Member Reviews

What a wonderful book!

With a beautiful setting of route 66, something that would be a dream.

Brilliant characters, this was a great read.

As close as I am getting to a holiday this year.

Was this review helpful?

I really enjoyed this book. Sleigh Bells in the snow was the first book I read by Sarah and it got me back into reading after a very long slump. This book was just as enjoyable as that one.

I loved all the characters and the story line. Would have liked to have a bit more at the end about them all though. Could easily do a follow up book.

Loved it. Thank you.

Was this review helpful?

An entertaining read filled with warmth, wisdom & wit. Join Kathleen, Martha & Liza as they confront their hurdles and rediscover their passion for live. From Cornwall to California it's a fabulous summer escape 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Was this review helpful?

Kathleen is 80 and decides to embark on a road trip in the USA when her family think she should be looking at retirement homes. Daughter Liza is tired of being taken for granted, especially by her teenage twin daughters. Martha wants to escape her toxic family who constantly criticise her life choices.

The three women are all about to find that life can take surprising turns.

I really enjoyed this story, set in Cornwall and the USA. Sarah Morgan writes truthfully about mother-daughter relationships and handles the generation gap well. Kathleen and Martha forge an unlikely bond as they drive across the USA, whilst Liza decides - for once in her life - to do something for herself.

As a former TV travel presenter, Kathleen has learned to keep herself emotionally distant. There is a reason for this, which becomes apparent as the story progresses. Gradually, the layers of skin peel back and Kathleen is able to face the future by accepting her past.

Liza and Kathleen discover that they aren't as different as they thought.

This is a story that will keep you engaged from the first page to the last, and I will definitely be reading more by this author.

I was sent an advance review copy of this book by HQ, in return for an honest appraisal.

Was this review helpful?

The Summer Seekers - Sarah Morgan

Another amazing read from one of my favourite authors. Sarah Morgan does such an amazing job of letting the reader really feel like they know the characters. I love how we get family dynamics alongside romantic interests and personal growth. I fell in love with the 80 year old Kathleen and her love for life and travel, her road trip across America was just what I needed as a little escapism recently. Lizzie (Kathleen's daughter) is the polar opposite to her mum in many ways and it was lovely to see her blossom and discover a few things about herself. Overall just loved everything about it! Thank you so much HQ Publishing and NetGalley for the E-ARC in return for my honest opinions.

Was this review helpful?

A wonderful feel good book! A few books ago, I added Sarah Morgan to my preferred authors list. Authors whose books I want to read, irrespective of reviews. I am not regretting that decision as The Summer Seekers took me from lockdown blues to the joys of Route 66. I fully recommend this read to all. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Was this review helpful?

Spectacular summer read!

Kathleen, 80, lives alone in Cornwall and after encountering an intruder in her home it sets her thinking!
Her daughter want to put her in a residential home but Kathleen wants to rekindle her travelling memories and drive across America.
Meet Martha her driver/escort as they make an unlikely friendship and having fun along the way!

I want to be like Kathleen in my 80s, the places they see, food they eat and people they meet along the way is delightful.

America here I come!

Was this review helpful?

Absolutely loved it, a perfect summer read.

Kathleen and Martha are so different in every way but make perfect travelling companions.

Kathleen, a former travel tv star, at 80 wants one last hurrah travelling Route 66 in USA but cannot travel alone or drive so, dada enter Martha in need of a job and some excitement in her life.

Well they certainly got that. Kathleen has some secrets from the past which need addressing and Kathleen finally involves her daughter Liza in a solution.

I l0ved the characters. Another Sarah Morgan special

Thank you Netgalley.

Was this review helpful?

The Summer Seekers is a lovely feel-good story. Kathleen is a force of nature. Eighty years old, she is fiercely independent, even taking down an intruder with a skillet. But this event which has her daughter Liza anxious and worried, spurs Kathleen into booking an adventure. She has always travelled the world, and now she is setting off to drive Route 66. With one small hitch. She cannot drive herself. Enter Martha, a young woman whose life is on pause. Newly divorced, unemployed and lacking self-confidence she stumbles across an intriguing advert 'Are you ready for the adventure of a lifetime?' Having nothing to lose, she takes the opportunity and her and Kathleen set out to travel in style - in a red Mustang no less.

As these two women quickly form a bond, they are able to confess their deepest fears and secrets to one another, and in the process they learn a lot about themselves.

Back home in London, Liza is worried about her marriage and sick of being taken for granted by her family. She escapes to her Mum's house in Cornwall, and takes time for herself. She rediscovers her love of painting, reinvents her wardrobe and learns to appreciate the moment.

