Pages

Friday, June 7, 2024

Book Review: All the Summers In Between

By Melissa Smoot

When wealthy, impulsive summer girl Margot meets hardworking and steady local girl Thea in the summer of 1967, the unlikely pair become fast friends, working alongside one another in a record store and spending every spare moment together. But after an unspeakable incident on one devastating August night, they don’t see one another for ten years…until Margot suddenly reappears in Thea’s life, begging for help and harboring more than one dangerous secret. Thea can’t bring herself to refuse her beloved friend—but she also knows she can’t fully trust her either.

Unfulfilled as a housewife, Thea enjoys the dazzling sense of adventure Margot brings to her life, but will the truth of what happened to them that fateful summer ruin everything? Testing the boundaries of how far she’ll go for a friend, Thea is forced to reckon with her uncertain future while trying to decide if some friends are meant to remain in the past.

Set in the dual timelines of 1967 and 1977, All the Summers In Between is at once a mesmerizing portrait of a complex friendship, a delicious glimpse into a bygone Hamptons, and a powerful coming-of-age for two young women during a transformative era. (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)

This is a great summer read. I loved that it was set in East Hampton, NY, and mentioned the beach or the ocean in almost every chapter. The evolution of longtime friendships and relationships is always intriguing to me. As we get older the lengths we are willing to go for others changes and we start to ask more questions and set boundaries. This story really encompassed the internal conflicts many women face within their friendships and marriages. It was interesting to see the main character, Thea, reach that point as a young mother and wife. 

When Thea’s estranged best friend, Margot, unexpectedly returns to East Hampton after almost 10 years, Thea must make the decision whether to help Margot in a time of need. Should Thea put aside past hurts to have a chance at getting her friend back? Or is Thea just being taken for granted again? Foster keeps us guessing until the very end and adds in many twists and conflicts that the characters must overcome before we get to the conclusion. If you are looking for something with depth that will make you think far beyond beach days and clambakes, this is sure to be a hit.

Thanks to Gallery for the book in exchange for an honest review. Purchase All the Summers In Between here.

More by Brooke Lea Foster:

Enjoyed this post? Never miss out on future posts by following us.

Listen to this book on Speechify!

No comments:

Post a Comment