My relationship with Paige Toon is hit and miss to be honest, however, after not reading any of her books for a few years, I thought I'll try again and requested "Seven Summers".
And oh my, it was one of the best decisions. This book is a gem. Even if I wasn't so really happy with the end. I wasn't sure the main male character deserved his happy end, to be honest. And maybe I didn't cry with the characters, but I was fully involved in their lives and didn't want to put this book away. And that the end of the book and the subsequent epilogies felt very rushed in comparison to the whole story.

But.
The author has brilliantly captured all kinds of feelings and emotions, really, I'm not sure how she does it, bringing them all so clear and wonderfully written to the pages. You feel like a part of this story, like you're living each moment with the characters, the writing style is SO good. The characters are so real, with their flaws and real problems and you will root for them all immediately.There is a very raw, emotional depth to them and to the whole story and to write it like this, so lyrical yet down to earth and honestly, is a masterpiece.

It's heart - warming and heart - breaking, it's filled with ups and downs, with love, laughter, tragedy and hope, all brilliantly mixed and served just in the right dosis. It's simply beautiful.

Wow, did this take me by surprise. I can honestly say I really really didn't know how this book was going to end. I found it so engaging, it was so beautifully written, I was hooked. I also was then left feeling empty after I finished, which is definitely the sign of a good book. Cannot recommend it enough.

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Liv and Finn are tied together by a terrible tragedy and although Liv's life is with her family and Finn's is travelling with his band they vow to spend every summer together. Then Liv meets Tom and her heart is torn in two and what is the secret with Tom? I was bawling so much at one stage that I had to stop reading to process and calm my heart. When I opened my book to start reading again the tears started but it's not all sad there is also love and hope. I was rooting for Liv and Finn to get together and stay together because I loved them so much as individuals. It's definitely not a sweet romance but a heartbreaking one!

I can't remember the last time I read a book that was so moving and yet so heart warming. I couldn't put it down. I loved Liv's story and how it was told over 7 summers, flooring between the present day and each summer. I would recommend this book. Outstanding.

I am a relative newcomer to books by Paige Toon - Only Love Can Hurt Like This was the first of her books I have read. Having loved it this was a must read for me! And it simply confirmed what a fabulous author Toon is - this is another book that will steal your heart as it sweeps you up and takes you through the whole gamut of emotions.

It is the story of Liv, an aspiring sculptor, who returns from university to her home town in Cornwall and forms a connection with Finn, her peer at school but who now lives in America. Circumstance tears them apart as Finn returns to his home in LA - but they continue to reconnect every summer. Until the seventh summer when he hasn’t returned - and Liv meets Tom, who rents a flat from her, and suddenly her heart is torn and she must reflect on whether she has been putting her life on hold …

What makes this such an enthralling read is to watch Liv’s character growth as she handles all that life throws at her- and she tries to figure out what she really wants from life. But life is never straightforward and her happy ever after is a complicated one.

With a Cornish coastline setting fabulously brought to life whilst you are taken on an emotional rollercoaster, this is one of those immersive reads that has you invested from the off and you won’t want to put down. And you might need the tissues towards the end …

I really enjoyed this gentle feel good book.

Liv and Finn fall in love over 6 summer holidays - however building and maintaining a transatlantic relationship is traumatic at times. Add in the early deaths of her parents in a car accident and the care Liv has to provide to her brother, she finds herself struggling to come to terms with her grief and what the future holds. Finn returns to see his family in Cornwall on the anniversary of her parents’ deaths to support her through these hard times. They promise that if single they will reconnect.

Finn builds himself a songwriting career in LA and meets someone and Tom comes into Liv’s life. She falls in love and has to make a choice. Tom has a heart condition and her time with him is cut short.

Out of this trauma comes the chance for Finn and Liv to be together.

Heartwarming, bittersweet.

I loved this book, I couldn't put it down. I was very quickly engrossed in Liv's story of her seven summers. I liked the fact that we were reading between this summer and a summer previously. I think it really added to the story and almost made me feel very torn as at one point I was really wanting Liv and Finn to sort themselves out but at the same time I could see the bond between Liv and Tom growing in the present summer.

There were times when I was really championing Finn as they had been through so much and he had really supported Liv in difficult times. Tom however was a breath of fresh air to Liv however he did also have a rather large secret which meant Liv had a difficult decision to make.

By the point she had to make the decision this summer I really felt for Liv as you could tell that she was really struggling to make it at one point but I definitely think that she made the right one. I loved the fact that after her decision we got to see some summers ahead too and thought that part just finished the booked and ended it brilliantly.

The writing just flowed beautifully and I loved the descriptions of Aggie and the sculptures and artwork as they were detailed yet didn't detract from the story or drag on for paragraphs - they enhanced the story beautifully.

Ohhh Paige Toon you’ve only gone and done it again haven’t you 🥲 I knew I was going to love Seven Summers because it has become clear that PT does not miss but was I expecting my heart to be shattered into a million pieces and stitched back together multiple times over the course of this story? NO. So this is your warning, get the tissues ready!

