Quick Stats
Age Rating: 14+
Overall: 5 stars
Characters: 5/5
Plot: 5/5
Setting: 5/5
Writing: 5/5

TW: holocaust and generational trauma exploration, antisemetism

I absolutely adored this book! Everything from the characters, to the atmosphere, to the romance was impeccable. From the way the book was pitched to me, and the fact that it was tagged as historical fiction, I was expecting a split POV, where Abby was in the present day, and we would have some chapters from her grandma’s POV during WW2. This was not the case, and I was a little disappointed at that, but the book was still so good the way it was that I don’t mind too much.
The book isn’t split POV, but we do get to read a couple letters from Abby’s grandma. It gives us a little peak into her head and the time in which she lived, but most of the information about her life is what Abby learns by talking to people. This is in the vein of Stay Sweet by Siobhan Vivian, if you’ve read that (but much better done, in my opinion).
I was hooked from page one, and desperate to see how it all would play out. There was something so earnest in the way Abby was searching for answers, and I was swept up along with her. The romance was intoxicating and swoon-worthy, and the friends Abby made in Nantucket added a fun, heartwarming touch.
I’m a sucker for a good bookstore plotline, so Abby’s working in one was a treat for me—and her bosses were such fun and lovable characters.
I cannot recommend this book enough.

The Summer of Lost Letters is a YA contemporary with a hint of historical fiction.

As someone who normally can’t get into historical fiction I was so surprised when I couldn’t put this book down!
This book is a mix of teenage summer romance and a family mystery.

This story follows Abby who, after the passing of her grandmother, is trying to find her roots after coming across some love letters. Love letters between her grandmother and a man who lives in Nantucket. Abby decides to pack her bags, get a summer job on the island and try to figure out the past of her grandmother and more about her family.

I found the concept of the letters so interesting! I’m a fan of letters so I was immediately invested.

I enjoyed both the historical mystery and the present romance. The author does a great job referencing the Holocaust and what it means to be Jewish in America. I loved the Jewish rep!

I highly recommend this book if you enjoy YA contemporary. I enjoyed the romance, the friendships, the setting, and the unraveling of the mystery. Go read it!

Put this on your TBR if you’re looking to add a little chutzpah to your summer!

Thank you Razorbill Books and Netgalley for my eARC!

Abby just broke up with her boyfriend and her friends are all out-of-town for the summer. Her grandmother recently passed away, and Abby is stressed about college.

One day, love letters hidden in her grandmother’s belongings show up. After reading them, Abby realizes she needs to learn more about her grandmother and her past.

So, she sets off to Nantucket for the summer to dig into the past. There, she meets Edward, the man her grandmother was writing too. It also happens that Abby might like Edward’s grandson Noah a bit too much.

The Summer of Lost Letters is about reconnecting with the past. In this case it’s especially important because Abby and her family don’t know much about her grandmother’s childhood. All they know is that she fled Germany and the Holocaust and ended up in the US as a young child.

The story does a great job of portraying the struggles of learning about your past when all of it has been wiped out (Abby’s grandmother’s family was murdered). I loved the Jewish depiction in this story (both Abby and Noah are Jewish).

I loved the romance between Abby and Noah. Their banter and relationship growth was just spot on.

This is a fabulous summer read that will transport you to Nantucket, but will also make you think. The characters are 17+ so it is a bit on the more mature side.

I couldn’t put this book down, and highly recommend you pick it up!

Okay as someone who loves the movie the longest ride, I couldn’t have asked for more with this book. An east coast, beachy version of the longest ride. And with so so much sexual tension this was such a good book. Learning about the past of your grandparents while having an amazing summer and falling in love is literally such a dream.

Hannah Reynolds' YA debut is a perfect mix of swoony summer vibes and intriguing family mystery. I love how she wove the story of her grandmother—and the search for the truth of her history—with the more laidback summer story of friendship and new love. It all revolved around a setting that really drew me in and made me feel like I was near the ocean (and wearing Nantucket red).

Nantucket? The War? Love Letters from the past? Romance of the future? I was so excited to get into this.

This follows the story of Abby who, after the passing of her grandmother, is trying to find her roots after stumbling across love letters of the past. Love letters between her grandmother and a man who lives in Nantucket. So, Abby decides to pack her bags, get a summer job on the island and try to figure out the past of her grandmother and more about her family.

The letter concept of this story was wonderful, I loved that some of them were in the book. They drew me in and made me SO curious. I loved how nothing came easy. How Abby had to really research and figure out the past. I loved reading about the Jews, the fleeing and Kindertransport.

