Butternut Summer

September 1, 2014

Pearl's Cafe in downtown Butternut, MN, has been owned and operated by Caroline's family for generations. By now she knows just what to expect from the summer tourist season, but from the start it's clear that this summer will be different. To begin with, her ex-husband Jack, who left Caroline and their daughter Daisy years ago, has returned to town. And he soon makes it clear that he has changed his carousing ways and is determined to win Caroline back. Then Daisy, who has always been a good girl, takes up with a local bad boy who reminds Caroline a little too much of a young Jack. To make matters worse, Caroline can't ignore any longer that Pearl's is in serious financial trouble. As Caroline finds herself on shaky ground, both professionally and personally, help may come to her from a most unexpected source. VERDICT This second book in the "Butternut Lake" trilogy, following Up at Butternut Lake, can also be read as a stand-alone and will appeal to fans of small-town contemporary romances such as those by Susan Wiggs and Debbie Macomber.--Karen Core, Detroit P.L.

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2014
Scenic Butternut Lake, Wisconsin, is the setting for this emotional story of people finding love in unexpected places. College student Daisy Keegan is spending the summer waitressing at her mother Caroline's cafe and getting to know her father, Jack, who left when she was a toddler and has recently moved back to town. Caroline is not happy about Jack's return, but she has other things on her mind, including an outstanding loan payment that threatens to take her business. Daisy has found herself in an unexpected romance with Will, a local mechanic known for his bad-boy ways. Daisy falls deeply in love, and the two become inseparable, while Caroline is dealing with mounting financial pressures and the ever-present shadow of Jack and his irresistible charm. In the highly anticipated second novel of the Butternut Lake Trilogy, McNear once again draws readers deeply into the lives of her characters. Butternut Summer is a thoughtful examination of the pleasure and pain of love and the strength of the family bond and will leave fans eagerly awaiting the triptych's final installment.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)