My Bittersweet Summer

By: Starla Huchton

Narrated by: Lori Prince

Margaret Walsh worked for six years to overcome the trauma she endured at the hands of bullies as a kid, and graduation promises the chance to start over in college and leave the past behind her for good.

What was supposed to be her last summer of fun before moving to Paris turns into a nightmare as her parents announce they're taking over management of a restaurant in the New England beach town where she spent her childhood. For them, it's an amazing possibility. For her, it means confronting memories - and people - she'd rather forget.

Margie's all grown up now, but some things never change. When Zach Robinson insists he's not the bully she remembers, it's all she can do not to laugh. Still, if she's learned anything over years, it's that everyone deserves an opportunity to be better.

Even lost causes need second chances, but with her heart on the line, asking her to bet on a long shot might take more faith than she's willing to give.

©2015 Starla Angelica Huchton (P)2017 Starla Huchton

Beauty and the Beast

This book struck a cord with me.

The main character Margie is returning to a place where she was traumatized as a child by bullies.

Margie dealt with years of therapy to deal with her PTSD

But due to a once in a life time opportunity and out of love for her parents she returns.

The book follows Margie and Zack through out the summer as they work on growing up and moving on from the past.

Great story, something for teens and adults

I listened to this book, and having listened to Starla Hutchton's Evolution: Angel, I knew I was in for a ride! The narration done by Lori Prince kept me enticed while the story that was woven around me made me laugh, cry, and walk alongside the teen characters as their lives played out. It brought back memories of when I was a teenager, and I was able to reminisce myself. I was very pleased with the ending, as it was similar (and better) than what I had hoped would happen. Will definitely be reading more of the author's work

Life after bullies

Margie suffers from PTSD after experiencing an extreme amount of bullying when she was young. Now, 6 years later she returns to the town that was the scene of the crime, to help her parents with their new restaurant endeavor. Can she keep it together when facing the boys that tormented her?

My Bittersweet Summer really struck a chord with me. I thought the storyline was well written and the narrator did a fantastic job of conveying the emotions. Well done.

I enjoyed listening to this book

I enjoyed listening to this book and I enjoyed the narrator.
"I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."

second chances

Margie was bullied as a child by a bunch of rich kids that lived on the island. She was bullied so badly, that her parents moved away and got her some help.

Then her parents tell her that they have sold their house and are moving back to the island to help open a restaurant and they need her to come and help for the summer before she goes to Paris for college. She is not happy and her anxiety starts coming back.

One of the boys that was part of the group, Nick, his parents are who her family will be working for. he suffered a death of a friend the previous summer and it changes his outlook on everything, including who his supposed friends are.

nick tries to make amends with margie, but she is so traumatized still, that she doesn't want to hear anything that he has to say.

over the course of the summer, they start to build a possible friendship. nick eventually tells margie that he has loved her since he was six. will she forgive him and allow them to have their hea after all?

such a good book on redemption, forgiveness and second chances.

good YA story. 3.5 stars

Poor Marg. this has been though a lot in her early age. And having to face the boys that have bulled her almost her whole again, is no easy task. She has to learn not to be so angry, to not let them ruin her life again. Thankfully she has good friends, a great family, and a killer job to help her get though all of this.
She has changed, But have they?

This is my 2nd book by Lori P. I really like her work. she has a perfect teenage voice, as well as others that she does. Great Job Lori!


I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Bittersweet love is the best!

I'm a sucker for a good love story and this one had it all - a misunderstood and beautiful heroine, a handsome bad boy on the mend, the beach, good food, great friends (and not-so-great friends,) and, well, rats.

The erstwhile lovers met when they were kids but life happened and they separated. I loved how the author brought about the reconciliation. It involved overcoming obstacles on both the young lovers parts but the inevitable HEA made it all worth it. (I would have loved a better epilogue though.)

The narration was good although there were a few times when the speaker was female but the narrator used her male persona. It didn't happen enough to be too distracting but it does bear mentioning.

All in all, a great listen.

Fantastic!!!!

Wow! This story was really fantastic! Great narration but also an incredible story with a strong female heroine who endured awful bullying as a child. This story was intense and actually had a few little twists I didn't see coming. I really enjoyed this audio!

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

An Intense Read

Margie was terribly bullied as a child by a group of rich boys. After they caused a head injury that left her hospitalized, her family moved away and she spent the next 6 years in therapy to treat the emotional damage they caused. Even after years of therapy, she's still plagued by stress migraines and panic attacks. Despite this, Margie is an incredibly driven person and her dream is to become a chef. She's received a scholarship to study in Paris and plans to spend her last summer preparing for it.

When her parents are given an opportunity to manage an upscale restaurant, Margie is forced to move back to the same town where she was tormented all those years ago. She dreads meeting the group of boys who made her life miserable. Sure enough, she runs into them right away and nothing seems to have changed. Except for one person, Zach Robinson. Zach insists that he's changed and that he wants to show her that he's a different person now. But Margie's fears aren't so easy to overcome.

This was an intense read that held me from the first chapter. It's a wonderful story about second chances, overcoming challenges, and personal growth. I loved the author's writing style, it's a good slow burn. This was a clean read.

This book didn't feel like a typical YA novel, mostly because of the maturity of the characters. Margie was hardworking and responsible, and showed a depth and dedication I don't usually see in teen reads. She had her flaws, she had trouble controlling her anger.
But this was balanced by her work ethic and innate kindness, and it just made her more real. Both Margie and Zach were well developed characters.

In the beginning, I was conflicted about what I wanted for Zach. The story was told from Margie's point of view, so the only evidence we had of his efforts to be a better person is what she saw. When he did things like locking the car door so she couldn't leave, and grabbing and kissing her against her will, those were red flags that just showed he hadn't changed. I loved that Margie called him on his stalker behavior. By the end, the author had really brought the story full circle and I was rooting for Zach.

The narration was well done, Lori Prince read dramatically and really put life into the story. She had the perfect voice for the story and was easy to listen to. I received a copy of the audiobook, and I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

Bittersweet Romance

There was a pretty serious tone to how traumatic Margie’s childhood had been due to some serious bullying. It has taken her so long to get over the panic attacks and totally change the way she copes with her triggers. Coming back to her childhood home is the last place she wants to be, but circumstances take her there to face all her childhood tormentors head on.

Narration was fairly good and brought the story to life.

I enjoyed the ups and downs and how everything came together for a sweet HEA conclusion with a few twists. This is a pretty intense story and kept me hooked from the beginning. This is a pretty clean story that can be enjoyed by either teens or adults.

The story was from Margie’s POV so it was hard to figure out what Zach’s motives and intentions were until towards the end. But everything wrapped up nicely at the end.

"I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."