Summer on the Island

Three friends embark on an island retreat for a break from their stressful lives in this beautiful tale of friendship, loss, and love from Novak (The Bookstore on the Beach). Divorce attorney Marlow Madsen, whose father just died and whose mother, Eileen, has MS, invites her friends Claire and Aida to escape their troubles with a summer at her family’s beach house—but their peace is short-lived. Marlow embarks on a romance with Walker, the oldest son of the beach house’s longtime housekeeper, and Eileen’s closest confidant, Rosemary. But the reading of her father’s will reveals that Marlow and Walker share a half brother, jeopardizing their relationship and Rosemary’s friendship with Eileen. Meanwhile, newly divorced Aida struggles to adjust to the loss of both her marriage and the privileged lifestyle that went with it, while Claire, who was Aida’s husband’s unwitting mistress before the pair became friends, struggles to let the affair go. Boundaries are tested, secrets unearthed, and hearts broken. Novak doesn’t shy away from the messiness of her characters’ emotions, making for a powerful story of forgiveness, acceptance, and redemption. The realistically flawed characters, believable drama, and scenic setting make this unputdownable. Agent: Annelise Robey, Jane Rotrosen Agency. (Apr.)