This book was a little slow to get into...I almost abandoned it half-way through. But I am sure glad I finished it. In the first half of the book, I had trouble connecting with the characters, however, it all came together. There was an intricate weaving throughout the story, and the characters all evolved into better people by the end. It was a nice, feel-good story that leaves you rooting for the characters while you read. I received a complimentary copy courtesy of this book from netgalley.com and the publisher. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I enjoyed this book tremendously although several of the characters were maddening. Specifically Elise- I felt very bad for her about her strong urge to have child and her difficulty in achieving this goal but she seemed childish at times about the responsibilities of caring for a child. I really loved the themes of motherhood and the choices that mothers make. I loved getting a second visit to Provincetown- definitely on my bucket list to visit in the future.

I really liked the main character of Ruth and was totally hooked in about her retiring from her career as a cosmetics owner. I loved the names of the products and really enjoyed the descriptions of her creations of the body lotion, creams etc.

I am a tea lover myself so having a tea cafe almost as another character in the book captivated me from the beginning. I am hoping to revisit these characters again as I felt that the ending was a bit incomplete.

Thank you to NetGallery for the advanced reader copy of this book. Definitely appreciate all the wonderful books during this time of the pandemic. Reading about summer escapes make me hopeful for the future!

Trigger Warning: Fertility issues

Jamie Brenner is back with another stellar beach read. Summer Longing hits you in all the feels, with many ways in which you can long for something. A relationship, a new look on life, a baby...

Ruth is ready for retirement in Provincetown, but things go wrong from the beginning. Finding a home on the coast is proving fruitless, her "landlords" cause problems from the first moment, and then a baby just shows up on her doorstep.

Before she knows it, Ruth is helping care for this sweet thing, while slowly becoming friends with the locals. Caring for the child even helps her to build the nerve to call her estranged daughter. As word of the baby gets out, tensions start to rise around town. Relationships and reputations are at stake, secrets will be found out.

Brenner, in her classic style, makes you feel as if you're one of the islanders, that their problems are your problems, and you are emotionally invested from page one.

Grab a chair, poured an iced tea, and sit down for a binge read. Summer is getting started.

I received an advanced copy of this book, all opinions are my own.

This was a sweet book about women's friendships. A group of older women found a baby, abandoned on a doorstep of a summer rental house in Provincetown, Cape Cod. I found it unlikely that the property owners would move in with the tenant to take care of the baby and that the authorities wouldn't get involved more, but it was a sweet story.

I appreciated all of the female friendships and how everyone supported and helped each other. It was a heartwarming read.

5 Stars!

Jamie Brenner is one of my must reads for summer and Summer Longing definitely did not disappoint!

Ruth just sold her very successful company, which has been her whole life, and now she's looking to settle down. Provincetown or P-town holds a special place in her heart. She decides this is the summer she is going to rent a house and try to start over. After Ruth settles on the house she's going to rent she gets a lot more than she bargains for with a baby showing up on her doorstep. The owners of the house become involved and before she knows it Ruth has a house full of people when all she wanted was her own retirement home. Summer Longing explores family dynamics, especially working moms and daughter, as well as infertility trouble and moral/ethical dilemmas. Each character goes through their own journey to find what works for them.

I loved this book so much and I could not put it down! When I finished the book I wanted nothing more than to pack my bags and head to P-town. The dynamics between the characters is really what drew me into this one. The mother/daughter relationship (which i'm sure some of us can relate), of Ruth and Olivia trying to make up for lost time and repair their bond. The relationship between Elise and Fern was so raw and real of what marriages go through. Also, the family obligations that we see within Jaci's family are very realistic and the kinds that we see each and everyday. The book explores the struggles of supporting a family whilst also wanting to pursue your dreams.

Overall, if this is not on your summer read list then you absolutely need to put it on. It will help you escape to the perfect beach town and will captivate you with the characters challenges and triumphs!

Thank you to Suzy Approved Book Tours and Little Brown for my e-ARC and finished copies of this book!

Sweet summertime means sweet books!

Thank you Jamie Brenner and Suzy Approved Book Tours for a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Ruth just wants a quiet summer. That’s all she’s asking for as she treks to Cape Cod in search of a new home. While staying in this idyllic community, Ruth rents a home from Amelia and Fern, who harbor their own desires. Just when Ruth felt like she was settling in, a baby is dropped off on the porch with no explanation as to who she belongs to. This story follows a group of women who try to make everything work and find a home for a new addition.

