This is more of a 4.5 star rating and deservingly so. The writing was so approachable that it allowed me to fully engaged with the characters. I enjoyed the writing, the growth the characters went through, the 80s reference, the friendship. There were parts I cringed a little and I bet you will too but such a great read especially now for summer. I highly recommend.

*ARC Provided by NetGalley*

This is one of those books that just starts, you’re just thrust into the story in progress. And I wasn’t really sure what to make of it for the longest time, but I knew I wanted to keep reading, so I took that as a good sign.

This is definitely a coming of age book, as well as a reunion book. You’re left in the dark about the reason for the fall out of friendship between Laura and Casey (and Alex, Casey’s Mom), but the book does a good job at maintaining interest without it being the only thing going on. There is plenty to fill in the gaps while you wait to find out what really happened, plenty of interesting happenings and revelations from past and present handed out over the course of the story.

There’s also a story within a story, and I don’t know why it took me so long to figure out what was going on, and where it was leading, but whew. Everything connects and it all makes sense, and it just punches you right in the gut.

Thank you to #Negalley and the publisher. I received this for free in exchange for a honest review.

I am always a sucker for friendships.

This book did not disappoint. We have friends, Laura and Casey, that are the best of friends. Then something one summer happens that leaves these 2 not speaking. This book is about the journey of finding the friendship you once lost.

I loved this so much.

“He found her. Smiling, he raised driftwood as if toasting her — and in that second, to her, after the long, lonely summer, he might as well have hung the moon”


I don't know what made me so nostalgic while I was reading this, if it was that everlasting summer vibe, the characters that made it all too real or the love and friendship I felt while reading this. This might be one of the easiest 5 star ratings that I have ever given. I did not know what to expect at the start of reading this book but I did not expect for it to be able to paint a picture in my head. Very little books do this to me and almost all the time it is what keeps me from giving that 5th star. So I was really pleased when the author's writing did it so easily for me.

It's written in a diary style and it was simple enough, which made it easy to follow the timeline of the events that were going on. The characters were written well, not at all one-dimensional and extremely relatable (Casey is that typical best friend though HAHA). The love story was very intriguing (HEHE). And overall it was a wonderful thing to read in the summer heat when you just miss your friends and want to feel a bit closer to them. It definitely made me want to call the squad and run away together and have our own camp on some jungle-beach.

It's not heavy and is very enjoyable, though you might not cry, you will surely feel something.

This is a debut novel that captures the waywardness of adolescence as well as the reckoning and acceptance of life as Laura and Casey grow older. The story evolves and unravels between the past and present of Laura, Casey, and the important adults in their lives. This is a read not to be missed.

Very sweet story of friendship that has been broken. Laura and Casey have been best friends since they were little girls. They did everything together. Every summer they spent just floating on the lake and playing a scavenger hunt game. Then one night as Laura is hunting for items on the list, she sees Casey betraying her. She then runs off vowing never to be heartbroken again by a friend.

Years later, Laura is invited back to the sleepy little lakeside town for the scavenger hunt to end all scavenger hunts. What she finds will change her life forever.

Wonderfully written tale of friendship and how ties that sometimes break can be mended.

Laura and Casey become the best of friends at a young age. They hold secrets between them, spend countless hours together and blossom into young adults. Then something happens when one of them over hears a conversation and the friendship dies over several years. Casey’s Mom endeavors to bring the girls back together through one of her well known scavenger hunts, but is it too late for the friendship to be rekindled?

