Thank you to Netgalley for giving me the chance to read and review, "The Summer List"
by Amy Mason Doan. A truly beautiful work of Women's Fiction. I loved the story and the characters. It was hard to put down. The story centers around Laura and Casey, once good friends throughout high school and suddenly, they stopped being friends before college. In the spirit of old times, Casey's mom Alex gets the girls together years later to go on a scavenger hunt. This also leads to a trip down memory lane.. The scavenger hunt takes Laura and Casey through many different emotions and events. I highly recommend picking this novel up!

The Summer List was the perfect summer read. The only think that could have made it better was if I had read it while relaxing in the mountains near a lake. This sweet story kept me turning pages, smiling, and even tearing up. At its heart, it's a story about friendship, and how true friends can change your life. I was quite impressed with the author's ability to weave such an intricate story. I didn't want this one to end, and I will definitely be looking forward to reading more from Amy Mason Doan.

I really struggled with this book. I’ve seen great reviews and I really wanted to love it. I didn’t relate to any of the characters and the premise of going back and reliving childhood days without addressing their current issues was really hard to fathom. I know I’m in the minority here but this book just didn’t hold my interest.

<I> The Summer List </I> is a great summer read! The story starts with the beginning of a new friendship, continues on to it's unfortunate demise and ends with it's attempt at making up for last time 17 years later.

Not only is this story about best friends, it also interweaves a little bit of small town history in to give it that extra layer. I will admit that I probably could have done without that part of the book, but it is essential to wrap up the story. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the growth of friendship between Laura and Casey. Theirs is the kind of friendship that many people search for throughout their lives.

I would absolutely recommend this book to read on one of those lazy beach days. The setting helps you get absorbed into the lake life (even if you are the beach or in your backyard) and soak up the rays as you lose yourself into the story.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. So much so, that I really didn't want it to be over with when I finished it. I didn't want to leave these characters or this story.

Actually, there are two stories going on in this book. One is historical which you can fit part of it in to the other story, but not exactly sure how it all really comes together. This only added to the reading pleasure for me.

An excellent summer read IMO.

A story of friendship, summers, small towns, laid back days and secrets.

Thanks to Harlequin and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

4.5 BFF stars to The Summer List!

The Summer List was hugely relatable to me from the start. I am sure many of us have stories about a childhood friend, maybe even about a lost friendship.

Growing up, Laura and Casey are as tight as two friends can be. They spend every spare minute together talking, dreaming, and the most fun of all, participating in scavenger hunts. A betrayal happens between them that tears their friendship apart. What happened is a mystery until much later in the book.

Just as time can cause friends to drift apart, it can also heal old wounds and bring loved ones back together. Seventeen years later, Casey and Laura are reunited for one more scavenger hunt. The clues lead them back to their favorite memories and force them to feel nostalgic. It seems like Casey and Laura are growing closer, but just as quickly, their tentative relationship could crumble all over again.

Amy Mason Doan “gets” the power and intricacies of female friendship, especially the glory days during the teen years. I loved the small-town lake setting, the multiple layers to the story, and as relatable as it was, the push-pull dynamics of Laura and Casey’s friendship. The Summer List captures the essence of forgiveness, friends who are family, and second chances at friendship. It’s a lovely, warm-hearted, emotional read with an uplifting ending. I felt nostalgic for my own teen years, for my best friend I don’t see often enough, and how ultimately a BFF throughout the years provides security along with that deep emotional bond.

Thank you to Harlequin/Grayson House for the copy to review.

3.5 Stars

Norma and I read The Summer List with two of our Traveling Sisters and two more joined us in our discussion. We all started off very comfortable in our lush coulee looking over our calm and inviting lake (really there are no lakes in coulees) however it sure felt like we were by a lake with the feel of this atmospheric setting Amy Mason Doan has created for us.

The Summer List started off as a tender and enduring story between two friends Laura and Casey and we really enjoyed some elements to this story. The lazy summer on the lake, scenic small town, scavenger hunt and a secret to add some mystery to the story.

Amy Mason Doan takes us back to the friends teenage years and we really get a good feel for their bond and it brought back some memories of our past friendships for us. We appreciated that she keeps the teen drama low and focuses on the bond here with our characters.

