This is the next book in the Beach House Series. I look forward to reading each new release every summer. This book was a departure from the usual books in the series with a focus on the pandemic and how it affects the Rutledge family at their home in the low country. The setting as always is divine , the family not without strife and upset due to covid based job losses . How they deal with the fallout from covid related losses is featured here as well as coping with the pandemic and its many uncertainties. The book brings back memories of our complete and uncertain futures in covid times while transporting the reader to the low country beach house and the family we love to read of. A little stressful reading about it but this is our reality now and it is reflected well here in the author's words.

Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley.

This is the only Mary Alice Monroe book that I was unable to finish. I’ve read (and loved) the entire "Beach House" series and couldn’t wait to read her newest novel. To my disappointment, Coronavirus dominated the entire story, almost to the point that it felt like a public service announcement—wear a mask, social distance, wash hands, etc. The relationships and conversations between characters felt awkward and unnatural. At the 30% mark, I gave up. Reading for me is an escape from reality, so maybe this was too much realism at the wrong time (while still immersed in Covid restrictions). I’m still a huge fan of Monroe’s books, so I’ll be looking forward to her next novel. Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Linnea has a job she loves at an aquarium and a new boyfriend that lives overseas but will be coming over for his job and will spend the summer with her. When covid 19 hits, it disrupts her whole world and everything she thinks she knows. Throw in an ex boyfriend who shows up unexpectedly and you have a recipe for drama!

This is the first book I’ve read by Mary Alice Monroe, even though I own many of her backlist books - I just haven’t gotten to them yet! This was also the first book I’ve read that takes place during the corona virus pandemic! I have to say, it was a little strange reading about quarantining and social distancing etc even though many of us are still living some version of this. There was also drama and some romance. It was a bit cheesy it spots and there was a spot towards the end of the book where it got preachy about global warming and taking care of the oceans. While I can appreciate how important these topics are, it was kind of weird how they were just thrown in there and then it went on and on about it. All in all I liked this book and I will definitely read her other books.

Thank you #netgalley and #gallerybooks for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. #thesummeroflostandfound #maryalicemonroe

As much as I wanted to fall in love with this book, I ended up falling more in "like" instead. The premise of the book was ok, but I couldn't really find myself attached to any of the characters- perhaps because there were so many to keep track of. Also, living in the time of COVID makes reading about COVID restrictions tiring. Perhaps if things were better at the moment it would be more interesting to read about quarantine, masks, and pods, but not right now.

Love and family in the time of COVID. Linnea has lost her job, her boyfriend Gordon is stuck in England, her ex John is stuck next door, and she's caring for 6 year old Hope while Hope's parents quarantine. This is a recipe for a novel that could, more than many of Monroe's, be plucked from real life. In some ways it feels harsh to read a novel with social distancing, masks, quarantines, etc (is it too soon) and in other ways, it's good to see an author work things like shortages, hoarding, masks etc into a plot. I've only read a couple of the books in this series so this was more or less a standalone and it was fine (although I suspect fans will be happy to see characters they've followed). There are a lot of characters but they all sort out easily. And, there's good atmospherics from the beach, including the titles. At its heart this is a romance so up to you on what you think Linnea should do because I'm not spoiling it. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A good beach read (although I enjoyed it greatly on a rainy chilly day ar home.)

Although it is just May, there is always something special and fun about Mary Alice Monroe ~ Sullivan Island summer beach read!
This one is a continuation of the Rutledge family on “The Isle of Palms’ in the summer of 2020. Yep a summer none of us will forget. It was a summer in which we had to do without family connections and activities.
Here is no doubt this is touching and thankfully a quick read. I am reading this as we are about to move to the “Yellow” tier ~ the least Covid Restrictive Tier.
Summer of 2020 was “Safer at Home”
Cautious yet very Optimistic about Summer 2021!!

