Last Summer at the Golden Hotel is a true family saga, with secrets, betrayals, and generational conflict. We follow along for a brief period in the lives of two families, wondering which marriages will hold up, which secrets will be revealed, and of course, what will happen to the Golden Hotel.

As a mom of a now-adult, I really related to Aimee, although I wouldn't wish her struggles on anyone. And I don't want to give away too much, but I will say the ending was just a little bittersweet for me. Things were resolved but perhaps not tied up with a big pretty (and unrealistic) bow... but it felt real.

This book was hilarious, heartwarming, and nostalgic while still feeling very contemporary. I devoured it in one sitting and it was an easy five star read for me. It's definitely one to add to your list if you're looking for your next great book of the summer.

Thanks to Net Galley and Berkley for the complimentary digital review copy of this title. All opinions are my own.

This was a great audio! I loved all the characters and there were a lot of players in this one. The Golden Hotel is a fun summer read that I would highly recommend!

This was the perfect summer read. The setting in the Catskills was wonderful and things revolving two families and their history at a family run hotel was entertaining. My IRL book club thoroughly enjoyed this book and we had a great discussion about all of the various characters and and all of the family drama. Would highly recommend this book. Thank you to Netgalley for this review copy.

I loved this book. As a fan of the movie Dirty Dancing, I have long been interested in what life must have been like in the 50s and 60s when Catskills resorts were in their heyday. This book was such fun to read, not just because of its "memories", but how they have been handed down and made anew by these families. (I liked it so much that it may get a rare re-read from me!)

I love how Friedland writes family dynamics and this book is no exception. The Goldmans and the Weingolds co-own the Golden Hotel in the Catskills and each chapter of this book is narrated by a different family member. That writing style and the complicated history of these two families is set well against the backdrop of an aging hotel in a no longer thriving area. This was a good story with great characters.

I loved the combination of sweet nostalgia and modern sensibilities in this perfect summer novel. It's like a mashup of 'Dirty Dancing' and Elinor Lipman, which is to say it's a page-turning treat.

There is only one reason to read an Elyssa book and that is to have fun!! I have read several of her books and always super enjoy them. She has such a great sense of humor and always a story about relationships -- this one being about friends. And who doesn't love a good friends book?? If you need a great vacation book -- this is the one!!

This books takes you to a time when families would escape the city to spend the summer in a cooler landscape but those times are gone now. The Goldman and Weingold families have a major decision to make about the fate of the hotel. They uncover some long ago secrets but ones that can undo the potential sale.

More than anything this book is about family.

Dirty Dancing was my FAVORITE movie when I was way too young to understand 80% of what was happening (I thought Penny had appendicitis if that says anything). When I saw the teasers of this novel likening it to the movie I was really excited to read it.

There really isn't a lot of Dirty Dancing vibe to this novel to be honest but knowing the movie helped me mentally set the setting of the book.

The POV flips between a few of the key players in the book from both families who are deciding if they should sell the hotel or not. I enjoyed seeing the different character's POV and felt that despite there being so many characters they were pretty easy to keep track of who is who.

Overall this was an enjoyable quick read with a bit of escapism!

For so many, the cult classic film ‘Dirty Dancing’ was an introduction to a bygone era of family vacations spent in the Catskills region of New York. Known as “the Borscht Belt, this mountainous area was famous for its large resorts and motels catering to the religious, cultural and dietary needs of Jewish families escaping the oppressive New York summer heat. This is the setting of ‘Last Summer at the Golden Hotel’,

Benny Goldman and Amos Weingold grew up best friends and together, opened the Golden Hotel. For over 60 years, the Golden was the Catskill's crown jewel and run by both families. But now, times have changed, reservations have sharply declined, costly repairs are mounting and the Golden is in financial trouble. Three generations of both families have gathered at the Golden to decide the fate of the hotel.

The beginning of the book was a bit slow-paced but if you stay with it, the reward is a story about two families with a large cast of characters inextricably tied together for generations facing a life-changing decision.

This book may make you nostalgic for family vacations of days gone by and ready to hit the road for a summer vacation!

Last Summer at the Golden Hotel is a light read, and a good addition to the pool or beach bag. With all of the comparisons to Dirty Dancing, I just could not picture anything but Jennifer Grey, Patrick Swayze and the movie's version of the hotel. It is better to think of this as its own story, and not to grow impatient with the characters in the beginning of the book. They always change in some way!

Oh my goodness! "Last Summer at the Golden Hotel" by Elyssa Friedland was GREAT! I just loved this story of two families that own one of the most popular Catskill hotels, which was fabulous in its hay day, now dwindling in desirability and up for sale. Three generations of the most entertaining characters and their interactions and drama playing out in a very amusing way. Loved the authentic feel of their lingo and tendencies, this book was wonderful. Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher. All opinions are my own.

Last Summer at the Golden was a fun book. It has everything - love, loss, family drama, humor, and more! This was a quick read and I really enjoyed it. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy.

