Sara Goodman Confino does it again! I first came across this author last year when I won a giveaway for her second book She’s Up To No Good which also came with her first book, For The Love of Friends. I couldn’t put either book down once I started reading and was crushed when they were over; now she’s published her next book, Don’t Forget To Write and I am in the same boat.

Marilyn doesn’t want to conform to her parents' old fashioned expectations and when a shocking incident happens during Rabbi Schwartz’s sermon, she is shipped off to her Great Aunt Ada’s for the summer in Philadelphia. Little does Marilyn know, one summer with Great Aunt Ada is going to change her life.

Don’t Forget To Write is filled with one liners and zingers that will make you roll, while also make you shed a few tears and get angry at the injustices upheld in our past. Sara Goodman Confino does an excellent job at not only setting the scene, but she fills it with characters that are always going forward. Even secondary characters make big impacts throughout the pages of this novel.

"Live your life the way that you want to. Not the way society or anyone else tells you to."

I've read and reviewed both of Sara's previous books, so I was excited to do a cover reveal and receive an advanced copy of this one. Even having really enjoyed both previous books, I forgot just how engaging her writing is!
After misbehaving in a very public way during services, Marilyn is sent to stay with her Great Aunt Ada, who is a matchmaker in the Philadelphia Jewish community. The majority of the book takes place during their summer at the Jersey shore (specifically Avalon although visits to AC, Cape May, and Wildwood, my old stomping ground, are included). I haven't been to the shore in a while, and as I read I craved a summer rental within walking distance of beaches, boardwalks, and ice cream. Sara's mix of history and humor is exactly what I want in a historical fiction read - and, to make it even more my style, the book has strong women's fiction undertones, too. I cried while reading the last 15% because of my emotional attachment to the characters.
Good news - even though this book doesn't officially come out for another month, you can read it early, too, as it's an Amazon First Reads pick this month! Let me know if you have any questions about how that works - I'm happy to help you grab it.
Thanks to the author for sending me an ARC via NetGalley - I devoured the book within 24 hours and truly loved it. I hope you'll be able to read it soon, too. And I know Sara just finished drafting her fourth novel (she's a high school teacher like I am - way to work through summer "vacation"!) which I greedily can't wait to get my grubby hands onto ASAP. For now I'll have to wait for my pre-ordered paperback copy of Don't Forget to Write to arrive in September.

Sara Confino has done it again and delivered a wonderful novel full of love, heartbreak, and family bonding. Take me to Avalon!

Marilyn and her parents, mainly her father, do not see eye to eye on the life that is meant for her. After a particularly delicate situation (that poor stained glass), Marilyn is sent to live with her great aunt Ada for a summer. Ada has made her career as a matchmaker, and ideally, Marilyn will find herself a husband on this trip (she doesn’t, and in her own words “sorry, Daddy”).

When I posted my review of her books last summer, I ended with this: I gave each book 4 stars, but legitimately wonder if I might be lowballing it. Confino is definitely one of my favorite authors of 2022 and I hope we get another book from her soon! But don’t rush it- we want quality in our quantity.

I gave this one a full five stars, and I know for a fact she’s submitted her fourth manuscript so just slip me that ARC when you’re ready ;). I loved this story. It felt so authentic from beginning to end. I thought I was going to have to break up with Confino at the climax, but she pulled it together very nicely and I am not anxiously awaiting her fourth book!

Thank you NetGalley, Lake Union, and Sara Goodman Confino for the ARC and book box!

DON’T FORGET TO WRITE is a women’s historical fiction full of Sara’s signature humor and unforgettable characters. Marilyn and Ada are two forces of nature who will have you smiling, laughing, crying, you name it! An exhilarating, thought provoking read about family, risks, and the lengths we will go to make our own footprint in the world.

Sara Goodman Confino just gets better and better!

Nobody writes matriarch baddies like she does, and Ada is no exception. From her comebacks to her style to her larger-than-life presence, Ada jumps off the page and I just couldn't get enough.

The ending of this book was absolutely perfect and couldn't have been more masterfully executed, which is a testament to the author's talent. I think there are few authors who could have made this work, but Sara Goodman Confino knocks it out of the park!

This is historic women's fiction at its very best.

This book had me laughing and loving the characters from the first page! With a unique premise, and characters with lots of sass and witty comebacks, it made me wish I had an Aunt Ada of my own. I have read all of Sara’s books and dare I say that each one is better than the last! On top of that, Don’t Forget to Write had without a doubt the most satisfying ending of any book I’ve ever read! A triumph in every way! @saraconfino is and will always be an auto-buy author for me! Highly highly recommend!!

Once again Sara Confino’s characters stole my heart. From the very first chapter I was sooo invested. And OMG, I loved Ada so darn much and wish I had someone like that in my life. Everyone needs an Ada. I have never laughed so much reading a book before..and cried. I was seriously ugly crying by the end. Highly recommend!

