I enjoyed this fictional story based on real events in the life of JFK and Alicia Darr. Who was this lady and how was she important in his life? I thought the author did a great job of setting the time period in a realistic way with the use of language and details. The pace flowed and I just had to find out how a rich and famous Kennedy could fall for an everyday popcorn girl. The implications were not only intriguing but also pretty suspenseful. I was invested in the story more so than the characters who weren't really all that likable. Still, this read like a soap opera which was a pleasant surprise.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

JFK is infamous for his extramarital affairs. The author's imagining of one such affair is told in this book. I liked the author's writing style and her character development. She kept me interested until the end.

This book seemed to have an interesting premise. However, the main character seemed to be a Mary Sue. There was not much of a personality to her. As for the story, it moved at an extremely slow pace. Thus, it would have made for a tragic love story but it wasn’t well executed.

The Summer I Met Jack is about JFK’s former lover and “girl” before his marriage to Jacqueline Lee Bouvier. I knew nothing about JFK’s pre-presidential life as I was born after his assassination. What I know was taught in my high school history class, which obviously did not cover lovers and girls on the side.

Learning about the Polish immigrant who stopped this charismatic man in his tracks was fascinating. She took chances, pushed limits and got to a place in society that many envied. The book will go into details as to why she couldn’t marry the then congressman and it’s quite upsetting. The Kennedys took religion and family seriously and the reader gets an inside look at the power of this through many of the families antics.

I found this information juicy enough that I spent time googling all the names mentioned in the book…J. Edgar Hoover, Katherine Hepburn, Gary Cooper and all of JFK’s siblings. Being historical fiction and what I like to call revisionist fiction, I was eager to sort the historically accurate parts from the fictionalized parts. This was a rather lengthy novel and I definitely lost focus in some of the sections. All of Alicia’s trips to Italy, her many lovers and husbands just bogged down some of the great storytelling. It’d would’ve been better had it some pages shaved off. This is definitely a good book to bridge readers from strictly women’s fiction to historical fiction. Attached is a photo of Alicia Corning Clark.

As an avid reader of anything Kennedy I was anxious to read Michelle Gable's THE SUMMER I MET JACK. I have read fiction and non-fiction and though this book is fiction I do believe a lot of it is loosely based in fact making it an extremely interesting read.

As has been written about, gossiped about and speculated; John F. Kennedy Jr. was a womanizer. Ms. Gable's book does not portray the Kennedy's favorable BUT I felt that this was one of the first times I got a sense that Jack was capable of actually having deep feelings for a woman though his father's wishes always, always came first.

Michelle Gable did an amazing job researching! I found myself googling so many of the story lines for that kernel of reality. I found it difficult to like Alicia Darr but I also felt that she really never did get over Jack and it shaped the rest of her life and not in a positive way. Without her Kennedy obsession her life could have been very different.

If you're slightly obsessed with the Kennedys run, do not walk to get this book, you will devour it. If you're not Kennedy obsessed it is still and enjoyable read. A good story on it's own..

This was an interesting read. I have read and enjoyed previous novels by Michelle Gable, so I thought that I might enjoy this one too. I did enjoy it, but I also thought that it veered away from the story I thought it was about to another story entirely. Of course it was well-written, and the characters were interesting. But I could never sympathize with the main character, Alicia, and I found that I didn’t like Jack Kennedy very much after reading this also. We all know that he thought himself a ladies’ man and that he had numerous affairs. But the way the author portrayed him, it was unnerving. As for Alicia, once she started flitting about, going to Hollywood, etc., I no longer cared what happened to her. She was shallow and caused her own problems. It’s hard to care for a character like that. I kept waiting for that moment she’d redeem herself with some selfless action, but that never happened. It’s too bad, too, because then I would have liked her more.

Also, it bothered me that she was best friends with Katharine Hepburn. I’ve read numerous biographies about Ms. Hepburn, and I doubt very much that a no-nonsense woman like her would have wasted time on a woman like Alicia. Just my opinion.

Overall, it was a good book and I did read it to the very end. I will certainly read more novels by Michelle Gable in the future. It wasn’t her writing, it was these characters that I didn’t care for.

This is the second novel I have read by the author. I'm drawn to the details on the page, and her writing style.

Confession: I haven't been drawn to the Kennedy's so reading this book provided a glimpse into their life. I also had no knowledge of Alicia Corning Clark before reading this book. I have read several books set in the early to mid 1900's this year - all with a common theme of young women drawn to the allure of fame. Looking back on the long, full lives of these women and their strength/focus is interesting to me.

This book might be 100 pages too long but I'm happy I completed it. I hope this book becomes a movie/mini-series. It would be so interesting to watch a documentary on Alicia Corning Clark.

I have mixed feelings about this book. It felt like it dragged in parts, and I think the main reason for that is it's way longer than it should have been. I had never heard of Alicia Darr and her relationship with JFK, so that was interesting, but I will say this book read more like women's fiction than historical fiction. My biggest complaint is all of the characters felt underdeveloped. Everyone in the Kennedy family (except maybe Pat) was deemed awful with no redeeming qualities. I enjoyed the other Michelle Gable book I read, but this one fell a little flat for me.

