I spent several summers on Martha's Vineyard as a child, so I really enjoyed this novel set there.

Summer Darlings is a vibrant tale that draws you into the glamorous world of 1960s Martha’s Vineyard, offering a fascinating look at privilege, ambition, and the intoxicating allure of wealth through the lens of a nanny for an elite family.

Set in the summer of 1962 amid the opulence of Martha's Vineyard, where Heddy, a working-class college student, finds herself nannying for a picture-perfect family. She’s captivated by the glamour of her new life, her romantic entanglements, and the promise of social advancement. But beneath the surface, cracks begin to appear, and Heddy realizes that the privileged lives she’s surrounded by come with their own set of complications and disappointments. As she navigates the upper echelons of society, Heddy is faced with personal dilemmas, including the potential loss of her academic scholarship and the realization that wealth doesn’t necessarily bring happiness.

The setting—both time and place—is one of the book's strongest aspects. Foster does a fantastic job of capturing the spirit of the early '60s and the atmosphere of Martha’s Vineyard, making it easy to imagine yourself there. The descriptions of the beaches, the social events, and the distinct personalities of the island's residents really drew me in and kept me rapt.

However, Heddy's journey was a bit predictable to me, and I didn't really care for the romantic subplot. That said, I still enjoyed the book and the escapism it offered. If you’re looking for a beach read with a bit of mystery, this one’s worth picking up, just don't expect a life-changing story.

I really wanted to like this book but I just couldn't, it was a bit boring. Although, the cover is absolutely beautiful!

Solid read, enjoyed the writing and character development but thought the plot was a little predictable. I also thought some storylines were unnecessary... like the diamond bracelet.

This is the perfect pandemic, lose yourself in summer, escape to Martha's Vineyard and hang with the rich and famous book. Of Course, all is not as it seems. This is just a fun book to escape reality with, a chance to explore life as it might have been for the 'haves' and the 'have nots' one summer in the 1960s on Martha's Vineyard. I enjoyed this!

This book sounded great and I really wanted to like it. I found myself skimming most of the book. Beach read with a 60's glam vibe.

Set in the turbulent 1960s Summer Darlings stars a spunky Heddy Winsome who's totally out of her comfort zone hob-knobbing with the rich and famous in Martha's Vineyard as a nanny for a wealthy family. This book is fabulous and hard to believe it's a debut. I see many many best sellers in her future

I was not able to get interested in this book and I did not finish it. The characters and the plot were not able to catch or keep my attention.

The story should have been interesting but the main character held the story back. Alongside her wishy-washy nature there were several historical inaccuracies. It is written well enough that if you have nothing else around give it a whirl but if you have choices...

Summer Darlings is a great read. I love the setting of 60s Martha’s Vineyard. The characters are very well written and I couldn’t put the book down. I just had to keep finding out what happened next. I highly recommend this book.

I was able to read this book thanks to NetGalley. The perfect summer read, this was a quick and entertaining read for me. I enjoyed the characters and the plot. It was well written and I loved the pace. I will absolutely be looking forward to reading more from this author in the future. I will also be recommending this to family and friends.

I truly enjoyed this wonderfully imaginative world of the New England summers and the glamour of the 1940s movie stars. Incredibly well written and kept my interest from the very first page. to the end. What a fun story to escape into. I highly recommend if you love historical fiction. Thank you so much Netgalley for this advanced readers copy.

It's rare to find a balance between serious and light, and this book did that perfectly. I regret not reading it during the summer, as it's the perfect book to tear through by a pool with a cold drink in hand.

This book felt more fiction than historical. There were several obvious inconsistencies but it you read it as just fiction it was a good story. Characters were well written and plot kept you guessing.

This book is a glimpse into 1960's class struggles, and lesson that things aren't always as wonderful as they seem to outsiders. I really enjoyed Summer Darlings.

The gloss and radiance of the wealthy families summering on Martha's Vineyard is covering up all kinds of unhappiness and strife, as Heddy finds out when she takes a summer nanny job with a very well to do family. She was raised with a single mom, and they had to scrape and save to get though life. Heddy is attending college, but has just lost her scholarship because of a single indiscretion. She's fighting to hold onto her foothold up the ladder of society, and rise above her start in life. She'd rather do that with her education, and not by marrying well, as all of her college friends are attempting to do. I enjoyed her wavering morals and struggle to decide what was the right path for her.

This book was a wonderful read; not too heavy or dark but not too light and glossy. It seemed very real and raw and I felt the struggles of the different characters.

The Perfect Summer Read and I absolutely adored the atmosphere that it instilled. Richly written and the characters brought the era to life.

Summer Darlings is a compelling debut, a taut portrait of money and social status, and of a young woman finding her place in the world. Foster is a keen observer, offering a glittering glimpse into the private lives of Martha's Vineyard's elite families, along with romance, secrets and class-issues. I couldn't stop turning the pages until I had reached its breathless, satisfying conclusion.

Thank you to Netgalley and Brooke Lea Foster for my copy of Summer Darlings, for an honest review. Brooke Lea Foster did an excellent job with her first novel. Set on Martha’s Vineyard, during the 1960’s, we meet Heddy Winsome, the nanny, of a very wealthy family. We see wealth and privilege through Heddy’s eyes. She has an inside view of how everything isn’t always as good as it might look. Heddy, is between worlds, she is trying to find her footing in both. There are so many supporting characters and I loved them all. The settings, the storylines had me hooked. A great coming of age, have/have not story , set during the summer on a magical island. This was a four star read for me. I have recommended this book to friends and family.

The family drama kept this story going for me, while the romance fell a bit flat. The ending was bit far fetched for me and I just wasn't as captivated as I hoped I would be going into it.

For some people, summer is a time of weekend trips to the public pool and burgers on the grill. For others, it’s so much more—a time to get out of the bustling city, to be seen, to throw (and attend) the biggest parties of the year. And in Summer Darlings by Brooke Lea Foster, a young woman finds herself caught in the middle of a high-society summer.

Full review published on NightsAndWeekends.com and aired on Shelf Discovery

First of all, this cover? GORGEOUS. The second piece I'd like to note is the setting: Martha's Vineyard, 1960s. The author did a fabulous job of researching because it felt like the Vineyard became a character in the story. As the story progresses, we are shown that people are more than what their appearances and reputations show. I was thrilled to read an early copy of this book and look forward to more from this debut author.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.