"excellent contemporary romance"

Needing to get away from her mom and her third failed fiancé Randall the user, designer Olivia Bellamy agrees to renovate the closed family owned Camp Kioga in Avalon, New York up in the Catskills to celebrate her grandparents' fiftieth anniversary. She hires successful local contractor Davis Contracting and Construction owned by Connor Davis to do much of the labor, but is hurt when "Easy Rider" fails to recognize that Olivia is "Lolly", the girl whose heart he broke a decade ago.

He desires his employer until he realizes who she is. She would not listen to him when he needed her and concludes that is because she is socially above his level, as the local son of a drunk. Olivia knows he failed to show up at their tryst breaking her heart and making her fear commitment though she is no longer the fat girl he rejected. As they share a love-hate summer, neither is willing to open up to the other about how they feel and what they think went down over a decade ago, which means déjà vu as this relationship is doomed to fail again.

The prime reason this is an excellent contemporary romance is that author Susan Wiggs keeps to her prime focus, a second chance at love, throughout the tale, avoiding the trapping of adding phony suspense for instance. The story line effortlessly switches between the present and 1977 so that the audience understands the "hate" side of the relationship between the lead characters as Olivia and Connor are a fine pairing as each interpret what happened their first time as budding teen lovers differently. Readers who appreciate a strong relationship drama will want to spend leisure time at Willow Lake.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted July 25, 2006

Summary

Real estate expert Olivia Bellamy reluctantly trades a trendy Manhattan summer for her family's old resort camp in the Catskills, where her primary task will be renovating the bungalow colongy for her grandparents, who want one last summer together filled with fun, friends and family. A posh resort in its heyday, the camp is now in disarray and Olivia is forced to hire contractor Connor Davis—a still-smoldering flame from her own summers at camp

But as the days grow warm, not even the inviting blue waters of Willow Lake can cool the passions flaring or keep shocking secrets at bay. The nostalgic joy of summers past breathes new promise into a special place and people...a promise meant to last long after the season ends.