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Jul 06, 2008

Francine rated it:

If you could go back in time - would you? While this book is a serious summer/ice tea read, it stayed with me longer than I expected. If you could go back in time - for three weeks - change one thing - one day, one conversations, would you? When/where/what would it be. Would you be willing to risk what you have now to do so? Or maybe because of what you have now you would? Which prompts my own question - if you could change one thing -- the first credit card you ever got, the first diet y More...

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Sep 18, 2008

Jeanne rated it:

This book was a lot better than I expected it. I read it when I was at an isolated hotel in Costa Rica in the offseason for my honeymoon.....and I didn't bring enough books from home and finished mine and there wasn't a bookstore within a 2 days trip. So out of desperation I borrowed this book from the "Share a book" at the hotel.

But it was about 3 women who met when they were 19 and then went seperate ways and all had seperate crappy lives.....and they meet this lady w More...

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Aug 23, 2011

Alyce (At Home With Books) rated it:

The Summerhouse is a delightful and thought-provoking story where do-overs are allowed and alternate realities are possible. There’s even a bit of time travel involved in the story, which is always a big draw for me. The idea of being able to change the past is not a new one, but this book has an added twist to that idea – the ladies had to choose which few weeks they would go back and change in their lives. Which three weeks are the most important in regards to the path your life has taken? More...

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Aug 15, 2011

Katie rated it:

The title seemed fitting to take on as a vacation read, and so this was number two in my bag that was toted along on our trip north this year, tucked away to be read under the summer sunshine.

The Summerhouse is a light read about second chances. What would you do differently if you could have a "re-do" on the most pivotal time in your life? Could you choose a particular two weeks where your life could be altered for the better by a few different steps? And even if you coul More...

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May 30, 2011

Desert Rose rated it:

Have you even wanted to rewrite your past?

Three women on their 21st birthday meet for a very brief day full of hopes and dreams. Starting careers in New York!

Then after 19 years they arrange to meet for their 40th birthday. Each of them encountered different events that changed the courses of their lives.

They are then given a chance to alter their lives and to choose a different future. So what would they choose to change and how would that change alter their More...

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Aug 02, 2010

John rated it:

Three women who met on their shared 21st birthday while waiting forever at the DMV to pick up their new driving licences decide to get together for a weekend in the wilds of Maine to celebrate their 40th. Would-be supermodel Madison is now a gaunt and wretched woman, having sacrificed her life to an abusive, crippled husband who threw her over as soon as he regained his facilities; she rues her decision, long ago, not to ditch him in favour of moody genius physician Thomas. Would-be ballet More...

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Mar 23, 2011

Shyla rated it:

First, let me say that I read this book in three days. Unless I really really like a book I never read them that quickly. So....I gotta say I really enjoyed it and really I did! A friend gave it to me saying she really liked it and thought i would too. I had this notion that Jude Deveraux just wrote frilly, fluffy modern romance and that I had no real interest. However I had just finshed a book and needed something to read so I dug in. Four hours later I finally was able to put it back down....t More...

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Jul 11, 2010

Rachael rated it:

This is my first Jude Deveraux novel. I was a little hesitant because I'm not normally into romance novels--which Deveraux is known for. But The Summerhouse is not a traditional romance novel. This actually was a charming and relaxing read-- looking into the insights of three young promising women that meet on their shared 21st birthday. Not keeping in touch with each other, their unique bond was not forgotten so they reunite for their 40th birthdays. This is a story of how when they see each More...

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Sep 11, 2010

Heather rated it:

I loved this novel that entertains the question, "If you could go back in time and change something, would you?" It exceeded my expectations, although I'm not sure I really had any.

Three 20-year-old women--young, ambitious, and ready to take on the world--spend a short afternoon together in a New York DMV. Fast forward twenty years to a reunion of the girls, and we learn that each has had an unfortunate chain of events in their lives, leaving them wanting. They visit Mad More...

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Feb 05, 2012

Henna rated it:

<spoiler>
I really liked the book because i LOVE happy endings.
I left the book unfinished when Madison told her story.. it was too depressing the way she was left alone with a bad job, no beauty and no Thomas. I was waiting for her reconciliation with Thomas and next she told her friends that Thomas died. I was so sad i stopped reading the book.
Now after few weeks I started the book again (can't leave them unfinished be it a book or a series ..) and i am so happy that i di More...

