I enjoyed Don't Forget to Write, a coming of age book about Marilyn, a college student from a religious Jewish family who thinks for herself and wants things other than what's expected of her, to become a wife and mother. As a punishment, she gets sent to live with her aunt, a matchmaker. Her aunt Ada seems strict at first but then Marilyn starts learning more about herself, her aunt, and her mother. There's a little Dirty Dancing vibe and the story is both romantic for the time and feminist. It's the best kind of beach read - one that makes you think and feel sad and happy. I had to remind myself that Marilyn is a boomer - a good reminder that we were all young once!

This is Marilyn's story. It is 1960, Marilyn, who is a college student, is caught misbehaving. Her father sends her away for the summer, to stay with an elderly and strict aunt in Philadelphia.

When I first started the book, I thought it was a bit too silly and fluffy for me. But the story soon grew on me and it actually has a lot of substance to it.

The two main characters are wonderful. Aunt Ada (but don't use the word Aunt) is very acerbic and sharp-tongued. She's also a professional Jewish matchmaker. Marilyn is like a spoiled brat (even though she's 20) and sassy. This makes for a wonderful and interesting match. Their conversations are often back-and-forth snap answers, like a comedian with his straight man.

Both women want to step out of the traditional roles and do what makes them happy. They do not want to fit into the traditional role of women of the era. I love their strength and determination. And I love Ada. Every young girl should have an aunt like Ada, who has the ability to help a person learn to fully understand themselves.

I loved this quote from the book that fits into the story but also applies to today's world: The world loves to destroy things it doesn’t understand.

I was prepared for a surprise ending because I had read several reviews. But, I was not ready for the actual surprise ending!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.

Great aunt Ava will go down as one of my favorite fictional characters. I loved everything about this novel….the people, the relationships, the location, the time period. Easily one of my favorite reads of 2023. Thank you #netgalley. 5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A huge thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of Sara Goodman Confino's Don't Forget to Write. This extraordinary novel is filled with laugh out loud moments and a cast of unforgettable characters.

Marilyn is a twenty year o!d, fun-loving college student whose life and reputation are instantly ruined when she crashes through the stained glass window of her temple in a lip lock with the rabbi's son. Her father immediately banishes her to her great aunt Ada's house in Philadelphia, and although Marilyn initially dreads the change in her summer plans, she quickly realizes that this is far from a punishment. Ada is tough but tender, a rule maker but far from a rule follower, and quite possibly the best thing to ever happen to Marilyn.

Don't Forget to Write is a five star read that will stay with you long after the last page.

The author had a stellar way of crafting characters and relationships that are so familiar, and settings that are so warming. I absolutely adored this book! It was so alive.

This book was a breath of fresh air! It was so much fun watching the relationship between Ada and Marilyn grow. This was a light and fun read,

Don't Forget to Write is an entertaining novel full of characters readers may want to meet in real life.

Set in the early 1960s, Ada is a 75 year-old successful Philadelphia matchmaker and real estate investor who accepts the challenge of taking care of her 20-year-old niece, Marilyn, who shamed her family by kissing the rabbi's son, Daniel, during their weekly church service. Marilyn's father is angry and threatening to stop paying her college tuition. The summer is a cooling off period for the family. Marilyn slowly realizes the opportunities she is given through her stay at the Jersey shore with Ada and begins writing a novel, secretly dating the local cad, and learning about her family's history.

Keen readers will see how the novel ends through the mention of two key characters: Thomas, the black man who assists Ada with household chores, and Lillian, Ada's assistant. The subtle drop of Ada's experience in Key West, "where no one cares who you were before" is a true tip to the plot.

Kudos to Sara Goodman Confino for writing an enjoyable read.

This is a good book with well rounded characters and a pacy storyline. While romances really aren’t my thing, Don’t Forget to Write was fun to read and had lots of twists and turns to keep me reading.

What an enjoyable story with great characters, just a pleasure to read. Marilyn is a young woman living in the 1960’s, a time when options were seen as being a wife and mother. Growing up in a Jewish home, certain expectations as to Marilyn’s future seemed like a prison to her, and when she rebelled, she was sent to spend the summer with her great aunt Ada. Ada is the best character in the book, a true rebel, even though she appeared to be a traditional matchmaker. Ada encouraged Marilyn to be herself, to write her story and not to fear her strength. Funny and heartwarming, I recommend this to anyone who loves women’s fiction. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

When Marlyn gets caught making out with the rabbi’s son it becomes a local scandal. In 1960 the only option her family gave her was to keep up appearances and marry the boy or go spend a summer with her aunt that she has never met. The strong willed girl chose the best option to keep her independence, a summer with aunt Ada. The summer challenged her in more ways than one and ended up sending her life in an entirely different direction.

This book was absolutely amazing! The plot new and characters were all well rounded and had amazing background woven in though-out the book. The only characters I wish I had a little more context for were Marlyns mother and father. We had some info on the mother but never really got the full picture of where her father was coming from and why he was the way he was. I highly recommend you read this book!

To phrase my thoughts like my oldest kid would do, after finishing Don’t Forget to Write : I am SHOOK!

This story was really well told and executed throughout. Ada is such a spitfire and quite the unforgettable character! I love how Marilyn holds her own though. Even though Ada and Marilyn don't always see eye to eye, I love how Ada helps Marilyn and becomes a mentor to her and someone to look up to. I'm sure Sara had a lot of fun developing Ada's personality throughout the novel.

I really didn't know where this story was going to go and was met with lots of surprises along the way, including a huge game changer.

