An Invincible Summer by Mariah Stewart (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"It was a lifetime ago that recently widowed Maggie Flynn was in Wyndham Beach. Now, on the occasion of her fortieth high school reunion, she returns to her hometown on the Massachusetts coast, picking up right where she left off with dear friends Lydia and Emma. But seeing Brett Crawford again stirs other emotions. Once, they were the town’s golden couple destined for one another. He shared Maggie’s dreams—and eventually, a shattering secret that drove them apart.

Buying her old family home and resettling in Wyndham Beach means a chance to start over for Maggie and her two daughters, but it also means facing her rekindled feelings for her first love and finally confronting—and embracing—the past in ways she never thought possible. Maggie won’t be alone. With her family and friends around her, she can weather this stormy turning point in her life and open her heart to the future. As for that dream shared and lost years ago? If Maggie can forgive herself, it still might come true."

My Thoughts:

This book was such an enjoyable read for me!  I was in the mood for a change of pace from the darker books that I had been reading and this fit my reading mood perfectly.  One of the things that really made this book stand out for me is that it featured an older protagonist.  As a women in her late thirties, please let me tell you how refreshing it is to find a book with a main character that is older and in a different stage of her life than you usually find in books.  Like yes please!  We need more books with characters that are in their fifties or sixties for instance, and starting a new phase of their life.  It's just not done that often - I didn't know that I wanted it until this book - and now I want more!  Because there is plenty of life after thirty despite what some people might think or act like.  Why shouldn't we be reading about those stories as well?  I'm going off on a bit of a tangent but I just loved that part of this book and want to see it in more books.  I also loved that even though this book was Maggie's story - it was also the story of Maggie's daughters and Maggie's two closest friends.  There is a lot to this book and some of it is a bit on the darker side which I didn't expect.  Please make sure you check the content warnings that I'll share at the end to make sure that you are prepared going in.  But I really loved these characters and this story.  The characters just felt real and flawed in the best of ways.  I found myself caring about each of the characters which has me really excited that this book is just the beginning to a series.  I will definitely be continuing on as I want to see what happens with some of these other characters.  I just want more if I'm being honest!

Read this book if you are a fan of women's fiction, contemporary fiction, or are looking for a great summer read.  This is a book that looks at grief and also just life in general.  It stood out for me because it isn't focused on your typical characters that are just starting their life.  Instead it looks at friendship, motherhood, and just being a woman in general but all from an older more experienced viewpoint.  It's a book that I breezed through (although that seems a bit wrong to say considering there is some darker subject matter included within) but I couldn't put it down.  The author really brought these characters to life for me.  And because she did I enjoyed this book immensely.  I'm really looking forward to reading more in this series in the future.  Highly recommended!

Bottom Line:  A book with characters that I want to read more of!  I definitely will be continuing on with this series!

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher as part of a TLC book tour.  Honest thoughts are my own.

CW: Death of a loved one, divorce, suicide, drug use, cheating, loss, grief, adoption, secrets