This is my second novel by Brenner, who also wrote the entertaining, The Wedding Sisters. When I heard about her new novel, I knew I would enjoy a beautiful mix of breezy and meaningful in her story. Summer Longing delivered. This novel is filled with such cozy setting and characters that you just want to crawl into the story and stay a while. Ruth and her counterparts were well-developed and lovable. The book feels like an old friend who always makes you feel the right emotions.

A solid 4 stars!
Add Summer Longing to your beach bag now!

Thank you to Netgalley and Jamie Brenner for my copy of Summer Longing. A summer to start a new chalet in life, going to a place that brings back great memories and a place to think back on life. Provincetown is the setting and a house is a main character. A couple has painstakingly remodeled a house in the Cape. To save money they rent it out to a newly retired woman who needs a place to decompress. Ruth Cooperman brings her baggage to the house and the fun starts here. A baby is left at the door, the couple that rented her the house, Fern and Elise, can’t seem to leave the house they rented. Neighbors know all the gossip. Ruth’s estranged daughter finds her way to Provincetown and this happens to be one summer this whole town won’t forget. Overall this was a good summer read. I would recommend it to friends. It was a 4 star read for me.

My thanks to NetGalley and Little Brown and Company for the ARC of this fine novel.
Being a Provincetown visitor every summer for many years, one cannot resist a novel set in this wonderful place and Jaimie Brenner delivers the beauty and magic of this community.
It’s time for Cosmetic Entrepreneur Ruth Cooperman to retire. She is leaving Philadelphia behind and has chosen Provincetown as her new home. While looking for a permanent residence she rents a lovely cottage to begin the next chapter of her life. Her dream of solitude takes an unexpected twist when she finds an abandoned baby girl on her doorstep. Cottage rental owners Fern & Elise and a caring group of strong women join together to care for baby Mira. Jamie Brenner brings a unique quality to each character that brings depth and richness to this story. This is a book about mothers and daughters, marriage, divorce, love, friendship, redemption, sacrifice and second chances. There is much to identify within the pages and even more to learn.
Highly recommended.

Review will be posted on 6/4/2020

Ruth has come to the gorgeous coastal village of Provincetown to celebrate her retirement. She couldn't find a home to buy, so she rented the most perfect house while she looks to buy in the much sought out community. She has worked her whole life building her cosmetic company from the ground and now she wants to enjoy the perks of retirement. However, upon her arrival to the house, drama ensues. Not only is the house not ready for her, she meets the owner who is very reluctant to leave for one reason or another. To add to the drama, there's an abandoned baby left on her porch. The last thing Ruth needs is to take care of an infant, even it it's only temporary. All of this reminds her of her own fractured relationship with her daughter, Olivia, whom she feels like she never really had time for. Could this be the summer they repair their relationship? Then there's the owner of the house, Elise, who has always dreamed of being a mother and after a series of heartbreaking events, she has decided to put it on hold, perhaps permanently. She has her tea shop, a committed partner, so what more could she want? But she can't deny the hole in her heart that's left there when she faces life without a child. Summer Longing by Jamie Brenner is a delightful beach read that highlights female friendships, a strong community, and second chances.

I really enjoyed the character of Ruth in Summer Longing. As working mother, she has major guilt about putting her job first on some occasions and her daughter, Olivia, coming second. In turn, it has put a strain on her relationship with daughter. She is hoping she can repair that this summer. But things become complicated when the baby shows up on her doorstep. Even though she promptly calls the owner of the house, Elise, the baby keeps finding a way to mess up her plans and ultimately, remind her of her own daughter.

While I didn't always agree with Elise's decisions in Summer Longing, my heart went out to her. She really doesn't want to get the authorities involved with the baby that shows up on her doorstep, and her partner, Fern, is worried that this baby is going to be yet another heartbreak for her. Elise even convinces Ruth that they need to move back into the house to help take care of the baby, which I found to be crazy since Ruth rented it from her already! Elise runs a local tea shop, so she needs help taking care of this baby and that's where the tight-knit community comes in. All the while, they are wondering whose baby is this and Elise is wondering if this baby could be for her?

More family drama ensues in Summer Longing when Ruth's ex-husband comes up to visit along with Ruth's daughter. Ruth thought this first foray into retirement was going to be a quiet time at the beach, but it is turning out to be anything but. Imagine Olivia's surprise when she arrives to the house and her mother is taking care of an infant!

Jamie Brenner's Summer Longing is a satisfying beach read. It touches on more serious issues, but doesn't dwell long to remind us that this is a summer read best enjoyed in the sunshine with a cool drink and a warm breeze.

