The Summer of Lost Letters Paperback – July 19, 2022

This is the PERFECT summer read. Bring this book to the beach for a delightful lighthearted romance with integrity and depth. Or if you can’t physically make it to the beach, the imagery and experiences of the characters will transport you to there for a fun summer on Nantucket.I was hooked from the start and didn’t want to stop reading once I began. The author does an exquisite job paralleling the story line of the main character with the stories the character is simultaneously uncovering about her grandma. Themes of identity and family versus romantic love are woven seamlessly into an almost fairy tale-like plot with a charming love interest and a strong, real, quirky female lead.Well-written, witty, and wonderful.

I read this book to see if it'd be appropriate for my young teen daughter. I'd say I'd be comfortable when she is maybe 16. The story is interesting, but does have some mature themes. Nothing too crazy, but just the thoughts of a secular teen who likes a boy...I liked that it wasn't all super predictable. There was a mystery to be solved, but it wasn't super suspenseful... It just kept your interest wanting to know what happened next.

i love this book the plot is so amazing, the characters are so well descripted. I love love love this book totally buy you wont regret it.

This is not the type of book I usually read. I am not a teenage girl. In fact, I am a 71 year old man and I am a friend of the author’s parents. Unusual reviewer for a teen novel. Very well written book. Nicely follows the sage advice of the creative writing professor: “Write about what you know.” Great story line. The author doles out information just quickly enough to hold your interest and just slowly enough to keep you emotionally involved. Very nice descriptions of some of the prettiest parts of Massachusetts. And a very nice cascading surprise ending. (No spoiler – go read it yourself.)

Such a wonderful read. As an avid adult reader of YA, I devoured this sweet story and enjoyed every minute! I loved the themes of friendship, tradition, and obligation to family vs. self, which really resonated with me. I loved that Abby was a strong female protagonist who was true to herself and her values and proud of her heritage. A perfect beach read for actual teens and millennials who grew up on Sarah Dessen alike!

This book was so good! So much of it related to things that I hold near and dear to me and I really felt like I connected to its content. Being from New England, I can 100% say that this book did the setting of Nantucket such great justice. I could picture the scenes so well and the plot fit in so well with the atmosphere created by island. The setting for this book couldn't be better: an island of seaside charm, kitschy gift shops, ice cream parlors, and weather-worn historic buildings. Ferries and sea breezes and lazy afternoons: it is atmospheric and nostalgic, just the sort of escape one can appreciate and hope to get back to soon, outside of the pages of a book, anyway. I also really enjoyed the family history aspect. My family has done a lot of recording of our own family history and all of those memories and information is so special to me.The writing is full to the brim with allusions to familiar literature. From the gothic atmosphere of Rebecca to the magical journeys of Alice, Dorothy, and Lucy, anyone who grew up on books will appreciate the sprinkling of references Abby weaves into her narrative. Not only are the pages of this book full of literary allusions, they are also full of books themselves. Abby spends her summer not just wandering the beautiful Nantucket seaside but working at a local bookstore. She bonds with her love interest over books, name drops both literary and genre works, and fills her day with literary love. Book lovers and booksellers will enjoy the familiar comfort of a bookstore, even from the page.The only complaint I have is that the pacing sometimes felt a bit rushed and some things felt a bit too convenient at times but it was such an enjoyable read overall!

My teen daughter loved it. She can't wait to read her other books.

This wasn't what i expected at all. Reading the synopsis, i thought I'd get more of an interesting back story about the letters and it was going to be something powerful and beautiful about lost love. Instead i got a story heavily focused on the main character and her finding herself and her romance. I was not interested in that so much as i was about the grandmother and her letters. It was overall very underwhelming. Nothing special about this book unfortunately.