Just for the Summer

 Title: Just for the Summer

Author: Melody Carlson

 Genre: Christian Fiction, Chick Lit

Page Ct: 288

This is a fun, light read with an important message.  Ginny Masters has worked for Hotel Jackson for years, working her way up to management.  After losing her mother at a young age, she worked to support her younger sister and help her through medical school.  Yet, at this time, all she seems to have her her job- one that is somewhat unfulfilling with a challenging boss. When she stumbles across a Job Swap website, she impulsively signs up.  Meanwhile in the woods near Idaho Falls, Jacqueline Potter is also dissatisfied with her position running her grandfather's fishing lodge.  

The two women agree to switch places for 60 days, both searching for meaning, fulfillment.  Ginny and Jacqueline are very different women, one much more likeable than the other, but both three-dimensional characters who experience development and growth on their journey.  Many of the secondary characters are vital to the lessons they learn and the connections they make. 

I enjoyed this book, rooting for Ginny to find love and happiness and praying that Jacqueline would learn the lessons needed to become a more caring and invested person.  Some of the plot was a little predictable and a little Hallmarky, but that's not always a negative thing.  I love Hallmark movies because happy endings make me happy, and this book made me happy. This would be a great vacation read or a quick one to read after a harder read.  This one could also be appropriate for younger readers in your household (teen readers). It is wholesome with a little romance and a lot of life lessons.