Blog Tour: The Summer Island Festival by Rachel Burton

When Willow walks out on her own wedding, there's only one place she can go...

Growing up in the island village of Seaview, Willow always dreamed of a bigger life. Then her childhood sweetheart Luc betrayed her and she ran, resolving never to look back. Now, twelve years on, her glamorous London life is a mess and the island is her only option.

But she's not the only one back for the summer. Luc is now a world-famous heartthrob musician, and he's finally come home to headline the Isle of Wight's annual music festival.

As Willow untangles her messy past, she stumbles on a secret that could destroy her family, the island's fragile community - and her second chance at love...

Purchase Links
UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Summer-Island-Festival-Burton/dp/1800246064
US - https://www.amazon.com/Summer-Island-Festival-Burton/dp/1800246064 

Review

After leaving her fiance at the altar, Willow retreats to her childhood home in Seaview on the Isle of Wight. She hasn't really been back since the summer when she was eighteen, the summer when everything changed, but she can't face the idea of returning to the upmarket flat she shared with her fiance. Also back on the island is her childhood sweetheart Luc, who has troubles and secrets of his own, and their parents, who have held family secrets close for far too long...

As the summer progresses, we get a dual POV from Willow and Luc, interspersed with flashbacks to Willow's mum Cathy in the eighties. While initially heavy on the exposition, through the flashbacks we begin to understand just how events decades ago led to the mess right now. There are twists and turns, and a fair bit of cheating (not between the leads), but I can assure you of a happy ending

It's a delight to watch Willow slowly reacquaint herself with who she wants to be, not who her fiance expects her to be, as she realises her life in London isn't all it's cracked up to be. Her self-deprecation is balanced by Luc's admiration of her. Luc's got a secret or two that he's held onto for far too long, but once he gets them into the open, it's not hard to feel sympathy for him, especially as he does good grovel.

There's some beautiful themes of family and honesty against the backdrop of musicians - both on tour (in the flashbacks) and preparing for the titular festival - so what could be quite a heavy read is mellowed into a sweet story about following your own dreams, and how it's okay to reassess those in light of new information or events. We might get Luc's POV, but in the end, this is Willow's story, and it's a lovely one.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys homecoming / second chance romances.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book via Rachel's Random Resources; all opinions are my own

Author Bio

Rachel Burton has been making up stories for as long as she can remember and always dreamed of being a writer until life somehow got in the way. After reading for a degree in Classics and another in English Literature she accidentally fell into a career in law, but eventually managed to write her first book on her lunch breaks.

She has spent most of her life between Cambridge and London but now lives in Yorkshire with her husband and their three cats. She loves yoga, ice hockey, tea, The Beatles, dresses with pockets and very tall romantic heroes.

Find her on Twitter & Instagram as @RachelBWriter or follow her blog at rachelburtonwrites.com. She is always happy to talk books, writing, music, cats and how the weather in Yorkshire is rubbish. She is mostly dreaming of her next holiday....

Social Media Links
Twitter: @rachelbwriter
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Rachelburton74/
Website: rachelburtonwrites.com