This was solid if a little pat, and after two summer-on-an-idyllic-east-coast-beach novels in quick succession I'm ready to book a stay- and it's the wrong season lol. This was a very tidy microcosm, enjoyable bc of the aunt in particular and mc's arc (and the setting), without very high stakes. For all that she told us they were high there wasn't quite enough that drove that home, at least for me...still, sometimes a tidy story with all the right moves and familiar beats is welcome. Clocked one of the surprises very early on but still had a bit of a twist for me. You feel you're in very competent writerly hands the whole way, just a Nice Book. An enjoyable visit with Marilyn and Ada on Avalon.

Don't Forget to Write is set in 1960. A time when women were sent to college with the purpose of finding a husband. When Marilyn is caught in a compromising position, she is sent to live with her great aunt for the summer to "straighten her out".

Ada is not your average elderly aunt. She is fantastic. I loved her.

I really liked the relationship that Ada and Marilyn developed. I laughed multiple times throughout the book. It was just what I was in the mood for.

A story of following your own path in life.

I recommend this to anyone who wants a funny and heartwarming tale.

Thanks to netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for the arc.

I really enjoyed this book, though i am not sure about the ending ,, i don't want to give any spoilers..but the story does keep you guessing

This was such a great and funny story. read and a definite must read.

Thanks lake union and Netgalley. All thoughts are my own

I am definitely in the minority with this review and I really had high hopes for this book since it does have A LOT of 5 stars but how can I be the one of the very few who just didn’t “get it?” Maybe it’s not for me, I don’t know. I'll give it 3 stars, just because it was just ok. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release but it’s just not a right fit for me.

What a fun read! When I began reading this story, it was like I had fallen into a different world and was right there with all the characters in the story! Marilyn is sassy and delightful and oh how I adored Ava! Loved every minute of it and cried along with Marilyn! Anyone who enjoys reading fiction will enjoy this one!

It's 1960 and 20-year-old Marilyn Kleinman might as well be a teenager based on the way her parents treat her. She's been allowed to go to college to find a good husband. But when she's caught in an extremely embarrassing situation kissing the rabbi's son in their New York City synagogue, she's shipped off to Philadelphia to the home of great-aunt Ada. At first, this banishment seems like the worst punishment. Ada is seventy-five, unmarried and a matchmaker. But as the summer progresses and they head to the Jersey Shore, the independent, sassy Ada may prove to be the best person to inspire Marilyn to find herself.

Author Sara Goodman Confino's book Don't Forget to Write is simply a delight. It's funny, sweet and will tug at your heart. As the relationship between Marilyn and Ada blossoms, so will the smile on your face. While the story is of a Jewish family, this book is for everyone. Love and acceptance. Isn't that what we all want? Enjoy this 5-star gem.

4.25⭐️

This light historical fiction was highly recommended, so I didn’t want to miss out.
When Marilyn is caught by the entire congregation making out with the Rabi’s son she is packed off to her great aunt Ada where she discovers a freedom that she never knew existed.

Bullet points for Don’t forget to write
📕set in the 1960’s
📕 spoiled rich Jewish girl wanting to break the mould of expectation
📕a book within a book
📕told with humour

It’s a slow paced story that bimbles along. It’s quite endearing, you get slowly drawn into the era.

My favourite character was Ada the slightly caustic aunt. Marilyn was ok, she grew on my as her journey of self discovery advanced.

It’s quite a sweet historical story set in the era where women realised that they could break free from the restraints of the past, and trail-blazed the way forward for modern women.
It looks at family bonds, balancing family traditions and expectations with being you and living your own life.

The ending is delightfully sentimental, and emotional reducing me to tears.

I really enjoyed this heartwarming story that has plenty of humour.

After Marilyn gets in trouble with her parents and the congregation, she is shipped to stay at her great aunt Ada’s. If anyone get curb her wild ways, it’s strict Ada.

This was such a great read and definitely a contender for my favorite book of 2023! The characters are just incredibly done.. genuine and hilarious. Marilyn annoyed me at times, but that was just her character and it fit well with the story. There’s really a lot to this story. While humor takes a front seat, there’s a very meaningful plot behind it with a touch of coming of age and historical fiction. The time period plays a large role, as both Marilyn and Ada are ahead of their times. The end will have your emotions up and down but it’s a perfect conclusion.

“She was a leopard, camouflaged against her surroundings, but still living her life exactly as she saw fit. And I hoped, when I looked back on my life a half century from now I would be doing the same.”

Don’t Forget to Write comes out 9/1 and is an Amazon First Read option for this month!

