This is an intense story of Frankie, her mom and their love of movies. Grammies mom Maeve died suddenly in a cat accident. She leaves Frankie her business which is movie memorabilia. It includes some sealed letters written by a famous star of the 80’s. Frankie travels to Cape Cod to deliver these letters and hopes to find her father. I really enjoyed reading this novel.

A Summer to Remember by Erika Montgomery is a lovely debut novel. The secrets families keep cause loved ones to be hurt. And sometimes looking for answers gives you family to share those secrets with.

This story begins in Hollywood during the 1970s when Glory Cartright wins the role of leading lady opposite Hollywood's notorious playboy, Mitch Beckett, Within months of the release of the movie, they are married and continue to make six more films together. While enjoying their position of the most loved couple in Hollywood, it is announced they are taking a year off and moving to Mike's Cape Cod hometown of Harpswich. While settling into their new home, Mike reconnects with his childhood friend Russ, along with his wife Louise.. As the years go by, and Mike and Glory don't return to Hollywood, the two couples become close friends and when an adopted baby boy, Gabe, join the Beckett family, Russ and Lu immediately feel they have a new nephew, who later they adopt after the death of both Mike and Glory.

Fast forward to the present day, Frankie is managing The Memory Shop, one of Hollywood's premiere shop of memorabilia and souvenirs, .The shop was founded by her late mother, Maeve.. Making a last minute decision based on a photo and two sealed letters found among her mother's possessions, Frankie decides to go to Harpswich to attend the popular Stardust Film Festival, founded by Glory and managed by her dear friend, Louise for all these years. While alive, her mother was never was in favor of attending the festival. Upon arrival, Frankie unexpectedly connects with Russ and Louise and because of a mix-up with her hotel reservations, ends up staying at their house. Frankie is also in search of discovering who her father is, and hoping perhaps this trip will reveal that closely guarded secret. As time passes, many secrets come to light.

This is an intriguing, heartfelt story that kept me turning the pages to the very end,

Thank you to both #NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an advance copy of Erika Montgomery’s latest novel, A Summer to Remember, in exchange for an honest review.

#ASummertoRemember is not your typical breezy beach read. The writing—though overwritten at times—is more refined than the average beach read and the subject matter is darker. Also, with beach reads the reader is usually so captivated by the material that it compels them to finish the book within a day “at the beach.” While this novel has many engrossing parts, there is something slightly off that makes it less thrilling than a beach read. It does not feel nearly as exciting once you put it down.

The novel is divided into three sections and each section has individual chapters that switch between the past and present. The past takes place between the years of 1979 to 1989, with most of the focus on 1988 to 1989. The chapters that are set in the past indicate what year it is, but the chapters set in the present do not. So, be aware when reading that if the chapter mentions Frankie, the protagonist, it is present day.

Aside from the initial unclear time jumps, there are also spontaneously placed movie quotes in the beginning of some chapters. I presume they were added to tie-in with the old Hollywood storyline. As far as the quotes and movies go, however, the majority of them are real; the exception being the films starring the characters, Glory Cartwright and Mitch Beckett.

The story opens in Hollywood, CA, but quickly transitions to Harpswich, MA (which I suspect is the fictional name of Harwich, MA, or a typo?) by the eponymously titled chapter 6. 30-year-old Frankie feels obligated to deliver two letters in person that were written by her mother before she died; one of which is addressed to a person whom she suspects might be her biological father. After being rebuffed by the individual who could potentially be her brother, she hops on a plane and makes her way to the east coast.

Meanwhile, in the old Hollywood storyline, MA residents Louise and Russ host their celebrity friends and show them around town for the summer. What was supposed to only be a year as part of research for a role in a movie, turns into 10 years and life-long friendships. The past and the present eventually collide revealing many unspoken and hurtful secrets.

Again, I am not really sure what to make of this novel because on one hand I was curious to find out what happened to the characters in the end, but on the other, I felt like some of the novel dragged and included too many unnecessary details. For instance, why did we need to know about Saul or his dog Bogart? The author could have easily removed these characters since the email exchange between Frankie and Gabe had already moved the story along.

I also was unhappy with the ending. It seemed forced and did not actually wrap-up any of the loose ends. I guess the reader is just supposed to assume that everything turns out fine. Personally, I am not satisfied with this type of ending, but I know some readers enjoy books that are left unfinished or to the imagination. Overall, it is a solid book to read if you need something to pass the time.

A storyline that was difficult to follow made this book a huge struggle for me to finish. It started off with great promise but devolved quickly.

I received an advance copy of, A Summer to Remember, by Erika Montgomery. This is a good book. Frankie goes over her family history, learning secrets and new things about her family.

A SUMMER TO REMEMBER by Erika Montgomery is a charming and engaging story of love, loss and self-discovery. It is told in dual timelines in the 1980s and the present day from the points of view of several character whose lives turn out to be unexpectedly intertwined. Thirty-year-old Frankie Simon is still mourning the death of her mother, Maeve, with whom she has run a movie memorabilia shop in Hollywood for many years. Frankie has never known much about Maeve’s past or who her father might be. One day, Frankie receives a package containing two unopened letters and a photo of her mother with a famous movie star couple at a film festival on Cape Cod in the 1980s. At a crossroads in her own life, Frankie decides to travel to Cape Cod for the current year’s film festival hoping to solve some of the mysteries of her mother’s life. Soon, secrets and past betrayals are revealed that change the lives of all the characters. Woven through with the nostalgic history and glamour of Hollywood, this is a poignant story of enduring love, friendship and family. The movie quotes and references brought back so many fun memories. I felt like I was right there on Cape Cod with the characters. A SUMMER TO REMEMBER is a heartwarming book and I look forward to reading more from Erika Montgomery. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read an early copy.

