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21st Century Austen #2
Summer of Secrets
What would happen if the traumas of teenage life and love from Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey surfaced in the twenty-first century?Caitlin Morland has always craved excitement. So when she wins an art scholarship to Mulberry Court College, she's delighted to be befriended by the glamorous Izzy Thorpe and intriguing Summer Tilney.As Caitlin finds herself swept up in their exotic lives, she becomes determined to uncover the secrets surrounding Summer. An invitation to join the Tilneys in Italy provides the perfect opportunity…
176 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2007
7 people are currently reading
328 people want to read
About the author
Rosie Rushton
116 books59 followersRosie Rushton began her career as a feature writer for a local paper. Staying Cool, Surviving School was her first book, published by Piccadilly Press in 1993. After writing another non-fiction title, You’re My Best Friend, I Hate You! (available from Puffin), Rosie turned to fiction.
The Leehampton series
Best Friends
Best Friends Together (1998)
Best Friends Getting Sorted (1999)
Best Friends in Love (1999)
What A Week series
21st century Austen
The Secrets of Love (2005)
Summer of Secrets (2007)
Secret Schemes and Daring Dreams (2008)
Love, Lies and Lizzie (2009)
Echoes of Love (2010)
Whatever Love Is (2012)
Other books
Staying Cool, Surviving School (1993)
You're My Best Friend - I Hate You! (1994)
Poppy (1996)
Olivia (1997)
Sophie (1998)
Melissa (1998)
Jessica (2000)
Life Line (1999)
PS He’s Mine (2000)
Break Point (2001)
Tell Me I’m OK, really (2001)
Last Seen Wearing Trainers (2002)
All Change! (2000)
Fall Out! (2002)
Waving Not Drowning (2003)
Friends, Enemies and Other Tiny Problems (2003)
The Leehampton series
Best Friends
Best Friends Together (1998)
Best Friends Getting Sorted (1999)
Best Friends in Love (1999)
What A Week series
21st century Austen
The Secrets of Love (2005)
Summer of Secrets (2007)
Secret Schemes and Daring Dreams (2008)
Love, Lies and Lizzie (2009)
Echoes of Love (2010)
Whatever Love Is (2012)
Other books
Staying Cool, Surviving School (1993)
You're My Best Friend - I Hate You! (1994)
Poppy (1996)
Olivia (1997)
Sophie (1998)
Melissa (1998)
Jessica (2000)
Life Line (1999)
PS He’s Mine (2000)
Break Point (2001)
Tell Me I’m OK, really (2001)
Last Seen Wearing Trainers (2002)
All Change! (2000)
Fall Out! (2002)
Waving Not Drowning (2003)
Friends, Enemies and Other Tiny Problems (2003)
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
June 22, 2016
A version of this review appeared on my blog, drinkingandink.
Popsugar 2016 Reading Challenge: A book that takes place during summer.
Retellings are the blessing and the curse of my reading life. I love a riff on a classic story if it's done well (for example, The Girls at the Kingfisher Club), but it's absolute nails on a chalkboard if done poorly (I know I keep ripping on this one, but man, I hate The Family Fortune a lot. You lost me when you put the Boston landmark steaming teakettle in Kenmore instead of Scollay Square, lady, and you lost me and ran off without me when you insisted that a character "spoke like she was from the nineteenth century" for no other reason than to excuse the stilted language you were shoving in her mouth). But what makes a good retelling is a bit of a puzzle. I think it has to contain the right mix of elements from the original story and new pieces. It HAS to stand on its own. But probably what makes a good retelling is individual to the reader, and what he or she thinks are the crucial elements of the original.
So that brings me to Summer of Secrets. I read Rosie Rushton's adolescent take on Sense and Sensibility, The Dashwood Sisters' Secrets of Love, years ago, and remembered it being pretty decent. Then I found out a few weeks ago that this was one of a series, that Rosie Rushton had gone and done ALL the complete Austens as contemporary teen novels. I was intrigued, and sad when I realized only the first book is easy to find on this side of the pond. I was particularly intrigued to investigate the take on Northanger Abbey, which has been more or less left alone by avid retellers, and eventually tracked it down on Amazon.
And it's a cute little book! Nothing life-changing, but more or less accomplishes what it sets out to do. Mr. Drinking-and-Ink and I were talking, and we agreed it makes sense for a contemporary Austen retelling to be about teenagers. Who else would have that much free time on their hands, and who else would care so deeply about social position? Catherine Morland, of all of Austen's heroines, is a profoundly adolescent character, and Caitlin Morland, in spite of having something close to a celebrity name (is Caitlin Moran a celebrity?), is a fair update of her. Having much of the book be about her friendship with Miss Tilney (here named Summer, and yes, I'd say that's part of the title) was I thought a very solid choice. Everything in the book was bubbly and light-hearted, even the serious bits, and although I guessed the truth about the Tilneys' mother quickly, I didn't mind it. Caitlin also manages not to make as much of an idiot out of herself as Catherine, the original, does, and the part of me that cringes in sympathy watching people do stupid things really didn't mind that, either.
