The Summerhouse

By Jude Deveraux

'Have you ever wanted to rewrite your past?'

Three best friends, all with the same birthday, are about to turn forty. They plan to share this momentous occasion together at a summerhouse in Maine, talking up a storm and taking stock of their lives and loves, their wishes and choices. But none of them expects the gift that awaits them at the summerhouse: the chance for each of them to turn their 'what-might-have-beens' into reality.

Leslie, Madison and Ellie met nineteen years ago, in the most unlikely of places: stuck in line at the New York City Department of Motor Vehicles. From that memorable day, the day they each turned twenty-one, they quickly grew into an intimate trio of friends. Now, as they reunite on their fortieth birthdays, they each find a puzzling card from a 'Madame Zoya' offering them the chance of a lifetime: to relive any three months from the past...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
• Release date: Dec 11, 2012
• ISBN: 9781471104176

Jude Deveraux

Jude Deveraux is the author of historical and contemporary women's fiction featuring women of strong character and gorgeous, exciting men. Jude has had more than thirty books on the New York Times bestsellers list, 60 million copies in print, and has been translated into 18 languages. When she's not writing, she enjoys reading murder mysteries, working in her garden, and in boxing class she likes to show much younger males that she can throw a mean right cross.

Reviews for The Summerhouse

[cathycarr1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

First book when three women share the same birthday. Each goes back in time to decide if they would make the same choices.

[waukeshabookclub1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

We loved it!

[jeanniea-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was an excellent paperback.. I'd read it again. Such up and downs in life,but very hilarious,then some sadness. Things that happen in the real world.

[jtalley2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Summerhouse by Jude Deveraux was sure to delight. This was only the second book I have read from this author and I couldn't put it down.The story begins right where 3 women are in their lives. Leslie is married with two children and a husband who was a college sweetheart. Leslie is feeling less than excited about her marriage and wonders if there is something going on with her husband and his assistant. Ellie is the second female character in this book and she is on a plane reminiscing of the time 20 years ago at the DMV when she was turning 21. Madison was the third female character. The book revolves around 3 women in three different stages of their life and all are about to turn 40. They have not seen each other in 20 years and are meeting up at a cute little summerhouse in Maine to reconnect. The three women meet this very mystical lady who said she can send each woman back in time for 3 weeks. Once they return they must decide if they want to stay where they are with all of their memories of knowing what they know now or return to their current life. Each woman goes back in time to do things that were never done to see how different their lives could be. When they return do they take their new life or stick with their old life? You will have to read the book and find out.I found the book to be very entertaining and was happy with how it ends. I enjoyed learning about their current lives, but also what twists and turns their potential lives would take. I will definitely read the follow up book, "Return to Summerhouse.

[dawn772 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

If you could do over three weeks of your life, what would you choose? This complex story follows the life of three women - dancer Leslie, writer Ellie and model Madison from age 21 to 40 and back again. I was absorbed throughout.

[mrsdanaalbasha · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book touched my heart, and made me think a lot, in some ways it changed my life, i had made a lot of changes because of this book... and the eternal question in it: have you ever wanted to rewrite your past?? I don't want to regret anything so I decided to follow my heart and be more adventures and follow what I think is right for me.

[emilyesears · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It's embarrassing how much I like this book.

[eileenlina · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I picked this book up because it was written by Jude Deveraux. I had read her Knight in Shining Armor and was delighted by the story. I was hoping that this book would give me more of the same.It was about 3 women, who had met each other at the New York DMV 19 years previous, all on the cusp of a new life in New York. One wanted to be a dancer, another, a model and the third a writer. At present all were either in an unhappy marriage or in the process of getting divorced. Now this type of book I don't generally like - it is too much like the reality we live in nowadays. But let me continue the story. One of the women had invited the other 2 to a small town in Maine as a sort of therapy for her because she was devastated about the outcome of her marriage, but under the pretense of celebrating their 40th birthday together, all born on the same day.The reader learns all about the last 19 years of the women through the telling about what happened to each after they had met at the DMV. While in town for lunch they decided to go see a woman, Madame Zoya, whose business card said she can send you to the past and relive 3 weeks and change your past. The 3 women thought she was a fortune reader, but became intrigued with the idea of people able to change the past. All 3 agreed to return to their pasts. If they liked their new lives, they would return and continue with their new lives. If not, they could have their old one back.It was just a wonderful book! Jude Deveraux did not disappoint me. I love the mix of romance with paranormal. Don't miss out on this one. It's delightful!

