A cute, fun book set in the Catskills. It Dirty Dancing, the Marvellous Mrs. Maisel and Jonthan Tropper are your thing – you will love! Two families gather together to decide the fate of their aging summer hotel. There is a whole cast of characters, so be sure to pay attention when you are reading! From the Goldman and Weingold families, to various guests and staff at the hotel – lots of different perspectives you get to hear from as you read!

A great family drama that combines business, relationships, summer upstate – what more could you want! I really enjoyed this book and it’s the perfect summer read. Witty and charming - one I will be recommending to all of my friends! Wishing I was at the Golden by the pool.

If you are looking for a book with a lot of family drama, you will love this book!!

The Golden Hotel is built in 1960 in the Catskills and this is where the Jewish families escape the heat of NY. The hotel has great entertainment and copious amounts of food for their guests. The hotel is always booked and many of the families come every summer.

The hotel is owned by the Goldman and Weingold families. Occupancy is down and the hotel is in desperate need of repairs and updates. A developer wants to buy the entire property and turn it into a casino. The family members...three generations....must come together and make a decision in only 5 days. What family secrets will be unearthed? Will they be able to make a decision on how to proceeed??

This book is a very fun read!! I really enjoyed turning the pages to find out what would happen next!!!

Thank you for the early digital copy.

Thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for an advanced copy of Last Summer at the Golden Hotel.

If you love Dirty Dancing then this is a book for you. It's pure summer resort nostalgia the Catskills and family drama. The one thing that stuck out as I'm reading is the nostalgia and memories of summer vacations.

I wanted to love this book, but it took a long time to figure out the characters and who was related to who. The ending did redeem the book and I loved all of the Catskills resort nostalgia and details but it wasn't enough for me to love this book!

Last Summer at the Golden Hotel was just the book I needed. It was funny and made my heart happy. All the characters in the book have their own thing going on and I loved getting to know them. I also loved how the author wrote each character. I could really feel each of their personalities. I love a good family drama when it is written with whit and humour and that is exactly how this book is written. I’ve also read The Floating Feldmans by Elyssa Friedland and really enjoyed that so I had a feeling this would be right up my ally. I also recently purchased The Intermission by Elyssa Friedland as well and I’m very excited to read it. Overall I really enjoyed this book and would definitely suggest picking it up for a fun spring read! Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really cute, family drama/ode to Dirty Dancing/Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and the glamorous Catskill hotel scene that served as an escape over the summer for Jewish families living in the city and NY/NJ suburbs. It’s always fun reading books that celebrate Jewish culture, even if there is a hint of satire.

My only critique is that I felt this could have been a tad shorter. It could be I wasn’t in the right headspace this week, but it took me a while to get through this, which is definitely unusual for me. Would certainly still recommend as it makes a great summer read!

Synopsis from Amazon: “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?”

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkeley Publishing Group for gifting me with an ARC of The Last Summer at the Golden Hotel by Elyssa Friedland. In exchange I offer my unbiased review.

This book was absolutely delightful. A perfect summer read. Having read and enjoyed The Floating Feldman’s, I knew I was in for a treat with Elyssa Friedland’s newest novel, and she did not disappoint. The Golden Hotel was once the jewel of the Borscht Belt, standing alongside the other Catskills giants but like a good chocolate cheese babka it’s turned stale. The hotel is struggling to remain relevant, when a casino conglomerate arrives with a huge cash offer for the property. Now three generations of The Goldman and Weingold families must come together to decided the hotel’s fate. Of course, every member of the family is harboring a few secrets & some long festering resentments too, and before the week is over all will be revealed.

This book was especially enjoyable for me, as my parents met at The Concord and my husband and I frequented Grossinger’s many summer weekends. There was so much nostalgia in these pages, as well as a lighthearted family dramedy that anyone could relate to. Elyssa Friedland obviously knows what she writes as this book felt authentic and fresh. A fun and entertaining read.

The first quote in the book was from Dirty Dancing and I knew I was hooked! Like Dirty Dancing, this novel is about a hotel in the Catskills that had been popular in the 1960s but was losing its luster and its clientele. It's a fantastic read with three generations of the two families that started the hotel and now have to decide whether to sell it or try to keep it open. This book is funny and poignant - full of laughter and sadness and lots of memories of an earlier time.