Things did start to go a little sideways for us and our sunny summer day turned a little dark for us when the pacing changed in the story for us. Some of us were caught a little off guard with this one and some gloomy clouds had us hiding in our coulee. For our TS who joined us in our discussion, they enjoyed this one from start to finish.

With a few more weeks left in Summer, this makes for a great summer read but also with that descriptive atmosphere. It also would make a great winter read to stir up some warmer summer memories. We recommend.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Harlequin - Graydon House Books and Amy Mason Doan for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy of this book.

This is Traveling Sisters GR Reading Group Review and it can be found posted on our themed book blog Two Sisters Lost In A Coulee Reading.
https://twosisterslostinacoulee.com
Coulee: a term applied rather loosely to different landforms, all of which refer to a kind of valley. Coulee references are symbolic to our reading experience

I want to thank Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ebook and write an honest review. When I pick a book, I usually only read the first paragraph or two of the summary on the book flap so I go into most books not knowing what to expect. In this case, I looked at what it was about a while ago when I requested in through Netgalley and couldn't remember what it was about, so it was a surprise for me. I liked this book from the first page. I loved reading how the friendship between the young girls grew and the backstory was so well written from the perspective of a teenager. I got a little confused when reading the flashbacks, but decided just to go with it and it all came together at the end. Perfect beach read for someone looking for a book about a classic friendship with a bit of a twist.

3 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I really wanted to like this book more than I did. The first half was really fun, entertaining and brought back memories of my childhood (which I really love in a summer read). I could really relate to the scavenger hunts, the skating rink and lake house life. I really dove into the book and was looking forward to a light read as a break from all of my thrillers.

Towards the middle and for the majority of the second half, I found the plot seriously dragging. While I really enjoyed Casey and Laura’s childhood friendship, I found their adult relationship boring. I couldn’t connect at all to those parts of the book and really didn’t like any of the characters. Once it turned rather dark and depressing, I lost interest. I wanted more fun and laughs.

Although this book wasn’t really a big hit for me, a lot of others enjoyed it. I would recommend it, but wouldn’t put it high on the list of summer reads.

This was a Traveling Sisters read and I really enjoyed chatting with them about the story! 😊

Big thanks to NetGalley, Harlequin and Amy Mason Doan for a copy of the book in exchange for my review.

Favorite Quotes:

I had a journal my dad gave me when I was seven, a puffy pink thing with A Girl’s First Diary on the cover in gold script. I hid it inside a hollowed-out copy of Silas Marner on my bottom bookshelf, and concealed the key in a mint tin in my third best church purse.

I could take the most direct route to the exit—hurdle over the blue-carpeted half wall in front of us and run straight across the crowded rink. I’d shove aside toddlers, the gang of tough-looking older women zooming past in matching black satin jackets that said Hell on Wheelz, whoever. But I was an adult now so I only smiled harder.

“You can tell my age in our high school pictures by the thickness of my eyeshadow.” Like figuring out a tree’s age by the rings in the trunk.

Soggy heart. I’d read that on some blog. The not-so-technical name for when you get tipsy and accidentally tell the truth.

Women’s Studies 201. Sophomore year… Modern religion is an institution created by men to police women’s sexuality. Discuss. Oh, the hands that had shot up that day. Not mine, though. I’d kept my own hands, twisting and fidgeting, in my lap, too overcome by the bell-like simplicity of the professor’s statement, too angry at how long the world had waited to articulate it to me clearly, to speak. By the end of the fifty-minute class my palms were wet.

My Review:

This cunningly paced and well-crafted book resonated for me like the thrum of a well-struck tuning fork. It sucked me right in and held my rapt attention as I felt I knew and understood these endearingly flawed characters inside and out. Cleverly and deftly narrated by two women over three timelines, I never felt confused or lost but held suspended in an eager and avid state of curiosity. I was engaged, engrossed, and intrigued by the characters, their history, and the prickly unfolding story of their present.

I over-identified with the character of Laura at every age, but I took great pleasure in her clever stealth and ingenious efforts to carve out a modicum of privacy for herself, away from her stridently religious mother’s stifling control. Laura devised secret hiding places for her diary and prized possessions and an intricate level of subterfuge was required for even the smallest acts of rebellion such as using lip gloss, eating pizza, and having a true friend in the real world who would not meet her judgmental mother’s stringent expectations. I wanted to fist pump when Laura finally spoke up.