But, it took me time to get into this book. Unfortunately, the first half really dragged on and I felt bored. I think it took me two weeks to read the first half but then three days to read the second half- after I felt like the pace picked up.

I loved the side romance. A bit insta-love, but it still worked okay.

I somehow felt the end was a little unbelievable and wish it didn;t take the route it did, but overall still enjoyed the story and plot.

When a box of her O'ma's stuff arrives at the house addressed to her mother, Abby Schoenberg, 17, can't resist opening it. Inside, she finds a stack of love letters addressed to her O'ma, Ruth Goldman, living in New York City from someone named Edward living on Nantucket island, and who refuses to send Ruth a necklace she has asked to be returned to her. Not knowing much about her O'ma's past other than that she came alone from Germany as a 4-year-old shortly after Kristallnacht. Now, Abby is determined to discover more about her O'ma's life - who is Edward, why was he writing love letters to her in the 1950s and what happened to the necklace, which her Grandmother obviously never got back.
After doing some research, Abby discovers the letter writer is Edward Barbanel, who mentions a place called Golden Doors on Nantucket. Luckily, Abby lands a job working in a bookstore on the island, and a room shared with a girl named Jane, with whom she immediately becomes friends. And yes, everyone she meets knows the very wealthy Barbanel family, who are having a party at which Abby is invited to help serve. Naturally, her curiosity overcomes her and she is caught snooping around by Noah Barbanel, 18 and the handsome grandson of Edward.

To try to keep his family's personal business private and to protect his grandparents, Noah agrees to help Abby with her search to discover more about her O'ma and her family history. O'ma never talked about her parents and all the Schoenberg's knew was that they have perished in Auschwitz, but who they were and where they lived had always been a mystery.

In between her job at the bookstore and her attempts to discover more about her O'ma, there are parties on the beach, sailing, ice cream and new friends, even Shabbat dinner with the Barbanel family. Abby hadn't been looking forward to this summer with her friends away, but decides to take the advice of best friend Niko who tells her to go crazy, be bold, have some chutzpah. And that is just what Abby does.

The Summer of Lost Letters is a contemporary romance with some interesting historical fiction and some interesting historical facts throughout the novel and Reynolds has incorporated it all easily into the story. I thought it was interesting how she introduced some of the chapters with Edward's love letters almost as a portend of what is going to happen. I also thought that never getting to know who Ruth Goldman responded to the letters or what she felt was a great way to keep the mystery going. Of course, readers can surmise her feelings for Edward by the fact of keeping the letters, despite having married another man (whom she did in fact love, too).

At first the tension and bickering in between getting along really well was kind of fun as Abby and Noah dances around their attraction to each other. But after a certain point, I honestly felt that this could have used some editing when I found myself muttering "oh my God, own it already." Others may find this kind of dance appealing.

In the end. all is revealed and I never saw it coming - and I really liked that. The end could come across as a little to pat, but that was fine with me. After all, this is a great summer romance to read, enjoy, and learn a few things.

This book is recommend for readers age 12+
This book was an eARC gratefully received from NetGalley

Thank you to @razorbillbooks and @Netgalley for my ARC of The Summer of Lost Letters!

⛵️ Mini Review 🏖

I could not put this book down! I love when a book keeps me up way into the night because I have to finish. This was that kind of book 🥰

Abby finds a bunch of letters that used to be her grandmother's. After reading them, she realizes there is a large part of her grandmother's life that she kept secret. Now Abby has made it her mission to uncover those secrets. This mission leads her to Nantucket, where she will spend the summer discovering more about her grandmother and herself. Abby makes some amazing friends and unexpectedly finds love.

I loved Abby and her new friends and even Noah. The characters in this story were fun, the history was even better. But most of all, this book made me want to visit Nantucket. Reynolds describes it with such beautiful details, that after finishing the book I had to look up some photos. One day I will go and it will be because of this book.

I gave this book ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. The Summer of Lost Letters is the perfect summer read and I totally recommend it!

There's something magical about reading a good romance novel on a summer day. Not to mention being so absorbed into a story that you read it in one sitting. If you're looking for a perfect blend of summer and romance in just under 400 pages, this is it.

Is this plot predictable? In the grand scheme of things, maybe, but the best part of a romance story is getting to know the characters and knowing that every romance is unique to the people in the relationship which is why it's so exciting to read. Even though this is a romance novel, there is so much more to Abby and Noah than just their relationship. Getting to see Abby learn more about herself and her heritage is just as satisfying as the romance this story shares.

