My Thoughts: Summer Longing by Jamie Brenner

Summer Longing
by Jamie Brenner
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Publication Date: May 5th 2020
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Pages: 384
ISBN: 9780316476850
Genre: Women's Fiction | Contemporary
Source: Netgalley Review Copy

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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 (Goodreads)

Is summer even summer without reading a Jamie Brenner novel? For me, it’s not, at least for the past few years! For the past four years I have kicked off summer, (and late spring), with a summer titled novel from Jamie, and it’s definitely one of the highlights of my summer. This year’s book was Summer Longing, which made me want to rent a house at the beach! And since I can’t make it to the beach this year, this book was a nice alternative.

Confession: The very first thing that drew me to the first book I read by Jamie was the cover. I LOVE the summer feels to these covers! And since I can’t resist a book with a pretty cover, I found all of these books to be irresistible.

One of the things that I loved about this book was getting to see some of the characters from a few of Jamie’s previous books. That’s always something that I enjoy, as it lets us get a little glimpse of what the characters have been up to since we last met them. I definitely enjoyed meeting them all again! AND we get to meet a lot of awesome new characters as well! I love that there was a various age range for all of the ladies in the book, yet I still managed to find them all relatable in some form or another. I love it when that happens!

I very much enjoyed the storyline for the book as well, especially the way it brought all of the women together. The baby that was left on the doorstep was definitely interesting, and I love how all of the women bonded over her. I was also super curious to discover who left her in the first place. Another favorite part of the book was the setting. Thanks to Covid19, we are not going to make it to the beach this year, so I wanted to read as many books as I can that are set at the beach. This book definitely had a great beach setting, and I could picture myself there perfectly!

Overall; Summer Longing was another great edition to Jamie’s summer-themed collection and I’m so thrilled that this was the first book to kick off my summer reading! The book had a great storyline and great characters, and definitely put me in the mood to read more summer books. If you’re looking for a great summer read, do check this out!