They meet at a local tavern in the small town of Belleville, Delaware. Polly is set on heading west. Adam says he’s also passing through. Yet she stays and he stays—drawn to this mysterious redhead whose quiet stillness both unnerves and excites him. Over the course of a punishing summer, Polly and Adam abandon themselves to a steamy, inexorable affair. Still, each holds something back from the other—dangerous, even lethal, secrets.Then someone dies. Was it an accident, or part of a plan? By now, Adam and Polly are so ensnared in each other’s lives and lies that neither one knows how to get away—or even if they want to. Is their love strong enough to withstand the truth, or will it ultimately destroy them?
Something—or someone—has to give.Which one will it be?
My Thoughts: From the very first page of Sunburn, the reader is drawn into the mysterious connection that seems to develop immediately between Adam and Polly.
Circumstances brought them together, but desire and the slow burn of secrets and lies would keep them connected…for one long hot summer and beyond.
Who is Polly? We learn bits and pieces of her life and her past as the tale progresses. Their alternating narratives fill in the story over time. Is she a con artist bent on destruction? Or is she someone with a plan and unexpected goals?
Additional layers revealed complexities I didn’t see coming until the very end.
Fascinating story with interesting characters, some of whom were evil and destructive. But I liked both Adam and Polly and rooted for them. Would either of them get what they wanted from the relationship? Would they abandon their original goals? Or would life and someone’s manipulations throw too many curves for either of them to win? A stunning leap near the end of the story brought some of the answers. 5 stars.
GREAT review, Laurel.
I KNEW you would love this one.
Don’t you think this was one of her best?
Thanks for sharing.
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Oh, yes, it was unputdownable! That leap ahead at the end really surprised me…
Thanks for urging me on with this one…I was going to read older books, but I couldn’t resist this one. Thanks for stopping by, Elizabeth.
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Eager to get my hands on this one, Great review!
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Thanks, Harvee, I really loved it!
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Ooh 5 stars. I think I’m moving this one from “probably” to “definitely”!!!
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Thanks for visiting, Greg, and I hope you love it!
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Did you not do a weekly updated? I feel stupid as I cannot find it. I tried this on audio and didn’t connect so I set it down, but perhaps I should pick it up again, your review makes me think it was my mood.
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I’m sorry, Kim, I did do an update…but it’s at An Interior Journey! MY WEEKLY UPDATES
I switched a couple of weeks ago, a thing I do now and then, to give all my blogs a turn at “the love.”
I can’t imagine listening to a book, so I can’t say whether or not I would connect there, but I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t. I have to visualize the story, but that’s me.
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This one does sound good and I hope it works out for Adam and Polly. I need to grab a copy. Great review 🙂
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Thanks, Nai, I really loved this book…so I hope you enjoy it, too.
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Okay Sunburn sounds like a juicy fast read! I will get on the List for it at the library. Thx I need to find out what happens to Polly & Adam.
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Thanks, Susan, after spending three days on An American Marriage, I was so happy to read Sunburn, which flew by, with no slow parts at all…however, I also described it as a “slow burn.” That only means that the heat took its time, but the story moved right along.
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