Still Summer
by Jacqueline Mitchard
Published by Warner Books
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Reviewed by Claire Vath
Three high school friends reunite after 25 years. These women and a teenager set off on the Opus, a luxurious chartered yacht, in the iridescent blue, but unforgiving waters of the Caribbean.
There’s Olivia, the group leader in high school, who became an Italian countess when she married a count. Recently widowed, her friends arrange the voyage to welcome her back to America.
Holly had been a peppy cheerleader in high school. Now, she’s a nurse, overweight, and the mother of 12-year-old twins.
Tracy, Olivia’s closest friend, teaches gym at the high school they attended years earlier. After Tracy’s cousin Janis can’t make the voyage, Tracy’s 19-year-old daughter Cammie goes along for the ride.
What begins as a smooth-sailing trip filled with a romance between Cammie and the hunky French shipmate, Michel, doesn’t last.
Things quickly go awry. A series of mishaps lands them without a crew. And while tossed like rag dolls amid a tempest, the women, trying to sail the boat, feel the sails rip in the wind.
But bigger problems are on the horizon when they realize they have little food and the waters are shark infested. Then pirates take over the Opus, and the women find themselves fighting for their lives.
When the women find themselves at the end of their food supply, dark secrets come out. Will the bonds of friendship survive this voyage, or more importantly, will they?
New York Times best-selling author Jacqueline Mitchard is in her element with Still Summer. Her characters are woefully humanized—from Olivia’s vapid demeanor in the face of adversity to Tracy’s even-keel personality and Holly’s heroism.
Mitchard skillfully weaves a thrilling plot that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. The book has something for everyone—humor, tragedy, romance, and, of course, pirates.
Unlike the unpredictability of the high seas, this smooth-sailing book is a perfect summer read—though probably not while on a cruise.
Armchair Interviews says: Jacqueline Mitchard does it again, skillfully combining fiction, romance and suspense.
Author’s Web site: http://www.jackiemitchard.com