Kathleen and Liza have never been close, though Liza has longed for them to be. A secret pain from Kathleen's past holds the key to her emotional distance, and the road trip is destined to unlock her heart and bring them back to one another.

Brilliant characters, humour, warmth and smiles a-plenty, The Summer Seekers is the perfect escape.

Was this review helpful?

If you have book written by Sarah you know you are in for a treat and that is what you will get with this one. A lovely book to take with you when on holiday but just as good when curled up somewhere warm and cosy. 5 stars and enjoy it as I have done.

Tanks to Netgalley and publisher for this ARC

Was this review helpful?

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.
I’ve read a couple of Sarah Morgan’s Christmas books and was pleased to enjoy this summer one just as much!
The story follows three women of different generations but who are all struggling with their past/current situations and are searching for something but they’re not sure what.
I loved how each of the stories were relatable, the relationships were honest and the women were independent.
A perfect contemporary summer read

Was this review helpful?

Thanks to netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Liza is struggling with the stress of family life and feels like she is alone. Her 80 year old mother Kathleen a former “summer seeker” travelling around the world for her working life wants to travel Route 66. Martha sees Kathleen’s advert for a driver to take the trip with her and applies. Her and Kathleen travel Route 66 and stumble upon a hitchhiker who joins then for the journey. Meanwhile Liza takes a break looking after her moms cat and begins to discover there is more to life than family life. Can Liza fall in love with her husband again and get her life back on track.

Another brilliant book my Sarah.

Was this review helpful?

This has got to be the most feel good, heart warming book I have read in a long time!

I have only read Sarah Morgan once before but after reading this one I know I will be reading everything by her that I can get my hands on. The story hooked me from the very first page. I found myself totally absorbed in this story and I enjoyed getting to know all of the characters within this heart tugging story. I found all of the characters very real and relatable and it was interesting to read how they are all dealing with their troubles in very different ways and it takes a summer away to try and help them.

Highly recommend

Was this review helpful?

The Summer Seekers is @sarahmorganwrites’ latest release and it follows the story of three unique women, with seemingly little in common. As the story unfolds, a road trip across America and a getaway from life in Cornwall the three women become closer and discover more similarities between themselves than first thought.

Kathleen - Liza’s mother - has always travelled and after an altercation in her home decided to hire Martha to drive her from Chicago to California along the iconic Route 66.

This was an emotional read, twice I felt like I could have cried! The three women are on their own personal journeys throughout this book and I loved how they came together at the end.

If you’re missing a summer holiday then this will let you live out the roadtrip vicariously or even the break at Kathleen’s house in Cornwall with beach access and famous neighbours.

Was this review helpful?

I'm a huge fan of Sarah Morgan so when an opportunity came up with @hqstories to be in the tour for her latest release, I jumped at the chance.

Our lives have have all been turned upside-down. I have no idea when I will be getting away for a holiday and so I couldn't wait to live vicariously through Kathleen and Martha.

There were definitely plenty of summer vibes flowing from this book, and quite frankly it's something I needed thanks to the weather we've been having of late. Not only do we get to go on an adventure with Kathleen and Martha but we get to spend time with Liza at the beach. Bliss.

Both Kathleen and Martha had awesome personalities and I loved seeing Martha's confidence grow. All characters developed throughout, which I really enjoyed.

There was definite intrigue there and I enjoyed reading more about Kathleen's past and relationships. And what would a Sarah Morgan book be without a little romance?!

Out now, I really recommend this to everyone looking for a fab summer read.

Thank you to @hqstories for the chance to be on the tour.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to HQ for my copy of the book via NetGalley and for the invitation to the tour.

Kathleen lives in a remote cottage in Cornwall and after an incident with an intruder her daughter Liza thinks that she should go into sheltered accommodation and sell the cottage.

Liza is married to Sean her childhood sweetheart and they have twin daughters who are sixteen. Liza is a worrier and she is concerned about their marriage too. They are not as close as they once were and spontaneity has gone out of the window. So when Kathleen says she wants an adventure Liza is horrified. Kathleen is determined so she advertises for a driver to help her realise her dream to drive across America.

Martha has had a run of bad luck with life, jobs and relationships she is fed up with every one treating her like a failure so she decides to take drastic action and apply to be Kathleen’s driver even though she hates driving. I really enjoyed the relationships in this story between the three women.

Liza and Kathleen have never been close due to Kathleen being away a lot when Liza was growing up and she is fiercely independent. Liza wants to organise everything and everyone but she starts to realise that this is leaving no room for herself. So after yet another run in with her teenage daughter she takes drastic action too. It is a story about personal growth and waking up to what matters.