I’ve been eagerly anticipating Sara Goodman Confino’s next book since I finished “She’s up to No Good” last summer. Can’t even explain how excited I was to be offered the opportunity to read an advanced copy. This book exceeded my expectations and is absolutely the perfect summer beach read.
I adore the interactions between these well crafted characters. Marilyn who is young, stubborn and longing to be independent, yet still with so much to learn.
Ada, her septuagenarian aunt and summer chaperone who strictly doles out rules that she herself doesn’t follow.
From the Atlantic City Boardwalk to the beaches of Avalon, the setting is rich with details from the 1960’s immersing the reader fully in the setting and making me nostalgic for a time I never experienced.
Confino’s writing is infused with the perfect balance of humor and heart. This story is about love and family and being true to yourself as you find your way in the world.

Don’t Forget to Write is incredible! I LOVED every second of it.

Set in 1960, Marilyn, home from college, crashes through a synagogue’s stained glass window in front of the whole congregation while kissing her crush—the rabbi’s son. When she refuses to marry him, her parents send her off to great aunt Ada’s to shape up or she won’t return to college.

Spending the summer at the Jersey shore, Marilyn must abide by Ada’s rules but at the same time Marilyn needs to learn and grow from her own mistakes—how else is she going to write the next great American novel?

This book was so fun! And, Ada is a spitfire! Highly recommend.

Omg this is possibly one of my best reads of 2023. I have been reading some pretty heavy stuff lately. This book was just what the doctor ordered. It’s set in the early and mid 1900’s and follows a Jewish family and two of its wild child members. I loved the character developments and the ending will blow you away. This was a 5 star read for me and I highly recommend it

Absolutely loved this one !!!!! Literally the perfect summer read and one to not miss!!

Synopsis: When twenty-year-old Marilyn Kleinman is caught making out with the rabbi’s son in front of the entire congregation, her parents send her to live with her strict great aunt and beloved Jersey Shore matchmaker Ada for the summer. While she’s there to save her tainted reputation and please her parents, Marilyn discovers so much more about herself, her future and love in just those few months.

What I loved:
-How real the characters felt
-The 1960s Jersey Shore setting
-The Jewish representation, which was some of the best
-The natural progression of Marilyn and Dan’s relationship
-Everything about Aunt Ada, especially her warm heart despite the the tough exterior
-How Dan supported Marilyn with every decision she made and was patient when she put herself first
-How Marilyn wanted to follow her own path during a time when women were expected to play a certain role in the family
-How it reminded me of Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
-The ending!! It brought all of the feels and was the perfect conclusion

Thank you Lake Union and Sara for the ARC! Pub date: 9/1

Marilyn "gets" sent to spend the summer with great aunt Ada on the Jersey shore. This happened after she was caught kissing the Rabbi's son, at the synagogue. Her dad sends her away to get whipped into shape by her strict aunt.

Aunt Ada is whip smart, fiesty and apparently omniscient. Marilyn is strong willed, spunky, and confrontational. They both are a force to be reckoned with. Together they are hysterical. Talk about chemistry between characters. Off. The. Charts.

These characters will stay with me forever

I received a copy of this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I’m speechless. This ARC is not only getting 5 stars but it’s being filed into my “favorites” shelf, which I don’t often do. My mind is still blown from this incredible story. These characters are going to be with me forever. If this doesn’t get turned into a movie I will be truly shocked.

The story centers around Marilyn, a 20 something New Yorker, home from college, who decides to make out with her rabbi’s son in the middle of service…until their hormones send them flying through a stained glass window, landing them at the feet of the entire congregation. As would be expected by the reader, Marilyn is sent off to spend the summer with her grumpy matchmaking aunt for the summer in hopes of setting her on the straight and narrow path of marriage and motherhood. But after this point you can toss any plot expectations you might have for this story out your car window because this book is anything but your usual plot. It’s so so so much more.

Expertly written and laid out, Mrs. Confino introduces you to characters who are so real you’d swear they’ve been over to your own home at some point. The fast talking and witty Aunt Ada steals the show with her zinger one liners. The interactions between her, Marilyn and Ada’s housekeeper, Frannie are very reminiscent of the characters in The Marvelous Mrs. Mazel.

I can’t say much else without spoiling this story except for this:
Sara Goodman Confino I need a prequel ASAP. I need more Ada!!!!!

Get yourself on whatever pre order list you need to because this book is going to be all over your feed once it releases on September 1.

I’m now off to deal with my severe book hangover because I’m not sure what I could possibly read that will be as good as this. I’m still grinning after that ending. Sooooooo good. I’m so jealous of everyone that gets to enjoy this story for the first time.