The title of this story is perfect!!
⭐⭐⭐.4 Stars
Want to thank NetGalley and Gallery Books. This file has been made available to me before publication for an honest professional review.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for May 11, 2021

Mary Alice Monroe is an author who has written many, many books and I’m a little embarrassed to admit this is the first I’ve read! I really enjoyed the Summer of Lost and Found this week. I will also admit that I didn’t realize this is the 7th novel in the Beach House series, so you can absolutely read these books without having read the previous ones. I definitely want to go back and catch up with the Rutledge family!

This book is a very interesting one because Mary Alice took on the Covid 19 crisis head- on and had her characters experience the pandemic themselves. It was interesting to me to see how others handled the pandemic. I work for a bank and had no issue working from home (I still am!) and I live in a huge city that already had delivery for most things. The book takes place in Isle of Palms, South Carolina where most people drive and do things in person.

I really want to read more of MA’s work. I love family sagas and I’m very familiar with South Carolina. I’ve been been to Hilton Head Island many times and it’s one of my absolute favorite places on earth. Despite the pandemic in the book, it still makes me want to visit!

4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I had no idea this book was from the series! I’ve read them all, so I was happy to read about these characters again. This is the first book I’ve read that takes place at the beginning of the pandemic and it was realistically portrayed. Lots of family dramas and relationship tangles. Great book!

As I spend the last day of my "staycation" at home instead of a sunny beach, I am regretting my choice of this ARC that did nothing to take me away from reality.   Don't get me wrong, it's still like coming home to the extended family created by Monroe in previous books.  However, it feels rushed and a bit forced to include Corona in what should be escapist fiction.

I must mention extensive editing and punctuation errors, especially missing words, in the second half of the novel.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Mary Alice Monroe has written another wonderful book in her Beach House Series. The Rutledge family returns in this installment. It's 2020 and the characters are quarantining during this difficult time in our world. There's love, friendship, loss and personal growth! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

The Summer of Lost and Found was written by Mary Alice Monroe, who excels at crafting sweet and charming stories. While reading it, I kept thinking it could also have been titled “Love in the time of Coronavirus.” Like so many of us, our families are reuniting at home during these dangerous times of the virus. For many, it has created renewed or strengthened bonds between family members. I like how the Rutledge women remain devoted to one another, and via their homes, they create sanctuaries. The three Rutledge women know that “support, friendship, and hope... are a woman’s lifelines.” I love the character of Linnea, who, while raised in a wealthy household, wants nothing more than a simple life, a job, and her beach cottage. She got one out of three, with a revolving door of family, her niece, work friends, boyfriends, and her brother moving in and out of her cottage.
Most importantly, Linnea’s former love currently resides in his mom’s carriage house next door and still has feelings for Linnea, who he unceremoniously dumped in California with a one-way ticket home to Charleston. He realizes his mistake after a year. But is it too late? Linnea has a new love, but it doesn't stop John from sending Linnea notes via paper airplanes flown from the upper window of the carriage house overlooking her yard as he quarantines. This book has sadness, compromise, love, loss, and lots of grace. I think most of all though, it has an abiding sense of hope. And who couldn’t use a little more hope in their life today? Life's not always fair, and it may not be smooth sailing in a world with illness, but there is always hope.

The Summer of Lost and Found by Mary Alice Monroe is part of her series of beach books on the Isle of Palms. Linnea Rutledge arrives back to her parents home after suffering a breakup with her lifetime boyfriend, John. She returns to live in the beach house owned by Cara after losing her dream job of working at the Aquarium. She loves being reunited with her relatives but finds her independence invaded by a girlfriend,, her brother, and then her new boyfriend who wants to move in with her.. To make matters worse, John has returned to the house next door to help his mother with an elderly friend. The characters find them suffering during the pandemic with no goals insight. They turn to each other to help survive the lost of a love one, and learn how to find themselves. during this uncertain time.Thank you to #NetGalley for allowing me to read this book prior to publication.

This is book #7 of the Beach House series. I have read and loved the previous 6 books, and although the reader wouldn't have the benefit of knowing some of the earlier characters, there is enough back-story that this book could be enjoyed if the others haven't been read, although I do recommend the entire series!

This delightful story is unique in that it takes place in the year 2020, and is beautifully written to include struggles and changes we all had to make during the COVID-19 Pandemic. It doesn't, however, focus on the pandemic.