I really enjoyed this book Sarah’s books are always warm and have such great characters. I loved the idea of Kathleen heading off on Route 66 to realise her dream. This book is a joy and I would heartily recommend to be taking somewhere sunny this year whether that is the garden or further afield, perfect holiday heaven !

5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Was this review helpful?

Sarah Morgan never disappoints with her heartwarming tales of love and family. In her latest novel, The Summer Seekers, Morgan blends together the story of three very different — and yet so similar — women, all at different points in their lives, who are forced to take stock of their immediate situations.

Firstly, there’s Kathleen, the retired presenter of travel show The Summer Seekers, who is now eighty and lives alone in her beautiful cottage in Cornwall. Widowed five years before, she misses both her late husband and the adventures she had around the globe.

Then there’s Liza, Kathleen’s daughter, who is struggling to hold herself together whilst the challenges of motherhood, relationships, and work take their toll. Feeling overlooked, unloved, and taken for granted, Liza misses both the closeness she had with her husband, Sean, and the relationships she had with her twin daughters, now bossy teenagers.

Finally, there’s Martha, who, at twenty-five, is searching for her place in life after a disastrous marriage ended in divorce and her beloved nana died. Never seemingly able to hold a candle to her more-accomplished (and much more loved) sister, Martha finds herself drifting from day to day and job to job, unable to find her footing or her confidence.

When Kathleen disturbs an intruder in her home, she realises that — despite her age and the loss of her husband — life is still meant to be lived and enjoyed, and so decides to do something she’s always wanted to do: travel the famous Route 66, from Chicago to California.

Liza, terrified by both the intruder in her mother’s home and now Kathleen’s plans to go on another adventure, tries to control the situation, but finds she cannot. Faced with memories from her childhood and fears that her marriage is over, she can only watch helplessly as her mother travels to the USA.

There’s only one problem: Kathleen doesn’t drive — and so she puts out an advert for a driver to accompany her on this momentous trip. Seeing the job posting online, Martha leaps at the chance, and so finds herself faced with driving a red convertible across multiple states and timezones, whilst she herself is a less confident driver.

Furthermore, there’s a secret Kathleen has been keeping for over sixty years, one that grows closer with every mile, and there’s also a need for solitude that has Liza escaping alone to the Cornwall cottage for the summer.

There’s a lot to unpack in this novel, which has some moments of sadness but heaps of joy, delight, and humour, too. It’s a perfect summer read, whether the action is following Martha and Kathleen (and a friend they meet along the way) along Route 66, or whether the reader is enjoying Liza’s stay in Cornwall, which leads to her re-finding both herself and her dreams, and being surprised by both herself and those around her.

The characters are beautifully drawn, very real, and they get under your skin and into your heart so easily. The locations are very vivid and I could really feel myself sipping cocktails with Martha and Kathleen or exploring beaches and hidden places with Liza.

Things left unsaid are a huge part of the theme of this novel, and over time all the characters find the confidence and curiosity to explore the things they’re ignoring and not willing to say. Hard conversations abound, but they’re handled with Morgan’s gentle and warm touch, and relationships which were strained are brought to light and healed, on both sides of the Atlantic.

The Summer Seekers is a wonderful summer read, perfect for lazy afternoons in the garden, at the beach, or at a coffee shop. In this novel, and particularly after such a hard year or so, Morgan reminds us that love, connection, and communication are all we’ll ever need.

I received an e-ARC from the publisher, HQ, through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Furthermore, in the interests of transparency, I know the author via Facebook.

Was this review helpful?

A lovely tale of young and old, personal development, relationships, sadness and happiness. I loved the journey this book takes you on and it's one you can't put down.
Martha, living back at home after the breakdown of a relationship, is constantly criticised by her mother. She answers an advert from Kathleen, an 80 year old adventurer who wants one last trip; to follow Route 66, and she needs someone to drive her.
The unlikely partnership is so much fun to watch develop and both Martha and Kathleen are enriched through their ongoing relationship.
Kathleen also begins to understand her daughter Liza more and what her own challenges are with her family.
It's a great story of unfolding relationships and understanding with great characters. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Was this review helpful?

I have loved all of the books written by Sarah Morgan and this one was no exception.
This book was heartwarming and well written as usual thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read this book in exchange for a review. I will put this review on Amazon too.

Was this review helpful?

This builds up into a really emotional read. Although it’s main focus is the fun and lighthearted road trip taken by Kathleen and Martha across America, I must admit to preferring the time spend with Liza as she comes to terms with what she needs in her life and marriage.
The relationships in this story build really nicely. Martha is a great companion to Kathleen and in return gains the foresight and experience from her new elderly friend. Sarah Morgan had again written a wonderful story of friendship.

Was this review helpful?