Publisher: Gallery Books / Simon & Schuster Audio
Published: May 31, 2022
Source: Print – ARC Paperback via @BookClubFavorites / Gallery Books / Audio – ALC via Simon & Schuster Audio
Summary:
After her fiancé whisks her off to the glistening shores of Southampton in June of 1957, one young socialite begins to realize that her glamorous summer is giving her everything—except what she really wants—in this new novel from the author of Summer Darlings, “one terrific summer read” (Elin Hilderbrand, #1 New York Times bestselling author).
Everleigh “Lee” Farrows thinks she finally has life all figured out: a handsome fiancé named Roland, a trust in her name, and a house in Bronxville waiting for her to fill it with three adorable children. That is, until Roland brings her out to the Hamptons for a summer that will change everything.
Most women could only dream of the engagement present Roland unexpectedly bestows on Lee—a beachside hotel on the prized Gin Lane—but Lee’s delight is clouded by unpleasant memories of another hotel, the Plaza, where she grew up in the shadow of her mother’s mental illness. Shaking off flashbacks, Lee resolves to dive into an unforgettable summer with poolside Bellinis, daily tennis matches, luncheons with her Manhattan circle, and her beloved camera in tow. But when tragedy strikes on the hotel’s opening weekend, the cracks in Lee’s picture-perfect future slowly begin to reveal themselves, and Lee must look deep within herself to determine if the life she’s always wanted will ever truly be enough.
From the regal inns to the farmland, the well-heeled New Yorkers to the Bohemian artists, the East End of Long Island is a hodge-podge of the changing American landscape in the late 1950s—and the perfect place for Lee to discover who she really is.
My thoughts:
This is the first book I’ve read by Brooke Lea Foster but it certainly will not be the last. I was initially drawn to this one because of the setting – hello, Long Island, but once I started reading it, I was completely captivated by the story and the characters…this one was the perfect read to kick off my summer reading and I will be recommending this to everyone!
This book was exactly the type of book I needed to lose myself in for a few hours. It combined two of my favorites – historical fiction and a hint of mystery. It’s such a glamorous, evocative story that you just want to be reading it while sitting in the sun, drink in hand, forgetting the world at large. I was totally swept up in the cast of characters that we meet, determined to know all the gossip myself, and when tragedy strikes, determined to get to the bottom of it myself.
I also loved that there is such a strong sense of time and place throughout the story. While Lee is born a socialite and her only expectation is to meet a rich man and marry well, she struggles with this and I loved seeing this. I loved seeing how she wasn’t satisfied to go along with the status quo. Watching Lee set on out on a path towards self-discovery gave me pause for my own self-reflection and I just love when books do that.
I loved this story. It’s a great book to add to your summer reading and I also think it really would make for a great bookclub pick – there is just so much to unpack here.
Audio thoughts:
I did a combination of reading and listening to this one and I thought the narrator, Jennifer Aquino, did a fantastic job with the narration. It’s the first time I’ve listened to her narrate, but I thought her pacing and intonation were great and I had no issues switching between print or audio.
