I really enjoyed this book. I was glad to have the opportunity from NetGalley to be able to read it in advance.

I really wanted to like this book, but the beginning was choppy, hard to understand and follow and it took me a lot longer than usual to get into the book. I did finish it, but wouldn't say I enjoyed it but I did spend some time looking at the historical side of things because it is a fascinating topic but a little hard to see where the fact and fiction were between Alicia & JFK.

Also, I felt this book showed the worst of these characters and very little of them in a good light. I know my review is very different from how most people saw this book...

The Summer I Met Jack by Michelle Gable tells the story of Alicia Darr, the displaced Polish immigrant who captured the heart of Congressman Jack Kennedy. Family, religion, and circumstances ultimately kept them apart, but Alicia's story is compelling nonetheless.

Admittedly, I am not someone who has read anything on JFK, and my knowledge of him is based on history books in school and snippets from Marilyn Monroe biographies. Gable's work provided insight, albeit fictional, into a family that everyone knows of. I found Alicia to be a compelling character and I rooted for her, despite her flawed and sometimes selfish ways. It can be tricky to have a flawed character that is still likable, but Gable tread that line very well. I found this an interesting read that I would recommend.

The Summer I Met Jack by Michelle Gable is fiction mixed with facts. Ms Gable gives us an interesting look at how life may have been at the Kennedy's Hyannis Port summer home in the early 1950's and brings the scenes to life. The Summer I Met Jack is fascinating and makes the reader wonder what if..... I was given an early copy to review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Michelle Gable for allowing me to read and review The Summer I Met Jack. I'm sorry to say that I struggled to get into this book, and once I was in, I wasn't all that interested in finishing it. I persevered, but because it didn't hold my attention, I'll have to give it 2 stars.

Oh. My. Gosh!! I loved this book. Absolutely could not put it down. While there were a few parts that kind of dragged on, I thoroughly enjoyed the plot and characters. It had me doing research of my own, trying to find out what was true/what wasn't. The author did a fantastic job of drawing the reader into the story and making you want their love story to work out. I am not a huge romance reader but would totally recommend this book! I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the opportunity!

I had never heard of Alicia Darr, the subject of the latest novel by Gable. I've read most of what has been written about JFK so I either overlooked her name or it didn't register. THe Summer I Met Jack is Gable's version of Darr's life, a woman who was a chameleon. One aspect of the book the author does very well is capture the true personalities of the Kennedy clan, their uncouthness, brashness, and spitefulness. The book started to drag about three- quarters in, but picked up at the very end. A definitive read if you're interested in non-Camelot stories.

This was an interesting story that must have been a challenge to research and write. When the subject is JFK and a possible relationship and love child, there will be all sorts of complications. As the author says, this is what could have happened, she filled in the blanks and thus it is fiction. Interesting none-the-less. I received an ARC from the publisher and Net Galley.

This is the fictionalized story of Alicia Corning Clark and Jack Kennedy. When Alicia was a young lady, she came to work as a maid for the Kennedys. Her and Jack soon became involved and had a relationship that lasted for many years. This story even claims that they had a baby together. Even though the author says this is a fictionalized story, it sure makes the reader think about the Kennedys. It mostly paints them as a group of womanizers who only cared about themselves. Maybe that is how they were, but the story sure leaves a bad taste for the Kennedys.
With that being said, I enjoyed the book and the writing was superb! I especially enjoyed the dialogue that involved Jack because it seemed like that is how he talked. Well worth the read, but gives the reader a lot to think about!

I was provided with a free copy of this book from Netgalley. To say it was an overwhelming read would be an understatement. It was a bit slow-moving and confusing at first, but before long I couldn’t bear to put it down. Yet, while reading it, I was plagued with a sickening sense of discomfort. I wanted to cry for Alicia, and sometimes for Jack (even though he was a large part of the problem). They were like a modern-day Romeo and Juliet, where Romeo, more often than not, sided with his family.

I was conflicted. I wanted to know what happened, but at the same time, I was afraid to find out. Sure, I knew Jack married Jackie, but I really never expected his relationship with Alicia to be so fraught with passion and difficulties. The heart wants what the heart wants. To be honest, I’m not sure what Alicia saw in him, cannot imagine what would make it worth it. He was not described in a flattering light objectively, but when seen through the eyes of Alicia, everything he did was tinged with her bias of loving him. Still, she was realistic about his faults, choosing to assign them little importance because…..love. While describing an attractive muscled man, the narrator describes Alicia’s impression this way, “If anything, he was too laden with musolos, not that Alicia was a good judge. Her favorite physique was gangly, jaundiced, and broken most of the time.”

