Fascinating insight into the Kennedy family. I loved the information on the family, the details of their lives etc. The authority that the father Joe Kennedy had over the children; and the way he lived, popping upstairs with his secretary! Incredible! It’s really interesting to see how life has moved on, and Alicia would probably now be a very acceptable presidents wife, yet in 1960s America this was apparently not possible. The fact that the book is fiction, but based on fact, makes it even more fascinating. I loved the characterisation of Alicia, her strength and determination to succeed were incredible. The snippets about JFK make for a compelling story,particularly with the mob and film star connections and poor Marilyn. This was an intriguing and captivating read!

The Summer I Met Jack is an intriguing pice of historical fiction. I greatly enjoyed the story, although it was not at all what I expected based on the title. This is the fascinating story of Alicia Corning Clark and her relationship with JFK. It encompasses more than a decade, rather than just a summer.
I thought that I was somewhat well versed in Kennedy lore but I had never heard of this woman. Alicia Darr came to the United States as a displaced person from Poland after World War II.
Michelle Gamble did an immense amount of research for this book. It is a work of fiction based on a true story so it really makes the reader wonder exactly what is true, leading to a google search after finishing the book.
I’m sure that some readers will like Alicia Corning Clarke and some will not. The same can be said for the Kennedys. I felt that they were portrayed in a believable although not likable manner.
I loved how Michelle Gamble took a little known story from the past and engaged the reader in learning about a fascinating life. The book leaves the reader with a lot of things to think about and wonder how history would have been different had other decisions been made.

John F. Kennedy was America's prince. A family of rowdy children, a driven father, a supportive mother...A family surrounded in secrets and lies...?

Alicia Corning Clark was a refugee. She married a few different notable men. She was also a woman targeted by J. Edgar Hoover - who insisted that she was being paid by the Kennedys to keep quiet.

The Summer I Met Jack is the fictionalized story of the affair that could have changed American history as we know it. Alicia and 'Jack' meet and fall in love over the end of a summer and leading up to his reelection to Congress. The story, however, isn't just about JFK. This is the story of Alicia, a woman who hid her past and found a life full of attempts at love.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I want to express my appreciation to St. Martins Press and Net Galley for a digital ARC of this book.

As soon as I saw this book advertised in Shelf Awareness I knew I wanted to read it. Since childhood I have had a heightened interest in JFK and Camelot. This book explores the era before Camelot and sheds light on the inner workings of the Kennedy family. Book catnip for me to be sure.

Alicia Darr (one of the many names she went by in her lifetime) is in Hyannisport to join a fellow Polish refugee as a maid for the Kennedy family. From her description she had a bit of a Marilyn Monroe look although with more refinement (she knew six languages) and slimmer. She meet Jack and her life is never the same. Reading Alicia's story gives astonishing glimpses into the lives of the rich and famous in Hollywood in Rome. Many famous names are dropped as supporting characters in Alicia's story. I commend the author on her extensive research --she read 200 books about the Kennedy family and people who were in their orbit. I especially appreciated her piece about JFK at the end giving us a final objective look at a man who died too young.

I loved this story--I had no idea of the Backstory of the Kennedy's, and this was such a great way to dive into the story. The family is crazy, and this was a great depiction of them!

The amount of research that Michelle Gable put in this book amazes me. I love how she found the facts, and introduced the “what if?” For someone that knows next to nothing about the people, she truly brought them to life and made them shine in a way that history books can’t. Everyone should read this book!

A fascinating combination of historical fiction and soap opera. An immigrant meets JFK, before he's actually JFK, and Jack falls for her. Their relationship moving forward, along with their backgrounds are the bases for the plot. I enjoyed reading about the challenges and background Alicia, along with the art world and the other countries. The Hollywood drama was not for me though. There was also a subplot taking place in current times, that is sprinkled throughout. This also kept my attention. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I really enjoy reading historical fiction and this book fit right into that genre. This story is intriguing with it being written from facts the author researched and filled in the "gaps" with a plausible scenario. I think Michelle Gable wrote a fantastic novel that had me captured into the story of Alicia's love affair with John F. Kennedy. My heart yearned with hers. She loved JFK and wanted to live her life with him. One of the lines in the book said it so wonderfully, "Jack Kennedy was not the best lover she'd had, but he was the one she loved best." Another line Alicia said was, "That's how love goes. It has a way of taking over a person's life." I learned so much about how the Kennedy family was. It was a well written and fascinating "look" at a part of history. TY Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book and to Michelle Gable for writing a page turner that kept me up way past my bedtime!

A Polish refugee has made her way to Hyannisport, Massachusetts and she is just living her life day to day when she meets a member of the famous family that has a compound in this small town and she quickly gets swept into their world.

I had to remind myself often while reading this book that I was reading fiction because I so wanted the story to have the complete truth to back it up. I knew it was based in truth, but I wanted every word to be the truth! I enjoyed reading about JFK through a different set of eyes. We read about him through his family and through Jackie Kennedy, so to see him through eyes that loved him for a time, but also saw all of his flaws and was honest about them was something really new.

I really adored Alicia as a character. I loved that we read about her beyond her time with Jack. I thought the title was deceiving because the book was so much more than the summer she met Jack, but it was more about how that summer set her life in a new direction. The celebrity cameos were just so perfect. She was name dropping and it was so entertaining!

A cross between historical fiction and just an epic fiction book, if you don't read a lot of historical fiction, don't shy away from this story. The book doesn't take place that long ago and the characters and story are so epic, that is worth the try. Also don't be swayed by the page count, this book reads so fast you won't want to put it down.

