Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Ruthie – ☆☆☆
3.5 stars

This is a book with a number of layers, but we get to see the story from different viewpoints – partly due to the reading/writing of never to be opened letters to the daughters and partly as the chapters swap between narrators. There is a lot of inner monologue, which I am not a huge fan of, particularly when it is expressing feelings which could have been demonstrated in other ways. But I did enjoy finding out all the nuances and reasoning that they protagonists had for their actions. Each of them believed that they were doing the thing that worked best for them. Thankfully, once they work out that happiness can be found in the simple and the honest. It can be found all around you, and sometimes being open to it, communicating clearly, and giving a hug when you want one, can work wonders.

There are some really fun bits, like the girls and Silas lying on the grass in the rain, the trip out on the boat. But there were some very discordant ones for me too – especially the beer incident, and a few times I wanted to put Eve on the naughty step! I was very curious as to how it could all work out, but I was mostly satisfied with how it ended. I think anyone in that situation might find it a salutary reminder of how lies definitely find you out, and how the grass is never greener on the other side!

That Summer in Maine is a book about family secrets and the truth finally coming out. I truly wanted to like this book, but it was a big miss for me. After getting 25% of the way through the book and the daughters are just getting on their way to Maine, I had to give up. There just wasn't enough to keep me coming back for more, even though I made several attempts. The main character just felt whiny and her mom was out of touch. I usually love books like this and I so looked forward to this one, especially because I have spent many summers in Maine.

That Summer in Maine was a unique book for me, unlike most of the books I read. It had a type of writing style and prose that was different for me. I enjoyed the change, and especially loved the focus on family and the psychological intricacies and elements surrounding it. The author was able to perfectly capture the feelings, angst, and anxiety of a teenager, as well as a mother, in a way that the reader can easily relate. As a mom to a daughter, I couldn’t help but look closely at the mother-daughter relationships in this novel and wonder how I would handle similar circumstances. I truly enjoyed this book and welcomed that it was not my typical type of read. I am looking forward to reading more by this author.

I'm not a fan in general of books that feature bratty teens who need a major attitude adjustment. Or feature parents who don't have conversations with their teens about how things are going in their lives. This book had both things, so I opted out early on.

Favorite Quotes:

It would have been better if that silence between them was thick and heavy with sadness or regret, but it had become light and comfortable now. Hazel and her mother were now connected by only the loosest stitch.

And from that moment on, every subsequent message that Hazel received from Eve was a supernova. Each text blew everything that once was, wide-open. Started life anew. Illuminated every fiber of her being. And it was all happening in Hazel’s own personal universe.

She felt that there was something deep within her that was better than her life allowed for.

Looking down at you, I felt as if I had gone out and bought something too precious and too expensive. It was as if I had walked around a shop I knew I shouldn’t have been in and walked out with something I couldn’t afford.

My Review:

This book was a pleasant surprise and I was rather besotted and bewitched by the outstanding writing quality, which frequently leaped out at me in the most unexpected places. However, the insightfulness and depth of the characters as well as the unexpected corners and nuances of the storylines often left me delightfully stunned and needing to reread passages more than once. This talented wordsmith obviously has a keen memory and profound understanding of the chaotic, confusing, conflicting, calamitous, and crushingly catastrophic emotions and thoughts of a teen as she developed the multi-faceted character of Hazel with devastating clarity. Did I have enough /c/ words there?

Each character was cleverly textured, multi-layered, captivatingly complicated, and endlessly intriguing, even when they greatly annoyed or frustrated me. Ms. Wolfson’s writing was thoughtfully emotive and cleverly observant with deftly penned and well-crafted prose that was often so elegant it snagged my breath. She is definitely going on my list of Ones to Watch. Fangirl down.

This was a very unusual story and that I couldn’t really relate to any of what any of the characters had been through… Which was fine. Opened me up to seeing peoples stories in a different way. I skimmed over much of the middle section telling the stories of the two mothers. For me, I was much more interested in the teenage daughters stories. There was a little too much preachiness at the end when the author was wrapping up the story… I didn’t need to be told several times what the novel had been all about.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

That Summer in Maine is a story that alternates between past and present. There are three narrators, Susie, Jane, and Hazel. In the past, two women, Susie and Jane, meet a man named Silas during a trip to Maine. Susie and Jane have two different relationships with Silas. Jane gets caught up in a whirlwind romance until she finds out that Silas slept with another woman. Susie was happy in her marriage, but she ended up sleeping with Silas as a one-night stand. Both of these resulted in unexpected pregnancies.

Sixteen years later, Jane's daughter, Hazel is contacted online by another sixteen year old, Eve, saying that they are sisters. Of course, to anyone, this would come as a shock, but especially to a sixteen year-old girl. Eve had already met Silas and spent the summer with him the previous year. Eve invites Hazel and with Hazel's current predicament with her mother having twins and no time for her, she accepts.