Jamie Brenner is a beautiful writer of woman's fiction. I adore her stories and characters. she is a go to author for me. Summer Longing is the perfect escape. Pack it next to those flip flops!

Summer Longing has been one of my favorite reads this spring! Jamie Brenner swept me away to Cape Cod and made me fall in love with a place I’ve never visited. Her descriptions of this beautiful, unique, and inclusive town were eclipsed only by the charming cast of characters made up of locals, transplants and outsiders. This is a story of motherhood, love, forgiveness, and second chances. Summer Longing just made me feel good. Definitely one to add to your TBR!

LOVED this book. My fave JB novel yet. Awesome characters, the most amazing setting - some romance, a little mystery, family drama... all my favorite components! I felt like I was right there on Cape Cod- such a great setting! A wonderful summer novel.

Is summer even summer without reading a Jamie Brenner novel? For me, it’s not, at least for the past few years! For the past four years I have kicked off summer, (and late spring), with a summer titled novel from Jamie, and it’s definitely one of the highlights of my summer. This year’s book was Summer Longing, which made me want to rent a house at the beach! And since I can’t make it to the beach this year, this book was a nice alternative.

Confession: The very first thing that drew me to the first book I read by Jamie was the cover. I LOVE the summer feels to these covers! And since I can’t resist a book with a pretty cover, I found all of these books to be irresistible.

One of the things that I loved about this book was getting to see some of the characters from a few of Jamie’s previous books. That’s always something that I enjoy, as it lets us get a little glimpse of what the characters have been up to since we last met them. I definitely enjoyed meeting them all again! AND we get to meet a lot of awesome new characters as well! I love that there was a various age range for all of the ladies in the book, yet I still managed to find them all relatable in some form or another. I love it when that happens!

I very much enjoyed the storyline for the book as well, especially the way it brought all of the women together. The baby that was left on the doorstep was definitely interesting, and I love how all of the women bonded over her. I was also super curious to discover who left her in the first place. Another favorite part of the book was the setting. Thanks to Covid19, we are not going to make it to the beach this year, so I wanted to read as many books as I can that are set at the beach. This book definitely had a great beach setting, and I could picture myself there perfectly!

Overall; <i>Summer Longing</i> was another great edition to Jamie’s summer-themed collection and I’m so thrilled that this was the first book to kick off my summer reading! The book had a great storyline and great characters, and definitely put me in the mood to read more summer books. If you’re looking for a great summer read, do check this out!

Happy Reading!

This is a must-read this summer! A baby left on a doorstep will forever change the lives of several women in Provincetown. This book explores the complex relationships that exist between mothers, daughters, friends, and spouses. I loved getting to know every character and found myself wanting the story to continue!

I just finished reading Summer Longing by Jamie Brenner and this book got me out of a serious reading slump. Everything I was trying just wasn’t holding my attention but this summer story did. It was the perfect escape. A beach town plus family drama times three plus a mystery baby plus romance times two equals one fantastic summer read. This book has it all and will be great for fans of Elin Hilderbrand and Meg Mitchell Moore.

Summer Longing is a story about the struggles between mothers and daughters, chasing dreams, relationship difficulties, obstacles and, ultimately, joy, all set in the charming tourist destination of Provincetown.

The story opens with Ruth Cooperman's arrival in town. At the age of fifty-eight, Ruth has sold the successful cosmetics company she established, and decided to spend her retirement years in Provincetown, where she enjoyed one youthful summer with her parents. In fact, it was in Provincetown that she met her husband, Ben, and began her life with him. However, the marriage faltered because of Ruth's work ethic and singular determination to build her cosmetics empire. Having abandoned his dream of being a playwright, Ben became an anesthesiologist and Olivia's primary caregiver following the divorce.

Living in New York City, Olivia is as obsessed with her career as her mother was, as evidenced by her most recent failed relationship and firm belief that it is impossible to balance one's personal and professional lives. Employed at Hotfeed, a celebrity social media-management company, her last boyfriend told her, "I hope you and your phone will be very happy together" as he exited her life. Ouch.

Elise Douglas has reluctantly agreed to rent the beautiful cottage she shares with her wife, Fern, to Ruth for the summer so that they can live upstairs from and focus on their tea shop. After several miscarriages, Elise had no choice but to give up her dream of becoming a mother when Fern refused to carry a child. When Ruth finds a beautiful baby girl on the doorstep one morning, Elise insists that she and Fern care for her rather than inform the local authorities, who will undoubtedly place the infant in a foster home. Elise is supported by Amelia, a widow, who declares that Provincetown folks take care of their own. Naturally, Elisa becomes attached to the little girl she names "Mira" because she deems her appearance a miracle.

