College student Heddy is spending the summer of 1962 in Martha’s Vineyard, as a nanny for a wealthy family. Heddy lives in Brooklyn with her single mother and has had a lifetime of struggles, so this summer is definitely something new for her. After losing her college scholarship, Heddy is sure that she needs to find a way to change her life, and her future, on Martha’s Vineyard. After a whirlwind summer, Heddy finds out that nobody is who they seem to be, and the rich really don’t have it all.
The ending was quite unexpected and a little unbelievable, but all in all,’it was a great read.

Summer Darlings by Brooke Lea Foster embraces some of my favorite elements in historical fiction like Irish families in Brooklyn, coming of age, secrets, and flawed and relatable characters.

In 1962, coed Heddy Winsome leaves her hardscrabble Irish Brooklyn neighborhood behind and ferries to glamorous Martha’s Vineyard to nanny for one of the wealthiest families on the island. But as she grows enamored with the alluring and seemingly perfect young couple and chases after their two mischievous children, Heddy discovers that her academic scholarship at Wellesley has been revoked, putting her entire future at risk.

Determined to find her place in the couple’s wealthy social circles, Heddy nurtures a romance with the hip surfer down the beach while wondering if the better man for her might be a quiet, studious college boy instead. But no one she meets on the summer island—socialite, starlet, or housekeeper—is as picture-perfect as they seem, and she quickly learns that the right last name and a house in a tony zip-code may guarantee privilege, but that rarely equals happiness.

This is a good book that’s entertaining and enjoyable. Its also a quick read and I absolutely loved the setting and reading about Martha’s Vineyard. I want to go now!

Summer Darlings will be available on May 5th. You can pre-order here!

The year is 1962 and all the world is in love with JFK and Jackie. Every girls' dream is to dress like Jackie and snag a handsome, wealthy husband. Heddy, who hails from a poor neighborhood in Brooklyn manages to win a scholarship to Wellesley, only to lose it after one careless evening. The long, empty summer looms ahead, when suddenly Heddy is offered a chance to work as a nanny in glamorous Martha's Vineyard. Not only will Heddy grab a front-row seat to the activities of the rich and beautiful, but maybe, just maybe she'll find a rich husband to solve all of her problems. Will Hedddy find a husband, or will she find herself instead? Read Summer Darlings to find out!

Set in the 1960s on Martha’s Vineyard, Summer Darlings follows a new nanny as she becomes engrossed with her wealthy family’s personal lives for the summer. The main narrator Heddy is a college aged girl from humble beginnings trying to find a foothold in this new rich society. While nannying, Heddy becomes involved with deep seeded family drama, a potential love triangle, and demons from her own past.

There is very serious character development for not only Heddy but everyone she comes in contact with during the summer. By the end of the novel I felt like I knew all the characters and their backgrounds very well and could empathize with each of them.

I really enjoyed this debut novel which comes off as a bit of a beach read with a thread of mystery. It reminds me of some early Elin Hilderbrand novels.

Brooke Lea Foster’s debut novel will be one of the best beach reads of the summer! Set on Martha’s Vineyard during the early 1960s, Summer Darlings transports us into the lives of the rich and wealthy (with cameo appearances by James Taylor and Carly Simon!). Heddy, an upcoming senior at Wellesley College, finds herself as the nanny of two young children to a well-to-do family. During her summer on the Vineyard, she gets a first-hand look at what wealth and privilege on the island is really about. This coming-of-age novel is light on historical fiction and heavy on the gossip. I enjoyed Heddy and Ruth’s relationship, and loved the character of Gigi. This was a fun read that was hard to put down. Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books, a division of Simon & Shuster, for an early copy. #SummerDarlings #NetGalley #BrookeLeaFoster #GalleryBooks #SimonandShuster

Foster is a talented writer. She takes readers back to 1962 on Martha's Vinyard. Heddy is hired to be a nnny for one summer. She lost her scholarship and wants to fit in with the rich set. Slowly she realizes how superficial and shallow the beautiful people are. She discovers some truths about herself as well. The author captured the tone and environment very well. My favorites were Ruth and Gigi. Some of he characters were quite repulsive. It had a crazy ending, but one that was suitable.