Liv and Finn: I could almost feel the electricity crackling through the pages, their connection was instant and unstoppable. They end up being bonded by a devastating event that alters the course of Liv’s life and although Finn sticks to his world in LA with his band and Liv’s heart belongs in Cornwall, they are two magnets that keep being drawn back together over many summers. There is so much more that happens in this book which is woven around Liv and Finn’s storyline which is tricky to mention without giving anything away but just - wow ❤️‍🩹

There was never going to be any doubt that this book would not be a 5 star read for me. It made me happy, sad, laugh, cry, gobbled me up and spat me out and I absolutely adored it. If I had one tiny niggle it would be that the ending felt quite rushed and I would have enjoyed a few more chapters there but it’s not enough to take away from this being a standout book in my eyes ✨

This is a beautiful book which takes the reader on an emotional roller coaster and features a love story that lasts for many years. Liv and Finn meet in the Cornish town that they both grew up in, but as young adults they are immediately drawn to one another.

The story of their relationship and the journey they go on spanning seven summers weaves back and forth, following them both through many emotional traumas, ones that they consistently hold each other up through.

The writing is so captivating as a reader I could see and picture myself in the story and meeting the characters, investing in their lives and I couldn’t wait to see how life would treat them; would it be a happy or a sad ending for them.

I can wholeheartedly recommend this book, it is a great romantic read with plenty of emotional content and a strong story at the core.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Very well written and evocative - full of characters you’ll love. A read where I absolutely sped through it - delightful, heart wrenching and beautifully crafted. Highly recommended.

The disclaimer to this review is that Paige Toon is one of my favourite authors but I also always give an honest review and this one will be no different.

I love that this book is set over many years and is not your typical boy meets girl, they fall in love kinda story. As is usual with books by this author the ending was unpredictable and will stay with me for a long time.

It’s not my favourite book by this author but it is definitely one I would recommend

I loved following Liv's life through multiple summers and seeing where she would end up that year and who would turn up in her life. The book showed how the course of your life can suddenly change one day but it's how you deal with that change that matters. Falling in love, although great, isn't always easy. I could relate heavily with this book having grown up in a small village not far from the coast and the pull that it has on you. Would definitely recommend this to anyone who has read other Paige Toon books, or just wants to not be able to put a book down!

"Seven Summers" is a really emotional read featuring wannabe sculptress Liv. When Liv finishes university and a month's placement in her dream location of Florence she is only planning on returning to her home town of St Agnes for a short time. However, events conspire against her and she finds herself back amongst long-term friends and once again appreciating the beauty of the rugged north Cornish coast.

This is a book to give you hope for your career, your love life and everlasting friendships. There are plenty of downs as well as ups, just like in real life! A great summer read from Paige Toon.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this book.

I liked this way more than I thought I would - the title and front cover don't do it justice! I couldn't wait to get back to the story each night, and I really loved the characters. I felt the depth of the love between the characters too and I was a little bit teary in places which is very unlike me. The pacing and plot was just fantastic and I was taken along on the main character's life as she navigated her adulthood. Highly recommended.

I was immediately swept up in this love story. The structure was interesting; current day mixed with sequential flashbacks. Building to an epic love story. I was rooting for the main character and her brother the most (loved Michael), but I was attached just about enough to her friends and wider circle. Love interests were both believable, although there was a bit too much insta-love to be realistic (but who cares about that, honestly). I think the title was a wee bit misleading (if you know you know) but I also liked finding out what was next for our characters (and appreciate that it wasn’t spin out into sequels). Part sadness, part hope. Pure summer read.

A while since I had read any of Paiges books but this was an absolute joy of a read. A beautiful story told over 7 summers with characters that were easy to relate to and an ending mixed with both heartache and joy.

Liv and Fin meet whilst he is playing in a band where she works. Liv is devastated when Fin announces he is going back to LA. Feeling unable to maintain a long distance relationship, they agree to go their own ways. However over the next seven summers Fin comes back and reconnects with Liv....making leaving harder every time.

Will they both be able to find happiness with other partners or has fate got other ideas?.

Can't recommend this book enough.

Oh wow, what a devastatingly beautiful story of love and loss with so much depth to each chapter. The story is told over 7 summers (funnily enough!) and it’s both heartbreaking and heartwarming in equal measures!
The writing was so descriptive and the characters were well developed but that epilogue was just fantastic!
Would highly recommend.
Thank you Paige Toon & NetGalley for sending.

Seven Summers by Paige Toon ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If I was asked for One author that never disappoints it’s Paige Toon, once again she has delivered an amazing story full of love,friendships, and family whilst making you fall in love with not only the characters but the locations she sets her stories in.

Why have just one epic love story when you can have two all set in one book.

Liv meets Fin whilst working in Seaglass on the Cornish coast, they have their futures ahead of them and spend a wonderful summer together until one night Liv’s life changes drastically when her parents are involved in a car accident. Fins life is in LA with his band and must return home but he makes a promise to Liv that he will return the every summer and if both single they will spend the summers together .

That was seven years ago and this summer Liv meets Tom a mystery visitor to the area, Liv soon starts to fall in love with Tom and can finally see her life starting again and maybe just maybe being able to move on from her broken heart.

Of course it’s not that easy and Liv must make the decision once and for all… who will be her forever.

The story has you gripped from the beginning and I love how it’s written in the Now and each summer past. The emotions throughout are so real from heartbreak, to love and happiness this book will have you feeling it all for Liv, Finn and Tom.

A wonderful book following Liv and Finn through seven summers of their lives together and apart. Liv and Finn fall in love the first summer but live half a world apart, making a promise of there both still single next summer they will pick upwhere they left off, this continues in the same vein for years to come. A lovely page turning romance.

Absolutely loved this book! The relationships that develop throughout the book are excellent; including friendships, romantic relationships and family bonds. It was a fantastic story with lots of events happening.
The ending seemed to happen pretty fast but it was all still so enjoyable.