THAT SUMMER IN MAINE
By Brianna Wolfson
On Sale: June 23, 2020
MIRA
CONTEMPORARY FICTION/Sisters/Family/WomensFriendship/MothersandDaughters
978-0778351238; 0778351238
$16.99 USD
320 pages
About the Book
A novel about mothers and daughters, about taking chances, about exploding secrets and testing the boundaries of family
Years ago, during a certain summer in Maine, two young women, unaware of each other, met a charismatic man at a craft fair and each had a brief affair with him. For Jane it was a chance to bury her recent pain in raw passion and redirect her life. For Susie it was a fling that gave her troubled marriage a way forward.
Now, sixteen years later, the family lives these women have made are suddenly upended when their teenage girls meet as strangers on social media. They concoct a plan to spend the summer in Maine with the man who is their biological father. Their determination puts them on a collision course with their mothers, who must finally meet and acknowledge their shared past and join forces as they risk losing their only daughters to a man they barely know.
My Review
For most of her life it’s been just sixteen year old Hazel and her mother, Jane. Then, Cam came into Jane’s life. They married and had twin boys. Hazel no longer felt like part of the family. She felt like an outsider in her own home.
Through social media she found out she had a biological sister. They make plans to go to Maine and meet their biological father. Hazel is thrilled. She’s sure this will be her new family. Jane is terrified of losing her daughter to a man who has been absent from her daughter’s life for sixteen years.
I don’t want to give away too much of the plot, but I will say this is a different take on mother/daughter relationships. The characters are well-written and realistic. My heart went out to Hazel and her mother the most. Their situation is sad. My heart breaks for a teenager to feel so isolated.
It’s an emotional story that touches your heart. The first half mainly deals with the two mothers and how they became involved with the girls’ biological father. I thought the story really took off when we got to Maine and saw how the girls and their father got along. It’s a bumpy road to say the least.
This is a heartwarming story dealing with family, mother/daughter relationships and love. I never read this author before, but I was impressed and will be keeping an eye open for more of her work.
FTC Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Buy Links:
Books-A-Million: https://www.booksamillion.com/p/That-Summer-Maine/Brianna-Wolfson/9780778351238?id=7461743347313
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/audiobooks/details/Brianna_Wolfson_That_Summer_in_Maine?id=AQAAAEBstyX3WM About the Author
Brianna Wolfson is a New York native living in San Francisco. Her narrative nonfiction has been featured on Medium, Upworthy and The Moth. She buys a lottery ticket every Friday.
Social Links:
I love family stories. Each one is so unique and they bring something extra to the read.
ReplyDeleteInteresting idea for a book :) Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThat sounds interesting.
ReplyDeleteThis would be so good for my summer reading list!
ReplyDelete