Narrated by Vanessa Moyen
Audiobook
Published February 24th 2017 by Deanna Lynn Sletten
Life can change in a heartbeat…
Ali Jenson's life changed forever the moment her mother died. The sixteen-year-old was suddenly swept away from the life she knew in California to live with her estranged grandfather in the deep woods of northern Minnesota. Ali's life has never been easy, but it seems her grandfather is trying his best to make it even more difficult. Her only hope is to get through the summer and her last year of high school so she can return to her old life in California. What she hadn't counted on, though, was slowly becoming attached to the grumpy old man and falling in love for the very first time.
Benjamin Jenson never planned on meeting his granddaughter, let alone having her live with him. He wasn't thrilled with the idea of a teenaged girl coming into his home or his life. He'd been down that path once before, and he didn't want to relive it again. But he is her only living relative, and he knew his deceased wife, Lizzie, would have wanted him to give Ali a home. Grudgingly, he figured he could put up with the girl for a year. He never expected Ali to find a way into his heart and make him face painful past memories and his worst fear. The fear of losing yet another person he loves.
Will Ben finally put away the past and give Ali the one thing she's always dreamed of? A home.
I loved Summer of the Loon when I read it. Listening to it recently took me back to that wonderful time and place. The narrator, Vanessa Moyen, is perfect as the reader. She has a young voice and totally became Ali to me but she does a great job with the other characters as well. I don't normally pick books by the narrator but I really enjoyed listening to Vanessa's voice. I'll be checking out more of her work.
(originally posted February 27, 2014)
I know when I start one of Deanna's books that I am going to enjoy the story so, so much. When I get one of her books, I drop whatever I am reading and doing so that I can dive into the new world she has created for us. And I am never disappointed. She writes such wonderful, down to earth, believable stories with very likable characters.
Summer of the Loon was the perfect book to read right now, in the dead of winter, with the cold and snow blowing around me. The story takes place during the summer on a beautiful lake in northern Minnesota. I really felt like I was there, enjoying the boat rides and watching the resident loons.
Ali moves to Minnesota from California to live with a grandfather she has never met, after her mother dies. The move itself is a big adjustment but then she is also thrust upon an old man who really doesn't want her to be there.
'At only sixteen years old, her former life was behind her, and she was walking toward her new life, meeting her estranged grandfather for the very first time.'Ben has had his heart broken and is not ready to let anyone in and he now finds himself responsible for a teenager. He doesn't want to be hurt again and isn't able to open his heart to her.
"Her mother had been so affectionate and loving. How in the world had she come from this cold, hard person in front of her?'I loved the setting of the story. Like I mentioned, it takes place on a lake in Minnesota which just sounds so peaceful and relaxing. It reminded me of the times I have spent in a cabin at a lake as I was growing up. It can be such a happy time.
"The ocean was always moving, rushing onto shore, wave after wave. The lake, however, moved in slower motion, making it peaceful and calming.'I totally fell in love with Ali. She is such a wise, mature girl for her age and she doesn't take any guff off of anyone, even her grandfather. Especially her grandfather! She tells it like it is and doesn't let anyone get away with anything.
'This was the closest he'd ever stood next to her. Ali could smell his spicy aftershave. He smells like a grandfather.'Deanna's books are always so wonderful to read and she is able to make the reader connect emotionally with her characters. I was brought to tears several times as the characters worked through their issues and emotions. That takes a special kind of writing to be able to get the reader so involved!
And if you haven't already guessed, I love to mark great lines as I am reading and add them to my posts, lines that spoke to me in some way. So that's what the blue sections are above, lines that I loved. I will leave you with one of my very favorite lines of the whole book.
'Sometimes, you just have to believe in a person no matter what.'I love it!! Thank you Deanna, for writing another great story to add to my collection.
About the author
Deanna Lynn Sletten writes women's fiction and romance novels that dig deeply into the lives of the characters, giving the reader an in-depth look into their hearts and souls. She has also written one middle-grade novel that takes you on the adventure of a lifetime.
Deanna's romance novel, Memories, was a semifinalist in The Kindle Book Review's Best Indie Books of 2012. Her novel, Sara's Promise, was a semifinalist in The Kindle Book Review's Best Indie Books of 2013 and a finalist in the 2013 National Indie Excellence Book Awards.
Deanna is married and has two grown children. When not writing, she enjoys walking the wooded trails around her northern Minnesota home with her beautiful Australian Shepherd or relaxing in the boat on the lake in the summer.
Connect with Deanna
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