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Jan 11, 2011

Beth rated it:

This was a pick of one of my bookclub members. I have a hard time saying anything nice about the book. I was rolling my eyes and groaning at the way the author depicts the three women in the story. Usually I like a supernatural element to a book, but this seemed so cheesy to me.

On a positive note...the book explores the idea: If you could go back in time and make a different choice, would you keep the life you lived or choose the new life after the making a different choice?

I More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Mar 05, 2011

Kaley rated it:

This book was really sweet. Nothing too fancy about it but it was nice to read something light after "Water for Elephants". At first I was a little hesitant about reading this because it was about three women who were just turning 40, and since I'm not even close to that age, I sometimes find it hard to relate to these kinds of characters. However, since my mom recommended it to me I thought I'd give it a fair shot. I am definitely glad I did. The women have a chance to go back and red More...

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Jun 04, 2009

Jennifer rated it:

I liked this book more than I expected, despite the second half of the book which demands the reader suspend reality. Three women meet briefly on the 21st birthday and each has the promise of great talent and promising futures. They reunite on their 40th birthday and find that life has not been kind. None of them has used their talent or lived up to the promising futures they had in their youth. After sharing their stories, they meet a women who allows them to go back in time and relive 3 we More...

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Oct 24, 2009

Carla rated it:

I had read this before, but this time I listened to it on CD. 3 women meet at the DMV on their 21st birthday in New York. Of course, they are beautiful and intelligent. They become friends. Now on their 40th birthday they reunite only to find that none of them went on to being successful in their dreams. They meet a mysterious woman who gives them a chance to go back and change their life and then decide which life they would choose. I wish it could have gone into more depth with some of t More...

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Jun 29, 2009

Donna rated it:

3 women meet on their 21st birthdays. 19 years later, one is a successful author who has gone into months of depression after a vicious divorce in which she ceded all her money to her husband in order to maintain full rights and control of her books. Her therapist has suggested she spends a weekend at the therapist's cottage in a small Maine town. While there, the 3 women are given business card to Madame Zoya. Madame Zoya is not a psychic: she offers a 3 week trip back to the past to change a l More...

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Aug 11, 2009

Melanie rated it:

I completely devoured this book--read it in two days! I love the premise, and the concept of having the option to choose again. Halfway through it, at about 2:30 AM the first night : ) I decided to stop reading so I could be sane the next day. I went to bed SO HAPPY!!! I am grateful for the decisions I've made in my life, and the fact that I've had the gospel to guide me (then and now), and to help me make wise choices at the crossroads of my life. If I did get the chance to go back, it wou More...

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Mar 27, 2010

Patti rated it:

This book is about 3 women who met at the NYC DMV while they were waiting for their new licenses. Their birthdays are the same day. One of them considers this group to be part of a defining moment in her life, so, at her therapist's suggestion, she gathers the 3 of them together in honor of their 40th birthday. While they catch up, they are offered the opportunity to go back in time and revisit 3 weeks, with the choice to change their lives or not.

I read this around the time I tur More...

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Dec 08, 2010

Peggy rated it:

This is the story of three women who are reunited 19 years after they met getting their licenses renewed at the DMV. All three have made sacrifices while marrying, pursuing careers and some having children. They come together at the Summerhouse where they reexamine their lives and have the opportunity to go back and change them if they like. Character development is wonderful. I feel as if I have 3 new friends in Leslie, Ellie and Madison. I am eager to read the next book to find out what will h More...

1 comment like

May 11, 2010

Smita rated it:

Have you ever wished that you could re-write your life? I can hear many Ahs! & If Only’s! Jude Deveraux takes you through a journey that gives you hope, excitement & entertainment.

The Summerhouse is the story of 3 women Leslie, Madison & Ellie who had met 20 years back in New York, the fact that they share their birthdays gives them a reason to bond like old friends. All of them are on the brink of a journey to realise their dreams, they share their stories, dreams & aspirations and More...

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Aug 17, 2008

Anne rated it:

Ok - this is one of those odd books that I enjoyed but also found the story to be rather ridiculous which took some of the enjoyment away. I'll start by saying this is definitely a "chick" book. There were some definite holes in the storyline - 3 women meet while waiting at the DMV office on their 21st birthday and then 19 years later have a reunion weekend. Don't know about you but I don't think I'd look up, much less go away for a weekend with, 2 other women I had spent only a fe More...