Linnea Rutledge is furloughed from her beloved job at the South Carolina Aquarium because it had to close. People are wearing masks, quarantining when necessary, and staying in their homes. Things we can all relate to when thinking of life in 2020.

Linnea is fortunate in that she lives on the island, Isle of Palms, in the house that belonged to her much loved grandmother, Lovie, and is now owned by her Aunt Cara, who has put a pause on the rent. While growing up Linnea visited Lovie often and became part of a group of women devoted to each other, sea turtles and the beach. Next door is where Cara's best friend from childhood, Emmi lives with Cara and family just across the street.

Gordon, Linnea's boyfriend, who lives in England, is scheduled to come back to the island to continue his research from the previous summer, which is when he and Linnea met. Because of the pandemic, travel is uncertain. Cooper Rutledge, younger brother of Linnea, is in England at college, also questioning if he'll be able to get home. Linnea's invites her friend, Anna, to move in with her since she's now unemployed and doesn't have family to help her.

Linnea realizes her former boyfriend, John, who is Emmi's son, and lives in San Francisco, is at his mother's house next door and has quarantined himself in an upstairs room, where is his throwing paper airplanes out the window to Linnea's six-year old cousin, Hope.. When John originally moved to San Francisco, several years ago, Linnea had moved with him. After a heart-wrenching breakup, Linnea came home and has ignored John's numerous attempts to communicate with her.

This is a beautifully written, heartwarming story of family and friends coming together, despite differences, and new challenges, to support one another and along the way, they learn to have fun as they discover new ways of doing things.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster, Inc., for providing an advanced reader copy of this book. All comments and remarks are my own.

This book is a continuation of other stories by Mary Alice Monroe that take place in the low country, South Carolina. The familiar characters and settings make getting into the book comfortable and easy. I enjoyed reading the next episode in everyone's journey especially since the book was written during the pandemic and was so relatable.

This is a really nice read. It begins just as the Covid19 Pandemic is sweeping the world, and is set on Sullivan's Island. It is a continuation of the story of the Rutledge family. Linnea's story continues as she is laid off from her job at the aquarium. Her worries about her relationship with he boyfriend, Gordon, who cannot commute back from Europe for the summer as planned, and her new roommate, who was also laid off during the aquarium shut down. To add to it all, her former boyfriend John is back home and she must face having him next door again.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story. I was a bit concerned it might be "too soon"for a pandemic story, because it has been a trying year for everyone worldwide, but this was just a small look at how people in one little corner of the world were affected. It is also nice to know, that as a romance, it was sure to have a happy ending in a time when nothing else is certain. The timeliness of this story is a welcome breath of fresh air, and I am grateful for having read it.

MAM has done it again! An emotional return to the Rutledge family and friends that left me renewed in spirit.

We are once again visiting the Rutledge family and friends in a way that is relevant and current to today’s social environment. We begin the story as Linnea has just been furloughed at the SC Aquarium due to COVID-19 and is feeling lost and overwhelmed. Her Aunt Cara is her support champion and always brings love and wisdom to share, as well as her cottage where Linnea lives. Her neighbor Emmi is taking care of Flo whose dementia is steadily taking over her life, yet Flo has moments of clarity where her pearls of wisdom ring true.

As the story unfolds, you are set on a path of realization that we are all in need of love, patience, faith, and compassion. As the pandemic begins to interrupt everyone’s life, Linnea and her close circle of friends and family create their own pod to survive. With the help of her Aunt Cara Hope, and David, her parents and Cooper, her neighbors Flo and Emmi, her ex boyfriend John, her current boyfriend Gordon, and her friends Anna and Pandora, this group navigates the ups and downs of an unexpected social adjustment together. New relationships develop and current relationships end but true love prevails. Linnea is advised by her Aunt Cara to choose wisely when it comes to taking in roommates during the pandemic but the underlying meaning is initially lost on Linnea. Linnea’s insecurities about her life and her love for Gordon bring unexpected choices that will forever change her pathway.

