Review: Summer Longing by Jamie Brenner (audio)

Title: Summer Longing

Author: Jamie Brenner

Narrator: Molly Parker Myers

Published: May 2020, Hachette Audio / Little, Brown & Company

Length: 11 hours 36 hours / 384 pages

Source: Audio – Publisher via Libro.fm / Print – ARC Paperback via Publisher

Summary:

When a baby is
left on the doorstep of a Cape Cod beach house, an unlikely group of
women risks all they hold dear to harbor and protect her in this
“touching, nuanced summer yarn” (Publisher’s Weekly).

  

Ruth
Cooperman arrives in beautiful beachside Provincetown for her
retirement, renting the perfect waterfront cottage while she searches
for her forever home. After years of hard work and making peace with
life’s compromises, Ruth is looking forward to a carefree summer of
solitude. But when she finds a baby girl abandoned on her doorstep, Ruth
turns to her new neighbors for help and is drawn into the drama of the
close-knit community.

The appearance of the mystery baby has an
emotional ripple effect through the women in town, including Amelia
Cabral, the matriarch who lost her own child decades earlier; Elise
Douglas, owner of the tea shop who gave up her dream of becoming a
mother; and teenage local Jaci Barros who feels trapped by her parents’
expectations. Ruth, caring for a baby for the first time in thirty
years, even reaches out to her own estranged daughter, Olivia, summoning
her to Provincetown in hopes of a reconciliation.

As summer
unfolds and friends and family care for the infant, alliances are made,
relationships are tested, and secrets are uncovered. But the
unconditional love for a child in need just might bring Ruth and the
women of Provincetown exactly what they have been longing for
themselves.

With heartfelt storytelling, Summer Longing
is Jamie Brenner’s eagerly anticipated return to Provincetown; another
unforgettable tale about motherhood, friendship, and finding your way
home.

 “Welcome to the gold standard of summertime escapism.”
—Elin Hilderbrand, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Summer of ’69

 

My thoughts: This is the second book I’ve read by Jamie Brenner and I am now a fan! First, let’s just admire that cover, shall we? Again, I find myself drawn to that summery feeling and I just know that this is an author I will be associating the start of beach season with as I do with a few other authors!

I loved the characters in this book.They each are fully drawn and complex and I loved that they all have their own quirks and issues to work out this summer. A baby left on a doorstep brings these women together, a group that would most likely not be spending much time together, yet they have so much to offer each other. I also loved that this book delves into so many different types of relationships – mother/daughter, friends, and even that between lovers.

I have not been to Provincetown, but this book has me longing to visit, especially to try out some of the teas from Elise and Fern’s tea shop and maybe have lunch at one of the restaurants that serve local oysters. This book made me feel as if I was there and since we can’t travel right now, I felt as if I got to take a mini-vacation while reading and it was delightful! 

This is the perfect summer read. It is light yet has substance. It is the perfect read to escape in while still providing a book that gives you that emotional attachment to characters you will find yourself attached to. 

Audio thoughts: I listened to this book and found the narrator to really bring the characters to life. Her pacing and intonation were spot on and I enjoyed listening. Jamie Brenner’s books just make for good listening!