Title: Under a Summer Sky
Author: Melody Carlson
Publication Date: April 6, 2017
Publisher:  Revell
Provided by: Revell Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group
Series: Follow your Heart (#3)
Subjects: art, art galleries, teaching, upper-class, 
Setting: Seattle, Savannah
Rating: 3.5/5
Pages: 322
Amazon Link
Author Page

Synopsis: ​
High school art teacher Nicole Anderson is looking forward to a relaxing summer in Savannah, house-sitting and managing an art gallery for a family friend. The house is luxurious in a way that only old money could make it, and the gallery promises interesting days in a gorgeous setting. Yet it isn't long before her ideal summer turns into more than she bargained for: a snooty gallery employee who's determined to force her out, a displaced adolescent roosting in the attic, and two of Nicole's close childhood friends--who also happen to be brothers--vying for her attention. 

With a backdrop of a beautiful historical city, incredible architecture, and even an alleged ghost or two, combined with the opportunity for romance . . . anything can happen! 
Bestselling and award-winning author Melody Carlson invites readers to spend the summer surrounded by beauty and tantalizing possibilities for the future.
Under a summer sky

Review: 
The beginning of this book was amazing. I've been struggling lately to get into books and this one was easy to enjoy. Melody Carlson is a well known author and her story of Southern Savannah was, well. smooth as butter. Sweet as sugar, etc. 

I really enjoyed meeting the characters and seeing their summer unfold... but as I got to the end of the book, there were a lot of unanswered questions and unsolved mysteries and I began to question: How will the author wrap everything up in 50? 20? 5 pages? 

By the end of the book something changed. It felt rushed. If felt like the author was struggling to cram a 60 page ending in about 7 and because of that, there was something missing. 

I have enjoyed Melody Carlson's books in the past, and to be honest thoroughly enjoyed reading probably 80% of the book, I would give it a 5, but the ending was pretty crummy. (To clarify, not from a plot perspective but just the way that it was written).

To me its odd that the ending was so weak because of how much she has written, surely she has editors and things to guide her, etc but perhaps she was rushed for a deadline. 

In any case, I think that I cant justify giving this book more than a 3.5 rating. It is a good book but I wouldn't give it to a friend. 

About the Author

Melody Carlson is the award-winning author of over two hundred books with sales of more than 6.5 million, including many bestselling Christmas novellas, young adult titles, and the contemporary romances Once Upon a Summertime and All Summer Long. She received a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award in the inspirational market for her many books, including Finding Alice. She and her husband live in central Oregon. Learn more at www.melodycarlson.com. 

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. ...Let all who fear the Lord repeat: “His faithful love endures forever.” In my distress I prayed to the Lord, and the Lord answered me and set me free. The Lord is for me, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?

...My enemies did their best to kill me, but the Lord rescued me. The Lord is my strength and my song; he has given me victory. I will not die; instead, I will live to tell what the Lord has done.

...I thank you for answering my prayer and giving me victory! This is the Lord’s doing, and it is wonderful to see. This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. You are my God, and I will praise you! You are my God, and I will exalt you! Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever."

- From Psalm 118.

// These were words that stood out, not the complete passage. Things may be really hard but we can find strength in knowing we are loved and peace in knowing he will never leave us.

// Also this was originally on google plus but I deleted that post because it made me feel too exposed and I didnt like the feeling. Sorry. 

Today I took an online Moral Alignment quiz. It said I am chaotic good which feels like it fits. 

If you want to take the test yourself here is the one I took: http://www.easydamus.com/alignmenttest.html

Here is the short description it gave: 

Chaotic Good- A chaotic good character acts as his conscience directs him with little regard for what others expect of him. He makes his own way, but he's kind and benevolent. He believes in goodness and right but has little use for laws and regulations. He hates it when people try to intimidate others and tell them what to do. He follows his own moral compass, which, although good, may not agree with that of society. Chaotic good is the best alignment you can be because it combines a good heart with a free spirit. However, chaotic good can be a dangerous alignment when it disrupts the order of society and punishes those who do well for themselves.

... And just for fun the detailed results. I was almost a Neutral Good.

