Barefoot Summer by Denise Hunter

Enter Today - 6/10 - 6/22! 
Author: Denise Hunter
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Date of publication: June 2013

Madison’s heart closed the day her twin brother died.

Since losing her twin, Michael, in a drowning incident, Madison has rejected the faith he lived by. Instead, she’s devoted her life to fulfilling Michael’s dream—winning the River Sail Regatta in their small Indiana town, Chapel Springs.

As she trains for the regatta, Beckett O’Reilly is teaching Madison to swim. But he’s keeping a painful secret from her—and as they grow closer, that secret threatens to upend their lives . . . and the lives of both their families.

Barefoot Summer is a perfect book for the season.  It is a beautifully written story about two people who come to terms with their pasts and start looking toward the future through their faith and trust in God.  I enjoyed the book greatly. 

Madison has never been able to really move past the death of her twin brother.  She has never really allowed herself grieve.  She believes that by fulfilling his dream of wining the local regatta, she will somehow be able to move on.  She soon finds out that God has other plans for her.  Beckett has grown up as the son of the town drunk.  Even though he has not followed in his father's footsteps, he still feels the sting of his childhood. I really felt for both characters.  I enjoyed watching Madison and Becket fall for each other.  Neither one feels that they are good enough for the other one.  They soon discover that until they move on, they can never really let their love grow.

One thing that I had a hard time with in the story was how Madison's parents handled the news about Michael's death.  While I understood their motive behind their choice, I thought it was incredibly irresponsible and selfish.  Had everyone known the truth, perhaps they would have been able to move on a lot sooner.

The ending was perfect. As I said earlier, this is a great story for summer.  Perfect for a relaxing day on the beach. There is a little hint as to a potential romance between Madison's sister Jade and a family friend.  I hope their story is next.

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About the author:
Denise lives in Indiana with her husband Kevin and their three sons. In 1996, Denise began her first book, a Christian romance novel, writing while her children napped. Two years later it was published, and she's been writing ever since. Her books often contain a strong romantic element, and her husband Kevin says he provides all her romantic material, but Denise insists a good imagination helps too!
Learn more about Denise at http://www.denisehunterbooks.com