It had been years since Sam had been back on the island. If she had had her way, she wouldn’t have ever gone back—there were too many shattered memories of her years in Nantucket. There’s a reason she left without a second backward glance. The pain was too great for her to bear. Surrender Bay follows Sam back to the island where she is forced to face abandoned problems head on—like the man she left behind years before.

Denise Hunter does a good job of drawing the reader into the world of Sam and her young daughter, Caden. Sam’s faults and fears are shown without being judgmental. Her weaknesses are exposed by not exploited. Readers are taken on the rough journey of forgiveness and the discovery of faith. It’s a tangled journey full of memories and hurt feelings but there is always a glimmer of hope waiting to be received.

Surrender Bay is a beautiful allegory of hope and redemption. After finishing the story, readers are given review questions to work through individually, or with a group of friends. This would be an excellent book for a summer book club. It’s not a light and fluffy book but one that you want to pick up and absorb in small pieces.

Reviewed by: Caitlin Muir