Not every romance novel gives me butterflies, but this one definitely does.

I loved this so much. The writing was easy and sucked me in right away. I loved the connections and friendships that are in this book. I loved the mother daughter relationship and I loved the Jewish rep.

I really thought this will be a heavy drama read but turns out it's not as heavy but definitely fascinating and thought-provoking. I love the love story and characters.

I loved the idea of this story. It is relatable in that I think we all have at some point wondered where to go next in life. This was a great YA novel the only con I have was the pacing felt a little slow for my liking, Still a very cute read that I would recommend.

Included as a top pick in bimonthly June New Releases post, which highlights and promotes upcoming releases of the month (link attached)

As a fan of Allison Parr’s contemporary sports romances, I was intrigued by her YA debut under a different pseudonym. Verdict: I enjoyed it! Recommended for fans of Jenn Bennett, and I think the blurb markets the book accurately.

This is a weird comp, but I had Taylor Swift folklore/evermore vibes bouncing around my head ("the last great american dynasty" for New England coastal mansions and "marjorie" for grieving a dead grandmother). The albums are a mix of happy and nostalgic and depressing, so I guess it fits (or maybe my brain just connects folklore to everything I consume). In my defense, the main plot is about sorting through the grandmother's lies and finding out what REALLY happened fifty years ago. Folklore! See, I'm onto something here. 😅

There's a cute YA romantic element with a sort-of-but-not-really-enemy, but that isn't what gave me the feels. Abby is grieving the death of her grandmother. She's not actively sad, but her journey to discover familial Jewish roots in pre-WWII Europe brings back betrayal (why did her grandma hide such a big secret about her early years in the states??) and closure (can they find their lost European hometown?). Not a perfect read for me, but the themes of bloodlines and grief are excellent.

Disclaimer: I received a free e-ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

My rating: 3.5/5 stars

Right from the beginning I really enjoyed this book! I absolutely loved the vibes and the atmosphere of it, especially in the summery Nantucket setting. This was a super fun, surprisingly light read. I read 75% of it in just two days to get this review up, but it honestly wasn’t that hard to do so. It was investing and I found myself really speeding through the pages.

While the letters and Abby’s investigation of her grandmother’s past is the main plot, for me it really took a backseat to the romance until the end. While the grandma plot wasn’t boring, I personally just was not very interested in it. But when Abby finds out the truth near the end, that plot got so much more interesting.

Now for the real tea: the romance. I loved the main character, Abby, although she could be a little strange at times. She’s a reader which I love, and her confidence and determination are really admirable. Noah, on the other hand is a tiny bit of your classic brooding a-hole. I will admit I did hate him in the beginning, he grew on me very quickly and now I just might like him better than Abby. Together, though, they work so well. They are both a bit stubborn, Abby definitely more so, but she gives Noah the push he needs to stand up to his family and he gets her to loosen up a bit more and have some fun.

Moving on to what I didn’t like. For some reason, something felt a little strange about this book and I can’t really put my finger on it or explain it. It definitely read as a Wattpad story sometimes, especially when the author was trying to prove how diverse she was for having two lesbian characters that she wrote the word girlfriend so many times in a singular page I almost threw my kindle across the room (but didn’t because, money). Multiple times, the author goes off on some semi-random tangents that are trying to be deep but completely miss the mark. I think it would have been much better if the author had stuck to the theme of family history and uncovering the past and gotten rid of those segments. Occasionally, it felt like this book was trying so hard to not be cliche that it ended up being totally cliche.

Overall, I would recommend this book if you are interested in the premise or YA contemporary in general and don’t mind cliches. I had a really fun time reading this book!

I would recommend this if: you like YA romance, contemporary romance, don’t mind cliches, are looking for an easy read

I would not recommend it if: you hate cliches, you have an intense dislike for any of the grievances I mentioned

This teen summer romance is as sweet as apple pie.

Abby's grandma passed away and left behind a set of love letters between her and a man Abby never heard of. She realized she knows very little about her grandma's life - both how she escaped the Nazis who killed her parents and how she ended up in an ill-fated romance with a wealthy man who summered on Nantucket - so she takes the opportunity to go to Nantucket for the summer to research, getting herself hired at a bookstore.

But when her research includes getting hired to a catering job so she can snoop through the wealthy family's home, and getting caught by their cute grandson, her summer takes a turn. Noah is rich, cute, charming and from another world. Abby is still recovering from her ex dumping her so he'd have more time for college applications, but Nantucket's a small island, and she and Noah keep finding each other.

