Jamie Brenner writes really good summer beachy chick lit. I enjoy them very much and you should give them a try next time you are heading to the beach or pool.

Ruth Cooperman moves to Provincetown after selling her cosmetics company and retiring, searching for the peace and nostalgia of the past and ultimately, a home of her own in this new community. Ruth is looking forward to new friends and connections as she gets involved with the close-knit community. What she didn’t anticipate was an abandoned baby on the doorstep shortly after she moves into her summer rental which leads to the homeowners, Elise and Fern Douglas, moving back into the guest room to care for the child.
The appearance of the child impacts not only Ruth, whose peaceful beach house has been disrupted, as well as Elise and Fern, who have longed for a child of their own, but also the other women and families in Provincetown.
Ruth ends up reaching out to her estranged daughter Olivia, who ends up visiting, in a bit of a personal crisis. Ben, Ruth’s ex-husband, also arrives thinking that Olivia and Ruth are in need of help.
Summer Longing explores the power of home and family, female friendships, and motherhood.

Summer Longing is a story about a quaint seaside town and the unforgettable cast of characters that descend upon her during the summer months. At the start of the summer everyone has problems and expectations. But the arrival of a baby on a doorstep changes the trajectory of the summer for everyone involved. The mystery of the baby is the central focus, but the lives of the women who care for the baby will be irrevocably changed over the course of the summer. Told from multiple points of view, this book will tug at your heartstrings.

If you enjoy the summer beach town novels of Elin Hilderbrand, where the setting is just as important to the story as the characters, then you will love Summer Longing. Jamie Brenner is becoming an auto-buy author for me!

Summer Longing brings you a tale of many women trying to find their place in the world. Olivia, a young professional, who needs to mend a relationship with her mother, Ruth. Ruth, a newly retired women who put her career before her family for many years. And Elise who wants a child more than anything in the world.

I loved the setting of this book. Provincetown sounds like an absolute dream in the summer time. However, I found the characters a little insufferable.

This is a solid beach read with short chapter you can fly through but it's not one I'll remember forever.

CW: infertility

Thank you to Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for a an honest review.

This was the perfect summer read. I read this book after giving birth to my daughter this summer so this book had me extra emotional. I loved the strong female presence in this book. I was hooked and read it from beginning to end in one sitting. I'm going to binge all of Jamie Brenner's books now because her writing style is right up my alley.

It had been awhile since I had read one of her books. This was the perfect one to get me back. This wonderful story about strong female characters and tight-kint communities was well written. The story was heart-warming. The characters believable. I laughed out loud while reading it. I recommend this book.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this title.

Loved this one! From the strong female characters to love to summer this was the perfect reading. The only thing I wish was that I had read this sitting on a beach instead of my couch!! I’ll definitely be digging in the backlist titles by Jamie Brenner and looking forward to future books she writes!!

I’ve long been a fan of Jamie Brenner’s work, and after reading and devouring Summer Longing, I will continue to be so!

Summer Longing will have readers desiring to be on the Island with the slew of characters Jamie introduces us to in this family drama. The way Jamie develops characters is among some of the best. So much so that as a reader you feel you have grown right there with them. You want to be there to celebrate their wins, and dry their tears with their emotional losses.

The story is a complicated one filled with different issues - all of which are tied up by story end. Summer Longing will leave readers satisfied, and wanting to dive right into her next novel, due in 2021.

What a beautiful story of understanding yourself and how you can make something out of your life, even when you feel it's hopeless. Ruth is looking for her forever home. She is looking in Cape Cod and just so happens that this is indeed the place for her.

What she doesn't expect to find is friendship, family, and connections that will last forever.

This was the perfect beach read. Thank you so much Netgalley and Little Brown company for the advanced copy of this book for my honest opinion. I would definitely recommend this one!

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

"You can take something broken and turn it into something whole." While Amelia, owner of the Beach Rose Inn, was speaking to Ruth regarding the mosaic's that they create, this piece of advice can be applied to life as well.

Ruth Cooperman was a 58 year old woman that retired from her busy successful life by selling her makeup company, leaving her home and wanting to retire in Provincetown. She had always been so sure of everything in her life, from the way she ran her company to deciding when it was time to divorce her husband. Once she arrived in Provincetown, her plan didn't go according to plan and somehow all the pieces that she had once lost along the way, found themselves back together, creating a mosaic that is her life.

"Ruth had planted the seeds of her new life in Provincetown. Someday they would take root. Until then, she would have to be patient. There were no shortcuts to emotional peace."

I enjoyed reading this book as it was told from the perspective of women, all from different ages, different vocations and all searching for peace and happiness. For the women, there were challenges that they faced, questions that needed to be answered and decisions to be made. In the end, they all formed stronger relationships with each other, with themselves and found their road to happiness.

This was a wonderful story on second chances, forgiveness and you're never too old to start over and to find love. Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this wonderful book.

Nice beach read! I enjoyed this book and longing for summer destinations from the past. It was an easy book to get in to and get lost in. I would recommend for someone searching for a beach read.