Oh, how I loved loved this one! I simply couldn't put this down. I lost sleep overnight because I was quite enjoying this novel. I didn't want to put it down!
Marilyn just tickled me pink! She's such a delightful 20 year old that isn't quite ready to grow up and wants to experience life before finding love. I loved her instantly! Such a cheeky laugh out loud character!
My favorite thing about this novel was that it was told in Marilyn's point of view!
Aunt Ada was another favorite character! Always knows everything and has eyes in the back of her head.
My mom used to say that to me too. So that phrase brought back some memories too.
I laughed at some of her antics too. I'm so glad that Marilyn has her for an aunt.
My second favorite was the setting of the 60's. It took me back to a place and time where my mom was raised and I very much imagined her as a teen in that time period.
There was just so many other things that I loved about this book.
It is a fact paced novel too. In my opinion I didn't think that anywhere in this book was slow. So so very good!!
Here's a bombshell of a quote that speaks truth from the heart
"Sometimes things work out how they’re meant to,” I said. “Ada understood that.” “She did.”“And this is what she wanted—me to be able to be free without losing my family."
Wow! Never more truer words spoken!
Children aren't meant to be like their parents in my opinion. They're our next generation to be able to choose for themselves in what they want and should be.
I do recommend a box of tissues because the ending is a shocker that I never seen coming at!! Lots of surprises for a fact. Some good some not so good. But I loved it no matter because this book represents family, love, hard decisions and forgiveness
Sometimes it takes making wrong or right decisions to open our eyes to see what's right in front of us. It's also about the right timing and God's will as well as our own.
What a powerful and magnificent story!
A once in a lifetime adventure for me.
5 stars for a job well done! I highly recommend this book!
My thanks for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you, NetGalley, for allowing me access to the treasure that is Don’t Forget to Write! Thank you, also, NetGalley social media users for creating buzz surrounding this novel. As a rule, I’m not a reader of historical fiction. Seeing this book blurbed as the result of Gilmore Girls and Mrs. Maisel having a baby made me press the read now button.

What can I say? I loved this book. I devoured it in a day and a half over a busy Labor Day weekend. Like Marilyn’s mother, I found myself reading while cooking (thankfully, I didn’t burn the dinner). Ada is my favorite type of character - a strong, opinionated good human. Marilyn was funny and honest, and showed such growth throughout the story.

The writing style was pleasant and easy to read. When I thought I had it all figured out, I was surprised. The ending was epic. I laughed and I cried, and I cannot recommend Don’t Forget to Write nightly enough! You must read this book!

Don’t Forget To Write is just…. absolutely lovely. I kept hearing about it, and am so glad I received an ARC, because once I started it, I enjoyed it so much I finished it in one sitting.

The story centers around Marilyn, a young woman coming of age in 1960. She’s caught making out with the rabbi’s son, a big no-no in her time and place, and when she refuses to then marry him to make up for her “crime,” she’s shipped off for the summer to be “reformed” by an aunt she didn’t know. Ada proves to be a strong, unique, independent woman, and after some initial friction, she and Marilyn become quite close. Marilyn doesn’t yet know what she wants out of life, and up to that point, had only been presented with one option- the only path she knew she didn’t want to take. Ada opens her to a whole new world of possibilities.

Both women are fantastic characters you will fall in love with as the story progresses. Such wonderful, fully realized people they are, and what a poignant tale.

Thank you Sara Goodman Confino, Lake Union Publishing, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

Oh my goodness! SO many thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union for the opportunity to read Don't Forget to Write by Sara Goodman Confino. Twenty Six Beezillion Gold Stars! One of the very best books I have ever read. Ever. And I cried huge tears when I finished reading - i did not want to say goodbye to these characters.

I LOVED this book. It takes place in 1960 in a NYC Jewish community where women were expected to behave, marry well and be good housewives. When 20 year old Marilyn doesn't quite fit the expectations (nor does she want to), she is sent to spend the summer with her Great Aunt Ada to straighten her out. "You can't banish me to New Jersey of all places!" Marilyn exclaims- just one of the many funny one liners from this book! In fact, there were so many great sayings, I started jotting them down while reading. There are many things to love about this book - the witty banter, romance, coming of age, self-discovery, learning to follow one's dreams, maturing, making and learning from mistakes, true friendship, true love, strong women. Confino's writing is intelligent, amusing, inspiring, uplifting and full of emotion. I devoured this book! I highly recommend it. Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the eARC.

This was my first Sara Goodman Confino book and I loved it and finished it in less than two days. Marilyn Kleinman disgraces her family by getting caught making out with the rabbi's son during Shabbat services, so her parents ship her off to live with her mother's very wealthy and eccentric Aunt Ada for the summer. Ada is a successful matchmaker in Philadelphia who spends her summers at her beach house on the Jersey Shore in Avalon. Ada is strict, tough, and incredibly sassy, but she has a wonderful sense of humor and she teaches Marilyn about what's really important in life. Everyone should have a great-aunt Ada - she's awesome. The characters are beautifully written and the story is light, sweet, and fun - a perfect book for the end of summer. I definitely recommend it. Thanks to #netgalley #lakeunionpublishing and #saragoodmanconfino for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved this story and especially Ada and everything she became to Marilyn. There's something about being young, wanting to find your own path, and realizing that the family you thought you knew knows you better than you know yourself. It's also interesting to observe traits passed down in families. I enjoyed the humor and wit, but loved the human connections. The reveals at the end were things I already guessed, as I'm sure we were supposed to, but so well-written and heart-warming. This is a cover to cover, read in one sitting, and experience all the feels along the way kind of book and I loved every minute of it.

Thank you so much Netgalley, Lake Union Publishing and Sara for the advanced copy! I loved the author's previous book and the new release kept up with my expectations.

I absolutely fell in love with this book!! I want an Aunt Ada!!
Every character in the book was so perfectly written their story intertwining all the way through. Sassy made me laugh, sad Made me cry. Brilliant ending.
So much love for this book I'm glad it was recommended.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of this book.

Such an entertaining book. I enjoyed the characters and the adventures that they face! I thought Confino crafted a well-written story that will appeal to many. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Perfect end of summer book to get lost in. Five stars.

I love it when a book surprises me with how much I end up enjoying it! I went into this one kinda blindly and at first thought it was going to be a rom-com. It’s definitely not! I absolutely loved some of the witty comments made by both Marilyn and her aunt Ada and I definitely didn’t want this to end!