I really enjoyed this book, but I was definitely expecting there to be more historical aspects in this story. I originally thought this was a historical fiction story mixed with a present day story, but it was mainly a contemporary love story. Don’t get me wrong, that is one of my favorite genres so I wasn’t too disappointed! This is definitely a book for fans of Morgan Matson and Kasie West. I really loved Noah as a character. I thought he was really sweet and broke stereotypes. On the other hand, I wasn’t a huge fan of Abigail. I felt she could be very hypocritical and selfish at times. I’m not a huge fan of summer so when I read a book that makes me feel like I am then it is a good book, and this book did just that. I really enjoyed my time reading this, and I was rooting for the couple. I also loved how the story ended, I think it was a great way to wrap up the story.

This book was so good! So much of it related to things that I hold near and dear to me and I really felt like I connected to its content. Being from New England, I can 100% say that this book did the setting of Nantucket such great justice. I could picture the scenes so well and the plot fit in so well with the atmosphere created by island. The setting for this book couldn't be better: an island of seaside charm, kitschy gift shops, ice cream parlors, and weather-worn historic buildings. Ferries and sea breezes and lazy afternoons: it is atmospheric and nostalgic, just the sort of escape one can appreciate and hope to get back to soon, outside of the pages of a book, anyway. I also really enjoyed the family history aspect. My family has done a lot of recording of our own family history and all of those memories and information is so special to me.
The writing is full to the brim with allusions to familiar literature. From the gothic atmosphere of Rebecca to the magical journeys of Alice, Dorothy, and Lucy, anyone who grew up on books will appreciate the sprinkling of references Abby weaves into her narrative. Not only are the pages of this book full of literary allusions, they are also full of books themselves. Abby spends her summer not just wandering the beautiful Nantucket seaside but working at a local bookstore. She bonds with her love interest over books, name drops both literary and genre works, and fills her day with literary love. Book lovers and booksellers will enjoy the familiar comfort of a bookstore, even from the page.
The only complaint I have is that the pacing sometimes felt a bit rushed and some things felt a bit too convenient at times but it was such an enjoyable read overall!

A whirlwind of summer romance and adventure 😍

This book was so cute and fun. All of the characters were so lovable and I felt like even the most minor of them played such important roles.

I also think this book came at the perfect time for me, as I am currently trying to uncover some of my family history just like Abigail. I really felt a connection to Abby as she was scouring various genealogy and census resources just for a glimpse into her grandmother’s life.

The Summer of Lost Letters an expected emotional story. The references to Nazi Germany, strained family relationships, it was a nice change from many YA summer books. And I loved the Jewish rep!

So many parts had my heart physically aching, and others had me laughing out loud.

The only thing that irked me was the odd use of so many “big” SAT words. Sometimes I couldn’t tell if that was just Abby being Abby or what.

"Be brave, take risks, show some chutzpah."

Looking for your next YA beach read? This. Is. It! The Summer of Lost Letters is a heroic story with a main character that is hilarious! Sure, she's hyper, and nosy, and aggravating. But. She's real. And maybe she's like a Victorian heroine, ready to faint over Noah Barbanel. (Who isn't?).


He is a delight and butterflies and incandescent joy. Abby is seeking information about her late grandmother, who came to the US in 1930. A box of letters show up on Abby's doorstep. Love letters. From a mystery man named Edward Barbanel to her recently deceased grandmother. Love letters from a mansion on Nantucket. Summer fun: Go to Nantucket. Find Edward. Find out about O'ma's past. Rich, hot, popular Noah Barbanel= grandson of Edward Barbanel. GASP. The duo team up to to Sherlock Holmes & Watson a lost necklace, a grandmother's legacy. Along the way, will Abby and Noah will find their own happy ending and cute little love story?

READ IF YOU LIKE:
-first love & family secrets
-adventure & sense of purpose
-love letters
-inner dialogue that will have you LOL
-"wit that is like a wick, burning high and bright"
-Jewish rep
-History & WWII
-#IsThisAKissingBook: "I'd basically beg Noah Barbanel to kiss me."

Thank you Penguin Young Readers for an advanced copy!

Song: Love Letters by Mauve

THE SUMMER OF LOST LETTERS follows 17 year old Abby Schoenberg. After her O’ma’s passing, Abby finds love letters written to her O’ma from a mystery man named Edward from Nantucket. Abby doesn’t know anything about her O’ma’s past other than the fact that she traveled from Germany to the US at only 5 years old, fleeing the Holocaust. Hoping that Edward could tell her about her O’ma’s story, Abby sets her plan in motion: she’s going to spend the summer in Nantucket. There, she meets Edwards grandson, whose determined to stop her from imploding his family.
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I was expecting to like this story, and I’m happy to say I ended up loving it. This was such an enjoyable read. Though my heart was heavy with grief for Abby’s O’ma and her O’ma’s parents, it was wonderful to see Abby discovering their history. In the beginning I thought the story may be too rushed (things were falling into place too easily), but eventually I think the pacing settled into a more comfortable rhythm. I enjoyed the romance, the friendships, the setting, and the unraveling of the mystery. Also, I’m now desperately wishing I had a summer job at a bookshop in a beach town. This is a great summer read!
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4.5/5 stars, THE SUMMER OF LOST LETTERS by Hannah Reynolds is available June 15, 2021!
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Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Teen for sending me an eARC to review.

