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My Thoughts:

Boardwalk Summer by Meredith Jaeger

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4 refreshing as a sea breeze stars to Boardwalk Summer! 🍦🎡⛱ 🎠

Boardwalk Summer has two interesting timelines. Violet Harcourt, an aspiring actress and “bathing beauty” in 1940s Santa Cruz, California, and Marisol Cruz, single mom, living in 2007 Santa Cruz as well. Both stories take place during the summer with a stunning beach backdrop and all of the fun and intrigue of the Beach Boardwalk and its performers.

The book opens with Violet winning Miss Bathing Beauty; however, she has kept a big secret. Violet is married, which of course is a no-no, and in addition, her husband is none-too-pleased about her choices. Her marriage is now in shambles, and Violet feels she has only one way to escape, which is the light mystery at the center of the novel.

Marisol Cruz has been working as a waitress when she lands a job with the historical society of the boardwalk, somewhere she has dreamed of working her entire life. Mari’s grandfather was a performer at the boardwalk back in the 1940s, and somehow has a connection to Violet of which Mari works desperately to uncover.

Boardwalk Summer is the ideal book to throw in your beach bag. It is easy reading with characters to love. There is a subtle mystery that kept my interest, and I wished I was surrounded by sand and a boardwalk to people watch. My favorite aspect of the book was the relationships, especially Mari and Jason’s.

Thank you to Meredith Jaeger, William Morrow Paperbacks, and Edelweiss for the copy to review. Boardwalk Summer will be published on June 19, 2018.
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Synopsis:

What happened on that long-ago summer? In this riveting novel from the author of The Dressmaker’s Dowry, an aspiring Hollywood actress makes a shocking choice in 1940, and seventy years later, a young mother sets out to discover what happened …

Summer, 1940: When Violet Harcourt is crowned Miss Bathing Beauty in her hometown of Santa Cruz, she’s determined to see herself on the silver screen. But Violet’s pageant victory comes with a price—cracks appear in her seemingly perfect marriage…and she quickly discovers Hollywood is not the glittering escape she dreamed of. So she makes a shocking choice, leaving her name in headlines and creating a mystery surrounding her fate.

Summer, 2007: Single mother Marisol Cruz lives in a charming seaside cottage that belonged to her grandfather, Ricardo, once a famed performer on the Beach Boardwalk. Drawn to the local history of her town, Mari discovers her grandfather’s connection to a beauty queen who died too young. She embarks on a journey that uncovers his lifelong secret—Ricardo’s connection to Violet…a story of tragedy and courage that will forever transform her.

Have you read Boardwalk Summer, or do you plan to? Any favorite authors for beach reads? Happy Summer and Happy Reading! ~ Jennifer THR