Barefoot Summer by Denise Hunter

Barefoot Summer
By Denise Hunter
Reviewed by Martha Artyomenko

Book Description

Madison’s heart has been closed for years. But one summer can change everything.
In the years since her twin brother’s drowning, Madison McKinley has struggled to put it behind her. Despite the support of her close-knit family and her gratifying job as a veterinarian in their riverside town, the loss still haunts her.
To find closure, Madison sets out to fulfill her brother’s dream of winning the town’s annual regatta. But first she has to learn to sail, and fast.
Beckett O’Reilly knows Madison is out of his league, but someone neglected to tell his heart. Now she needs his help—and he’ll give it, because he owes her far more than she’ll ever know.
Madison will do anything—even work with the infamous Beckett O’Reilly—to reach her goal. And as much as she’d like to deny it, the chemistry between them is electrifying. As summer wanes, her feelings for him grow and a fledgling faith takes root in her heart.
But Beckett harbors a secret that will test the limits of their new love. Can their romance survive summer’s challenges? And will achieving her brother’s dream give Madison the peace she desperately seeks?
My Review:
Madison and Beckett both have secrets. Secret fears, guilt and nightmares that stem from similar events. This book is a tangle of guilt, fear and unforgiveness. As the tale weaves through, you see relief from many of it’s entanglements. Some of the issues are never quite resolved. It is difficult to figure out why Jade abandoned her family in the way she did. Also, the secrets their parents kept never made sense.
I am not a fan of secrets, so while this book was well written and has a good storyline, it irritated me that a family could avoid simple communication with one another and end up causing long term issues.
But, it is fiction! This book made me interested and kept me interested enough so that I kept coming back to it, even though it took me longer to finish! In the end, they were able to overcome their fears, and release them.
Martha
I received this book for review from Book Sneeze. The opinions contained therein are my own.