There were some things I did mind. Caitlin spent almost no time with her love interest, so when they finally got together, my apathy was palpable. Caitlin's mother seemed sort of off-handedly cruel and I'm not sure she was meant to be. She's described as an "earth mother" but refers to her daughter as "chunky" and calls her "naive" multiple times to her face. Is this a British thing I'm missing? Or maybe I'm just sensitive because when I was a teenager, people called me both of those things (but I'd like to point out my mother was not one of them, because she's my mother). There was a last minute twist that turned out not to be a twist - and if that sounds dumb, it's because it was.
But overall, this was fun, frothy, and full of British adolescent slang, which is always entertaining as far as I'm concerned. Will this book remain with me a long time? No, but it could be worse. I still remember just how I felt reading The Family Fortune. There are worse things than not leaving much of an impact.
Popsugar 2016 Reading Challenge: A book that takes place during summer.
Retellings are the blessing and the curse of my reading life. I love a riff on a classic story if it's done well (for example, The Girls at the Kingfisher Club), but it's absolute nails on a chalkboard if done poorly (I know I keep ripping on this one, but man, I hate The Family Fortune a lot. You lost me when you put the Boston landmark steaming teakettle in Kenmore instead of Scollay Square, lady, and you lost me and ran off without me when you insisted that a character "spoke like she was from the nineteenth century" for no other reason than to excuse the stilted language you were shoving in her mouth). But what makes a good retelling is a bit of a puzzle. I think it has to contain the right mix of elements from the original story and new pieces. It HAS to stand on its own. But probably what makes a good retelling is individual to the reader, and what he or she thinks are the crucial elements of the original.
So that brings me to Summer of Secrets. I read Rosie Rushton's adolescent take on Sense and Sensibility, The Dashwood Sisters' Secrets of Love, years ago, and remembered it being pretty decent. Then I found out a few weeks ago that this was one of a series, that Rosie Rushton had gone and done ALL the complete Austens as contemporary teen novels. I was intrigued, and sad when I realized only the first book is easy to find on this side of the pond. I was particularly intrigued to investigate the take on Northanger Abbey, which has been more or less left alone by avid retellers, and eventually tracked it down on Amazon.
And it's a cute little book! Nothing life-changing, but more or less accomplishes what it sets out to do. Mr. Drinking-and-Ink and I were talking, and we agreed it makes sense for a contemporary Austen retelling to be about teenagers. Who else would have that much free time on their hands, and who else would care so deeply about social position? Catherine Morland, of all of Austen's heroines, is a profoundly adolescent character, and Caitlin Morland, in spite of having something close to a celebrity name (is Caitlin Moran a celebrity?), is a fair update of her. Having much of the book be about her friendship with Miss Tilney (here named Summer, and yes, I'd say that's part of the title) was I thought a very solid choice. Everything in the book was bubbly and light-hearted, even the serious bits, and although I guessed the truth about the Tilneys' mother quickly, I didn't mind it. Caitlin also manages not to make as much of an idiot out of herself as Catherine, the original, does, and the part of me that cringes in sympathy watching people do stupid things really didn't mind that, either.
There were some things I did mind. Caitlin spent almost no time with her love interest, so when they finally got together, my apathy was palpable. Caitlin's mother seemed sort of off-handedly cruel and I'm not sure she was meant to be. She's described as an "earth mother" but refers to her daughter as "chunky" and calls her "naive" multiple times to her face. Is this a British thing I'm missing? Or maybe I'm just sensitive because when I was a teenager, people called me both of those things (but I'd like to point out my mother was not one of them, because she's my mother). There was a last minute twist that turned out not to be a twist - and if that sounds dumb, it's because it was.
But overall, this was fun, frothy, and full of British adolescent slang, which is always entertaining as far as I'm concerned. Will this book remain with me a long time? No, but it could be worse. I still remember just how I felt reading The Family Fortune. There are worse things than not leaving much of an impact.
May 16, 2016
Caitlin è una studentessa sedicenne della Mulberry Court, una scuola privata specializzata in arte. Caitlin ha potuto usufruire di una borsa di studio grazie alle sue eccellenti capacità nelle arti figurative. In realtà è figlia di un avvocato non troppo facoltoso, che cerca di barcamenarsi tra il lavoro e i vari comitati di beneficenza di cui fa parte, e le esigenze di cinque figli.