A tale of broken friendship which soon finds its way back after many years, where heartbreaks are patched, and love between best friends abound.
The story narrates the tale if two nest friends, who kept each other's secrets, who shared each other's dreams, and who nurtured each other's hopes. Till one summer night, when an event creates a rift between the best friends Laura and Casey and each go their separate way. Till Laura receives a mail to the scavenger hunt back at the lake and she meets Casey who is her partner at the wild scavenger hunt. Where searching for clues, leads then on a path of their bittersweet memories of childhood and slowly healing occurs.
The author Amy Mason Daon has written a book of friendship secrets second chances, a heart warming story debut, with some unexpected mysteries. The characters were well developed, the story was paced well, and there seems to be an effortless transition between the past and the present. The author stuck to the plot line with no unnecessary description except those that furthered the story, a point I am so thankful about.
A journey of discovery, a journey of memories, a journey of reconnection and a journey of acceptance. Isn't this what real friendship is all about?

I really loved this book about friendship. Two friends separate and reunite 17 years later. Lots of mystery. Beautifully written. It's seldom that you find a book about adult friendship that's written at such a deep emotional level. I was drawn in to this writer's style from the first page and I am very picky.

This is the story of a woman looking to put her past to rest and forgive herself and her best friend from a traumatic childhood event. Laura and Casey are now adults and back together in the small town where they grew up. The characters are so well written, from children to adult, Amy Doan seems to relate both girls to someone everyone has known. A very nice finish has you wishing it was just a little longer and going back and rereading just so you don't have to say goodbye to this story.

Laura and Casey were more than best friends, they were neighbors, they were each other's lifeline, they were family. Then something happened at the end of summer after their senior year of high school to tear them apart. Now, seventeen years later, they've been brought back together for a weekend of playing sleepover games but the scavenger items they hunt end up making them face the truth of their past, the status of their present, and the likelihood of a future.

I enjoyed the first 85% of this book very much. It intertwined the past with the present beautifully, I was curious about the mysteries being solved, and I liked the characters. The climax of the book fell short in my opinion, but the rest of it was so real and relatable, that it's okay.

I was grateful and honored to be able to read an advanced copy of this fast moving, dialogue-driven story that takes you back to those bittersweet coming-of-age days. The characters are so real and dynamic; you truly relate to both their joy and their pain. The descriptions of the Tahoe area of northern California and the beauty of the lake draw you in with vivid clarity. The story explores the special ties between mothers and daughters, girls and their best friends, and the experiences that bind them. With plot twists up to the very end, this book keeps you reading to uncover the mysteries of these women’s lives—just like a scavenger hunt. A thoroughly enjoyable read! I'll be anxious to read Amy Mason Doan's next book and many more to come!

Fantastic debut! S*** gets real in this book. You might condemn me for using such an overused, vulgar expression but I honestly cannot describe this book any more succinctly. Even after the revelation of the secret past, readers still read on. The characters are rich and diverse, with community conflicts that don’t overshadow our main characters. It’s about teenhood bffs: almost everyone can relate

I enjoyed this story of friendship, love and mystery. The writing was strong, the characters intriguing and the setting so well drawn out. I can't believe this is a debut!

THE SUMMER LIST surprised me with its depth. Based on the cover, I expected a fairly light women's fiction novel. As it turns out, this story about Laura and Casey is multi-layered and complex with some pretty dark secrets. The way the author plants hints throughout the story line and raises questions in the reader's mind is masterful and really kept me anxious to find out what happened in the past and what would happen in present day. In many books that go back to the narrator's childhood I confess I'm tempted to skim the childhood chapters. Not so with this book. I felt like I needed those past chapters in order to understand what was going on in the present and why Laura felt the way she did about Casey, the lake, and JB. The friendship between Laura and Casey seems realistic -- flawed and yet deeply meaningful. I liked how the Epilogue wrapped things up too. It was a nice breather, if you will, after some of the twists and turns toward the end. I will definitely want to read other books by this author!