Detailed Results:

Alignment:
Lawful Good ----- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (23)
Neutral Good ---- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (27)
Chaotic Good ---- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (28)
Lawful Neutral -- XXXXXXXXXXX (11)
True Neutral ---- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (15)
Chaotic Neutral - XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (16)
Lawful Evil ----- XXXXXXXXXXXX (12)
Neutral Evil ---- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (16)
Chaotic Evil ---- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (17)

Law & Chaos:
Law ----- XXXXXX (6)
Neutral - XXXXXXXXXX (10)
Chaos --- XXXXXXXXXXX (11)

Good & Evil:
Good ---- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (17)
Neutral - XXXXX (5)
Evil ---- XXXXXX (6)

Somehow I didnt see the end of high school coming. 

It sounds kind of dumb but school has always been my sanctuary, where I felt relatively free and comfortable and included, even if that was just a side effect of mandatory group projects and teachers paid specifically to teach you things. 

They say that you grow the most when you are young, you go from a few cells to a baby to a tiny person who can walk and talk and pick a favorite color. 

But hell it sure feels like things are changing an awful lot now, I feel like I am growing up a lot. 

I'm buying things for myself.
Budgeting my money.
Trying to get a job. 
Buying a bunch of shorts which is a big deal since I havent worn pants in like 5 years. 

This was from a conversation with a friend: 

​Its really weird, and almost scary not to have high school to come back to. In the fall, my sister will start 10th grade before I leave for college and I'll probably have to drive her but I wont be going back myself. Its odd. I've always gone back to school in the fall...

High school was the norm and now I have to transition my mentality of myself from "kid in school" to "person who has graduated" which is hard. 

The norm has been way too much homework. 
Too much stress. 
Raising my hand.

I've been looking at the notes and they all say high school was a bad dream, you'll wonder why you cared so much. Its just interesting to imagine. 

Like I guess for me, high school consumed my thoughts for the last four years, school in general as long as I can remember. In the last few weeks of high school, AP tests were over, things were wrapping up and I remember talking to my chem teacher "I have always had asssignments to do. I have always taken classes over the summer (math, gym class, chem, speech, etc) and now, nothing. My mind was bored i needed things to do, to feel productive, to have purpose to my activity. 

And like they say that junior year is hard for people, there is too much work, and that was the case for me but I didnt see it then. It was my normal. I didnt stop to think and then this spring once i went over to a friends house and she just sat so content on the sofa with her boyfriend. Like a person and not a student and I realzied that I have been missing a lot. 

Another friend mentions texting her dad jokes and I dont really know what its like to joke with your parents and just enjoy company with them. I know what its like to talk to teachers about my feelings or share a story but compared to my teachers, especially the ones senior year, my parents are strangers. 

In Real Life people go out to restaurants. 
People go to movies. 
People go to amusement parks. 
People watch TV. 
People go to concerts. 
People have families. 
People listen to music in the car. 
People have Christmas and Easter and Thanksgiving meals with said families. 

I feel like I have none of these things. (Yes, I have parents. I am not that dumb, and I have a sister to. But we havent eaten meals at the table in probably 8 years and also the closest relative after that is 9 hours away not including pit stops. The next is ten and a half hours not including pit stops, or 11 hours and about 15 minutes if we stop at the first on the way to the second. That said, we havent been too see any of them in 4 years. 

It feels like longer. 

In 11th grade, one of the teachers I had called me out on my tunnel vision on school: why do you obsess so much about your grades? Why does it matter so much to you? And she knew that there was something wrong even more than I myself did. 

That teacher said "I have never had a student try as hard as you, never had a student get that high of a grade in this class." I had a 95 as my final grade. 

And I think part of that is Aspies (Aspergers). I am pretty sure I am an aspergirl/person with autism because I honestly try so hard to please people. People like me try to be perfect and if we please people, they will accept us. If we agree with them, they will include us. If we work 10x harder, maybe we will measure up to everyone else. 

I always always have said that I work more at school than the other kids. Yes, they may have harder workloads but it doesnt affect them as much. They can manage it and complete it easily. They might have a packet and complete the whole thing the day its due on the bus to school when I will highlight and underline and take notes and type and double space and ask a friend to peer-edit. ANd then I have just spent 10 hours on the same 5 point assignment. 

I guess thats another rant. But I had just seen the post at the top and its really hard because high school has been my home not to have that anymore and I am so glad that I got into my top choice and I think I will really love it. I think it will help me transition to being a person, an adult. At least I hope so...

​

Started: 11:50 on June 8, 2017
Finished: 12:45 on June 8, 2017 including the images and looking at notes. 
Oh this is relateable! Peopel will say "you know what you did" but we never have any idea. We try really bad to please everyone and then feel really bad for causing problems. We think if we are perfect we will be liked and people will accept us.