A scuola Caitlin, invece, si trova tra tantissimi figli di papà, tra cui l'estroversa ed egocentrica Isabella-Izzy Thorpe, figlia del ministro dell'istruzione britannica, e l'introversa Summer Tilney, figlia del magnate della marmellata, Sir Magnus Tilney.
Si può dire che la Mulberry Court rappresenti Bath, col suo ambiente raffinato ed esclusivo, ben diverso dall'ambiente a cui la famiglia di Caitlin/Catherine è abituata.
Al contrario della Catherine northangeriana, Caitlin è una ragazza piena di personalità e di grande estro artistico. Le compagne la rispettano e la consultano in questioni di stile.
Invece, proprio come l'eroina austeniana, Caitlin si lascia influenzare dalla sue letture; nel suo caso non si tratta di romanzi gotici, bensì di riviste di ogni genere, soprattutto rotocalchi scandalistici.
Potete leggere la recensione completa QUI:
http://ildiariodellelizzies.blogspot....
A scuola Caitlin, invece, si trova tra tantissimi figli di papà, tra cui l'estroversa ed egocentrica Isabella-Izzy Thorpe, figlia del ministro dell'istruzione britannica, e l'introversa Summer Tilney, figlia del magnate della marmellata, Sir Magnus Tilney.
Si può dire che la Mulberry Court rappresenti Bath, col suo ambiente raffinato ed esclusivo, ben diverso dall'ambiente a cui la famiglia di Caitlin/Catherine è abituata.
Al contrario della Catherine northangeriana, Caitlin è una ragazza piena di personalità e di grande estro artistico. Le compagne la rispettano e la consultano in questioni di stile.
Invece, proprio come l'eroina austeniana, Caitlin si lascia influenzare dalla sue letture; nel suo caso non si tratta di romanzi gotici, bensì di riviste di ogni genere, soprattutto rotocalchi scandalistici.
Potete leggere la recensione completa QUI:
http://ildiariodellelizzies.blogspot....
July 25, 2021
Ho incontrato Rosie Rushton tantissimi anni fa quando uscì il primo libro delle ragazzine: Mamma non fare scenate. E con mia sorella ne abbiamo letti assiduamente un sacco di altri. 😂🤣
Le sue protagoniste sono sempre ragazze adolescenti alle prese con la scuola, primi amori, genitori troppo presenti, e ovviamente amicizie!!! Seppur semplici sono molto divertenti!
Poi qualche anno fa incappai nel primo di questa nuova serie in cui la scrittrice si è dedicata a rendere omaggio a Jane Austen, trasportando quei meravigliosi romanzi nel 21' secolo.
In questo caso siamo alle prese con una versione rivista e moderna di Northanger Abbey.
Caitlin, la protagonista, è stata appena ammessa a una esclusiva accademia di arte grazie a una borsa di studio, dove si ritrova circondata dalle figlie di personaggi famosi: ministri, milionari, Ex divi rock, etc. Dedita alla lettura delle riviste di gossip, ha una fantasia fervida, facilmente influenzabile per cui da ogni piccolo accenno, episodio o conversazione, si immagina misteri e successivi articoli da prima pagina.
Fa presto amicizia con Izzie, la quale ha un debole per suo fratello e Summer, più solitaria e misteriosa. Proprio quest'ultima la invita a passare due settimane in Italia e a Caitlin non sembra vero. E non in un posto qualsiasi ma nelle Cinque Terre!!! Date le mie origini spezzine mi ha chiaramente conquistato. Qui si ritrova davvero coinvolta in una rete di segreti su Summer e la sua famiglia mentre si innamora, per la prima volta, di Ludo, proprio il fratello della sua amica. Riuscirà a risolvere il mistero e conquistare l'amato??? ;)
Lettura da vacanza, piacevolissima e non impegnativa.
Le sue protagoniste sono sempre ragazze adolescenti alle prese con la scuola, primi amori, genitori troppo presenti, e ovviamente amicizie!!! Seppur semplici sono molto divertenti!
Poi qualche anno fa incappai nel primo di questa nuova serie in cui la scrittrice si è dedicata a rendere omaggio a Jane Austen, trasportando quei meravigliosi romanzi nel 21' secolo.
In questo caso siamo alle prese con una versione rivista e moderna di Northanger Abbey.
Caitlin, la protagonista, è stata appena ammessa a una esclusiva accademia di arte grazie a una borsa di studio, dove si ritrova circondata dalle figlie di personaggi famosi: ministri, milionari, Ex divi rock, etc. Dedita alla lettura delle riviste di gossip, ha una fantasia fervida, facilmente influenzabile per cui da ogni piccolo accenno, episodio o conversazione, si immagina misteri e successivi articoli da prima pagina.
