Cam’s breath caught. Her mother used to say that same thing. She could practically hear her mother’s voice: Life presents you with important choices. You can lash out, become bitter. Or draw closer to God, become better.”
Suzanne Woods Fisher steps away from her usual Amish and historic fiction genres with a contemporary romance, with a smidgen of suspense, in “On a Summer Tide.”
Former sports broadcaster Paul Grayson is following the dream he and his late wife had — to purchase the summer camp they worked at as young adults. Located on a small island off the coast of Maine, purchasing Camp Kicking Moose allows Paul to own 51 percent of the island, which he renames Three Sisters Island, the actual translation of its original Native American name.
The ironic thing to the island’s given name? Paul has three daughters — Cam, a focused, driven, competitive businesswoman with a 7-year-old adopted son, Cooper, who has several quirks of his own; Maddie, a champion worrier who lets fear and anxiety rule while she attempts to become a counselor; and 19-year-old Blaine, easily influenced and who can’t decide on a collegiate path for the life of her.
As the family attempts to fix up the camp, they face all sorts of trials — from Pepto pink paint to a vomiting stray cat and unreliable island workers, as well as an island full of people looking for Paul to fix their problems, like where are the missing lobsters, and who’s going to fill Main Street’s potholes.
“On a Summer Tide” is a sweet, funny, quirky story filled with inspirational moments, tales of growth and maturity, moments of suspense and intrigue, and lots of life lessons. As each of the sisters learn to grow beyond their own faults and insecurities (like Cam’s laser focus that can exclude those you care most about, Maddie’s overprotectiveness, and Blaine’s inability to move past the death of their mother), readers will grow along with them in their own journeys of life.
Besides the absolutely lovable Grayson family, the author fills this novel with great supporting characters — the hunky schoolteacher Seth Walker; wise but not-so-good in the kitchen Peg Legg, the hilarious owner of the island’s Lunch Counter and General Store; a bird named Lola; and the dubious Phinney family, with the father as the island’s designated “mayor” and his ne’er-do-well sons. And the island itself plays an integral role in the feel of the novel.
This story helps remind us of so many lessons — overcoming grief; dreams are contagious; the decisions we make can expose our true character (“Mom always told us that life would surprise us with important choices, and our true character would emerge in how we responded”); the impact of living on the treadmill of worry; sometimes we need to “pray more, say less”; we can choose to remain bitter in life, or grow closer to God; don’t miss the short-term while focusing on the long-term; we are never alone and there is always a bigger picture going on; the importance of having a “straightforward heart”; and the necessity to relinquish control at times.
On a larger spiritual realm, this book pushes us to question whether prayer can make a difference, and whether we trust that God will work in our lives. It reminds us of Romans 8:28, and that God does have a purpose for each of us.
As a discussion between Seth and Cam reveals:
“ ‘Yup. There’s a big picture going on, behind the scenes.’
‘Like a giant in the sky, holding marionette strings?’
Seth laughed. ‘Not quite. More like … a God who’s paying attention. Working all things for good for those who love him. All things. Even the hard things. Even if it doesn’t feel that way sometimes.’ ”
“On a Summer Tide” will make you laugh, cry, smile with abandon, and just might melt your heart. I cannot wait for the next installment in the series. The end of this book doesn’t indicate when Book #2 will be out, but I’ll be watching for it!
Five stars out of five.
Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, provided this complimentary copy for my honest, unbiased review.
“On a Summer Tide” (Three Sisters Island series, #1) by Suzanne Woods Fisher