Summer Rental by Mary Kay Andrews
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I usually can't wait for a new Mary Kay Andrews to hit the shelves, but it took me a while to get around to reading Summer Rental. I looked forward to this read with anticipation. The book is basic chick lit. Three friends, Ellis, Julia, and Dorie, go to the beach to get away from their lives and find out what they really want from life... sort of.

Andrews usually writes with charm and wit and just a bit of attitude. Her stories are generally full of southernisms and over the top characterizations and just to the edge of belief situations, which is what makes an Andrews read so much fun. But I found this book flat. The characters were predictable, their lives were predictable, the ending was predictable, even the hot romance with the hot guy was predictable. And where were the slices of Southern Americana I was waiting for?

The introduction of a fourth character added the suspense element to the plot, but I found the telling of Maryn's story redundant. First Andrews tells the reader about Maryn and her woes though an information dump, and then she retells her story through lengthy dialogue chunks several chapters later. It would have been far better if Andrews had never added Maryn's POV, but rather told her story through the other characters's interaction with her. Or even better if Maryn's story had been one of the three main character's story, and her character omitted.

The most distracting element of the read was Andrews head-hopping. I'd just get settled into one character's point of view when she'd cut to another character's point of view mid-scene, and then switch back before the scene was over, sometimes bouncing between three points of view in one scene.

I found myself wanting to skip ahead to the end to see what happens because the narrative seemed to drag on and on. This is the first time I've had to talk myself into finishing an Andrews. Would I recommend this book? Well.. If you've never read an Andrews, I'd suggest reading Hissy Fit or Little Bitty Lies first.

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Thirteen 5-7-5

Human Volcano

tiptoe around me

don’t be loud, I might erupt

Human volcano

Heartbreak Waterfall

raindrops form tears that

puddle around the remains

Heartbreak waterfall

Midnight Serenade

no one gets much sleep

dad saws logs while mom calls hogs

Symphony of Sound

Doubt

doubt accumulates

unkind words dissolve spirit

fragile like snow flakes

Bitterness Erupts

negative feelings

break through the tranquil surface

Bitterness erupts

Spirit Abrasion

indulgence in hate

like sands blown across the heart

abrades the spirit

Mimosa Memories

rain of floating pink

covers childhood with laughter

Mimosa shower

Random Words

Random words flutter

Through the corners of my mind

Cling to my psyche

No Light

looking in or out

life viewed through a darkened veil

Finds no light of peace

Bitter Disease

a bitter disease

jealousy invades the heart

Stealthy virus

Consuming Avarice

grabbing with both hands

the poison that suckles life

Avarice consumes

Edge of Desire

flesh driven to the

edge of sensuality

Obsessed by desire

Consumed by Excess

pushing past enough

going beyond point of need

Consumed with excess




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Unbalanced

One foot here, the other there

Ups and downs of need, speed, greed

Centered over the pointed base of desire

Careful voices call, don’t run too far, too fast to the end of the beam

Desire nudges the counterweight of reason to the edge

Daring to peer into the nothingness void beyond

Trampling on seasoned knowledge, on sound judgments

Morsels of life gathered by wiser, older, been-there, done-thats

Niggling doubt of well-intentioned intentions looks over shoulder of caution

Rejection of discretion fueled by self-indulgence in consuming I wants

Grasp the impossible, push past the sensible, grab the brass ring with outstretched fingers

Impetuous extension, tilting the fragile balance

Merciless slide to the other side

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Behind the Mask

Facades pretensions posturing front

My vanity hides who I am

Tired of being someone else

Sweeping away debris

Letting go of pride

Pushing past pain

until I'm

left with

Me

With One Smile

With one smile

The tender heart falls to pieces

at the sight of such a simple gesture,

gathering affection to the soul

like a friend once lost now found

Anger flees as if it can’t

remain in the presence

of that small flicker

of reconciliation

Hope wriggles into the

crevices of dissension,

nudging two wounded hearts

toward healing

Joy binds the fracture

as two spirits realize

what might have been disaster

was averted once more

With one smile

Gone Too Far

The whispering began shortly after the Smith sisters entered the room. With a woman’s instinct born of too many nights doing what she should have been too young to do, Jessie the oldest, pushed through the crush of spectators hovering around their old man. This was standard procedure. Jessie knew her lines without a script. She would scald him with words meant to cleanse the befuddled thinking from his whiskey-soaked brain. He would first try to charm her, then he’d invent some story to make his behavior seem reasonable. But there was no reason at the bottom of a bottle. He knew better than to confront their mother in his condition.

She held back a moment, stalling when she saw her mother’s ashen face as she stood on the edge of the crowd. Her mother stumbled slightly as a man, a stranger, slid an arm around her waist to steady her. Her father’s blood decorated the man’s shirtfront in streaks and spatters of crimson. Disgusted by the latest installment of their family drama, Jessie started to turn, but her sister Jackie, always oblivious, pushed on through, causing the gawkers to scatter in her wake. Jackie had a knack for never knowing the right thing to do in any given circumstance. Her actions weren’t reactions, but mere acting as if on cue.

She saw what she didn’t want to see over her sister’s shoulder. Their father lay sprawled on the dirty bar floor, shards of broken glass circling his head like a broken halo. Jackie’s mouth flew open to question her mother, but it closed hard like a trap door. Her mother was too drunk to focus on the scene in front of her, the pattern of her insatiable urges written all over her haggard face. When she saw Jackie’s horrified face, a happy-go-lucky greeting formed on her tongue, but local law enforcement took control of the tragedy before the habitual confrontation ensued. Jackie looked at the cop and looked at her father, then decided the act wasn’t worth the effort. This time her mother had no defense. This time she’d gone too far.

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Just Breathe

Breathing despite the struggle to live

Existing between heartbeats

As if all of life is wrapped up in

One moment

Is that all there is?

Is more too much to ask?

One life

Swelled to capacity as if

Activity defines being

Breathe for the sake of living

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