Fa presto amicizia con Izzie, la quale ha un debole per suo fratello e Summer, più solitaria e misteriosa. Proprio quest'ultima la invita a passare due settimane in Italia e a Caitlin non sembra vero. E non in un posto qualsiasi ma nelle Cinque Terre!!! Date le mie origini spezzine mi ha chiaramente conquistato. Qui si ritrova davvero coinvolta in una rete di segreti su Summer e la sua famiglia mentre si innamora, per la prima volta, di Ludo, proprio il fratello della sua amica. Riuscirà a risolvere il mistero e conquistare l'amato??? ;)
Lettura da vacanza, piacevolissima e non impegnativa.
February 28, 2018
An insult to teenage girls and Jane Austen alike.
Rushton can't be a passionately avid Austen fan, she just CAN'T be, because while she comes up with some good plot translations from regency to modern (...some), she seems to have missed the fact that Austen's heroines have, urr, personalities? Like, that are different from each other? Characterisation goes out the window along with sensible dialogue as Caitlin, Izzy, 'Summer' and...LUDO, for crying out loud, descend into a farce of horridly shallow characters (both in manner and in the fact that they have no character depth) that runs something along the lines of Northangar Abbey.
There are just 2 kinds of male character in these books -- Good Guy and Arsehole. No variation within those 2. However there's just one kind of girl character -- Utter Bitch. DO NORMAL PEOPLE BEHAVE LIKE THIS? They can't, surely.
I forgave the Emma one because, well, it's Emma. I can believe that she'd behave like a spoilt self obsessed brat - but I won't give her Catherine. Sweet, guileless, kind Catherine, loving her family and thinking the world of everyone and interested in everything (yes, probably even the art classes she SIGNED UP FOR). Nor Henry Tilney, nicest of the Austen heroes, who would LOVE a fancy dress party! Isabella and her brother are about the only characters true to their revolting natures. The poor Allens aren't even in it!
Won't be reading any of the others that's for sure.
Rushton can't be a passionately avid Austen fan, she just CAN'T be, because while she comes up with some good plot translations from regency to modern (...some), she seems to have missed the fact that Austen's heroines have, urr, personalities? Like, that are different from each other? Characterisation goes out the window along with sensible dialogue as Caitlin, Izzy, 'Summer' and...LUDO, for crying out loud, descend into a farce of horridly shallow characters (both in manner and in the fact that they have no character depth) that runs something along the lines of Northangar Abbey.
There are just 2 kinds of male character in these books -- Good Guy and Arsehole. No variation within those 2. However there's just one kind of girl character -- Utter Bitch. DO NORMAL PEOPLE BEHAVE LIKE THIS? They can't, surely.
I forgave the Emma one because, well, it's Emma. I can believe that she'd behave like a spoilt self obsessed brat - but I won't give her Catherine. Sweet, guileless, kind Catherine, loving her family and thinking the world of everyone and interested in everything (yes, probably even the art classes she SIGNED UP FOR). Nor Henry Tilney, nicest of the Austen heroes, who would LOVE a fancy dress party! Isabella and her brother are about the only characters true to their revolting natures. The poor Allens aren't even in it!
Won't be reading any of the others that's for sure.
March 19, 2014
I couldn't bring myself to carry on with this book. As soon as Caitlin said to me that she would put up with this seriously up himself boy for a couple of weeks just because he knew the right people and would help her get what she wanted from the world, I put it down. Northanger abbey is the only Jane Austen novel I've not read, and therefore I had no interest in finding out how this book played out. In itself it was not a good book, in my opinion.
November 5, 2017
Man did this fall flat. I remember reading one of Rosie Rushton's Austen retellings when I was a lot younger and really enjoying it, but now the writing felt dated and a bit dull, honestly. I can definitely see this working better, perhaps, for the younger end of YA, but it wasn't right for me.
May 5, 2019
Such an amazing book, so intriguing and passionate, leaves you wanting to know what happens next and so much exitment going on, an amazing book deffo should give it a read 5 stars!!!! ☆☆☆☆☆
August 20, 2024
Actual rating: 2.75
Attempting to retell a Jane Austen novel is always a brave undertaking. And unfortunately this time I don't think Rosie Rushton quite pulled it off.
Northanger Abbey isn't my favorite of the Austen novels, but it was the first one I ever read, so it holds a special place in my heart. And I don't think this book managed to recreate any of the factors that made the original so good.
For one, the atmosphere of Northanger Abbey is sublime, whereas the world here felt very flat.
The mystery itself was also not as interesting, as I worked out almost immediately what was going on. Northanger Abbey is obviously a satire of the gothic novel and not an actual mystery story, but it still manages to feel suspenseful.
