My Thoughts:
The Summer List by Amy Mason Doan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
4.5 BFF stars to The Summer List! ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️.5
The Summer List was hugely relatable to me from the start. I am sure many of us have stories about a childhood friend, maybe even about a lost friendship.
Growing up, Laura and Casey are as tight as two friends can be. They spend every spare minute together talking, dreaming, and the most fun of all, participating in scavenger hunts. A betrayal happens between them that tears their friendship apart. What happened is a mystery until much later in the book.
Just as time can cause friends to drift apart, it can also heal old wounds and bring loved ones back together. Seventeen years later, Casey and Laura are reunited for one more scavenger hunt. The clues lead them back to their favorite memories and force them to feel nostalgic. It seems like Casey and Laura are growing closer, but just as quickly, their tentative relationship could crumble all over again.
Amy Mason Doan “gets” the power and intricacies of female friendship, especially the glory days during the teen years. I loved the small-town lake setting, the multiple layers to the story, and as relatable as it was, the push-pull dynamics of Laura and Casey’s friendship. The Summer List captures the essence of forgiveness, friends who are family, and second chances at friendship. It’s a lovely, warm-hearted, emotional read with an uplifting ending. I felt nostalgic for my own teen years, for my best friend I don’t see often enough, and how ultimately a BFF throughout the years provides security along with that deep emotional bond.
Thank you to Harlequin/Graydon House for the complimentary copy. The Summer List is now available!
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Synopsis:
A tender yet tantalizing novel about two friends, the summer night they fell apart, and the scavenger hunt that reunites them decades later—until the clues expose a breathtaking secret that just might shatter them once and for all.
Laura and Casey were once inseparable: as they floated on their backs in the sunlit lake, as they dreamed about the future under starry skies, and as they teamed up for the wild scavenger hunts in their small California lakeside town. Until one summer night, when a shocking betrayal sent Laura running through the pines, down the dock, and into a new life, leaving Casey and a first love in her wake.
But the past is impossible to escape, and now, after seventeen years away, Laura is pulled home and into a reunion with Casey she can’t resist—one last scavenger hunt. With a twist: this time, the list of clues leads to the settings of their most cherished summer memories. From glistening Jade Cove to the vintage skating rink, each step they take becomes a bittersweet reminder of the friendship they once shared. But just as the game brings Laura and Casey back together, the clues unravel a stunning secret that threatens to tear them apart…
Mesmerizing and unforgettable, Amy Mason Doan’s The Summer List is about losing and recapturing the person who understands you best—and the unbreakable bonds of girlhood.
Have you read The Summer List? Happy Reading! ~ Jennifer THR
Great review! This sounds really good, Jennifer. I haven’t seen many new releases that puts female friendships as its central topic. If anything, it’s always like a minor plot or something, so this is good. I’ll pick this up when I go to the bookstore this weekend.
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Thanks, Rachel! You are absolutely right about friendships not being central typically. I really hope you enjoy this one, too!
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Awesome review. Added to my tbr list. Happy Friday
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Thanks, Virginia! I hope you enjoy it too, and hope you have a wonderful Friday! 💕
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Great review. This sounds beautiful. I like the sound of the themes and the setting. Lost/childhood friendships certainly do sound like relatable themes. Glad you enjoyed this one.
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Thanks, Diana! It really was so remarkably relatable. I loved it!
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Oh oh oh! I want to read this one!😊 Awesome review Jennifer!😊💖 Have a great weekend!💖💖
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This is totally your cuppa, Sus! Thank you! I hope you have a great weekend, too! 💗
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This sounds so good! I love a good book about friendships. I haven’t heard of this one until reading your review, but I’m adding it to my TBR! Fantastic review!💗
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Thanks, Steph! I don’t think you’ll regret adding this one. It was a sweet read and had depth, too. ♥️
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You’re welcome!! It sounds like I’d enjoy it. Hope your headache is gone! ❤
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It is, and I hope yours is, too?? The weather has been a little nicer these last two days! ♥️
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It is, thank goodness…6 days of it was enough!! And I’ve been good about drinking more…either water with lemon like you suggested (sorry for not answering you about that!) or iced unsweetened green tea. Yes! It has been cooler down here too 🙂
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That’s ok- I’m just glad it’s helping get the water down! I was wondering if you were back at the beach! I’m so happy to hear you are feeling better! 💜
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I’m bad sometimes if I read the message on my phone on the WP app and can’t answer right away (like when I’m in the car) and then I forget that I had it or it disappears from my message feed….I wish WP wouldn’t do that because I can’t always remember who wrote the message I need to answer on what post, lol! But yes, it helps although I know I will have to change it up and start doing lime or strawberry soon, hahaha! I also stocked up on sparkling water since that seems to taste better to me at times. 🙂
I only went home for a couple days the end of June to grab a few things then came right back with my daughter, my best friend, and her 8 yr old daughter. We came home on Sunday because my hubby my best friend’s bdays were on Monday and I stayed until Thurs morning. But I’m back at the beach…again, lol…just with my daughter and her friend this time although my dad and stepmom are coming down on Sunday for 2 weeks. I’m not planning to head back to Morrisville for another 5 weeks 🙂 I’m able to work on my lesson planning for the semester right here by the pool or on the beach, so it works out perfectly! Thank you! Me too…migraines are miserable!
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5 more weeks in paradise sounds perfect! 💕
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Jennifer fabulous review I enjoyed this one as well! Want to go on a scavenger hunt now! Although my neighbors might look at me funny, LOL
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Thanks, Berit! I want go on a scavenger hunt, too! I’m glad you enjoyed this one! 💜
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Sounds like such a lovely summer read.
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It really was, Marialyce!
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Wow, this sounds so good! Loved your review and those flowers are so beautiful! I can’t stop looking at them! 💙🌷🧡🌺
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Thanks so much, favorite M! ♥️ I emailed you back on the blog email, but you may not have seen it yet, just in case you see this first. That flower on the left is my lone multi-petaled lily, and my hydrangea is a lovely royal purple. I love it so much, but it doesn’t bloom enough! The daisies aren’t from my yard. Back to the book, I think you would LOVE it. ♥️ 🌸
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Lovely review, this one sounds like a good one. And I just have to say…. You always have photos with such pretty flowers Jennifer!
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Thank you, Carrie, and thanks for the compliment on my pictures! I love photography, and if I’m not working or reading, I’m out in my yard with my flowers. 🌺 I’m so happy you like my pics!
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You’re welcome! And they are quite pretty and always different with each book, can’t imagine what your yard would look like. 🙂
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My pictures will be much more boring in fall and winter! 😊 I’ll miss the flowers! Thanks again, Carrie!
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Haha very true, but you could use some holiday decorations as those months go by. 🙂
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Good idea, now you have me planning ahead! 😂
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Haha happy to help! I can picture some nice fall leaves, pumpkins, various Halloween decor, scarecrows, turkey for Thanksgiving, Christmas lights and on and on… 🙂
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