Best Summer Ever

Heidi Swain

AT the age of twenty-eight, Daisy Patterson still doesn’t know where or what her place in the world is... her latest boyfriend has proved to be unfaithful, she has packed in a job that meant little to her, and she’s fed up with being a disappointment to her parents.

Left with few other options, Daisy returns home to the picturesque village of Wynmouth on the beautiful Norfolk coast in the hope that she can find a job she likes, bring structure to her somewhat disordered life, make her parents proud... and maybe, just maybe, enjoy a much-needed holiday fling.

Pour a glass of your favourite tipple and escape into the warmth and wonder of summer with the queen of feel-good Heidi Swain (pictured below) in a sizzling novel which explores what happens when the lives of two people – both of them harbouring secrets – collide against a kaleidoscope of sea, sand and sunshine.

Swain, who lives with her family in picturesque south Norfolk, has won thousands of adoring readers with her enchanting stories set in three very different fictional locations... the Fenland town of Wynbridge, cosy Nightingale Square in Norwich, and alluring little Wynmouth.

But whatever the setting, Swain’s stories always have a strong sense of community, family and friendship and this sparkling summer standalone – her remarkable twentieth novel – sweeps us into the troubled world of the delightful Daisy.

It’s July and summer is in full swing when Daisy drives back into Wynmouth in her almost-clapped-out car, having left both her most recent job and the man her parents thought (and hoped!) she was going to marry. 

Coming home and staying at her parents’ cottage on the Wynbrook Manor estate for a few months could be just what she needs to move her life on. But things are in disarray at the manor, owned by elderly Algernon (Algy) Alford. Algy isn’t getting any younger and has recently had a fall which has left him lethargic and lacking in enthusiasm. Daisy’s mum Janet, housekeeper at the manor, spends her days running around after him, while Daisy’s dad Robin, the gardener, has been let down by the person he had lined up to take care of the manor’s new cut-flower garden.

Daisy arrival hasn’t exactly been welcomed by her parents. After dropping out of university, and moving from one casual job to another, it seemed that dreamer Daisy had finally found a steady boyfriend... a man with what Robin considered ‘a structured career’ and who was helping to get his daughter’s life in order.

With no money, no prospects and no options, Daisy has at least found a summer job working behind the bar at Wynmouth’s quaint seafront pub, the Smuggler’s Inn, and even before she arrives at her parents’ cottage, she almost literally bumps into American tourist Josh who has hired the cottage next door to the pub for the season.

As Daisy slowly settles in again at Wynbrook Manor and in the village, she finds new purpose in helping with the cut-flower garden and enjoys the ‘electricity’ that continues to crackle between herself and the very attractive Josh. But when he turns out to be not the person she thought, will the spark between them fizzle out and with it, the chances of this turning this into the best summer ever?

Swain has a well-earned reputation for heartwarming and entertaining stories which showcase her talent for blending escapist romance, captivating locations, and a perfectly imagined cast of characters facing some of the real-life challenges of the modern world, and Best Summer Ever proves – rather aptly – to be one of her best novels ever. Readers will adore following chaotic but caring Daisy’s journey from lost soul to a young woman discovering the joys and rewards of self-belief and self-discovery as she finds her feet and a new purpose back home in the place where her life began.

Set against the seductive charms of the Norfolk coast, an enticing romance, a simmering mystery, and the evocative scents of a well-stocked flower garden, this summer holiday odyssey is a gloriously funny, insightful and inspirational celebration of the powerful bonds of home, family and friendship. So whether you are in need of a cosy book hug, a breath of fresh sea air, or want a summertime story full of fun, drama and secrets, look no further than this beautifully woven, feel-good tale... the perfect sunshine read!
(Simon & Schuster, paperback, £9.99)