Malibu Summer

Ivy Bauer, soil scientist and hopeful inventor, is abruptly widowed and left adrift, unable to concentrate on her groundbreaking work. Her best friend Makayla persuades Ivy to take a sabbatical and swap Northern California for Malibu to live in the guest house of Mak’s boss, TV producer Conrad Reed, for a change of scenery and garden design work. Ivy, encouraged by the backer of her venture to take as much time as she needs to regroup, moves onto Conrad’s estate and straight into his grief. Conrad’s starlet wife, Dawn, recently died in a horrible auto accident, leaving behind her precocious young son, Hudson. Ivy is charmed by Hudson, but Conrad? Not so much. Ivy and Conrad are complete opposites, but sparks still begin to fly as their nearness turns into concerned caring despite their differences. However, contrived subplots and simplistic resolutions, along with an overly mature four-year-old, overshadow the story, including an enlightening angle on environmental issues.