REVIEW: Summer on Firefly Lake by Jen Gilroy

Summer on Firefly Lake by Jen Gilroy: After her divorce, Mia Gibbs takes her two daughters back to Firefly Lake. There she reconnects with her old friend Nick McGuire, who was only in town to try to convince his mother to move out of her large house. Nick doesn’t believe he’s meant to have a family, afraid he’ll be a terrible father like his was, and Mia’s reluctant to open herself up and getting hurt again. The more time they spend together, the harder it becomes for them to deny their feelings for one another. But Mia’s heart is set on staying permanently at Firefly Lake, while Nick’s is set on returning to New York.

Summer on Firefly Lake’s main theme is family. Nick’s mother, Gabrielle, wanting nothing more than for Nick to be happy, sets out to play matchmaker for Nick and Mia, all will struggling with her developing feelings for Ward, a photographer who wondered into her yard by accident. Mia loves her daughters and struggles between doing what’s right for herself and doing what her ex-husband believes is best for all of them, while trying to help her expecting sister. Nick, unable to have children of his own, develops a father-daughter type bond with a teenager attending the camp Mia started in memory of her late mother.

I found myself annoyed with Nick at times. He kept harping about how he couldn’t be a father. Part of it was that he was afraid of turning into his father, a person who screwed over many people before he took off. But the other part was that he couldn’t have a biological child. Often times he didn’t seem open to the possibility that even though Mia’s children weren’t his, he could be a father to them. Or that he could be a father-figure to Kylie, the father-less teenager in foster care because her mother was in jail. At points it just seemed like he wasn’t willing to even try, which was frustrating. Mia eventually points out the obvious to him.

 “You don’t have to father a child to be a dad.” The love in her voice winded him and maybe always would. “And you don’t need a good dad to be one yourself.”

A sweet, small town friends to lovers story, Summer on Firefly Lake won’t disappoint fans of this trope. I look forward to seeing what else the author has in store for the other inhabitants of Firefly Lake.

Book Info:

Publication: July 25, 2017 | Forever | Firefly Lake #2

Mia Gibbs spent her marriage putting her husband’s needs before her own. And now, after a painful divorce, she’s building a new life for herself and her two daughters back home at Firefly Lake. The last thing she needs is a man to complicate things. But former bad boy turned friend Nick McGuire-and the one kiss they’ve shared-has turned everything upside down . . . Attorney Nick McGuire wasn’t meant to be a family man. His career has always been his focus and after taking time out to help his mother, he’s ready to get back to the city . . . until Mia and her daughters arrive at Firefly Lake. Mia is beautiful and intriguing, and it doesn’t take long to realize being “just friends” will never be enough. As the summer nights turn colder, Nick will have to choose between the life he’s always wanted . . . and the woman he can’t live without.