Summer Darlings by Brooke Lee Foster thanks to netgalley and gallery books for the e-arc

Heddie has just lost her scholarship at Wesley, and with that her dreams of supporting herself and her mother. Raised in poverty by a single mother, she’s always had plans to be more than she is. Heddie takes a summer job as a nanny for a wealthy old name family on Martha’s Vineyard, while she plans what to do in the fall and how to pay for school.

I sped through this book in a day. It was definitely a page turner! I loved the family drama and Heddie’s growth throughout the summer. The romance aspect of the story felt a bit forced and had me rolling my eyes at times. If you’re a romance fan and a thriller fan, this is the book for you. While the ending was very exciting, it was definitely over the top. I prefer my drama with a bit more subtlety, but I can see this being a big hit

“A hunger had always been been in her- to live a plum life, yes, but also a genuine belief that something better lay just around the corner”.

SUMMER DARLINGS fell a bit flat for me, which is disappointing given that I love historical fiction. Based on the cover, you'd expect a stylish, smart read -- and the novel does have style, I'll grant that. You get to see how the wealthy spend their summer on Martha's Vineyard. Some of the details in terms of houses and clothes are lovely. But overall, the story didn't quite find its way for me. The dialogue was dull and plodding and the main character, Heddy, failed to win me over. It was as though the author kept telling us that she was witty and smart and a catch, whereas we didn't necessarily see that in action. Toward the ending the story picked up and I thought the conclusion was well done.

Brooke Lea Foster’s debut novel is a gem! Set in Martha's Vineyard in 1960, 21 year old Heddy embarks on a roller coast summer filled with love, adventure and intrigue.

I picked up this book because I was drawn to the idea of a retro tale set in Martha's Vineyard. And I definitely got what I wanted in that respect. But there were some aspects of this book that hindered my enjoyment, the biggest one being when I was jolted out of the past by modern words and phrases like--freaking, stoppit, and "You're so, so right."
I also felt like there's just something missing about Heddy to make her likable enough for the reader. For me, she seemed somewhat vapid... I kept asking why were these two men falling for her? It's a classic case of the author saying the character has the traits of being whip-smart or attractive, but I never actually felt like she did anything really noteworthy. The reader is not privvy to any sparkling conversation or really profound things Heddy does that make her so desirable. And that made the storyline feel a bit contrived.
Overall, it's a good beach read. I liked the descriptions of the Vineyard. And I knew the gun was going to make another appearance at some point, but can honestly say I was surprised by the ending.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. A young girl from Brooklyn finds herself working for a rich couple on Martha's Vineyard for the summer. Set in the 1960s, she thinks it is all about riches and glam, but she soon learns deep secrets. Very enjoyable.

This is a light historical fictional debut written about the early 1960’s. The author does a great job transporting you to Martha’s Vineyard and experiencing the lifestyle of the wealthy. Heddy, the nanny of two young children, lands the job and cannot return to college in the fall. While falling in love with the wealth and privilege she realizes that all is not perfect in their world. Recommended for a fun beach read. #SummerDarlings #BrookeLeaFoster #NetGalley

Summer Darlings by Brooke Lea Foster is an excellent historical fiction that definitely transports the reader to a different generation. This story takes us to the early 1960s. It is summertime on the New England coast and the the promise of a relaxing few months of sun and sand give promise to young undergraduate Heddy as she makes her way from her first year at Wellesley to a nanny for a privileged family for the summer. Heddy is from Brooklyn and has had to work hard for what she has, has only been given the opportunity to go to school because of a scholarship (that now has been potentially revoked), and now gets to experience what she thinks is the land of the amazing, glitz, glamour, and perfection. As she enters this alternate universe, she find that all this shininess actually tarnishes with time. She finds that things are not as they seem, and that every person has their imperfections and problems in life.