I was frequently awed by this intensely talented author’s insightful and deft handling of the characters thoughts and observances, as well as their understanding or misunderstandings of the unusual events at various ages and levels of assimilation. The storylines were unique, beguiling, and captivating as were each and every one of the characters. I now need to sleep for a week as I had a hard time putting this one down. The writing was extraordinary, intricate, and arresting. I was more than satisfied by the ending but would have happily read another 384 more pages. Amy Mason Doan has crazy good word voodoo.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this 4.5 star read. This was a wonderful coming of age story about two girls and their friendship, both as it evolved during high school and when they reunite following 17 years of estrangement. It’s also a story about their relationships with their mothers. The story is told in past and present timelines, as well as third storyline set in the past. That storyline was a weak element for me for most of the book which is why this wasn’t a full 5 star. Despite that one weakness for me, I loved this book and the two main characters. Highly recommend. Oh and I also loved the location/lake setting.

Told in a series of flashbacks, the friendship between Laura and Casey at the outset – and the descriptions, moments and emotions conjured up are purely delightful and engaging. From the tentative connections and worries about feeling “stupid” or “weird” to the solid sense that these two would withstand everything as they spent their time together constantly, even dipping slightly into the ‘forbidden zone’ as one set of parents were less enamored with their connection than the other.

The bond between them felt impenetrable: as if they would always be connected, through all the changes as people grow or move away: this was not something to worry about with Laura and Casey. Little insight is given into the rift between them throughout the early phases of the book: we are given all of the feelings that are easy to remember, bringing us into their friendship as a 3rd observer: quietly wanting those feelings and acceptance. But, then somehow things went pear shaped.

The second half of the book lost most of the lightness and joy that appeared in the first, and even the plot seemed to slow and drag – perhaps weighted down with time and growth, but while it didn’t entirely lose the enjoyment of the first half, it felt almost as if there was an effort made to bring the story a more adult feel, and the writing started to feel more like a rework of an idea that wasn’t quite fitting, in an effort to make it all work together. I do feel like this story, from initial inception to a rather sweet conclusion fell off sharply in my enjoyment from beginning to end. I was sad to see this – for Doan’s writing and ability to capture a moment and wring all of the exuberance and feelings out of it are stellar – they just weren’t consistently applied in this story For the first half – this is certainly a book well worth your time, and an author worth checking out.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href=” https://wp.me/p3OmRo-9Ui/” > <a> I am, Indeed </a>

3.5 Stars rounded up!

THE SUMMER LIST by AMY MASON DOAN is an interesting, charming and heartwarming story about the friendship between two childhood friends who had a falling out and then come together again in adulthood by the help of a scavenger hunt. I was totally entranced and captivated with the storyline in the first half of this book, then the latter part lost my attention a little bit and seemed to drag but then came together again for me in the end.

AMY MASON DOAN delivers a multi-layered and complex story here with interesting and wonderful characters that were easy to connect with. I really enjoyed how the two friends reconnected, the descriptive setting, the scavenger hunt, and the bond that these two friends had with one another. The past and present timelines were seamlessly interwoven to make this a fun, entertaining, and easy summer read!

This ultimately was a sweet, beautiful and endearing tale! Would recommend!

This was a Traveling Sisters Read.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Harlequin, and Amy Mason Doan for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a review.

4.5 Summertime Stars☀️ 🌟🌟🌟🌟.5

What a beautiful story about the bonds of friendship... this book brilliantly brought you back in time to the lazy days of summer in your teens... when all I cared about was boys, my clothes, boys, my hair, boys, and my tan.... now I am longing for the good good good old days! And yes I was a super deep teenager obviously, LOL 😂

This book is about best friends Laura and Casey... Loved both of these girls and how strong the bond between them was... i’d love to spend a few days of summer with them swimming in the lake... rollerskating at the roller rink... and participating in their crazy scavenger hunts.... Casey’s mom Alex was a bit eccentric, but Laura who had a complicated relationship with her own mother really admired Alex... Alex really was a teenager trapped in a thirtysomething body.... her relationship with both girls was wonderful but complex....