The characters were also extraordinary irritating. I understand that they're teenagers and teenagers tend to be a little dramatic and hormonal, but they felt so disconnected from reality. More like caricatures then characters.
Jane Austen's novel features characters that are approximately the same age as the ones in this book, and who can also be silly, overly dramatic, and moody at times, but they always felt like real people.
Also, I really didn't understand some of the name changes!? Catherine and Henry are still really common names. Why would you change that to Caitlin and Ludo?? Seriously, Ludo! Who calls there kid Ludovico.💀
Speaking of Caitlin and Ludo (yikes). The romance, which is obviously pretty central to the original novel, felt so rushed here. The two main characters had no relationship what so ever, and Ludo dropping the L word after they had like two conversations through the whole book is such a jump scare.
Henry Tilney is one of my favorite Austen heros (the sass!) but Ludo was like a walking piece of cardboard. I literally could not tell you one thing about this man.
I appreciate the decision to focus more on the friendship between Summer and Caitlin, but if you wanted to prioritize that maybe (1) don't make Summer such a brat (seriously I wanted to smack her the whole time. what a cow.) and (2) don't have the hero declare his undying love to someone who's last name he probably doesn't know.
However, despite it's failings, it was still a fun, fast paced read. And I enjoyed seeing how certain scenes were taken from the original book and modernized.
Attempting to retell a Jane Austen novel is always a brave undertaking. And unfortunately this time I don't think Rosie Rushton quite pulled it off.
Northanger Abbey isn't my favorite of the Austen novels, but it was the first one I ever read, so it holds a special place in my heart. And I don't think this book managed to recreate any of the factors that made the original so good.
For one, the atmosphere of Northanger Abbey is sublime, whereas the world here felt very flat.
The mystery itself was also not as interesting, as I worked out almost immediately what was going on. Northanger Abbey is obviously a satire of the gothic novel and not an actual mystery story, but it still manages to feel suspenseful.
The characters were also extraordinary irritating. I understand that they're teenagers and teenagers tend to be a little dramatic and hormonal, but they felt so disconnected from reality. More like caricatures then characters.
Jane Austen's novel features characters that are approximately the same age as the ones in this book, and who can also be silly, overly dramatic, and moody at times, but they always felt like real people.
Also, I really didn't understand some of the name changes!? Catherine and Henry are still really common names. Why would you change that to Caitlin and Ludo?? Seriously, Ludo! Who calls there kid Ludovico.💀
Speaking of Caitlin and Ludo (yikes). The romance, which is obviously pretty central to the original novel, felt so rushed here. The two main characters had no relationship what so ever, and Ludo dropping the L word after they had like two conversations through the whole book is such a jump scare.
Henry Tilney is one of my favorite Austen heros (the sass!) but Ludo was like a walking piece of cardboard. I literally could not tell you one thing about this man.
I appreciate the decision to focus more on the friendship between Summer and Caitlin, but if you wanted to prioritize that maybe (1) don't make Summer such a brat (seriously I wanted to smack her the whole time. what a cow.) and (2) don't have the hero declare his undying love to someone who's last name he probably doesn't know.
However, despite it's failings, it was still a fun, fast paced read. And I enjoyed seeing how certain scenes were taken from the original book and modernized.
May 31, 2025
5/5!!!
This book was the last of the three books that I borrowed from my cuz, and I'm about to say it's wonderful and I def like it more than the other two(👉ﾟヮﾟ)👉!!
After reading "Match Me If You Can", that had a snaily pacing, reading "Summer of Secrets" feels very fluid. The pacing is pretty fast, but I like it because that means I can keep up with it more comfortably (I'm not really into slow-pacing books unless the slow-pacing is really necessary or important😓😓), and the characters feels pretty lively to me. I still feel that "Loveless" character is more lively, but I like the plot of this book better👅👅.
At first I thought the author only used Northanger Abbey as a reference or inspiration. Turned out the story is a retelling of the original story itself. Yeah, there's some label on the book explaining bout it but I didn't really seem to noticed lol.
The mc, Caitlin is described as a naive person in the beginning of the story, but it's great to see that she's really not that naive. Izzy's childhood friend is pretty annoying tbh, and well Izzy herself is a dramatic person too.
The story's plot twist and mystery is pretty fun and I didn' really expect the truth about Summer's mother. The mystery is pretty tame but also unexpected. A great story to read in the end👍🏻👍🏻.
This book was the last of the three books that I borrowed from my cuz, and I'm about to say it's wonderful and I def like it more than the other two(👉ﾟヮﾟ)👉!!