The Summer I Met Jack is a story based on an amazing amount of facts meticulously researched by author Michelle Gable. This book is the tantalizing tale of Alicia Dahr and JFK and their roller-coaster of a relationship over the years. The attention to detail is meticulous- the attitudes of the starlets, the way of life of the rich and famous, down to the way of speech spoken by both the Kennedys and even Kate Hepburn. Gable made it so you could be there, in Hyannisport, California, Rome, NY- the world. You travel with Alicia as lives her tumultuous life, her love for JFK never waivering. I had no idea of the fiancé of Jack before his presidency, and without out a doubt, this will take me down some research rabbit holes of my own. Great summer read.

We meet Alicia,a Polish immigrant who works at a movie theate in Boston, Massachusetts In working the refreshment stand, she meets a young man, John Kennedy. i was hooked from the first page. This was my first book of Ms. Gables but not my last.

The Summer I Met Jack is a story of fiction based on the real life affair between Alicia Corning Clark and JFK. This book is well written and well researched. It is filled with name dropping of the movie stars of the 1950's and 1960's, their scandals and mistress's. I enjoyed learning more about the Kennedy family and interesting life of Alicia Corning Clark. After finishing this book I had to google Alicia to find out more about her. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book and this is my honest review.

This book is a work of fiction. I start with that as I know some people will consider it sacrilegious and scurrilous because it takes on the Kennedys, often considered American Royalty. And they don't come out looking very positive. At all!

Specifically, this book covers the alleged affair between John F Kennedy (Jack) and Alicia Darr, a Polish immigrant of a Jewish family that was displaced during WWII. Alicia flees to America and meets Jack in Hyannisport and they begin a life-long affair. The protagonist is very much Alicia. You follow her journey from Hyannisport to Hollywood, then Rome, then NY. There are lots of players, many of them real life famous people such as Gary Cooper, Katherine Hepburn, and of course, the Kennedys and Jackie O.

I don't want to give anything away, but let's just say that some people will love Alicia and very much side with her, seeing her as a brave, strong women who was a victim of circumstance. Others will think Alicia is a spoiled, adulterous, unethical creature that played by her own rules and hurt a lot of people in the process. I think the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle, as often tends to be the case, fact or fiction.

An interesting take on a man who remains a mystery in many ways, and his alleged secret lover, if you like historical fiction and don't mind it coming with some serious controversy, you will very much enjoy this book!

This book has "summer read" written all over it - even if it didn't say "summer" right in the title, this juicy novel takes you into the intriguing world of the Kennedys, 1950s Hollywood, Rome and more. If you liked "American Wife" by Curtis Sittenfield, or have a low-key Kennedy fetish (don't we all) you'll eat this one up. Highly recommend for beach bags everywhere this summer.

DNF at 60%!

For the right reader is this book perfect, however, I never really warmed up to either the story or the characters and being over 500 pages long and not enjoying the book just got to be too much for me. Thank you for granting my wish, but this is one book I will pass on.

I'll admit my first reaction was- not another Kennedy story- but then I started reading. Gable has found a niche in the legend that hasn't received sunlight and written a very engaging novel. For all that we know the Kennedys, the story of Alicia Corning Clark was not familiar. A wonderful character, she's someone who lived a life that would have been worthy of a novel even without the connection to Jack. This is as well written as all of Gable's books (I'm a fan) and an easy, entertaining read. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is for fans of the genre of historical fiction that explores the lives of women involved with more famous men.

There are so many things I love about this book. It is set (at least partially) in one of my favorite places- Cape Cod, it is based on historical people that actually existed, and it has an intriguing protagonist in Alicia Darr. I had never heard of Alicia Darr before reading The Summer I Met Jack, but the book has set off an interest that needs to be explored. I will definitely be looking for more books about her and her fascinating life. I appreciate the extensive research that the author conducting to be able to write this book and I also plan to read several of the books she cited at the end. I would love to see another book from Michelle Gable from Jack Kennedy's point of view of this time in his life. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction or who has an interest in the Kennedy family.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the free review copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.

I finished this book almost a week ago, but I have been thinking about it ever since. I didn't know much about the Kennedy family and feel like I understand some things more after reading this book. While it is fictionalized, I don't think that Gable made any of the story seem unbelievable.

Alicia Corning Clark lived an intense, interesting life. I enjoyed getting to read about a woman that I have never heard of before but managed to accomplish what she set out for when she came to America. The relationship between her and JFK I found to be fascinating and heartbreaking. I was also frustrated by this woman who let Jack do what he did to her.

Gable did a remarkable job of showing this girls life. The mystery in the novel helped keep me wanting to read more. The plot that she created was engrossing. I am so glad I read this novel. I think it will keep me thinking for a while.

The Summer I Met Jack is a must-read for all! I had no idea at all that it was a story about THE Kennedys and was floored when it finally dawned on me. I then, of course, was even more intrigued and could not stop reading! It flows like a story of fiction, though it is full of facts and history, and the research that had been done is clearly evident. The storyline, focus, content, and writing style all changed pretty dramatically in my opinion, but it coincided with the new life that Alicia was living, so it worked. Lots of famous name-dropping with true and fictional details about the characters were added bonuses to the already compelling story, and left me chuckling and wondering which parts were true and which were embellished. It definitely leaves you thinking about pieces of the past that you thought you knew in a different way, and also leaves you looking at people in a different way, too. I wanted to read more and was thoroughly captivated by the tales of Alicia. This should be made into a movie!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for this advanced reader copy!

Thanks St. Martin's Press and netgalley for this ARC.

Reading about the Kennedy's didn't put them in the best light for me. They were ruthless, users, and wicked. Loved the strong female line that this story centers around. It is a enlightening book overall, and you'll be sorry it has to end.