The Goldman and Weingold family opened the Golden Hotel in 1960. Benny Goldman and Amos Weingold had been friends since childhood and were as close as brothers their entire lives. The hotel was the best in the Catskills with families coming back year after year for a family orientated vacation with talent shows, great entertainment (can we say Joan Rivers and Jerry Seinfeld?) and lots and lots of food. Amos and Benny both had families and now there are three generations trying to make a decision whether to sell the hotel to a casino. Their buildings have gotten shabby and their pool was closed and their capacity was down to less than 50%. When they all meet to discuss the offer, there are a lot of memories from the early days of the hotel as well as some fireworks between the two families and between the generations. It's a normal family reunion with two families who love and envy each other. Long buried secrets come to light as well as financial scandals. The older member want to keep the hotel like it was in the past and the younger group wants to modernize and update it. Can they pull together and make a decision that is best for all of them?

This book is a poignant look at the past with a lot of humor. The characters were all well written and lots of fun to meet. The funniest parts were between the generations - one of the younger girls wanted to advertise the hotel on Instragram where she was an influencer and the older members of the family had no idea what she was talking about. I especially enjoyed a lot of the conversation with the older group who had so many wonderful memories of the hotel when it was the most popular place in the Catskills for family summer vacations.

This book has it all -- some suspense - do they sell nor not? Some romance and new understanding between the generations. if you want to read about a great family making tough decisions - you don't want to miss this book.

I RECEIVED AN ADVANCE COPY OF THIS BOOK

I loved how the Golden Hotel itself was a character in the book with its run down campy vibe and the activities that take place there. Unfourtunatly, the story itself fell flat for me. I kept waiting for something to happen, and it felt like nothing major ever did even though things were happening. The last few chapters were really cute and wonderful. The Golden Hotel makes a great light, summer read.

This trip to the Catskills is the perfect summer escape!

My favorite part of the book was the details about the hotel...the food, the visitors, the summer programming. It was pure magic! The author did an excellent job of bringing the Catskills vacation scene to life.

This book has a large cast of characters and took some time to understand who was who and what was going on. While each of the characters were interesting, I would have been fine with a smaller cast of characters.

In the end, I found myself rooting for the Golden Hotel and the multiple generations of Goldmans and Weingolds.

I recommend this book to readers who enjoy family drama with a large cast of characters.

One part Mrs. Maisel, one part dysfunctional family saga - this book is sure to tickle your fancy if you like the heyday of years past, and multi-generational stories with lots of fun, hope, and hijinks.

I adored this book! A perfect summer read to take to the beach.!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkeley for advance access to this title!

I love her books they are always laugh out loud funny! I highly recommend this fun summer read! Once you pick it up have plenty of time cause you won’t want to stop!

"If you love anything Catskills, Dirty Dancing, or the the humor of Marvelous Mrs Maisel, read this!!!"

This is all I knew about this book really, before reading it.... and I know nothing about 2 of this subjects and absolutely LOVED this book. I will say if you enjoy feuding families, multi-generational dysfunctional relationships and writing that is filled with humor and deep character development - read this! Friedland has truly written a gem. Two Jewish families own a resort in the Catskills, and have memories that are overflowing of the 'golden/glory' days..... currently, the resort is far from nice, and they are barely able to keep it afloat. Add a variety of family drama from both owners' sides: husband that is a pill-pusher, a mom addicted to plastic surgery, a son that is gay but not out, another son that smokes weed and has zero prospects, and so. much. more. The viewpoints were dead on - Friedland is talented to carry so many voices and characters over the course of a week, when the families come together at the resort to make the decision: sell or keep the Golden Hotel. Absolutely loved the ending and was laughing at so many parts - this seriously reads like a movie and needs to be on the big screen!

Last Summer at the Golden Hotel looks back lovingly to the time when the Catskills was a haven for Jewish families to escape New York City for the summers. But the book doesn’t dwell in the past. It is about two families trying to move forward. It is impossible, however, not to feel nostalgic about this time and place and if you have never experienced the Catskills during its heyday, everyone has memories of a special place that no longer exists. It has a great cast of characters with witty and smart dialogue. Author Elyssa Friedland’s enjoyable book might make you a little farklempt but it will also make you laugh and smile.

Although now I have a craving for pickled herring.

4.25 stars.

This book was so much fun!!! The Golden Hotel in the Catskills was the place to be back in the day. With the times changing, the Goldman and Weingold families must decide if they wanna try and keep the hotel or sell it. As the families get together again, secrets and craziness ensue!!! I loved the characters and the ending was perfect! I received an advanced readers copy and al opinions are my own.

