The Summer Getaway: A feel good holiday read

Name: The Summer Getaway: A feel good holiday read
Rating: 2.6666667461395264 (3 reviews)

Tilly Tennant

Jul 2018 · Bookouture

2.7

3 reviews

Ebook

350

Pages

Eligible

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About this ebook

Ashley Moon is all set for a dream holiday with her daughter in the glittering French Riviera. But nothing can prepare her for the shock of discovering who’s staying in the villa next door…

Ashley got much more than a suntan on her first ever foreign holiday; one whirlwind romance and nine months later she had a daughter, Molly.

Too heartbroken and proud to ever contact the father, Ashley made a decision to go it alone and raise her daughter herself. Fifteen hard and lonely years later, she finally has the chance to take Molly on her first ever holiday; a gorgeous, all-expenses-paid trip to the charming French resort of St. Raphael.

It is the perfect setting for a week of quality time together; they plan to cycle through the sun-drenched vineyards, lounge by the glistening pool and practise their French on friendly locals. And just when Ashley thought things couldn’t get any better, comes the news of a handsome new occupant in the villa next door.

But fate has other plans for Ashley. One look into her neighbour’s dark hazel eyes is all it takes to give her the shock of her life. Standing in front of her is Haydon, Molly’s long-lost father and the holiday fling she thought she’d never see again.

As the temperature on the Cote D’Azure steadily rises and Ashley and Haydon begin to spend more and more time together, will Ashley find the courage to tell him who she is – and more importantly, who Molly is?

A wonderfully heart-warming story of first love and second chances for fans of Jenny Oliver and Lucy Diamond.

What readers are saying about The Summer Getaway:

‘I just want to say how fantastic this book is… If you’ve not read any books by this author, why the heck not?! Do it now… you won’t regret it! I just love love loved it.’ StefLoz Book Reviews, 5 stars

'A real joy of a story... it had me on the edge of my seat all the way through.' Fabulous Book Fiend

'Totally hooked from the first page and so heartwarming and romantic – an absolutely brilliant read that you just can't put down.' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘In the past, I have been blown away by anything that Tilly Tennant writes; she has a magical way of creating a beautiful book that is full of loveable and realistic characters and scenarios… The book itself was well-written, and descriptions of Southern France were gorgeous... I stayed up until 4 am to finish the novel in one sitting.’ Goodreads Reviewer

'Full of happiness and fun... you won't want to put this down.' Being Unique Books

'Loved this... perfect for a summer weekend.' Goodreads Reviewer

‘I have always loved Tilly's books and this one is her best by far totally hooked from the first page and so heartwarming and romantic and absolutely brilliant read with beautiful countryside and you think you are there in the French Rivera. Great characters and the story plot is amazing and an easy read that you just can't put down. … A fantastic read from the first page worth far more than five stars.’ Goodreads Reviewer

‘If you are looking for the ideal holiday story or even just to sit back and relax with then I have to recommend The Summer Getaway …If you are in need of a pick me up then The Summer Getaway will be ideal there is a lovely relaxed but heart-warming feeling to it that will guarantee the reader will be left smiling. At its heart this story is about family and how complicated life can be along with showing a sweet and beautiful romance! Charmed from start to finish, a perfect summer story!’ Rae Reads