After reading "Match Me If You Can", that had a snaily pacing, reading "Summer of Secrets" feels very fluid. The pacing is pretty fast, but I like it because that means I can keep up with it more comfortably (I'm not really into slow-pacing books unless the slow-pacing is really necessary or important😓😓), and the characters feels pretty lively to me. I still feel that "Loveless" character is more lively, but I like the plot of this book better👅👅.
At first I thought the author only used Northanger Abbey as a reference or inspiration. Turned out the story is a retelling of the original story itself. Yeah, there's some label on the book explaining bout it but I didn't really seem to noticed lol.
The mc, Caitlin is described as a naive person in the beginning of the story, but it's great to see that she's really not that naive. Izzy's childhood friend is pretty annoying tbh, and well Izzy herself is a dramatic person too.
The story's plot twist and mystery is pretty fun and I didn' really expect the truth about Summer's mother. The mystery is pretty tame but also unexpected. A great story to read in the end👍🏻👍🏻.
August 20, 2022
"L'estate dei segreti" è il secondo esperimento di Rosie Rushton nell'ambito dei retelling dei romanzi austeniani, nello specifico si tratta dell'adattamento de "L'abbazia di Northanger". La protagonista, Caitlin Morland, ha quasi 17 anni e frequenta una scuola d'arte. Oltre a dipingere e fotografare, ha un debole per i misteri e le riviste di gossip. Quando la sua enigmatica amica Summer Tilney la invita per una vacanza in Liguria, Caitlin non se lo lascia ripetere due volte. L'Italia è il paese che ogni artista sogna e, in più, con loro ci sarà anche Ludo, l'affascinante fratello di Summer. Fatte le dovute differenze con la splendida storia originale a cui si ispira, ho trovato questo secondo adattamento più riuscito del primo ("Segreti d'amore"), forse perché Caitlin suscita simpatia e ho trovato "nella parte" anche gli altri personaggi (ad esempio la vanesia Izzy Thorpe, il severo Mr Tilney, gli egocentrici Tom e Freddie). Inoltre gli elementi creati ex novo da Rosie Rushton, come la personalità della defunta Mrs Tilney, mi sono sembrati ben calibrati per la trama che ha predisposto. Suggerito soprattutto alle giovani lettrici.
June 12, 2025
A fun, thoughtful summer read!
Summer of Secrets by Rosie Rushton is a heartwarming and engaging teen novel that captures the ups and downs of friendship, family, and finding yourself. Set against a sunny backdrop, the story blends relatable characters with real-life issues, all while keeping a light and enjoyable tone. Some parts felt a little predictable, but overall, it's a great feel-good book for anyone who loves a good coming-of-age story with heart.
Summer of Secrets by Rosie Rushton is a heartwarming and engaging teen novel that captures the ups and downs of friendship, family, and finding yourself. Set against a sunny backdrop, the story blends relatable characters with real-life issues, all while keeping a light and enjoyable tone. Some parts felt a little predictable, but overall, it's a great feel-good book for anyone who loves a good coming-of-age story with heart.
November 3, 2020
The book is alright. I could definitely see aspects of Northanger Abbey done in a more lighthearted manner than original book.
January 10, 2021
Cute, easy read.
December 18, 2021
It was fun and good for a rom com but not a must read
January 29, 2023
Szybki romans i masa tajemnic
Świetne
Świetne
January 25, 2024
One of the first books I ever read and it was amazing!!
May 16, 2010
Do you recall the gothic grandeur of Jane Austen’s
Northanger Abbey
? Well, put Catherine Morland and the rest of the secretive brigade in the twenty-first century and you have ‘Summer of Secrets’.
Caitlin Morland is a talented young artist who craves excitement and a foothold in elite society. Blighted with a no-frills-and-fancies family, she is ecstatic when she wins an art scholarship to Mulberry Court School. She sheds her humdrum existence and makes glamorous friends in the influential Izzy Thorpe and the mysterious Summer Tilney.
Caught up in the wave of the jet-setters, Caitlin is soon off to Italy to spend the summer at the Tilney family home. An added bonus is Summer’s handsome brother, Ludo. But Italy turns out to be more than just lazy sunshine and shady olive-groves . Summer’s mother, Elena died two years back under mysterious circumstances. No one talks about it, and rumour has it that Sir Magnus Tilney (Summer’s father) and his live-in lady friend, Gabriella (who at one time was Elena’s close friend) are behind Elena’s death. Caitlin is soon drawn into the web of lies, deceit and secret assignations. Will her loyalty to Summer stay strong? Will her attraction for Ludo reach fruition? And… will she unmask the gory details?
Summer of Secrets is light, a tad predictable but enjoyable nevertheless. Caitlin is a refreshing teen-heroine. She is feisty, not riddled with self-doubt and her perceptive mind is constantly abuzz with ideas and solutions. Rosie Rushton has smoothly tugged the ensemble cast of Northanger Abbey into modern-day Italy and woven a tale that ironically enough is fresh in it’s treatment.