Casey and Laura had big plans to head off to LA for college together... but then one dreadful summer night something happened that teared them apart... this book gives you the story of the girls summer days of their youth as well as 15 years later when they reunite.... this book really had a dose of everything fabulous characters with wonderful complicated relationships, a fair dose of mystery, and a romance.... The romance was sweet and subtle and made me smile...

what happened to tear these two best friends apart? And will the reunion be a good one? This book is all about friendship, forgiveness, Family, first love, second chances, secrets, and love....

Absolutely recommend as the perfect beach read! When you’re in the mood for a beautiful story that will captivate you from start to finish...

*** many thanks to Harlequin for my copy of this enchanting book ***

The characters are interesting and well-crafted, and the setting is intriguing. However, this novel was hard to get into, I think because it wasn't clear what the novel was really about, and the plot frequently flip-flopped between present day and the characters' childhoods. Also, the backstory of Alex totally confused me. I didn't understand who the characters were or why they were connected. The revelation of certain key plot points came at really strange times. It wasn't until the last 15% of the novel that I was finally invested in the characters and what was happening. This was a rather unorthodox way to examine such complex themes. I received a complimentary ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions stated here are my own.

Summer List is a book we can all relate to on some level. Amy Mason Doan did a good job delving into the deep connections between best friends and mothers and daughters.

➳ Rate: 4 / 5 stars

This was not at all like I was expecting but it turned out being better in a way because it was surprisingly good and unlike anything I've read. At first it was a bit confusing because there are 3 different timelines (I'll come back to those in a bit) and I didn't understand one of them until like halfway through the book but once I did it made so much more sense, and also helped to understand everything else.

A lot happens in this book, the 3 time lines tell 2 stories but it does feel like 3. There is the present timeline which stars Laura and Casey has adults, who are meeting again after +10 years without contact; Casey's mother Alex is trying to reconnect them by having them play one last Summer List game, which they used to do a lot back when they were teenagers, in hopes that they hash out their past and find out the whole truth about themselves and what really happened that last summer they were together.
There is the past time line that tells Laura and Casey's teen story, how they met and everything came to be and how they fell apart.

And then there's the 3rd time line, which stars different characters, which I won't talk about because it might spoil something for you and it will definitely spoil that big proud moment when you figure it it out for yourself.
The 3 timelines are intercalated so with each new chapter you might be getting more questions than answers but you will get your answers eventually; you'll learn everything along with Laura.

I don't want to get into it much because there are little important details that can be spoiled and we don't want that. Just know that this book is a good one to add to your Summer TBR. It's jam packed with action, so much happens and while at first it took me a while to get into, once I did I did not want to put the book down until I learnt everything there was to know. I was so curious about what had happened between Laura and Casey for them not to have remained friends, and it actually had nothing to do with their friendship but with everything else that came with it. Even though I figured it out a little before it happened, I was still a little shook about all of it.
Everything in this book came full circle perfectly, all timelines connected and you were able to understand everything and everyone pretty well ( well... more or less because there were still things that could have been better answered for me and for Laura, but I get that sometimes in these kind of situations there is just no way of knowing so the book was kind of realistic in that sense).

The Summer List is a story of real friendship that is broken by outside factors and the hard realities of life. It's a story full of all kinds of messed up people and secrets that mess up everything. It's definitely a story that will keep you glued to its pages until you are satisfied with knowing all its secrets.

In this story of friendship, Cady and Laura meet and become fast friends. Casey’s Mom, Alex, is a young single Mom, who spends too much time trying to fit in with Casey’s friends, even hosting scavenger hunts. Years later, after a sudden estrangement, Stacey and Laura are involved again in a scavenger hunt, with much at stake. There were three time periods, with one more mysterious, while the other two alternate between the time Laura and Casey were in high school, and the present day. It was a decent read.

What everyone needs, a beach read full of adventure and fascinating characters. Very grateful to have received this as an arc, it was on my summer radar. Sometimes you need that book that sweeps you away from the daily. This book brought me back to the summers of my childhood and I can recall my summers in Wisconsin at the lake house. There was a good story with fascinating characters that sucked me in from the beginning. The concept of a scavenger hunt was genius and it created an endearing story of family, secrets, friendship and something I definitely wanted to read for the summer. Thank you Harlequin for the e-copy to enjoy. I was also given a galley via Kathleen Carter, so thank you as well. Kudos Amy!!

Sweet story. The stuff about being a teenager in the 90s took me right back to my own childhood. Perfect beach read.