As the summer progresses, Elise and Fern quarrel over whether to surrender Mira so that her parents can be located, especially given that residents are suspicious about her sudden appearance in town and questioning Elise's contention that she and Fern are in the midst of adopting her. Olivia arrives to visit her mother under false pretenses and ends up staying longer than she anticipated, which forces her and Ruth to examine their fractured relationship. Olivia reaches out to her father for support and he, too, proceeds to Provincetown to render her aid, setting up an impromptu reunion with Ruth.

And young Jaci agrees to assist Elise and Fern by caring for Mira, in part to escape her brother's demand that she assist him in running the family oyster business. Jaci insists that she wants no part of the enterprise, and plans to return to college in the fall.

Brenner creates vibrant, interesting characters who could be readers' own neighbors. Ruth, Elise and Fern, and Olivia are all struggling as they navigate major life transitions. Ruth now realizes how putting her business ahead of her family's needs caused her to miss spending time with Olivia as she grew up, a point driven home every time she cares -- reluctantly, at first -- for little Mira. She desperately wants to heal her relationship with her only child. Olivia faces a career crisis that requires her to reweigh her priorities and reconsider her options, and the arrival of Ben presents complications for Ruth because being around him stirs old feelings of affection and, perhaps, more. Elise and Fern's relationship is tested by Elise's reluctance to accept that Mira's abandonment must eventually be reported to the authorities and unwillingness to accept that she may never be able to raise a child. Meanwhile, Jaci is a loving caregiver to Mira, providing critical assistance to Elise and Fern as they strive to make their business a success.

Brenner credibly causes the lives of the characters to intersect and intertwine much, initially, to Ruth's chagrin. She arrives in Provincetown craving solitude in a beautiful home as she writes the next chapter of her life, but instead winds up frustrated by the presence of unwanted housemates, as well as Olivia's preliminary resentment and reluctance to move past the pain of childhood. Olivia becomes involved with the locals, as well. Throughout it all, there remains the mystery of Mira's parentage and, more particularly, why someone decided to leave her on the front step of the cottage owned by Elise and Fern. After all, that individual could not have known that Ruth had only just taken up residence in the home temporarily.

Summer Longing is precisely the type of engrossing tale that makes for a perfect "beach read." Brenner compels the story forward with the arrival of additional characters to the picturesque community and the additional complications they bring with them. The story is no less enjoyable because it is predictable, largely because of her endearing characters' revelations and the growth they experience as they come together in solidarity around Elise and Fern, and work out their relationships with each other. Brenner believably portrays the emotions her characters experience during the various stages of motherhood, from Elise's unrelenting desire to be a mother to Ruth's significant regrets about all the ways she could have mothered Olivia differently. She also demonstrates that second chances can present themselves and provide the opportunity not to change the past, but to create a more satisfactory future because of the lessons learned through failure and disappointment. And after all of her characters' secrets come to light, including the identity of Mira's mother, Brenner provides a conclusion to each character's story that is logical and satisfactory. That is extremely important because, by the conclusion of Summer Longing, Brenner's characters feel like next-door neighbors for whom readers only want the best outcome.

Fans of the genre expect a "beach read" to be entertaining, engaging, and heart-warming, and transport them to a luscious setting where they can escape from their real lives for a time. Summer Longing succeeds on all counts.

Ruth Cooperman wants to start over: she’s sold her cosmetic company, rented a waterfront cottage in Provincetown, and lured her estranged daughter to visit. But when she finds an abandoned baby on her porch, the workaholic learns that being a mom means giving up control and leaning on others. Heartwarming and smart, this tale of second chances is summer perfection.

This was the perfect read to celebrate the coming of summer and I can see many beach bags with this book inside them... with a cocktail. I felt like I was right there with the characters as they went through a very emotional, raw journey. I love how this was mostly set on Cape Cod. Who doesn't love stories set on Cape Cod and surrounding places?

This is story is all about a mysterious baby and the lives around it. Absolutely loved this book because it was about friendship, belonging and motherhood. So well written and new favorite author.

Thanks to Netgalley, Little Brown and Company for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I actually received this after the book was released.

Available: 5/5/20

What a enjoyable summer read! I was totally sucked in and invested in these characters. There were some twists along the way. I wanted to brew some tea while curled up reading this book. Jamie Brenner does it again. Fun read.

Great book about the conflict between mothers and daughters, spouses, and friends. The setting is perfect and the characters very well developed!
Highly recommend- you will be glad you read this book!