In Elyssa Friedland's Last Summer at the Golden Hotel, two families meet for the summer at their formerly sought-after resort in the Catskills, but the Weingold and Goldman families aren't as close as they used to be--and the resort itself is falling apart. When an offer comes through to buy the Golden Hotel, the families reach a tipping point. Can they come together to save their beloved sanctuary, or will the uncovering of secrets and lies, family drama, and powerful generational conflicts thwart any possible resolutions for the two clans?

I had hoped this book would be Dirty Dancing meets "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," and the extensive reminiscing about the hotel's heyday years is really fun. The vivid setting is as essential to the book as a main character, and references to real-life celebrities and details of midcentury life are a highlight.

But the book's present pales in comparison to the golden years of the past, and current events begin to feel dreary—hotel conditions are dusty, broken, dated, and dirty; and various disappointing behaviors are brought to light and shake the foundations of the families and of their treasured collective memories. I wanted to feel entrenched in the glory days of that era, but the high points of the hotel are over long before the reader enters the story.

Positive, exciting, ambitious ideas are floated for revamping the hotel, but they seem financially impossible. In good news, the hotel crisis seems poised to bring together the families and the younger generations despite the ways in which the family's various hopes are dashed.

There felt like significant summary toward the end of the book, with abrupt point of view changes and brief scenes with multiple shifts that kept me from feeling as invested as I might have.

This is a summer read that makes you feel like you’re in safe hands, and you can be confident that nothing here will go seriously awry. Last Summer at the Golden Hotel offers conveniently neat wrap-ups to most of its complications.

There's interesting, creative reimagining at the end that I enjoyed.

Friedland is also the author of The Floating Feldmans and other titles.

I received a prepublication digital edition of this book courtesy of NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group.

This reminded me of Dirty Dancing, so how could I not love it. It definitely touched on some serious issues, but it also managed to be lighthearted and the kind of funny you don't laugh out loud at but find yourself smiling when you're reading. The Catskills as a setting, two Jewish families intertwined in business and more. It was hard to pick a favorite character. Free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

I received this 6/4 and began reading, I was thrilled to be able to read this ARC
I could not stop reading, reading it all in a day

Travel to the Golden Hotel
Hotel used to be a top destination; now is struggling - Glory days have passed
Do you sell the land and raze the buildings or invest in renovations?
Bring the whole family (2 families mixed) together to discuss and decide.

I loved these characters, this family.

Last Summer at the Golden Hotel
This is such a sweet cover and I loved how these little images all tied back to the story and history of the Golden Hotel. This one has Catskills and Dirty Dancing vibes!

There are so many secrets to unpack, new and old drama, and grandparents to grand-kids all have a say in the future of the hotel. I loved all the nostalgia and history of the hotel and could picture so many areas of the hotel so clearly - the trolley cart, the painting at the front desk, and tether ball courts! I didn't love that there were characters still being introduced or brought into the story so late and that part felt a bit disjointed to me.

Isn’t the cover of this book fantastic? I know you aren’t supposed to judge a book by its cover but this is so darn cute, I love it! The Last Summer at the Golden Hotel by Elyssa Friedland doesn’t just have an eye-catching cover, it’s also a fabulous story.

As soon as I saw Catskills, I thought about Dirty Dancing. I can’t help it! How fun would it be to grow up vacationing at a resort in the Catskills?

Here is the synopsis:

In its heyday, The Golden Hotel was the crown jewel of the hotter-than-hot Catskills vacation scene. For more than sixty years, the Goldman and Weingold families – best friends and business partners – have presided over this glamorous resort which served as a second home for well-heeled guests and celebrities. But the Catskills are not what they used to be – and neither is the relationship between the Goldmans and the Weingolds. As the facilities and management begin to fall apart, a tempting offer to sell forces the two families together again to make a heart-wrenching decision. Can they save their beloved Golden or is it too late?

Long-buried secrets emerge, new dramas and financial scandals erupt, and everyone from the traditional grandparents to the millennial grandchildren wants a say in the hotel’s future. Business and pleasure clash in this fast-paced, hilarious, nostalgia-filled story, where the hotel owners rediscover the magic of a bygone era of nonstop fun even as they grapple with what may be their last resort.

Such a fabulous story, a must-read for this summer. Out now so get a copy immediately!

This book was perfect for my Dirty Dancing loving soul. Last Summer at the Golden Hotel is witty, charming, and nostalgic. Packed full of family drama, this book is definitely one that I'll be recommending again and again.

I enjoyed this book, the characters were well developed and interesting and the nostalgic look at the Catskills was fun. I’ve never been but made it seem like a grand place in the 60s and 70s.

Giving 4 stars because there were a lot of characters to keep track of, could have done without following so many family members. The Brian and Aimee story was the most interesting to me.

The story started dragging to me about 3/4 the way through. Less storyline about some of the characters and speeding up the ending would gave helped it to me.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.