Ratings and reviews

2.7

3 reviews

Gaele Hi

August 14, 2018

Ashley and her daughter Molly have had an us against the world mentality since Molly was born. While Ashley’s mother and stepfather are close by, Ashley has made it a point of pride to do all she can to provide for her daughter, especially since Molly doesn’t know her father, and Ashley had no way to reach him after an ill-advised romp in Ibiza, a dodgy phone number and more action than conversation meant they never reconnected. But, Maurice’s great Aunt Violet is turning 100 years of age, and the whole family is gathering for a week of celebration, sunshine and bonhomie. Since Ashley’s mother and stepfather are going, and the weather in York is perfectly grey without a hint of sunshine, and Ashley can get the time off from her work at the care home, it is decided that she and Molly will go to France with her mother and stepfather for a week. Haydon and his daughter Ella are off for a solid week of Daddy-Daughter time in the south of France, at a house let that one of his cello student’s father lets to tourists: an unexpected cancellation means that Haydon gets some unexpected and concentrated time with Ella, time that he may not have much of considering she’s getting older, and her mother and step-father are planning to move to London, hours from his home. They’re just soaking up the scenery, eating the food and having fun in the market when he spots someone who looks familiar. But, she has a girl with her, one that looks to be close to Ella’s age, and really, she moved to quickly to be sure. But coincidence and a bored teen means that Ella and Haydon are face to face with Molly and Ashley, with the added bonus of a very Parisian teenaged boy down for the party – the kids have plenty of distraction. Which only leaves Ashley with a conundrum. She likes the Haydon she’s coming to know, but what if this is merely the “charming” man and not the real man who left her with a dodgy telephone number and a baby on the way. Oh – and we can’t forget that he doesn’t know about Molly, or she about him, or Ella about any of it. Tilly Tennant took us through their reunion, one that was near it’s end before truth was shared. Ashley was more than a bit difficult and judgy, her mother was far too pushy, and Haydon was, more often than not, a bubbling mass of insecurities where women were concerned. What made up for the whole ‘unsettled” vibe from him was his honest intention to do the right thing and consider everyone else. I’m not a fan of ‘secret baby’ tropes at all, and while the ‘reveal’ to Haydon kept delaying, it was obviously on a collision course to coming out in the worst possible way, at the worst time. And it did. Spectacularly. But, not shying from the shock, difficulty or time needed to process all of this information, Tennant allows those ugly and often understandably unreasonable moments to unravel, all helping to heal and provide new territory and options for this newly found relationship to grow and build. While perhaps not my favorite of her books, mostly due to the ‘you know this will happen’ set up, the characters and the situations felt real and plausible, even if I wanted to alternate strangling Ashley, her mother, or Haydon frequently. I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Alison Robinson

July 11, 2018

DNF at 74%. I tried really hard to finish this book but frankly I found all of the characters to be unsympathetic, verging on dis-likeable. Sixteen years ago Ashley Moon went on a summer holiday to Ibiza she would never forget, a one-night stand with a boy called Haydon (no surname) left her pregnant with a bogus phone number. For the first time in forever she and her daughter Molly are going abroad on holiday - to France to celebrate Ashley's step-father's mother's 100th birthday (I hope that made sense). Haydon is a music teacher and divorced with a fourteen year old daughter called Ella. His ex-wife and her new boyfriend are thinking of moving down to London and taking Ella with them so Haydon decides to take advantage of a late offer from a pupil's father and rent a villa in France for a week's holiday with Ella. Imagine Haydon and Ashley's surprise when they discover that after sixteen years of no contact they are staying next door to each other in France. So, here I am, 74% of the way through the book, six days into Ashley's holiday and she STILL hasn't told Haydon that Molly is his daughter. Nevertheless the four of them, plus various wider family members, have managed to spend several days together. Ashley has to be one of the most infuriating characters I have ever read. She hasn't seen this guy in sixteen years. They had a one-night stand. She gets jealous if she sees him with another woman. She thinks she can't trust him. So she won't tell him he has a daughter. Her own mother can't understand what is taking so long. Haydon on the other hand is one of those parents who thinks that others need to tip-toe around their precious baby. His daughter gets upset and he thinks it's the fault of the other children instead of the natural outcome when there are two fifteen year olds and a younger child. Goodness only knows why he likes Ashley, she's wetter than a cold weekend in Seattle. The book was too slow, do we really need 245 pages of Ashley faffing about before she tells Haydon he has another daughter? I suppose realistically I wanted the novel to be about what happens AFTER she breaks the news not this will-she, won't-she wobbling. Maybe I'm too old, I identify more with Ashley's exasperated mother than I do with her? It's a pity because I've read Tilly Tennant books in the past and really enjoyed them. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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