The job losses, isolation due to quarantine, food and supply shortages, and uncertainty and fear is what made this book hit home. MAM brought all of these feelings and fears that most of us are having on a daily basis into the lives of the characters. I couldn’t help but thinking “SAME!” as I was reading the story. It was refreshing yet comforting to read a story that mirrors our existence during the pandemic. Yet, everyone found a way to make a forced time together become a treasure instead of a chore. With paper airplanes and Instagram challenges, imagination and creativity takes over to create an outlet for all to just be in the moment and have fun.

The fear of someone you love contracting the virus and the fear that the consequences may be fatal drove right into our hearts. The uncertainty of the economic impact on lives haunted our dreams. The comprehension of what it means to isolate from your community and to be quarantined shocked us into a new reality. But at the break of dawn every morning, life moves on and evolves to the next phase. These same emotions and insecurities are ever present in The Summer of Lost and Found as everyone’s lives are always in motion and adapting to new ways.

As always, the turtles and their conservation are of utmost importance to the Rutledge women and friends. When Emmi asks Linnea to fill in on the Turtle Team for her, you sense that it is sort of passing the legacy to the next generation.
I can’t wait to see what the next story teaches us about these lovely animals and the conservation efforts currently underway.

The Summer of Lost and Found is many things, but to me, it is a love story. Mary Alice Monroe has created an inspirational work of splendid art. It is a love story to each other, to friends and family and neighbors, to our communities, to sisterhood, to nature, but most importantly to mankind.

Thanks to Mary Alice Monroe and NetGalley for my ARC of The Summer of Lost and Found. It was an honor to have a sneak peek at this extraordinary book prior to release date! My honest review will be posted on NetGalley, Goodreads, and Friends and Fiction page.

Summer can officially begin! Monroe has once again delivered another tale of the Rutledge and Wyatt families drawing closer together during the pandemic.

In THE SUMMER OF LOST AND FOUND, Linnea finds herself driving into the driveway of the much beloved cottage. The aquarium has just closed down due to the pandemic and Linnea is fighting all her emotions. She quickly finds that John is back and living next door. She anxiously awaits the arrival of Gordon to arrive from overseas. She feels that this is just all too much to handle.

Eventually the gang all arrives home and they realize that they are all "stuck" home due to the pandemic. The adventure begins! Monroe has intertwined all the much loved characters from this series into a heart-warming tale of what really matters in life: FAMILY.

I highly recommend this book to start of your summer reading.

Linnae lives in a small beach house in Charleston, SC. This is the story of her family and unexpected love triangle. This story is told during the 2020 pandemic. It looks at how each generation dealt with the ever changing pandemic. Having just lived through it, it was fascinating to read my first fiction book writing about this time.

This was my first Mary Alice Monroe book and it won’t be my last. I love a good beach read and this one did not disappoint. She did an excellent job writing about what we had all just experienced in 2020. Even though all of this had just taken place in the last year real time, her ability to capture how we all were feeling and show it through each of the characters was impressive! I’ll be picking up more of her books for my beach trip this summer...makes me want to stop in Charleston on my way!

Reading a book by Mary Alice Monroe is like spending time with good friends. The Summer of Lost and Found does not disappoint. I enjoyed the time spent with “my friends” as they grew and experienced life.

This was the first book I have read that is set during the pandemic. It was thought provoking to remember where things stood a year ago. It was also interesting that so many things mentioned are now routine for us. Social distancing, masking, frequent hand washing are just part of life. It was intriguing to see how these characters managed through the pandemic. In the beginning of the book Linnea loses her job at the Aquarium as a result of pandemic downsizing. She is living in a house that her aunt owns and she decides to have a coworker move in with her, as she is also laid off, to help with costs and to repay kindness. Linnea also has two men that are vying for her heart. I loved the parts of the story about turtles as I am a big turtle lover. I have seen turtles lay their eggs but I haven’t seen them hatch and this would be an amazing thing to be a part of. It sounds like this author’s previous books talk more about turtles as she is active in their preservation.This story was ultimately about friendship, family, and in the end following your heart. This book is part of a series but can be read as a standalone.