This novel just made me want to go to the beach, which I haven't done in a couple of years now. The descriptions made me feel like I was sitting on the sand on a hot summer day while listening to the sounds of the ocean. (Then again, I'd probably be in the ocean most of the time!) I also loved Ada's idea of a fun night out. And there was a fun cameo from one of Sara's other books, as well as one of a celebrity in their youth...

Funny side note: I had just started reading this novel when I saw You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah and there's a scene in that movie that is close to what happens at the beginning of the book! I told Sara about it as soon as I finished the movie.

Overall, Don't Forget to Write is totally enjoyable and definitely worth checking out!

Movie casting suggestions:
Marilyn: Gideon Adlon
Ada: Dyan Cannon
Freddy: Jonah Hauer-King
Daniel: Zachary Gordon
Lillian: Lesley Ann Warren
Shirley: Diana Silvers

I adored this book! At first I was a little uncertain as the writing and characterisation seemed a little too Morden for what I e expected writing set in the 60’s to be like and kept forgetting that the book was set in that period. However, as the book went on and there were more references to that time period, I thought it really worked and the modern writing made it more relatable.

The characterisation of each character was spot on, making me love and hate certain characters. Ada was my favourite. I really enjoyed her sassy, independent character.

I did guess the ending several chapters towards the end. However, the writing was so good and convincing that it made start to think the opposite and what happened to Ada actually happened.

An easy 5 star read and I will definitely be picking up more books from the author.

Oh, I loved Sara Goodman Confino’s newest novel, Don’t Forget to Write so much. I’ve been in a reading slump lately and this was the fix!

Marilyn Kleinman is a young woman desperately trying to forge her own path in the 1960’s. The novel starts out with a bang when Marilyn is caught making out with the rabbi’s son in the synagogue. Her strict Jewish father then sends her away to live with her great aunt Ada—who is in the matchmaking business—in hopes to to find her a husband and to rectify her name. Ada and Marilyn forge this truly beautiful relationship that is fun, witty and endearing. Marilyn eventually learns more about herself, love, and her future than she ever imagined.

This is a truly beautiful story about family, love, and standing up for what you believe in. I adored these characters so much and I found myself not wanting the story to end. Sequel?

5/5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Many thanks to NetGalley, Sarah Goodman Confino, Lake Union Publishing for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I wish I was a writer so I could put into words how much I loved this book! I laughed and I cried at this wonderful story of a young women trying to live out her dreams in a time when little was expected from women other than getting married and having children. This will definitely be in the top 3 best books I’ve read this year!

Don’t Forget to Write follows the story of 20 year old Marilyn Kleinman, who gets caught getting up to no good with the rabbi’s son at their local synagogue. She gets sent to live with her great aunt Ada because she refuses to marry the rabbi’s son to save the family’s face. The expectation is that her very strict great aunt will put her back on the straight and narrow path and make her come to her senses but will that happen? There’s so much I want to say about this book but I’ll end up giving the plots and twists away! I didn’t realise I’d enjoy this book as much as I did and had me chuckling away throughout!

This book had a lot of hype in one of my Facebook bookclubs. So when I saw it on NetGalley I was both excited and nervous to snag it.
For me, living just outside of Philadelphia and going to the shore for summers and trips to Atlantic City this book brought bits of nostalgia and a possible inside view into how my family lived and grew up.
My favorite character by far was Ada … her snark and humor reminded me of one of my own aunts who I love so much. While this book was over in 2 days, I live with the regret of rushing through it. Most likely I will revisit it again.

In 1960, Marilyn Kleinman is a nightmare for her parents. She is sent away to her great-aunt Ada’s for the summer in hopes of saving her reputation. Her mother provides a short warning about this great aunt that Marilyn has no memory of meeting. Marilyn knows that this great aunt is no completion for her strong will and soon the summer will be over, and she will return to college. She is shocked when she meets her and finds that it is not going to be easy to get anything by this lady.
Sara Goodman Confino provided many shocking events from the disastrous scene in the synagogue to the other ideas that Marilyn tries. Each character is easy to relate to from remembering what it is like to be a rebellious 20-year-old, the parent with hopes and dreams for their child and the realization that this child is not going to do what is expected. Confino made it easy to dislike Marilyn’s parents until secrets are told and left me wondering how I would react if Marilyn was my child. Confino development of Ada is amazing. She gives just enough information at a time to show Marilyn that her antics are nothing compared to what Ada had been doing since the Great War. Definitely one of my favorite books of the year. Thank you NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and Sara Goodman Confino for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! Don’t forget to write by Sara Goodman Confino is a novel about growing up, growing old and about staying true to yourself even when societal norms get in the way. Marilyn, a young Jewish girl finds herself in a most embarrassing position following a mishap at the synagogue. Her parents decide to send her off to spend the summer with her great aunt Ada. What they didn’t bargain for was for Marilyn to grow so much over that summer and to follow in her aunt’s footsteps. Over the course of a few months she learns that to be yourself and be respected by others for your choices isn’t always black and white. I loved the characters and the setting of the story. I could picture Avalon, the little beach town with all its quaintness. It was a really easy read that I would recommend to others.

Omg!!! What an incredible book! My first book by hers and I will read more by her! Amazing story with such wonderful characters! Highly highly recommend.

Such a unique story that touch on tough topics, but had humor and feeling. This was such a fun read! The narrator for the audiobook was wonderful, I read both the kindle version and listened to the audio. This also had really great representation with different types of characters! The love story was so well written and believable, and I was surprised by it in the best way.

I would definitely recommend this to fiction readers! I was so entranced by the story. I'd like to have an aunt just like Ada!

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy to read.