[johngrant1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Three women who met on their shared 21st birthday while waiting forever at the DMV to pick up their new driving licences decide to get together for a weekend in the wilds of Maine to celebrate their 40th. Would-be supermodel Madison is now a gaunt and wretched woman, having sacrificed her life to an abusive, crippled husband who threw her over as soon as he regained his facilities; she rues her decision, long ago, not to ditch him in favour of moody genius physician Thomas. Would-be ballet dancer Leslie threw it all over to marry her childhood sweetheart, who, like her kids, treats her as a doormat while probably having an affair with his PA, Bambi; should she instead have listened to the entreaties of sensitive dynamo Hal? Would-be artist Ellie abandoned her career to be supportive of her husband, a brilliant musician with failure stamped all over him, who squandered the money she earned when she became a megabestselling author and then, through a combination of lies and judicial corruption, ripped her off something rotten in the divorce; the consequent binge-eating has transformed her from sylph into sofa.

The three tell each other their tales, then discover they've each mysteriously come into possession of the business card of one Madame Zoya, who claims to be able to send people back into their own pasts so that for three weeks they can try to do things differently, then thereafter choose which life they'd prefer to have led, the original or the new one created through their choices. Returned to the present, the three women solve their problems and heal their hurts in different ways, one by selecting the new life while having the memory of the original wiped out, one by selecting the new life while retaining the memory of the original, and one by selecting to stick with her original life yet with the consciousness that it's up to her to remould it.

The first 50 pages or so of this book really creak, and I had my sneers ready (e.g., around p25 Ellie's attention is caught at the DMV by the faces of the other two, but then we discover they've had their backs to her; on p41 Ellie says something under her breath yet the other two hear her), but after that things look up very considerably, as if it took a while for Deveraux to get into her story and then later she couldn't be bothered to polish the early sections. I was impressed by the way she wove her various narrative strands together, neatly avoiding any repetitions of treatment as the three pairs of lives unfolded. And, of course, this is at its heart not just a time-travel tale but a variant of the "Little Shop" story, the home of Madame Zoya standing in for the magical Little Shop that's no longer there when you try to find it again; since I've always been a sucker for both tropes, it could hardly fail. That said, I have no huge urge to rush out 'n' buy the sequel, Return to Summerhouse (2008), which I gather is little more than a not-as-good retread, and nor am I likely to read the other romantic time-travel novels I see that Deveraux has produced. There's a kind of ostentatious reverence for wealth and inherited privilege that's a bit offputting (even though Deveraux does make limp attempts to introduce some counterweights, as it were). Still, The Summerhouse was, to my pleased surprise, quite fun while it lasted.

Oh, I could hardly not mention some bizarre comments Deveraux (via the character Ellie) makes about the way the modern publishing industry works: apparently writers don't need agents, and can do just as well on their own. Deveraux might like to explain this thesis to all the commercial publishers who have a public policy of refusing to consider anything that isn't offered to them through an agent.

[lizamichelle1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I LOVED LOVED LOVED this book! If I had the opportunity to have an alternate view of my life and still get a choice of which life I'd take, I'd do it just to see.These women's lives before the time travel seemed unbearable. For one in particular, I'm surprised she didn't "accidentally" kill her husband.Definitely a book for someone who LOVES books with happy endings.

[mcjsimon · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This book felt like I was reading a grocery store novel. Thought provoking in the sense of imagining time travel and whether you would change anything in your life if you could.

[brismom22 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this book. Its one of those books that you dont forget easily. I find myself thinking about it often. (corny I know!!) But the writing and how its all put together is great. Its alittle far fetched but hey anything possible. I would recommend it to anyone!!! I cant wait to read another one of her books.

[kathywoodall · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Although its a wee bit unbeleavable (the ladies get to to relive 3 weeks of their lifes) it still a nice read. Enjoyable.

[cindyloumn · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Good book. Sort of different.3 women born on the same day, meet later when 40, and go to a fortune teller, who lets them go back and change or not change their lives. Interesting concept. some holes in the story though.