I enjoyed both the historical mystery and the present romance. I hadn't heard of the Jewish children who were snuck into the United States ahead of the war, so I liked the details on Abby's grandma. Noah and Abby's romance was super cute, too.

This is the perfect light-hearted YA summer romance.

I enjoyed this book so much! This historical fiction YA set in Nantucket is the perfect light, summer read, but with a deeper historical undertone.

The main character Abby learns that her late grandmother had a romantic relationship with a man named Edward when she was younger. Abby spends the summer in Nantucket trying to uncover the the history of this love story but she discovers so much more. Her grandmother fled to America during the Holocaust at only 4 years old, and Abby is determined to learn about her background and history.

This book has a little bit of everything. The author does a great job referencing the Holocaust and what it means to be Jewish in America, even today. It was a perspective I hadn’t read before, so I enjoyed learning more. The generational love stories was also done very well and kept me fully invested. I really enjoyed that this book was YA, but I did feel at times that the writing was a bit more adult, specifically in the way the MC spoke.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read for me. I would definitely recommend it as a summer read that is great for the younger audience but can still be enjoyed by anyone!

The Summer of Lost Letters needs to be on everyone's summer TBR list. If you are a fan of Sarah Dessen and Nicholas Sparks, then this is the book for you.

The Summer Of Lost Letters follow Abby Schoenberg when she decides to spend the summer on the island of Natntucket after finding mysterious love letters from her recently deceased O'ma's youth. While in Nantucket, she meets the grandson of the man from her O'ma's letters, Noah. Together they decide to work together to find discover exactly what happened all those years ago.

This book is not only a love story but is also a heart wrenching insight into Jewish history during the Holocaust. There are moments that make you tear up and then the next page you are laughing. The book is a perfect mix of history and the present in such a beautiful way. While there is plenty of romance in this book, this book is not just about the romance. It is a story of the relationships between mothers and daughters, father and sons and overall family relationships.

My only complaint about this book is the ending drama between Noah and Abby felt forced and awkward. Overall I adored this book and wish there was more! This is the perfect summer, seaside read and you do not want to miss it.

The Summer of Lost Letters was an intriguing young adult novel with romantic and historical elements. I loved the Jewish rep in the novel and also learning about the Kindertransport program. I was really intrigued by the mystery surrounding the love letters, but I felt the pacing of the story itself was very slow and made the book feel overly long. The final reveal about Abby's grandmother and the letters felt a bit anticlimactic after so much build up, but I think it drove home the greater message of family really well. This is very much a story about family loyalty, love, and duty - for better or for worse. It's a story of mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, and grandparents and grandchildren. As much as I liked the romance between Noah and Abby, the drama at the end felt contrived and the resolution too convenient. Overall, this was an entertaining novel, but I didn't love it as much as I hoped.

*I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book*

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This book was so good! The drama, the friendships, the romance, everything was so exciting! It was one of those books I didn’t want to put down but forced myself to so it wouldn’t be over too quickly. The entire premise of following a grandmother’s old love letters and finding love yourself is something I absolutely loved! It was so romantic and filled with drama! The friendships were also so heartwarming and I truly loved all of the characters. Would definitely recommend this book!

It’s the beginning of the summer before Abby’s senior year of high school when a box of letters belonging to her late grandmother is delivered to her door. And she becomes completely wrapped up in them, because these letters from a man named Edward speak about a life that Abby knew nothing about. She knew very little about her grandmother's past. She fled Germany during the Holocaust and came to the US at a young age, but that is the extent of Abby's understanding of her O'ma's past.

Now, she is heading to Nantucket to the mansion home of Edward's family to dig into the family history that she knows nothing about. She doesn't expect to find the old wounds she is picking at to still not have fully healed after all of these years and she definitely doesn't expect Edward's grandson, Noah to step in and stop her attempts for answers.

Despite the quest for answers, Abby and Noah get closer and closer, simultaneously making it easier and more difficult to get to the truth about her grandmother's past. She meets a lot of resistance from Noah's grandparents, but Abby is persistent and learns to find her information from other sources, learning more than she ever bargained for. And as the end of the summer approaches, as things come to a boiling point, Abby may lose the boy she cares about in the process.

This was a beautiful story about young love and how it can span a lifetime for some. I loved how so much of this book was about uncovering the past. I loved Abby's tenacity and her spirit. I enjoyed how she stuck with what her gut was telling her even when logic was telling her otherwise. And I loved the beautiful bond that Noah and Abby create. The choice between family and love should never be one you have to make, but it is there is these pages and it was written so well.