Laura and Casey were the best of friends all through high school. They were inseparable, from the moment they met, as they swam and kayaked through the lake, as they planned their futures together, as they participated in scavenger hunts across their tiny town. They were practically sisters until one summer night, mere days before they left for college, Laura overhears a conversation tgat leaves her feeling so betrayed that she shuts Casey and everyone else out, including her first love. She leaves their tiny California town and attends college on the other side of the country, in Savannah. Laura and Casey go seventeen years without speaking, until Laura receives an invitation promising scavenger hunts and fun. She almost ignores the invitation but, at the last minute returns home for a vacation to try to mend fences. As they follow the scavenger hunt clues, each clue is based on their memories from high school, they find themselves growing closer again. Can their newly salvaged friendship survive the secrets from the past that are about to rear their ugly heads?

I was hooked on this sweet, dramatic story from the first paragraph. I loved reading about how the girls’ friendship blossomed from the moment they met. The story alternates between the present, and the past as Casey and Laura became friends and through their high school years, ultimately bringing us to what caused the implosion of their friendship and Laura’s decision to flee. Thrown into the mix is the story of Katherine, who we don’t really understand why she’s being included until nearly the end. I loved Katherine’s story but I was honestly baffled as to how she was a part of the story. I kept trying to guess and I figured out part of it around the middle of the book, but I definitely didn’t see that surprising twist coming! Truthfully, that completely threw me and I absolutely loved it! The story was absolutely amazing and the main characters were all incredibly well written. They were complex, damaged, strong, and all around amazing people. It was also interesting to watch the girls’ perceptions about their mothers as they grew older and started to understand the reasons for who they are and what they’re like. It’s something we all go through as we grow up and become women, ourselves, and completely changes the dynamic of our relationship with our mothers. All in all, this was an incredible book and I can’t wait to read more of this author’s work.

This is a wonderful book about the friendship. The characters were all so complex and interesting. The story just flowed along and kept my interest that I couldn’t stop reading. I hope to read more by this author.

The story of Laura and Casey was very sweet and poignant, in a way because we've all had something similar happen where we had a good friend and something happened to break apart the friendship. I think everyone's experienced that, it usually hurts and many think what if, but not many people get a chance to see what if.

This story is about how the friendship happened, how it grew, blew up and what comes when they get a chance to reunite. It's hard to say much more without spoilers, but it was well written and I've already recommended it to people.

Thanks to the publishers, Netgalley and Ms. Doan for the opportunity to read an ARC.

Laura and Casey were best friends throughout high school, and they planned to leave their small town and move to the big city after graduation so that they could attend college together. They had their immediate future all planned out were getting set to put their plan into motion when Laura overheard a conversation that led her to believe that the people she loved the most had betrayed her. Instead of seeking answers, Laura fled her small town and never looked back. Seventeen years later, Laura is tricked into coming home and reconnecting with Casey. Casey's mom forces the two women to go on a scavenger hunt (an activity that used to be the highlight of the summer weekends). Through the scavenger hunt, Laura and Casey confront their pasts and reconnect with each other. They also learn a shocking secret at the end of the scavenger hunt.

The Summer List is a wonderful novel that takes the reader on a scavenger hunt along with Laura and Casey. The novel is told from Laura's perspective, and it jumps back and forth in time from the past to the present. The present follows Laura and Casey through the scavenger hunt as they work through their problems with each other and within themselves. The chapters about the past reveal how the two became friends, the highlights of high school, and the scavenger hunts that kept them entertained as teenagers. There are also chapters written from another character's perspective that offers the reader clues about what Casey's mother's big revelation will be. Overall, The Summer List is an intriguing read, and it was wonderfully plotted out and written.

If you're looking for a story of friendship and sisterhood set in a lakefront community and sprinkled with a hint of mystery and adventure, look no further; grab Doan's The Summer List immediately! If you've enjoyed Susan Wiggs, Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch, and or The Map that Leads to You by JP Monninger, you'll definitely appreciate this story. When Laura and Casey were in middle school and high school, they were virtually inseparable; even though they lived in the same area, they couldn't have been raised more differently. When a domino effect of misinterpreted incidents started, Laura left and never came back. Until now. Why now? They'd better follow Casey's mother's last epic scavenger hunt if they want to find out.