One Day In Summer by Shari Low

ABOUT THE BOOK

Coming soon from #1 bestseller Shari Low, an emotional roller-coaster, that keeps you guessing…One day in summer, three lives are about to change forever.

After two decades of looking after others, this is the day that Agnetha McMaster is reclaiming her life. It’s her turn, her time but will she have the courage to start again?

Ten years ago, Mitchell McMaster divorced Agnetha and married her best friend, Celeste. Now he suspects his second wife is having an affair. This is the day he’ll discover if karma has come back to bite him.

Thanks to a DNA test, this is the day that Hope McTeer will finally meet her biological father. But will the reunion bring Hope the answers that she’s looking for?

Three people. Twenty-four hours. A lifetime of secrets to unravel.

MY REVIEW

I can’t believe how much this book affected me. I was filled with dread with each turn of the page piecing everything together and coming up with a trainwreck of a story.

Agnetha McMaster is a divorcee, a mother, a friend, a business owner, and a loving human being. However, she has had her share of heartache. Losing her father, having her husband, Mitchell, leave her for her best friend, Celeste, and then losing her mother. But being the kind and respectable woman she is, she picks herself up and sets aside her anger and makes sure her twin girls are raised in a fairly normal life sharing custody with their dad. And now that her daughters are grown and her parents are gone, she is ready for a change which, to her surprise, happens to fall on her 45th birthday. Let’s just say life happens when you least expect it.

Hope McTeer is adopted and looking for her biological parents. What she finds places her in a tangle of love, secrets, and betrayal that eventually lead her to Agnetha McMaster’s birthday party and a revelation that her life will never be the same again.

Mitchell McMaster is Agnetha’s ex-husband who left her for Celeste, Agnetha’s ex-best friend. When he suspects his wife is keeping secrets from him, his world comes crashing down and he realizes all the heartache he has caused his family. I don’t condone what he did to Agnetha, but his sincere regret and remorse are believable.

Aaron Ward fell hopelessly in love with her 20+ years ago and unfortunate circumstances tore them apart. Now his life has brought a wonderful surprise into his life that brings him full circle to the woman he lost so long ago.

All of Ms. Low’s characters are wonderfully crafted. I fell in love with Agnetha who is in no uncertain terms a class act and a freaking saint. Her life is so heartbreaking and her calm reserve under the worst of situations is to be commended. She deserves happiness and peace and the way her story is unfolded is so worth the anger and frustration I felt when it came to reading about all of the obstacles in her life. Hope is another character who grabbed my heart with her search for her biological parents and the important and very personal request she poses to them. Other supporting characters such as Agnetha’s independent and outspoken twin daughters, Isla and Skye, and Hope’s hilarious adoptive sister Maisie are such a delight as well as Agnetha’s friends from the bereavement group. As for the men in this story, their bad choices are heinous, but they seem truly remorseful and need to work hard to make things right. And then there is Celeste, Agnetha’s selfish and vile ex-friend, karma is a bitch!

I had such a visceral reaction to this book. I was literally picking up and putting down this book every few chapters just to take a breath so I wouldn’t throw my book across the room. I don’t think I have ever despised a character so much in my life, and I don’t think I have ever respected a character so much in my life.

Overall, this is one of my favorite books of 2020. It’s a story of secrets and betrayal and love and hope. It’s about regrets and most importantly a testimony to a love that spans all time. If you like a story that will make you laugh, cry, hope, swear and just root for the heroine, give this book a try. It’s a book you will not forget. Recommend highly!

Thank you to Ms. Low for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Shari Low is the #1 bestselling author of over 20 novels, including One Day In Winter and My One Month Marriage and a collection of parenthood memories called Because Mummy Said So. She lives near Glasgow.