The Kennedys, as a whole, were depicted more as opportunistic and self-serving than virtuous or caring about the welfare of others. They were spoiled and entitled and the men were incapable of fidelity. I don’t know if this was the author’s bias, but I found it very difficult to like any of them. Amazing to think that many Americans did not want a Catholic in the white house, and the Kennedys didn’t want a Jew in theirs. I guess every group needs to place themselves above some other group to feel better about who they are. It was sad, and made me very angry, more so when I realize there are still people who think this way.

There was an observation by one of the incidental characters in the book that I found pithy: “Every girl dreams of the kind of man she’ll marry, but she never thinks about the sort of man she wants to divorce.” Perhaps it’s better that way. I have just two complaints about this book, and they are things that may be fixed by the final editing and proofing. Verb tenses were occasionally incorrect and many words spelled with two “f”s were spelled with only one. Consistently. For example, every “off” became “of.” At first, I thought it was just the last letter getting dropped, but it happened to longer words too, the ones where the “ff” was in the middle. I could not think of any explanation for this.

For anyone considering reading this book, prepare to have your heart broken. Again and again. I realize this was a fictionalized memoir of real people, but the feelings evoked by the writing were very real. The book ends with a list of resources used by the author to authenticate and support the storyline, along with this comment from Michelle Gable: “I truly hope you enjoy this journey with Alicia and that the story has you googling for days.” Mission accomplished.

Seems we all cannot get enough of the Kennedy's. Knowing that it is fiction, you still have to think about how much of the story is true. Enjoyable read.

A very interesting book. I could not put it down. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the Kennedys..

Alicia is working at the movie theater candy counter in Hyannisport, MA. It is 1950 and this young, beautiful Polish woman has already lived a lifetime. Torn from her family, placed in a convent to hide from the Nazi’s, Alicia survived and made her way to America. She changes her name, her hair color and sets her sights on success. Hyannisport is synonymous with Kennedy and while working at the local movie theater meets non other than the very eligible, handsome senator Jack. Known as a ladies man he is instantly taken with this beauty and her European know how. Alicia is impassioned about art, literature, languages - her bright outlook and easygoing nature capture Jack’s attention and even that of his family, who naturally control every move he makes. They are briefly engaged, there may or may not have been a child. There is love, years of threats and a lifetime of regrets. Based on the captivating life of Alicia Corning Clark, who was married multiple times, ultimately widowed and left a very wealthy woman. She left some mystery behind, trailing the many theories regarding every Kennedy. I loved the history and secrets to which we will most likely never know the answers but I have to admit I felt like the writing was rushed. As much as I enjoyed the “story” the conversations and accents felt unnatural and forced. For me, this novel just didn’t flow.

What a book!! I have to say since starting and finishing this book I am interested in Alicia Darr and JFK so much more than I was before. Alicia Darr, I had never heard of but....WOW!! This woman had quite a life. She survived so much and yet seemed to really live what life she had. I learned things I didn't know about the Kennedys. Granted this book is a work of fiction, but it have definitely made me curious. I think I will be picking up some books about the Kennedys after this.

I highly recommend this book. I think you are a big history buff and a JFK fan especially I think you would really enjoy this book.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press

I found this book fascinating. Kept me interested from page 1! I loved all the name dropping - I found myself researching all the characters of the book to get more backstory. Everything about the story was realistic. Highly recommend.

This book was provided to me by NetGalley in turn for a review. Don't want to give a thing away. Read this book. Now!! SO great!

I loved Gable’s previous books, but really forced myself to finish this one. The portrayal of Alicia Darr as JFK’s lover seemed to focus on the worst qualities of both people. The characters were unlikeable, and although I am sure based on a lot of research, focused on a lot of gossip and Hollywood name dropping. Not recommended.

This book is not my cup of tea. It’s ostensibly about an affair between a young Jack Kennedy and a mysterious DP from Poland, who beats around the bush about her history. I found the writing unsophisticated and was unable to read more than a quarter of the book.

First I want to congratulate the author on the extensive amount of research she did to bring this novel to life. As a reader I appreciate it.

Secondly this novel was great. The Kennedy family has always been a family with a mysterious hold on the American people. In an era where handsome faces and beautiful women entertained us money above all talked. The Kennedys are nasty people!

I loved Alicia. She was a person who had to lie to survive. And she did so gracefully and advantageously. It saddened me that she died alone bc she had a huge heart.

I am captivated by this era and love that historical fiction is exploring it more.

I was disappointed in this book. I thought I was going to read historical fiction. The author states that she “made many leaps and assumptions” and that the book “is absolutely a work of fiction.” I was drawn to read this book, so as to discover more about JFK and his family, and thought I would learn something new. My take-away is confused, at best. I did enjoy reading it and that’s why I gave it 3 stars but can’t give it more for the above mentioned reasons. Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC.