Don't Forget to Write is my first book by Sara Goodman Confino and I can't wait to read more of her books! I was hooked from page one and read it in two sittings. I loved the characters, and particularly loved the rapport that developed between Marilyn and her great-aunt Ada. The humor was perfect! I was reading with a smile on my face most of the time, laughing out loud at some of the quips. I have already recommended this book to friends - it's a great book if you're looking for an entertaining read and would be the perfect companion for a beach getaway. Highly recommend!
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Great story and likeable characters. A real feel good book.
Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC.

Don’t Forget to Write was the best book I’ve read in a long time! A Five star read! I fell in love with all the characters and their stories and couldn’t put it down! This would make a great book club read and I’m hoping Sara Goodman Confino is working on a sequel!

A coming of age story that will stand the test of time! You will laugh while holding back tears when Marilyn gets sent to live with her great aunt Ada. Ada is fussy and particular and practically perfect in every way. While she has laid the ground rules for summer, knowing Marilyn will break them, she is setting Marilyn up for a summer of discovery and building strength in confidence in becoming her best self.

‘Historical fiction’ doesn’t typically appeal to me but I decided to give this book a chance given the writer’s popularity amongst my reading circles. I haven’t been so emotionally invested in a book’s characters in quite some time. I was transported back to a time when I imagine my own grandmother was growing up having to accept the world as it was with its limitations. The imagery had me reliving some of my own past beach vacations. I was sad to have it come to and end and am praying for a sequel!

This sparkly, light-hearted tale of an adventuresome college girl in 1960 was like dipping into an ice-cream float: you eat for the momentary pleasure of it. Fans of romance novels will gobble this right up.

Disclaimer: thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the free eARC in exchange for my unfettered opinion.

After a scandalous incident at synagogue (with the rabbi's son!), Manhattanite Marilyn Kleinman's father has had enough. He banishes her to her mysterious great-aunt Ada's house in Philadelphia. But Ada is not the grim, austere creature of Marilyn's expectations: Ada is glamorous and chic and wealthy, a successful businesswoman with a booming business as a matchmaker. She enlists Marilyn to help her with work and seems to see right through Marilyn's (sometimes tedious) little rebellions.

The story is both homage to the era (JFK gets a mention on the first page), and a humorous nod to "how far we've come baby," as Marilyn unwittingly bucks the patriarchy. She's a bright young thing with only one future ahead of her: to become a housewife, probably a dissatisfied one, like her own mother. And while she likes boys (a LOT), she has amorphous dreams of something else, something not housewifey.

Fabulous fairy-godmother, I mean, Aunt Ada (spoiler alert) enables Marilyn to see (and realize) another path. She takes Marilyn to the Jersey Shore, buys her a typewriter, and reveals her own generous spirit. When Marilyn makes a nearly catastrophic amorous mistake (the 1960s, pre-Pill, a nogoodnik cad), Aunt Ada is there, ready to help. But Marilyn shakes off the betrayal and uses what she's learned to write a novel. Then Aunt Ada reintroduces that rabbi's son...

I was not in love with the way the nogoodnik cad, whose merchant-class background Aunt Ada had noted and disapproved, was obliged to have crass parents and a bitchy sister. But after all, it's not THEIR nuanced story, it's a heartfelt, often funny wish-fulfillment story about how Marilyn escapes her father's plan for her and forges her own future.

This book was a charmer! I loved it. I give it 4.5 stars. Just when I thought I had it all figured out it would change. This book kept me on my toes and I LOVED how it all wrapped up at the end. Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.

This is an absolutely charming, wonderful story about growing up and learning what love is. The only thing keeping it from being five stars is the ending left me unsatisfied.

This story has lots of great humor and a lot of heart. When Marilyn is sent to live with her great aunt for the summer, she's certain it will be a miserable time. But of course things are not always as they appear. Marilyn learns a lot this summer and will be forever changed.

This was a joyful reading experience, even during the tough parts. There was always hope even when things looked bleak.

Highly recommend.

I absolutely adored this book! While it does have some romance aspects, it is unique that the journey is about the main character's personal journey in who she wants to become and navigating family and friendships in a 1960's world where the options seem to be limited for women. I highly recommend diving into this delightful read. It is funny, heartbreaking, and thought provoking all in one story. My first book I've read by this author and definitely won't be my last!

So…I chose to read this book because pretty much everyone was giving it 5 stars…so it must be good, right? Well…it is!

Funny, cute and heartwarming coming of age story.

Great character and plot development.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆
Even Marilyn is caught in an unflattering position with the rabbi’s son Daniel during shul, she’s packed off to her great aunt Ada in Philadelphia for the summer. But Ada is not the fuddy duddy great aunt Marilyn was expecting. The feisty 75 year old has never married and is a wealthy matchmaker in the Jewish community, having paired couples for the past 40 years. Marilyn tries to rebel, but Ada sees right through it all, helping Marilyn realise what kind of life she wants to lead herself.

𝗠𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀
I read Sara Goodman Confino’s debut and then her second book, and am so happy to say that her writing just seems to get better and better. This beautiful coming of age story has a feel of the Marvellous Mrs Maisel episode, the glow of the 1960’s and a young woman in society being expected to conform, with the highest aspiration being to be a wife and mother. As a wife and mother I can appreciate this sentiment, but I would have been a miserable person if that was all that was ever expected of me. Thank you to the author for embracing the “what if” of another era and placing two questioning characters that wanted to live life on their own terms front and centre. It’s a beautiful read ❤️

My rating 4.5/5 - ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 💫

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

Ok, so I wanted to adore this book. The reviews were so great! But I was a little bored and ended up skimming pages towards the end. Ada was great but I didn’t warm up to Marilyn and I’m not quite sure why.. I needed to be more invested in the characters and I just didn’t feel it.

I loved everything about this book! This is the perfect summer read. The characters felt real.
Marilyn is a 20yr woman in 1960 who doesn’t play by the rules. She does a little misbehaving with the rabbi’s son, Dan. and is caught by the entire congregation, horrifying her father. After turning down a forced marriage proposal, she is shipped off to be “fixed” by her aunt in Philly. She has to either agree to marry Dan or find herself another husband. Instead, Marilyn discovers the life she really wants -to live on her own terms and not spend the rest of her life standing at the stove with her face in a book, while a kid screaming in the background.

I’m so pleased I found this book, I have not read any of Sara Goodman Confino‘s previous books and I’m not sure how they past me by 🤷🏻‍♀️
Marilyn Is packed off to great-aunt Ada for her indiscretion but her aunt is not at all what Marilyn expected. This is a really heartwarming summer read - an easy 5 ⭐️

"Don't Forget to Write" by Sara Goodman Confino promises a delightful coming-of-age story that takes readers on a journey of self-discovery and family dynamics. This description sets the stage for a summer filled with humor, life lessons, and unexpected friendships.

Marilyn Kleinman, the young protagonist, finds herself in an unexpected situation when caught making out with the rabbi's son, a predicament that threatens her future. Her parents' solution to send her to her great-aunt Ada for the summer introduces readers to a character who defies stereotypes and expectations. Ada, with her distinctive style and vibrant personality, adds a touch of glamour and wisdom to the story.

The premise of the story, with Marilyn assisting Ada in her matchmaking endeavors, promises both humor and life lessons. Marilyn's journey to understanding her own desires, aspirations, and the importance of not settling for less than she deserves is likely to resonate with readers, especially young adults navigating the transition to adulthood.

The setting, with trips to the Jersey shore, adds a nostalgic and summery atmosphere to the narrative, making it an appealing read for those looking for a light-hearted yet meaningful story.

As readers, we can expect a tale of empowerment, self-discovery, and the importance of choosing one's own path in life. Marilyn's internal conflict and the looming threat of her father's disapproval create a compelling backdrop for her character development.

Overall, "Don't Forget to Write" seems like a heartwarming and relatable story that explores themes of family, love, and the pursuit of one's dreams. Readers who enjoy stories of young characters finding their way in the world are likely to be charmed by Marilyn's journey.
"Don't Forget to Write" by Sara Goodman Confino promises a delightful coming-of-age story that takes readers on a journey of self-discovery and family dynamics. This description sets the stage for a summer filled with humor, life lessons, and unexpected friendships.

