My Rating: 4
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Format: eARC*
Publication Date: June 30, 2022
Author: Helga Jensen
Similar To
A Scandinavian Summer Blurb
It’s the right time for love, but is it the wrong place?
After the tragic, premature death of her husband Anthony, Martha has spent all her time focused on her teenage daughter Rosie in their small Welsh village.
But with Rosie leaving the nest, and Martha’s own job on the line, it feels that life is passing her by.
Inspired by her love for Scandi-noir dramas, Martha impulsively books a trip to Denmark, determined to push herself out of her comfort zone – even if the thought terrifies her…
Her trip to the tiny island of Fano becomes something much more: in the form of handsome stranger, Lars. Can Martha find love under the Scandinavian skies… but more importantly, can she find herself?
A romantic, warm and uplifting read, guaranteed to leave you smiling. Fans of Jenny Colgan and Kathryn Freeman will adore this feelgood read.
A Scandinavian Summer Review
As a quick reminder, here is my rating structure:
- 1 star: Did not finish
- 2 Stars: Finished but I do not recommend
- 3 Stars: Liked but could use some improvements
- 4 Stars: Loved this book!
- 5 Stars: Rare. The unput-down-able, binge read obsession.
My star ratings are also based also genre based. I compare all books with books of the same genre. While I would love to believe that my love of books in general transcends all bias, there are genres I prefer over others.
I’m human.
Example: If I read a mystery novel and think it deserves a 5-star rating, then I have compared it to other mystery books, and determined it to be one of my absolute favorites. The unputdownable mystery.
This will hopefully keep me from comparing Outlander, a personal obsession of mine, with the experience of reading The Hate You Give. Both 5 star books for me, but completely and totally different. I couldn’t even try to rate them against each other, so I don’t. Makes my life easier. 🙂
My Thoughts
There were so many things to absolutely adore about A Scandinavian Summer.
Helga Jensen is obviously extremely talented at writing a good setting. I didn’t know anything about Denmark before reading this book, but I was absolutely captivated by the landscape. The island of Fano has quickly climbed my list of bookish related travel adventures and I hadn’t heard of it before Martha decided to visit on a whim.
I love that Martha was an older heroine. In reality, love stories aren’t exclusively for 20 year olds and the romcom book market should take notice of that. The tragic opening fo this book creates the perfect jumping off point for a second chance at life romance and a coming of age tale for the more mature woman.
My only complaint is with Martha at times. I loved her and really identified with her, but I just wanted her to make different decisions or behave differently at times. My connection to her seemed to wain when she acted or spoke in a particular way, and without the emotional connection to Martha, the story falters. But that is only a small part of a largely fantastic book.
The characters as a whole really make this book shine, and I’m including the island of Fano as a character. A Scandinavian Summer is full of charm, wit, and laugh out loud funny moments.
As a side note, how did I forget how much fun bike riding is???
Conclusion
Women’s fiction lovers, especially those of us no longer in our 20s, will love A Scandinavian Summer.
*Special thanks to LHelga Jensen, Rachel’s Random Resources, and Hera Books for providing a copy A Scandinavian Summer in exchange for an honest review.
[…] The renovation plot line was great, almost HGTV meets romcom. I seriously just had a good time reading this book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys “women’s fiction.” […]