I gobbled this story up in a day. It was exactly what I needed - a fun, light, summer romance wrapped in a faint air of mystery without too much historical fiction to weigh it down. As Abby and Noah research her grandmother’s past, they also begin to develop feelings for one another. Their “will they won’t they” romantic connection was a mystery within a mystery. The hurry up and wait was so frustrating! But, the ending was oh so worth it.

I love books that mix the present and past, so I was immediately intrigued by the premise of THE SUMMER OF LOST LETTERS by Hannah Reynolds. The story follows 17-year-old Abby Schoenberg, who's recently gone through a breakup and the loss of her grandmother. When a box full of love letters to her grandmother that aren't from her grandfather arrive, Abby sets out to discover more of her very private grandmother's story.

All Abby really knows about her grandmother is that she fled the Holocaust in Germany as a very young child. These letters are from a the head of a very rich family on Nantucket. She makes arrangements to work there for the summer and quickly encounters the man's grandson, Noah, who doesn't want her looking into the past at first. But soon, they start investigating together.

I loved how Abby gradually discovered more about her grandmother throughout the story, as well as the theme of how the past is such a matter of perspective for people. I really enjoyed the resolution of what she learned. I also loved the growing romance between Abby and Noah and how they both had to figure out who they were in order to be together. It's a truly fantastic story of complicated family, self-discovery, and first love.

I want to preface this by saying I am not a historical fiction fan. I don’t really have an interest in learning about the past, and I will admit that I skimmed everything that had to do with Abby and her family’s history. Despite all of that, I actually quite enjoyed this, and found it to be very well written.

Except for Abby, who I hated with a firey passion, and who made this almost unbearable to read, I liked the overall story and premise of the letters. If you really love history and romance, this is definitely for you. It was a great story overall, and if you can get past Abby’s shitty attitude, I think it could be a four or five star for everyone else. (less)

A contemporary Jewish teen travels to Nantucket to learn more about her refugee grandmother's mysterious life. A complex and beautiful story about family, history, and love.

Abby Schoenberg sets out to a Summer before her senior year in Nantucket to discover a family secret. If you're interested in history, specifically WWII, and would like to read about Jewish families and love on an island during the Summer then this book is for you. And it's perfect since it comes out in June!

Frankly, I fit all those boxes and thoroughly enjoyed this book. Hannah Reynolds was able to completely encapture what it felt like to long for love and lost love. I appreciate the fact that both the main character and love interest were Jewish. I do not know a lot about the Jewish faith and have learned about WWII/holocaust during school but I felt like I learned so much more things than I would have if I did not read Reynolds's book. I love when authors are able to provide historical context throughout a contemporary novel, and I think Reynolds did a fabulous job in balancing history, love, and adventure throughout. It was also refreshing reading something that is incredibly on-brand (pre-pandemic) of what it must be like to be a teen with all the newest apps (uber/lyft). And I think Reynold's opportunity to communicate what healthy and unhealthy conversations looked like was also important and done well in this book.

If you're looking for love, adventure, and answers to a family mystery I believe you'd enjoy this book

Summery, Nantucket-set YA romance that's sweet and smart. Lots of historical exploration and a leisurely pace for readers who like to curl up with a story and make it last. Very charming.

This book follows Abby as she searches for the lost history of her Oma and the love she might have had before her Opa. After finding her Oma's old love letters to a man named Edward, Abby traces her steps back to Nantucket, where she hopes to learn more about her Oma's past and reclaim a family lost necklace. While there, she meets Edward's grandson Noah. Together they dig into the past and find the missing pieces of the story.

I really really enjoyed this book. I loved the historical aspect of it. Getting to learn more about that specific historical time period was one of my favorite parts of the book. The book was beautifully written with a great writing style and plot. There were only a couple things that bothered me about the book. I found Abby and Noah to act a little impulsively and out of character occasionally. I understand that they are teenagers, so that's likely why they were written that way, but I don't know that they were completely developed in a way for that to work. I didn't find them to be impulsive in other areas of their life, just when it fit with the plot. I was also really confused at the end of the novel when Abby found the necklace she had been looking for the whole novel. That was the climax of the book, the whole point of Abby's search, and then she decides to sell it? It seemed incredibly out of character for her to decide that. I understand that it was necessary to have the ending that we did, but it really confused me when it happened.

Besides those slight opinions about character development, I really did enjoy this book. I had a really good time reading it and felt that I was truly in the story, searching for Ruth's past with Abby. I got incredibly invested in the search haha. I definitely recommend this book!!

As a woman who does not know a whole lot about my family’s history, this story filled me with intrigue. I haven’t dug into my family tree yet, but after reading this I’m curious to see who my ancestors were and what stories I could find. I think we tend to take our history and our elders for granted when it’s the true key for who we currently are. This story had me from the beginning. I was completely engulfed in O’ma’s tale and wanted to know her past as much as Abby did. I liked how the story was told between letters in the past with what Abby had found through the people and evidence guiding her.

There were times while reading I wished for a faster pace in the story. There were times where the story lulled and the moments where you could really connect with Abby and Noah were few and far between. I craved more between Noah and Abby because their relationship felt authentic and real. Having them relive the past and discover not only who their grandparents were, but how it shaped their existence was really interesting to see.

I appreciate the representation in this story and how one's culture can define who they are based on the setting they’re in and how they can lean into or negate stereotypes. To see how society played a role both the early Jewish community and in today's environment was both eye opening and informing.

Overall I did enjoy this story, but the pace was a bit too slow for my liking. I enjoyed the connection between Noah and Abby which gave me the romance I craved along with the mystery which kept me guessing until the end. Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Teen for this ARC