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!

My Thoughts: Drawing Home by Jamie Brenner

Drawing Home
by Jamie Brenner
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Publication Date: May 7th 2019
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Pages: 368
ISBN: 9780316476799
Genre: Adult Fiction | Womens Fiction
Source: *Netgalley Review Copy

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An unexpected inheritance, a promise broken, and four lives changed forever: the newest page-turner from USA Today bestselling author Jamie Brenner.
"Welcome to the gold standard of summertime escapism."-Elin Hilderbrand
Summer has started in idyllic Sag Harbor, and for Emma Mapson that means greeting guests at the front desk of The American Hotel. But when one of the town's most famous residents, artist Henry Wyatt, dies suddenly, Emma learns he has mysteriously left his waterfront home - a self-designed masterpiece filled with his work - to her teenage daughter, Penny.

Back in Manhattan, legendary art patron Bea Winstead's grief at her lifelong friend and former business partner Henry's passing turns to outrage at the news of his shocking bequest. How did these unknown locals get their hands on the estate? Bea, with her devoted assistant Kyle in tow, descends on Sag Harbor determined to reclaim the house and preserve Henry's legacy.

While Emma fights to defend her daughter's inheritance, Bea discovers that Henry left a treasure trove of sketches scattered around town. With Penny's reluctant help, Bea pieces them together to find a story hidden in plain sight: an illustration of their shared history with an unexpected twist that will change all of their lives.

Drawn together in their battle for the house, Emma and Bea are forced to confront the past while facing a future that challenges everything they believe about love, fate, and family. (Goodreads)

Drawing Home is the third book that I've read so far by Jamie Brenner, (the first two being The Forever Summer and The Husband Hour), and I was so excited to read this book! I seem to be starting a yearly tradition of reading Jamie's books every spring or summer, as this is the third year, I've read a book of hers around this time, and I love this new tradition I have started! Also, the book did not disappoint!

One of the things that I love about Jamie's books (that I have read so far), is that they are set at the beach, (and, if I'm thinking correctly, during the summer as well.) I am all about beachy, summer books at the moment, and I want to read as many of them as I can right now as I wait to go on my beach vacation. This book definitely hit the spot with it summer storyline set at the beach, and it makes me want to be there even more! The storyline for this book was really great as well, and I was hooked as flew through the pages to see what would happen next.

This book also has a lot of interesting characters as well. I related so much to Emma as a mom, and also to her daughter, Penny, for her anxiety and OCD. They had such a great relationship, even though Emma was crazy busy most of the time, and Penny, being a teen, rebelled and acted out some times. I've been there, in both of their shoes, so that was definitely relatable. Bea is the character that I really had to warm up to, but she won me over by the end, and I'm so glad that she did. Kyle and Angus were great secondary characters as well!

Overall; I really, really enjoyed Drawing Home, and I am SO glad I had the opportunity to continue my yearly summer reading tradition by reading this book! It's great storyline and interesting characters had me hooked from the beginning, and I flew through the pages a lot quicker than I expected to. Jamie Brenner is definitely becoming an auto-buy author for me, and I absolutely can't wait to read more of her books in the future!

My Thoughts: The Husband Hour by Jamie Brenner

The Husband Hour
by Jamie Brenner
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Publication Date: April 24th 2018
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Pages: 368
ISBN: 9780316394901
Genre: Adult Fiction | Contemporary | Romance
Source: Netgalley

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When a young widow's reclusive life in a charming beach town is interrupted by a surprise visitor, she is forced to reckon with dark secrets about her family, her late husband, and the past she tried to leave behind.

Lauren Adelman and her high school sweetheart, Rory Kincaid, are a golden couple. They marry just out of college as Rory, a star hockey player, earns a spot in the NHL. Their future could not look brighter when Rory shocks everyone-Lauren most of all-by enlisting in the U.S. Army. When Rory dies in combat, Lauren is left devastated, alone, and under unbearable public scrutiny.

Seeking peace and solitude, Lauren retreats to her family's old beach house on the Jersey Shore. But this summer she's forced to share the house with her overbearing mother and competitive sister. Worse, a stranger making a documentary about Rory tracks her down and persuades her to give him just an hour of her time.

One hour with filmmaker Matt Brio turns into a summer of revelations, surprises, and upheaval. As the days grow shorter and her grief changes shape, Lauren begins to understand the past-and to welcome the future. (Goodreads)

The Husband Hour by Jamie Brenner was definitely one of my most anticipated reads for April, and I'm so excited to have finally read it. I read Jamie's previous book, The Forever Summer, last year, and really enjoyed the story. So, of course, I was really looking forward to reading this new book by her as well!

The story is about a young widow named Lauren, who lost her high school sweetheart/star hockey player husband after he enlisted in the Army and died in combat overseas. I found myself relating to Lauren over and over again as the story went along, and I imagine I would react much the same way she did if I were ever in her shoes. You can definitely feel her pain, and I couldn't help but grieve with her as the story went along. I have to say, I kind of love Lauren's family. They are so far from perfect, but that strong family bond is still there, which is something that I also loved in Jamie's previous book as well. And then there is Matt, the filmmaker that turns Lauren's world upside down. I did not expect to like Matt as much as I did, but he definitely grew on me over time. So many well written characters in this story.

The storyline for The Husband Hour was a bit sadder than that of the previous book I read, but was still engrossing nonetheless. (Again, I can't even imagine being in Lauren's shoes, though I'd probably react much the same way she had if that ever happened to me.) I liked that the story is told in both previous and past tense, and by different narrators as well. (I love books that have multiple narrators!) This story has quite a few twists and turns along the way, a few that I probably should have seen coming, but didn't, and that definitely kept things interesting. I also really loved the setting for the book. Books set at the beach have recently become favorites of mine, and I'm glad that winter is coming to an end so that I can add these books back into my TBR.

Overall; I think Jamie Brenner has another hit on her hands with The Husband Hour! The book has great characters, an engrossing storyline, and a wonderful setting. I really enjoyed it, and I will most definitely be keeping my eye out for more new books by Jamie in the future!