Thank you to Berkley and Get Red PR for our gifted review copy.

How can I not love a book that starts out with a Dirty Dancing quote?!?

Loved this family and learning more about all of them! The hotel is a character in and of itself in this book and I loved that as well. So many memories and Elyssa really brings everyone and everything to life.

Also, LOVED the Jewish representation. This one is funny, memorable, and wonderful!

LAST SUMMER AT THE GOLDEN HOTEL is the quintessential nostalgic summer read. Lifelong friends Amos Weingold and Benny Goldman have owned The Golden Hotel for more than sixty years. Nestled in the Catskills (AKA the “Jewish Alps”) the hotel was a retreat for city dwellers looking to beat the heat. Despite decades of family memories steeped in tradition, the hotel is hemorrhaging money. It seems the glory days of the hotel are a bygone era.

The story follows three generations of the Goldman/Weingold families, each generation with their own quirks and secrets. When the families receive an offer from a casino developer to purchase the hotel, they must vote to sell or reinvent their beloved summer haven. Murky motivations and shifting allegiances? I’m here for the tangled webs and family drama!

This book oozes summer, and right now I’m desperate for it. This is certainly a case of the right book at the right time--give me all the Dirty Dancing vibes! The characters were far from perfect, but they got under my skin and drew out empathy despite their follies and failures. Watching the family dynamics unfold was like reading a juicy gossip column; long-held secrets just kept coming out of the woodwork.

Now, I’m not typically one to feel all the feels, but dare I say this story was….heartwarming. I love how things came full circle and wrapped up in a realistic way.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for an advanced eARC in exchange for an honest review.

#LastSummerAtTheGoldenHotel #ElyssaFriedland

As soon as I heard this one was perfect for fans of Dirty Dancing I knew it would be a must for me! I carried a watermelon 🍉 anyone? 💃 Much like DD still does for me this provided a perfect escape in a really fun setting.

There’s a huge cast of characters here, members from both the Goldman and Weingold families and various guests at the hotel and staff and you hear from several of them throughout the book which I always love. There’s three generations in each family and I loved their various dynamics, my favorite being the grandparents with the grandchildren, the way they didn’t understand each other, especially concerning social media cracked me up. There was lots of drama here, an ideal summer read and the Jewish representation was awesome too! I enjoyed learning more about their culture and traditions and felt like it brought something special to the story. This one had it all for me, it was super witty, charming and set in an amazing summer locale, definitely add it to your summer TBR

The Weingold and Goldman families haven’t spend time together at their co-owned hotel for a long time; since the big fight. Now that sales are down, they reunite at the resort to decide whether to sell or not.

I had so much fun listening to the Floating Feldmans and this one was just as fun reading! Anyone who has a Jewish mother, grandmother, or family will really appreciate the humor. The story is basically a ultra-Jewish dirty dancing, but replace humor and family drama with the romance. It was a unique environment for a book, which a Taylor surprises me. I guess we don’t really see books taking place at these type resorts anymore since they aren’t in style anymore. I enjoyed getting to know the two families and I think they’ll stay with me, just like the Feldmans!

“Each time a peer hotel was leveled, it was like learning an acquaintance has cancer. You pause, you take notice, you express pity, but you never think for more than a fleeting second that it could have anything to do with you.”

“Close your eyes. Picture the Weingolds and Goldman’s waving to the cars on the first day of the season. Smell the mountain air and picture yourself canoeing on Lake Winetka. Long live the Catskills. Long live the Golden Hotel.”

Last Summer At The Golden Hotel comes out 5/18.

This is my first read by this author but it won't be the last. Elyssa Friedland puts the fun in dysfunction and has written a witty and entertaining story. The cast of characters are complex, and they are a complicated group, each having their own set of problems and secrets.

There is plenty of material in this novel for dramatic turns and flamboyant scenes. The author writes very well and is a pert observer of human and multi-generational interaction. The narrative is full of wry and witty insights, dotted with some poignancy, and Friedland eloquently describes situations that will be familiar to many of her readers.

A funny, heart warming and a poignant read...there is a touch of satire, and I appreciate that the author discusses the importance of family, honesty, communication, emotional support and love. I recommend this amusing and thought-provoking story.

I absolutely adored this book. The writing was fun, easy and quick bringing you into the story and making you feel like you're experiencing it with the characters. The setting was fun, and as a country Jew I loved being brought back to different memories of the country. I will one hundred percent be recommending this to my friends and picking up more books by the author.