REVIEW: Other People’s Summer by Sarah Morgan

Other People’s Summer by Sarah Morgan: Milly Beckett and Nicole Raven have been best friend since they were in school together. Milly’s family was her mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. They welcomed Nicole into their inner circle since her mother was a doctor who was unavailable both physically and emotionally. Nicole left after school to become an actress and attained great fame. Milly got married and still helped with the family business of running resort cabins in the Lake District of England.

Milly had a daughter and thought her life was calm and what she wanted. Her husband tells her she is boring and is having an affair with his yoga teacher. As if that weren’t enough, when the divorce goes through Milly is forced to sell the family home and now lives in a converted boathouse on the resort property. Milly is devastated and needs some emotional support. All efforts to connect with Nicole go unanswered. Nicole is ghosting Milly when she needs her the most.

Imagine Milly surprise when she gets word to pick up Nicole at the train station when there has been no contact for eighteen months. Despite being upset with Nicole, Milly decides to get Nicole and bring her to live with her for awhile. Nicole is hiding out after a big scandal over her having an affair with a famous actor who’s been her co-star and friend. Yes, he’s married, but his wife has had multiple affairs that were hidden. The press has been hounding Nicole to the point she can’t do anything. She tells Milly she wants to stay hidden with no one knowing she is there while she decides next steps in her life.

Milly and Nicole slowly work their way back to sharing their secrets and hurts. Nicole wants to help with Nicole’s daughter Zoe who enjoys drama classes and school plays. Milly can’t stay with Nicole all the time since she has lots of work and responsibilities at the resort. Nicole even ends up cleaning a reclusive writer’s cabin after he scares the normal housekeeper. Nicole feels sort of sorry for the author Brendan. He is so immersed in writing his current book, he doesn’t take care of himself. She not only cleans his cabin, but starts bringing him leftovers from meals she fixes. Brendan is so impressed with her cooking, he wants to take Milly to a famous restaurant not far away. As the two get together more, they wonder if they can be more than friends?

Yes, there is romance in this novel. Overall, it is more about family and friendship. The setting is the Lake District of England, but with its universal themes Other People’s Summers could take in America near big lakes.

Book Info:

Publication: May 1, 2025 | Canary Street Press |

A famous actress whose life is unraveling flees to an idyllic English lakeside resort and the best friend she ghosted in this poignant and witty story from the USA TODAY bestselling author of The Book Club Hotel.

In school, Milly Beckett and Nicole Raven were as close as sisters. Now, years later, a gulf separates them, and not just because of the different spheres they inhabit. Nicole is a global superstar with the world at her fingertips, but when scandal breaks, she turns to the only person she trusts.

Fresh from a painful divorce and struggling to balance her work and raising her daughter alone, Milly is tempted to refuse her friend’s plea for help. Nicole wasn’t there for her when she needed her most, and that’s hard to forgive. But Nicole is desperate and Milly agrees to give her the sanctuary she needs.

Against a stunning Lake District backdrop, stilted small talk gradually gives way to soul-deep revelations as the two women slowly find their way back to one another. Living with Milly gives Nicole a glimpse of a different path for herself, and Milly starts to see a life beyond her divorce, including the possibility of a new romance. But Nicole can’t stay hidden forever—and neither can the secret she’s been keeping from Milly, a secret that threatens both her future happiness and the fragile bond between them.

Heartwarming and hopeful, Other People’s Summers explores the beauty of friendship, the power of forgiveness, the impact of the choices we make and the many ways in which life can surprise us.