The subject matter is fascinating, but this book just didn't work for me,
The slow writing style had me disinterested.
DNF

Hard to believe this is a debut novel from Erika Montgomery as her story telling is whimsical, romantic, refreshing, and carries an air of mystery from beginning to end. I loved this story. It's structured in such a way that toggles between two women, both remembering and discovering aspects of their lives in hopes of finding answers and family. This author knows what she's doing and gave readers a story they could really sink into and find connection with so easily.

Woven through the pages are memories of Hollywood nostalgia and the impact of film on our lives along with a bittersweet story of friendship, family, and heartbreak. It's packed with secrets and yearning but as those unravel the story translates as something hopeful in the discovery of things unknown. The characters are one's you want to know and sit down with for a long conversation with a drink or two. There's no undo drama or superfluous detail even the story is brimming with a riddle you just want to solve.

From beginning to end A Summer to Remember is a solid, enchanting, engaging Women's Fiction novel. It contains elements of growth, romance, suspense, and friendship that lover's of the genre will appreciate. It's an unforgettable story of loss and triumph. My only wish was that there were more from these great characters. I so look forward to more intriguing stories from this author.

A Summer to Remember by author Erika Montgomery is a light, enjoyable read. It’s the story of Frankie Simon, who runs a store called The Memory Shop where she sells memorabilia and collectibles from famous people, actors and actresses, who played in Hollywood’s most famous movies. After the death of her mother, she travels from Hollywood to Cape Cod after finding two letters that belong to someone from her mothers past. By going she learns many things about her mother and of the life she had lived before her birth that Frankie never knew anything about. In a sense, by visiting her mothers past, she learns of where her own future is. I really enjoyed this story, I loved how it mentioned and told of old movies and famous people from Hollywood. I liked how I got to view what it was like for Glory to leave the movie scene and what effect it had on her life and personality. Overall, I thought it was an enjoyable story and I’d like to thank NetGalley for the arc to read and review. I’m going to rate this at 4 stars.

This was a sweet book with the added fun of old Hollywood memorabilia. The romance was sweet and progressed at a nice pace. The dual timelines worked fantastic in this format and gave the reader extra insight into the characters. Overall, a sweet romance with a side of mystery in a beautiful beach setting. My thanks to the publisher for the advance reader in exchange for my honest review.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

A Summer to Remember is a delightful story of Frankie Simon traveling to Cape Cod to find the truth of her mother's past and to search for her father.

A great story of love and family secrets. An added bonus of this story was the old movie references and the setting of Cape Cod.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers of this book for my honest review.

Part Hollywood gossip in the form of a fiction novel, part family drama, and part mystery, this is an atmospheric book that is steeped in the lives of the rich and famous and the family they leave behind. Frankie Simon operates a memorabilia store in Hollywood and receives a photo of her late mother with a legendary Hollywood couple. This incident propels her to discover who her father was, so off she goes to Cape Cod because that may be where her biological dad made his home. It may also be where her half-brother lives. The romance is predictable but nevertheless enjoyable. What I did not enjoy were the endless descriptions of Hollywood memories, both the items, the movies and the “who was bedding whom” tales. Three main couples are involved and their interconnected lives end up touching the lives of so many other people, including Frankie. I really liked Frankis’e helpful neighbor Saul and his practical advice to her. Frankie was not fleshed out enough for me, and Gabe, the romantic interest, was borderline rude and narcissistic. The book had a lot of possibility for me, but it ended up falling flat as I skimmed multiple pages just to get through it. The premise of the story was good, but the book was too long, too wordy and just too much for someone who has no interest in movie memorabilia or old movie legends. I can, however, see how this book would appeal to those who like a fiction book without a lot of substance but with some entertaining moments.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

Romance and family secrets. I love reading about buried family secrets. This story was beautifully written with elements of memories and of Hollywood. It is one of those novels that you don’t want to end, but it will stay with you long after you finish.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book has a lot of secrets to reveal. Everything comes back to one instance that happened thirty years ago. I enjoyed the back and forth between the present and thirty years ago. I would have liked to get Gabe's point of view. It is amazing to see how different people see things and interpret them. In the end this story is about family, those who are blood and those who you make your family.

*I received this free book from NetGalley and am leaving my honest opinion*

This is a lovely and emotional book, alternating between points of view and time periods. Frankie goes to Harpswich, MA to deliver letters in her mother’s possession. In the process she understands her mother’s past life and the strength she possessed. This book has a few slow moments but overall it was a well written book that I could picture as a movie.

Excellent beach read about families, the importance of memories and Hollywood legends. The characters came alive amidst the family drama.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for the chance to read and review this book. The opinions expressed are my own. I liked this book, but didn't love it. This is the story of 30 year old Frankie Simon who owns a movie memorabilia shop. She had ran the shop with her mother, but her mother has died in a car accident. When she is going through her mother's things, she finds two letters that lead her on a quest to find her father and to uncover details about her mother's life. I really liked the setting of the movie memorabilia and the film festival. I just felt that sometimes the story was a little slow. I did like the ending though. Recommend for a quick, light read!

I love the drama of the book, the search for your place is so real! I loved the authors writing style and the characters were so well developed. Would recommend!