Caitlin Morland is a talented young artist who craves excitement and a foothold in elite society. Blighted with a no-frills-and-fancies family, she is ecstatic when she wins an art scholarship to Mulberry Court School. She sheds her humdrum existence and makes glamorous friends in the influential Izzy Thorpe and the mysterious Summer Tilney.
Caught up in the wave of the jet-setters, Caitlin is soon off to Italy to spend the summer at the Tilney family home. An added bonus is Summer’s handsome brother, Ludo. But Italy turns out to be more than just lazy sunshine and shady olive-groves . Summer’s mother, Elena died two years back under mysterious circumstances. No one talks about it, and rumour has it that Sir Magnus Tilney (Summer’s father) and his live-in lady friend, Gabriella (who at one time was Elena’s close friend) are behind Elena’s death. Caitlin is soon drawn into the web of lies, deceit and secret assignations. Will her loyalty to Summer stay strong? Will her attraction for Ludo reach fruition? And… will she unmask the gory details?
Summer of Secrets is light, a tad predictable but enjoyable nevertheless. Caitlin is a refreshing teen-heroine. She is feisty, not riddled with self-doubt and her perceptive mind is constantly abuzz with ideas and solutions. Rosie Rushton has smoothly tugged the ensemble cast of Northanger Abbey into modern-day Italy and woven a tale that ironically enough is fresh in it’s treatment.
September 2, 2015
Caitlin Morland is finishing up the school year at Mulberry Court College, and has dreams of a fabulous summer. It doesn't look like that is going to happen, being that she is a scholarship student, and her family doesn't have the fame or money that her classmates have. When she gets an invitation from her friend Summer Tilney to stay at her family's villa in Italy she jumps at the chance. It doesn't hurt that she get to spend more time with Ludo, Summer's brother, who she has a crush on. Caitlin's brother Jamie wants to take his new girlfriend Izzie Thorpe on a holiday, but he doesn't have much money so he get's Caitlin to have Summer extend the invite.
Wasn't really a big fan of this one. I had a hard time connecting to the characters. Most of them I found annoying. I especially did not like the character of Summer, who is supposed to be Eleanor Tilney. She was deceitful, hot-headed, rude, and irrational, NOTHING like Eleanor. Henry is my favorite Austen man, but Ludo (the Henry character) was hardly in the story. I didn't like that Jamie and Izzie were in Italy with them. Caitlin spent most of the book trying to fix Izzie and Jamie's relationship, or running around after Summer's sordid activities. I did like that it was set in Italy, and all the art stuff, but it wasn't enough to make up for everything else.
Wasn't really a big fan of this one. I had a hard time connecting to the characters. Most of them I found annoying. I especially did not like the character of Summer, who is supposed to be Eleanor Tilney. She was deceitful, hot-headed, rude, and irrational, NOTHING like Eleanor. Henry is my favorite Austen man, but Ludo (the Henry character) was hardly in the story. I didn't like that Jamie and Izzie were in Italy with them. Caitlin spent most of the book trying to fix Izzie and Jamie's relationship, or running around after Summer's sordid activities. I did like that it was set in Italy, and all the art stuff, but it wasn't enough to make up for everything else.
April 19, 2016
Tra le 3 e le quattro stelle è il voto che darei a questo retelling di Northanger Abbey.
Le tre stellinne vanno alla storia in se e per se, non tanto in quanto rivisitazione di un classico, ma come romanzo a parte, magari letto da chi di Jane Austen non ha mai sentito parlare.
Alla fine dei conti si tratterebbe di un uno YA leggero e senza pretese.
Le quattro stelline sono invece per la parte che riguarda la trasposizione moderna di un romanzo che ho riletto di recente e che vanta una eroina certo insolita per come viene gestita nel romanzo originale.
Qui abbiamo una Catlin (Catherine) che risulta sicuramente più spigliata e forte rispetto alla versione originale e che, nonostante i voli di fantasia, si dimostra un bravo segugio nel seguire le trame. Adattata invece molto bene è la figura di Izzy (Isabella) che, sebbene sia meno soverchiante nei confronti di Catlin, proprio per il suo essere più indipendente, mantiene il carattere frivolo e moderno che la rende molto vera.
Il resto della storia è, per quanto mi riguarda ben architettato e, nonostante le differenze sostanziali, i continui rimandi e riferimenti azzeccati, rendono la lettura piacevole.
Menzione di merito alla scelta di letture per Catlin. Se nell'abbazia erano i romanzi gotici a destare gli sberleffi di Henry Tilney, qui sono le riviste di gossip.
