A Season in the Sun
One summer can change everything.
England, 1984. For Thomas Bennett, life seems mapped out before him. A place at university awaits. Expectations are clear. The future appears certain.
Then comes an opportunity that changes everything.
Leaving England behind, Thomas travels to the sun-drenched Costa Brava to work as an overseas representative for Sunshine Holidays. What begins as a temporary summer adventure soon becomes something far more profound.
Amid the winding streets of Catalonia, golden Mediterranean sunsets, colourful resort life, and the freedom of living abroad, Thomas discovers a world far removed from the one he thought he knew. New friendships are formed. Unexpected romances begin to blossom. Every day brings fresh experiences, challenges, laughter, and lessons that cannot be learned from books or lecture halls.
As the summer unfolds, so too does a question that becomes impossible to ignore. What if the life he was supposed to live is not the life he truly wants?
Set against the stunning backdrop of Spain's Costa Brava during the golden age of overseas travel, A Season in the Sun is a heartfelt coming-of-age novel about adventure, friendship, first love, self-discovery, and finding where you truly belong.
Filled with warmth, nostalgia, humour, and unforgettable Mediterranean atmosphere, this is a story for anyone who has ever dreamed of leaving home, following their heart, and embracing the unknown.
A Season in the Sun is the first novel in the Sunshine Seasons series. Join Thomas Bennett as he takes the first steps on a journey that will change his life forever — because sometimes one summer really can change everything.
Available at your local bookstore — if you can't see it on the shelf, please ask for it to be ordered in. You can also order it on Amazon UK or Amazon US, or buy a signed copy directly from shop.wesleybaker.com.
Reader reviews of A Season in the Sun
5.00 average from 17 ratings on Goodreads“A beautiful novel based on the life of a person deciding to move overseas and how the decisions change him and his outlook on life.”
— Gail, Goodreads review
“This is one of those books where nothing especially dramatic happens and yet you can't put it down anyway. A young man spends a summer working as a holiday rep in Spain, falls for a local girl, has to decide whether to follow the future everyone expects of him or the one he's building for himself.”
— Sophie James, Goodreads review
“There's a lovely tension running through this whole book between two versions of the same place, the Spain that tourists see and the Spain that actually exists underneath it, and Thomas's journey toward understanding that difference is really the emotional spine of the story, more than the romance even.”
— Tom Kingston, Goodreads review
A Season in the Sun — Book Club Discussion Guide
Key themes
- Coming of ageThe summer between who we were told to be and who we are.
- Freedom vs expectationUniversity awaits — but is that the life Thomas wants?
- First loveRomance that arrives unplanned and changes everything.
- The golden age of travelResort life on the 1980s Costa Brava, seen from behind the rep's desk.
Discussion questions
- 1.At the start, Thomas Bennett's future seems mapped out. What does the novel suggest about the pressure of other people's expectations?
- 2.How does working as an overseas rep teach Thomas things that 'cannot be learned from books or lecture halls'?
- 3.Which of the friendships Thomas forms on the Costa Brava felt most important to his change, and why?
- 4.The novel captures 1980s package holidays in vivid detail. Did it bring back memories of your own holidays from that era?
- 5.Is the summer an escape from real life, or the moment real life begins? Where do you stand by the final page?
- 6.If you could relive one summer from your youth, which would it be — and would you choose differently?
Not sure which book to choose next? See the full reading order.
Questions about A Season in the Sun
- What is A Season in the Sun about?
- Set against the sunlit backdrop of the Costa Brava, A Season in the Sun is a story of youth, freedom, friendship, first love and the moments that shape the rest of our lives.
- Is A Season in the Sun part of a series?
- Yes — it belongs to Sunshine Seasons, where it is book 1. Each title is written to be read on its own.
- Do I need to read the other books before A Season in the Sun?
- No. Each Sunshine Seasons novel is written to stand alone. Reading in series order — A Season in the Sun, then A Season in the Snow — follows the seasons from summer 1984 into winter 1984.
- Is A Season in the Sun based on real places?
- The settings are drawn from places Wesley knows well, but the characters and events are fiction.
- What formats is A Season in the Sun available in?
- Paperback, eBook. Signed copies come directly from shop.wesleybaker.com, and retail editions are on Amazon UK and Amazon US or can be ordered by any local bookstore.
- Is A Season in the Sun a good book club pick?
- Yes. This page includes a free book club discussion guide for A Season in the Sun, with its key themes and questions to get your group talking.