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Mar 25, 2008

Karschtl rated it:

I really liked the idea of the story (three female friends get the chance to relive 3 weeks of their past lives - and change their future). Of course it was very loaden with stereotypical women. Only bad things had happened in their lives, they never were lucky. That was maybe a bit too much, but only those women can appreciate the opportunity to go back and change their lives. And of course all changed for the better at the end, I think I'm not spoiling anything in saying that the book has an H More...

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Jul 28, 2011

Mirah rated it:

Ok, my thought while reading this was, "Am I the only person who doesn't have a summerhouse on my property?" Geez, everyone had them in this book...seems they were required for all homeowners. lol. But, I thought the overall theme of the book...second chances and rediscovering self...was a good one. I like stories that let people explore more about themselves and their true happiness. At the same time though, I thought the "supernatural" part of the whole thing was a lit More...

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Aug 06, 2010

Sherrie rated it:

Somewhere along the lines, Jude Deveraux went from romance writer to an author whose books didn't depend on what happened in bed. Summerhouse is a book I can recommend to anyone, including my teenage daughter. It is about three women who get a chance to answer the question, "What would my life had been like if I would have made a different choice at a certain point in my life." LOVED the book. Just writing the review makes me want to go back and read it for the 5th or 6th time.

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Dec 12, 2011

Chris rated it:

I've read a good bit of fluff in my days and this falls squarely into that category. Nothing terrible happens to that they can't change in the blink of an eye. Everything comes out rosy and full of rainbows in the end. I probably sound as if I'm belittling the book but I'm not. This kind of book is actually pretty entertaining and sometimes you don't want to read something in which you have to analyze every word for the deeper meaning. It gets a very middle of the road but fluffy three out of fi More...

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Nov 23, 2011

Nellie rated it:

Three women meet at the DMV and discover they all have the same birthday. Friendship developes. 19 years later they meet for a weekend to remenise and find they are all miserable. When given the chance to go back in time, will they change their lives? I really liked this book. I will order the sequel. It was much cleaner than the Forever series. I enjoyed the thought provoking story line. I think I will be thinking about this book for quite some time to come.

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Sep 06, 2011

Rhiannon rated it:

I really enjoyed this book, it was amazing to see such a change in all the women and you feel as if your changed a little as well after hearing their stories. It was hard hearing all the hardships they had been through but it was rewarding to see that they were all happier after they came back. I thought it was a really unique premise as well but not to sci-fi for me lol it still had its romance, I was aching for every character as they were in their bouts of love. Very good book, glad I read it More...

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Jul 26, 2011

Heather rated it:

I hate giving a book such a low review, but 2 stars does stand for "it was ok", and that's all I can say about this book...It was ok.

I was doing pretty good with the story line until Madame Zoya came into the picture. I did not like the time travel. I did not like the ladies having the chance to change their lives. It just ruined it for me.

I would however read the second book in the series if there isn't time travel, just true time life.

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Jun 06, 2011

Kera rated it:

Such a great summer book!!!! I recommended this for our book club, because I loved the idea of second chances and a "do-0ver", and this was a great story! The women all have interesting lives and the chance to change them and make them different in a better way, I loved! Jude Deveraux did a great job with this, I had not read her other books beofer this one and even though she writes mostly romance, I was impressed with her style of writing and the charactor's growth throughout the boo More...

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Jul 20, 2010

Margaret rated it:

This book was absolutely addicting to read and I couldn’t get enough of it while I was reading it. It is about three women who met 20 years earlier when they were at the DMV renewing their driver’s license on their birthdays. They all discover they have the same birthday and instantly feel a bond. 20 years later they get together at a vacation home in Maine and are all having extreme difficult pathetic lives. They meet a gypsy-psychic who gives them an opportunity to relive three weeks of th More...

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Sep 26, 2010

Joelle rated it:

I really loved the characters in this book and the idea that one choice can change who you are. The theme that long lasting friends can be made in an instant, lost and then found again years later is wonderful. The paranormal element, while important, wasn't intrusive to the story. Occassionally, I felt the main characters were given some sterotypical behaviors, but the warmth of the storytelling made me like them anyway.

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