This is a coming of age story, a learn-as-you grow story, and we get to see Heddy learn and mature as she infiltrates this privileged community. I like Heddy. She is smart, flawed, but strong, and learns a lot.

This is one of my favorite periods to read about. I love the 1940s-early 1960s and to top it off, I love anything remotely Kennedy. This book definitely gives off that Martha’s Vineyard/Cape Cod vibe.

This is a great read from a very talented author. I expect great things to come.

5/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Gallery Books for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon and B&N accounts upon publication.

Set in the 1960's, in Martha's Vineyard, a nanny, Heddy Winsome comes to the island to work. She is Irish and from a background vastly different than what she discovers on the Vineyard. Her eyes are opened to wealth and privilege, something she is not accustomed to. She is also introduced to love.

I really enjoyed both the setting and time period in which this book was set. I found it to be unique for a historical fiction title. Something that is not ordinarily written about. The 1960's is a very interesting time period, filled with rich history and culture. It's also not a time period that is written about frequently in historical fiction.

I loved Heddy. She was a resilient and headstrong character who was a delight to read about. A highly recommended title!

This book is my favorite kind of historical fiction: enthralling, heartfelt and full of surprises.

Foster did such a great job fleshing out each character with hopes, ambitions and serious flaws that I wasn't sure who to root for... or who to trust. Seeing the Vineyard's residents through Heddy's optimistic and idealistic eyes was especially interesting because as soon as the rose-colored glasses come off and she starts to see people for who they really are, so does the reader. Spoiler: no one is as nice or perfect as they first appear.

Summer Darlings is a story about a working class girl nannying for a wealthy family on Martha's Vineyard during the summer of '62.
That being said, I can't believe the amount of historical and factual errors, not to mention the language used. For instance the first error is less than 7% in the book when Heddy use liquid soap to wash her hands in Ash's bathroom. Bathrooms had bar soap in '62.
Another glaring error is the new 62' Thunderbird that Heddy's boss is jealous of, the air conditioning is mentioned many times as a "new," feature, T Bird's came standard with air conditioning starting in '58.

If these inconsistencies are corrected it will be a great summer read, but as is, there are too many errors to enjoy the story.

*** out of 5 *s
#SummerDarlings by #BrookeLeaFoster
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#ARC received from @netgalley.
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This debut is a perfect little #beachread and I highly recommend snapping it up when it publishes in May! That said, though, I did find it jarring in places. My mind kept tripping over idiosyncrasies that stood out pretty glaringly. Inserted throughout this book set in 1962 were speech patterns and word usages straight from today.
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Heddy is a scholarship student at Wellesley who gets offered the job of a lifetime. A budding screenwriter, she becomes a live-in nanny for a wealthy couple on Martha's Vineyard. She becomes quickly and, in my opinion, naively swept up in their world. She comes to realize that all that glitters is not gold.
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I do recommend this book, as I said, but to be honest it just wasn't quite for me.
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#readersofinstagram #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #ARC #beachread #maynewreleases #debutnovel #marthasvineyard #1962 #1960s

I always love stories about Martha's Vineyard. I hope to visit there this summer. The story really showed that even though people may have loads of money,they still have the same problems as the rest of us. Money certainly doesn't change the person inside. I hope the author rights more novels. I love her style of writing.

I've always been fascinated by the era of the 1960"s and all the beautiful people who inhabited it, especially those of the wealthy. My mother was a young woman during this time and although we were not a wealthy family, I can still see her in her cigarette pants, linen shifts, blinding white Keds sneakers and her cat-eye glasses! Cigarette in hand!
The author's vivid descriptions of the island, ocean, white clapboard cottages, beach parties and cocktail hours had me feeling the sun on my face, the wind at my back and the smell of brine in the air! The well developed characters had me intrigued and the clip of the dialogue kept me interested in turning the pages to see if young Heddy would decide that all these beautiful people truly had perfect and enviable lives.

Loved this fun book! The perfect summer beach read. Light hearted and keeps you turning the page until the end. Definitely recommend!

Thank you to netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.