The first presidential election I remember growing up was the one in 1960 when John F. Kennedy became the youngest president of the United States. The fact that he was Catholic seemed to be a big deal, and I also recall the rumors about votes being bought. Of course, I also remember where I was when I heard the news that he had been shot. Through the years, I have read a number of books about JFK and his family members. After reading this fictional account of the relationship he had with Alicia Corning Clark, I have become more interested in reading up on JFK's life prior to the presidential election and what family life was like for him and his siblings. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

JFK had a well-known reputation for collecting the affections of women from all over the world and from every class. While many know about Judith Campbell and Marilyn Monroe, there were others that didn't necessarily rise to the same level of attention, including Alicia Corning Clark, also known by many other names, including Alicia Darr when she was a young woman working in Hyannisport in the 1950s.

This is a work of fiction, but the book does include a lot of details that were extracted from newspaper and magazine articles. The real story about Alicia Clark is mostly left to the twentieth century rumor mill, but this fictional fleshing out of her story is fascinating to read. Could there be a secret Kennedy love child out there somewhere? Because of what the general public knows about Kennedy, it could be possible, and if you imagined how that child would grow up, Gable's tale is one plausible story.

The one area where the book seems to take a turn is on the Kennedy family themselves. Though they paint them in the light that the public saw, the author made them a little more petty and vindictive than I would have imagined them to be, but still within the realm of possibility. The book even goes as far as proposing a possibility of the truth to Marilyn Monroe's death, though I won't spoil that for readers here. It's not easy to take real people and put them into situations where only the view of the periphery remains, but Gable seems to do it well.

I found this book to be repetitive in its descriptions of people and places. I found it hard to finish.

Alicia Clarke led many lives- candy counter girl, a Hollywood starlet, a widowed heiress, and the girlfriend of none other than Jack Kennedy. In a recreated look at history, it follows what could have happened between Alicia and Jack- a love story, an engagement, an affair, a heartbreak, and a secret baby.

The book started out very riveting- a fictional look in the lives of the Kennedys during the height of their power and fame. Unfortunately, it took a slower turn when the story switched to present day. I would still recommend it to anyone who loves to read about the Kennedys or the Hollywood scene during the 1950s.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

I forgot what this book was about when i started to read it so i went in blind. The first part of the book was really interesting. The Kennedy's are way before my time so i know nothing about him/them. The second part when she goes to Hollywood was a bit blah but at the end things were starting to make sense. The main character started so sweet and nice but turned into this money hungry odd lady. But you do what you need to survive.

All and all it was a good book.

Loved this book! Completely exceeded my hopes and expectations. Based on the love affair between JFK and Alicia Darr Purdom Corning Clark, the author truly plunges the reader into Alicia’s ever-changing life of turmoil and through various love affairs, most notable with JFK. “She was a character in Jack’s story, her plot written and directed by somebody else.”
Must read of 2018!

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for an eARC of this book.
I am finding this one a hard one to review. I found it to be an entertaining and interesting read. I appreciate the author's hard work and the research involved. I believe that most all of the things in the book really happened. I was an adult when JFK was president and adored him as much of the country did in the early 1960s. I heard many of the rumors years later and believed then that they were true. While the Kennedys feature prominently, the book really is about Alicia Corning Clark. Her story is fascinating and is made moreso by the flash forwards to after her death.
However, I mostly hated all of the characters. I have given a lot of thought as to whether this was the author's intention. I believe it was. So give it a read. It's worth the time.

Alicia is a poor, polish immigrant struggling to stay afloat. Then she meets Jack Kennedy. She is pulled under his spell and the spell of his family, so much so, it may be her undoing. Alicia falls hard for Jack. So hard their romance continues for years…even after she leaves for Hollywood. She creates a name for herself but it is just not enough. It is not enough to keep her away from Jack.

This is such an intriguing read! Who doesn’t want to know more about the Kennedys. The author did a lot of research to create the atmosphere in this book. I was fascinated with the Kennedy family dynamics. I have not read much about the Kennedys. I have read Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter by Kate Clifford Larson. So, I do understand how tough it was in many ways to be a Kennedy. Joe was very demanding of his children and Rose was cold and distant. This is reiterated in this book. It was also compelling how the author portrayed Jack. He comes across in the book as he did in life…so attractive and magnetic.

This tale also takes you on a tour of old Hollywood and all of its wonderful myriad of characters. However, it is a little long and it does get a tad monotonous. I mean how many times can you go back to Jack. I understand the attraction. Jack oozes magnetism. But sometimes you need to “woman up” and break the cycle. This is really tough for Alicia to do. I still highly recommend this read. It is compelling with all the famous people and the problems Jack and Alicia face.

We chose this selection as one of Modern Mrs Darcy's "20 books everyone will be talking about this summer": https://modernmrsdarcy.com/summer-book-list/

I love reading about the Kennedy’s and this book did not disappoint me. The author did an extensive amount of research and I relished every page. This was a magical era ( Camelot) filled with Hollywood drama, politics, and scandal. Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for providing me a galley in return for my honest opinion.

The writing for this book is good it just wasn't my favorite read . Please note this is not a true story. It is what the author imagines could have been what happened between JFK and Alicia Corning Clark. Alicia Corning Clark claimed to have been engaged to JFK before he was president. It has a blend of current events and speculation on their interaction events that could have taken place. You can look

For me the story was slow at times and I wanted to rush over some parts. This book wasn't for me. It took me a while to finish as it didn't pull me in. The author did make me interested in learning more about Alicia Corning Clark and her background. Could Alicia had a child with JFK we will never know?

If you want to get some background on Alicia Corning Clark and some information on JFK you might enjoy this book.

This is the third book I've read by Ms. Gable and while I enjoyed the other two, this one didn't do it for me. I'm probably in the minority here, yet somehow this novel doesn't actually fall into historical but more in the gossipy "chic lit" category.

My thanks to NetGalley for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.