laughs, tears, plans, and setbacks. They cheer Ellis on as she starts a fling with Ebbtide's handsome, surly owner, and plot how to save Ebbtide from foreclosure. Andrews, author of The Fixer Upper (2010), writes another charmer with a picturesque southern setting and winsome female characters. Copyright 2011 Booklist Reviews.

Andrews (The Fixer-Upper) is at her warm and funny best with this story of three girlfriends who rent a beach cottage on North Carolina's Outer Banks. A month of fun, frolicking, romance, and self-discovery ensues, while the arrival of a fourth roommate ratchets up the drama. Andrews simply excels at creating the kind of characters readers can relate to, and she has a fabulous sense of humor to boot. For all women's fiction fans, especially those who enjoy ensemble fiction. [National tour; see Prepub Alert, 12/20/10.] [Page 78]. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Andrews (Savannah Blues) spins a beach blanket sizzler around three lifelong friends who grew up together in Savannah—unemployed banker Ellis, model Julia, teacher Dorie—and reunite in Nags Head, N.C., for a month-long holiday at a rundown rental elegantly named the Ebbtide. But when the 30-somethings BFFs, each of whom is struggling with life-changing crises, take in Maryn, a stranger and runaway-wife, the beachy holiday takes on a dangerous edge. To the rescue comes handsome landlord Ty, who's renting out his ramshackle family home in hopes of staving off foreclosure. Amid all the romantic entanglements—Julia with her marriage-phobia, love-shy Ellis, and Dorie with her truckload of drama—Andrews pulls off an exciting tale of Maryn's abusive embezzler husband. This warm weather treat has a lot going for it, not least the sunny forecast that summer love can blossom into a four-season commitment. (June) [Page ]. Copyright 2010 PWxyz LLC

Ellis questions everything she believed after losing an all-consuming job, while Julia struggles with insecurities that threaten a loving relationship and Dorie confronts a maelstrom of problems after a shocking betrayal.