I love books that are set in Cape Cod! Such a wonderful environment and one of my favorite vacation memories. But this book was missing something. I felt like it was a little too lightweight and needed more oomph to make me invested in the story.

This is truly a family-based drama that would make a good summer read. Not deep, not a great plot, and too many coincidences that I couldn’t believe. But others may enjoy a book that ties everything up with a big red bow at the end!

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

This is my second book by Jamie Brenner, and I must confess that I enjoyed The Husband Hour more than this one. What I did love about this book was the setting in Provincetown. My Mother and I went on a cruise along the Eastern coast last summer, and that was one of the stops. I felt like I could really envision the town as she described it. I did think Brenner did a good job of realistically portraying the strained relationship between the Ruth and her daughter, Olivia, and their struggle to reconcile their relationship. I found the storyline with Elise and Fern frustrating. I know people desperately want a baby and can’t have one, but I just had trouble with believing someone could just keep the baby like Elise did, especially when it wasn’t the legal thing to do and was causing problems with her marriage. The book is filled with a lot of interesting characters that kept the book entertaining, and I loved the feeling of warmth and community among the townspeople. All in all it was an enjoyable summer read.

rating: 3.5

Such a great book!! You really fall into the story and get invested in the town and characters. I loved it! You find yourself getting lost in the pages and not wanting it to end.

Get ready for your New York City summer vibes! It’s all right here my friends, sweet and neat in this wonderful romcom by Emma Jackson.
This is a furtherance of two characters who originally met in Emma’s last book A Mistletoe Miracle, though both books can read independently from each other.

We have Noelle a cozy mystery writer who is having total writers block with her current book which is past due. Then we have Stephen who is in NYC for work for the summer and is also looking for his father per his mothers wishes in her will. When these two meetup randomly in a bar, [not seeing each other since New Years when Noelle stood him up and left him hanging], a chemistry filled summer with the two of them “helping each other out” with their pursuits ensues.

Emma Jackson’s writing is like a cozy blanket, there is nothing more enjoyable than snuggling up with it and relaxing into a comfortable evening, and Summer in the City does just that. Written in alternating perspectives, we get to see both Noelle and Stephen’s points of view and just the quirky barter of snark between these two are reason enough to pick it up in itself. Jackson knows how to write a delightful romcom, with extremely likable characters and some underlying hard issues that make the book entertaining yet deliberate and quite captivating to read. There is your typical goosebump causing romance, and a bunch of mystery that keeps this one moving along with some good natured secondary characters that fill in the gaps nicely. If you are looking for a heartwarming and fun romcom summer read, this one is certainly where your search ends. A quick read, I highly recommend picking this one up, cozy blanket not necessary! 4 Stars.

A first by me by This author and this book did not disappoint! I needed this! A perfect summer read when I couldn't get out! Highly recommend this page turning story! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC copy in exchange for my honest opinion!!

Ready for a great read? You will enjoy Summer Longing by Jamie Brenner. This is not my first book by this author. I've read and enjoyed 3 back to back!
Summer Longing is set in Provincetown on Cape Cod where Ruth, a retired cosmetics company owner, wants to find her 'forever home'. While searching for that home, she rents a house that will open the door to a cast of strong women and their unlikely friendships.
I liked that the author brought back some characters from previous novels and you don't have to have read those books to follow this story. But, it makes you feel like you're an insider in Provincetown.
The relationship between Ruth and her ex-husband and their daughter is interesting to follow. The subplots with the other characters are intriguing as well; an abandoned baby at Ruth's door, a same sex couple's challenges with becoming pregnant, a family business trying to survive by creating new opportunities, and all gets tied up gracefully at the end.
I am happy to recommend this book. I'm already looking forward to reading the next Jamie Brenner book. I believe Brenner will be an author to follow!
Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

I reviewed this for Bookreporter - I liked it. Please see the Bookreporter review. I explain my thoughts there. Thanks.

Jamie Brenner is a master at weaving a story full of endearing characters. family and friendship!

I truly enjoyed the full cast of characters that each had their own little subplot. They were all connected in different ways, whether it was old freindships, new friendships, or family. Brenner has a knack for telling heartwarming stories with just the right blend of character driven and plot driven parts to it.

Ruth makes a big move to Provincetown after selling her cosmetics company, and is seeking her 'forever' home in a town that she spent one magical summer in 40 years ago. As she's not able to find a home of her own to buy yet, she is forced to rent for the summer while she continues to search. She never imagines that her rental will have a such a swinging door with people in and out! I loved how the circumstances softened Ruth and she gained new friendships that changed her life.

As for all the other characters...
I was happy to see Olivia's life fall apart. I enjoyed seeing how her character found true happiness and mended her relationship with her mother.
My heart broke for Elise and her struggles to achieve motherhood, and the effect that had on her marriage to Fern. There was so much tension and heartbreak in that relationship!
And I loved all the drama of the Barros Family!


Thank you to Little, Brown, and Company for my copy in exchange for an honest review.