Marilyn Kleinman, the young protagonist, finds herself in an unexpected situation when caught making out with the rabbi's son, a predicament that threatens her future. Her parents' solution to send her to her great-aunt Ada for the summer introduces readers to a character who defies stereotypes and expectations. Ada, with her distinctive style and vibrant personality, adds a touch of glamour and wisdom to the story.

The premise of the story, with Marilyn assisting Ada in her matchmaking endeavors, promises both humor and life lessons. Marilyn's journey to understanding her own desires, aspirations, and the importance of not settling for less than she deserves is likely to resonate with readers, especially young adults navigating the transition to adulthood.

The setting, with trips to the Jersey shore, adds a nostalgic and summery atmosphere to the narrative, making it an appealing read for those looking for a light-hearted yet meaningful story.

As readers, we can expect a tale of empowerment, self-discovery, and the importance of choosing one's own path in life. Marilyn's internal conflict and the looming threat of her father's disapproval create a compelling backdrop for her character development.

Overall, "Don't Forget to Write" seems like a heartwarming and relatable story that explores themes of family, love, and the pursuit of one's dreams. Readers who enjoy stories of young characters finding their way in the world are likely to be charmed by Marilyn's journey.

Four stars. Wonderful characters and plot. ! Will be recommending and reading anything in the future from this author. Thank you for the title.

What a fun read!

This was my second work by Sara Goodman and I can wholeheartedly say that I liked this one a lot more than the other.

While the book was written from my lesser preferred first person POV, the story-line and character dialogues more than made up for it.

Ada - a spunky, fashionable, seventy year old with her blunt sarcasm, quickly became one of the most likable protagonists I'd ever encountered, and I loved every little kernel of wisdom that she spouted throughout the book. Her interactions with Marilyn, who just so happened to be a twenty year old "mini-me" version of Ada, were hilarious and I often found myself looking forward to them.

The representation of Jewish culture in the 1960's was done well, as I'd never seen much of it before. I did find some of the dialogues and verbiage to be a mismatch to the kind of slang I believed to be spoken in the '60s, but I let that slide. Some of the plot points were written to provide a "surprise element" to the story-line, but felt glaringly obvious to the reader.

Despite that, I enjoyed this one immensely. Recommended for readers who like good summer-reads, protagonists on a path of self-reflection, good humor and sarcasm, and an easy-going women-oriented plot with some romance.

Book Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was excited to get the chance to read this as I previously read She's Up To No Good and loved it. I was hoping this was going to be another five star read and I was not disappointed. I was hooked from the very beginning! I loved Marilyn and Ada equally and couldnt get enough of their spunky and sassy personalities. Their wit and banter kept me laughing out loud all the way through. I was so invested in their relationship that I found myself emotional and wishing I had my very own Ada. I loved this book so much.


Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this advanced copy.

Everyone raved about this book. It took me ages (or so it felt) to get into it. Marilyn was so unlikeable even if she was understandable I was going crazy. But I don't give up and I trusted those who loved it. So I carried on and I'm so glad I did. I loved Ada and Marilyn's banter and how they developed and grew together. How each of their stories unfolded and folded in Lillian, Daniel, Frannie and Thomas. The commentary that was shared and explored. I was bawling and cheering at the end and the end was .... wow. It fit so well and was just perfect. My suggestion for anyone not quite sure about the tartlet, sassy Jewish girl and all of her "impertinence", stick with it. You'll be glad you did.

#arc
#netgalley
#dontforgettowrite

Oh my heart! Don’t Forget to Write is easily the most charming, brilliant book I have read this year! Marilyn Kleinman is a snarky, bold young woman in the era of housewives and high expectations of obedience. She has a mind of her own and seeks her own pleasure and freedom instead. A total delight of a heroine! Her “fuck it” attitude lands her in a new town with an old Aunt. The character growth from there is juicy, deeply touching and a bit scandalous for the time!

I just really don’t think I can properly express how heartwarming and hilarious this story is. It’s one of those books you hug close to your chest after finishing the last page because you just don’t want to let go!

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy! I loved it!