Kristy Woodson Harvey writes Southern women's fiction set in small towns will of quirky characters. Working to save the camp where they spent their childhood summers, became friends, and developed independence, four women wrestle with their present-day problems. Daphne found happiness away from her neglectful mother at the camp run by her Aunt June. Now a successful business attorney, she struggles to be a single mother, interacting with her son's father, her commitment issues, and maintaining client confidentiality when it involves her best friend Lanier's fiancee. She also is faced with the return of her first love, who happens to be Lanier's brother and the decision on whether to rekindle that relationship regardless of how others feel.
Lanier is on the brink of marrying but continues to think about her first love from camp with a fellow counselor, Rich. Rich happens to manage the boy's camp next door and is conveniently (or inconveniently) present which stirs up unresolved issues from their past relationship.
These best friends, including the newly married Mary Stuart, help one another by doing the others' hard things weekly that arise in their lives. As the multiple storylines unfold, past relationships are resurrected and secrets involving breakups are revealed. Kristy Woodson Harvey creates intriguing characters with complex emotions and connections set in a charming location. THE SUMMER OF SONGBIRDS is an enjoyable read as these characters all unpack their baggage to find happiness in love and life, and hopefully keep their friendships intact.
Four women come together to save the summer camp that changed their lives and rediscover themselves in the process in this heartwarming new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Wedding Veil.
Nearly thirty years ago, in the wake of a personal tragedy, June Moore bought Camp Holly Springs and turned it into a thriving summer haven for girls. But now, June is in danger of losing the place she has sacrificed everything for—and begins to realize how much she has used the camp to avoid facing difficulties in her life.
June’s niece, Daphne, met her two best friends, Lanier Bradley and Mary Stuart Harris, during a fateful summer at camp, and the three are inseparable even in their thirties. But when attorney Daphne discovers that Lanier’s fiancé—who just so happens to be her client—has done something highly illegal, she must choose between her job and her friendship.
Meanwhile, Lanier is hiding secrets both new and old that might make Daphne see the situation in an entirely different light. When one of those secrets unexpectedly rises to the surface, it threatens to change the very fabric of their friendship.
But when the women learn that their childhood oasis is in danger of closing, they put aside their own problems and band together with June to save it, sending them on a journey that promises to open the next chapters in their lives.
From an author whose “writing coats your soul with heart” (E! Online), The Summer of Songbirds is a lyrical and unforgettable celebration of female friendship, and a love letter to the places and people that make us who we are.
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