The Summer We Mended by Kimberly Thomas ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

 

On the windswept shores of Martha's Vineyard, a grieving artist and a military family find strength, healing, and hope in the bonds of love.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site.  A free book was provided for an honest review.

October 2025; Indie; 979-8262955527
ebook, print (386 pages); women's fiction

This emotional and well-written book looks at a family in crisis.  I have enjoyed all of the Kimberly Thomas books, and this one, about the strength of family bonds, is my new favorite.  

A year after her husband's death, Lily is still dealing with profound grief.  Lily and Daniel were very much in love, and she isn't dealing well with his loss.  Most days, she can barely get out of bed, and she has given up her pottery art and her art classes for children.  She doesn't find any happiness in her world right now and doesn't want to work to make changes.  Her son lives close to her, but even though he visits frequently, he can't get through to her.  Her daughter Emma is a military wife and decides to move home with her children when her husband is deployed.  At first, Lily doesn't want her daughter and grandkids to move into her home, but she decides to give it a short trial.  The grandkids work wonders on her depressed mood.  Having them around with their questions and their curiosity began to slowly bring happiness back into her life.  When Emma's husband disappears on a mission, Lily realizes that she needs to step into a new role and be strong for her daughter and grandkids.  Will she be able to find the strength to be strong enough to help her daughter?

The story is full of tender moments and the healing that can come through a family.  This is the story of love and loss, along with the bonds with family that can help us through the worst that life can bring.

The characters are all beautifully written and feel very real.    Even though Lily is feeling deep grief over the loss of her husband at the beginning of the story, her growth during the book reflected the way that I was able to grow from my grief after the loss of my husband.  Her two children deal with the death of their father in different ways, and even though they want to help their mother, they are very understanding of how she is dealing with life. This book made me smile as the characters all began to heal, and it also made me cry, especially in the parts about Emma's husband and family.  This book will make you feel strong emotions, but at the end, the overall feeling is one of hope for the future of the entire family.

Buy The Summer We Mended at Amazon

Susan Roberts grew up in Michigan but loves the laid-back life at her home in the Piedmont area of North Carolina where she is three hours from the beach to the east and the mountains in the west.  She reads almost anything but her favorite genres are Southern Fiction and Historical Fiction.   

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