Le tre stellinne vanno alla storia in se e per se, non tanto in quanto rivisitazione di un classico, ma come romanzo a parte, magari letto da chi di Jane Austen non ha mai sentito parlare.
Alla fine dei conti si tratterebbe di un uno YA leggero e senza pretese.
Le quattro stelline sono invece per la parte che riguarda la trasposizione moderna di un romanzo che ho riletto di recente e che vanta una eroina certo insolita per come viene gestita nel romanzo originale.
Qui abbiamo una Catlin (Catherine) che risulta sicuramente più spigliata e forte rispetto alla versione originale e che, nonostante i voli di fantasia, si dimostra un bravo segugio nel seguire le trame. Adattata invece molto bene è la figura di Izzy (Isabella) che, sebbene sia meno soverchiante nei confronti di Catlin, proprio per il suo essere più indipendente, mantiene il carattere frivolo e moderno che la rende molto vera.
Il resto della storia è, per quanto mi riguarda ben architettato e, nonostante le differenze sostanziali, i continui rimandi e riferimenti azzeccati, rendono la lettura piacevole.
Menzione di merito alla scelta di letture per Catlin. Se nell'abbazia erano i romanzi gotici a destare gli sberleffi di Henry Tilney, qui sono le riviste di gossip.
November 21, 2013
I was very interested to see how Northanger Abbey could be "modernised". And this is actually the main thing this book does. It isn't a carbon copy of the original. And the backstory and the secrets that Caitlin is trying to uncover are very different from the original, so I was eager to find out what was going on.
Character wise- Caitlin annoyed me just as much as Catherine in Northanger Abbey did. So thats clearly a well adapted character. I find her really frustrating and self-absorbed (which I guess is the point) and although there was some character development it wasn't very marked.
Izzy was a far more interesting character to me, because she was more sympathetic here. She realised she was in the wrong. And although she was still a terrible flirt, and still hurt Caitlin's brother- I felt more sympathy for her than I did for Caitlin.
Summer should have been an interesting character. And her history was very tragic and I felt sorry for her. But ultimately I just didn't like her very much.
Overall this was an OK, retelling of Northanger Abbey. I liked the plot but the characters and writing style were sub-par.
Character wise- Caitlin annoyed me just as much as Catherine in Northanger Abbey did. So thats clearly a well adapted character. I find her really frustrating and self-absorbed (which I guess is the point) and although there was some character development it wasn't very marked.
Izzy was a far more interesting character to me, because she was more sympathetic here. She realised she was in the wrong. And although she was still a terrible flirt, and still hurt Caitlin's brother- I felt more sympathy for her than I did for Caitlin.
Summer should have been an interesting character. And her history was very tragic and I felt sorry for her. But ultimately I just didn't like her very much.
Overall this was an OK, retelling of Northanger Abbey. I liked the plot but the characters and writing style were sub-par.
November 1, 2011
Its a really interesting book full of surprises. i would recommend it to younger people. Its more a girly book. It has several twists althrough it. overall i really enjoyed and thought it was well writen. Its pretty much about this girl whose mother dies and her dad wont tell her many of the details like how she died and the girl is very curious and thinks its time to find out. At school this girl meets another friendly girl and in the holidays invites her to her families vacation home in Italy. The friendly girl accepts generously and all summer, her and her friend research and slowly uncover the mystery behind the girls death. All through it, its about unvealing secrets, summer romance then the book concludes with finally how her mother died and why the family kept it from the young inquisitive girl. I really liked the secrets that were discovered and recommend this book to anyone that likes figuring out clues like this book. THis book covers a book that teachs you about another place on the bingo board because its set in Italy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 25, 2016
Cute. I found Caitlyn a bit irritating, and the story a bit light, but then, that's how I feel about the original. I liked the explanation for Summer's mother's mysterious life and death, and I liked how the equivalent of Catherine Morland's excessive novel-reading was tabloids (not vampire novels, as in Val McDermid's retelling - just not convincing that Catherine would believe that the Tilneys were vampires!).
August 17, 2009
Modern version of Austens Northannger abbey, teenage romance with classic Austen lovely read of any romantic.
July 7, 2012
This book was a brilliant book :)
An interesting and well followed storyline and a
Brillant twist at the end :)
Highly recommended to teenagers :D
An interesting and well followed storyline and a
Brillant twist at the end :)
Highly recommended to teenagers :D
October 23, 2012
I liked the story as I do so many Rosie Ruston books but somehow, for some reason I think this lacked :(
April 24, 2013
Light and funny with teenage romance - kind of book I was looking for. Also has a good mystery. Nice read.
September 6, 2015
It was a lot more intrigue and a lot less romance than I had expected from chick lit but it was a very enjoyable and quick read.
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