This book was a very beautiful telling about something that truly can happen within a family. Hazel feels like she's being replaced because her mother got married and had twin boys. She is unable to feel heard with her mother and doesn't feel as though she's a part of that family. She feels like she's an outsider. With the age gap between her and the twin boys, she finds it hard to fit in with her mother's "new family". I think people with siblings that have an age gap definitely could find this book relatable.

There was a lot about this book that I wanted to love. I had a hard time finding any development within the characters except for Hazel. Eve and Hazel are both supposed to be sixteen and I found myself thinking that their ages were not even close to the same. Hazel portrayed herself as a child almost. Eve seemed like a mean girl, but not like "high-school" mean. I found her seeming older than sixteen while I was reading it. It was hard to relate because they didn't seem the same age. I really didn't like the characters either. I did towards the end when I saw why they acted the way that they did. However, it was a little hard reading this not liking the characters until the end.

I did like that this was a story between mothers and daughters. It was almost like it was two stories in one book. I learned about the mother's stories and what happened and what they would do or wouldn't do differently. I got to see the outcomes from sixteen years of secrets. That alone was pretty interesting as a premise of the story.

Overall, I think more people should give this book a chance. The characters aren't that likable until the end, but once you see the background development, you'll like the ending and how everything plays out. I definitely would read Brianna Wolfson again as this was my first novel by her. If you are looking for a quick, feel-good family story, definitely pick this one up!

For most of her life it’s been just sixteen year old Hazel and her mother, Jane. Then, Cam came into Jane’s life. They married and had twin boys. Hazel no longer felt like part of the family. She felt like an outsider in her own home.

Through social media she found out she had a biological sister. They make plans to go to Maine and meet their biological father. Hazel is thrilled. She’s sure this will be her new family. Jane is terrified of losing her daughter to a man who has been absent from her daughter’s life for sixteen years.

I don’t want to give away too much of the plot, but I will say this is a different take on mother/daughter relationships. The characters are well-written and realistic. My heart went out to Hazel and her mother the most. Their situation is sad. My heart breaks for a teenager to feel so isolated.

It’s an emotional story that touches your heart. The first half mainly deals with the two mothers and how they became involved with the girls’ biological father. I thought the story really took off when we got to Maine and saw how the girls and their father got along. It’s a bumpy road to say the least.

This is a heartwarming story dealing with family, mother/daughter relationships and love. I never read this author before, but I was impressed and will be keeping an eye open for more of her work.

This was great. One man, two women, two children. After finding out they are half siblings Hazel and Eve go to visit their father. From there these families must acknowledge past hurts and m9ve forward. I loved reading about the dynamics and how family adapts and grows and how we each have our own place within it that is ever changing.

This was my first experience reading Brianna Wolfson's writing and I enjoyed her style overall. It was descriptive and flowed well, while also being filled with heart. I found myself feeling for many of the characters and their individual situations, even if they weren't something I could identify with myself, it was written that well.

I felt this was really a story about families and all the different relationships and roles that different members play and how those roles can change with life events, time and changes to the family. I really enjoyed the look at how family dynamics can shift and the different emotions that can happen with those shifts. I didn't necessarily like all of the characters, but each of their specific situations were well examined and explained.

So, I'm a little conflicted about That Summer in Maine. The storyline is really good and I like the characters for the most part. What I don't really like is that the way the book is written it almost seems like the two main sisters have sexual feelings with each other with how they spoke to each other. There are also written letters from the mothers to the daughters that I find a bit strange. The letters are mostly for the mother's and not the daughter's but it's hard for me to imagine them ever letting them read the letters. That's mostly because the letters are so formal and impersonal. Despite some of the weird things about the story that I personally feel could've been done better I still ended up really enjoying the story.

Sixteen years ago, two young women met Silas, a handsome young man at a craft fair, and had affairs with him. For Jane, it was a summer-long affair to help her cope with the recent deaths of her parents. For Sue, it was to relieve some stress over the fertility struggles she and her husband were having.

Both women became mothers and wives, and then one day, Jane's daughter Hazel is contacted by Eve, Sue's daughter informing her that they are sisters. Both want to spend the summer in Maine with their father, Silas. This rocks both Mother’s worlds.

I was a HUGE fan of the Author's book Rosie Colored Glasses. It was 5 tear-jerking stars for me. So, I went into this book with very high hopes. Which I realize is not entirely fair to the author or the new book. As with Rosie Colored Glasses this book deals with Motherhood, single motherhood, the mother-daughter relationship. It also deals with marriage, relationships, secrets, learning what makes a family, loneliness, the search for the truth, and belonging.

I found this to be an enjoyable book that handled all the situations with ease. Two women having an affair with a man and having daughters the same age can make for a messy and complicated situation. The characters were likable although some of them - Eve ticked me off with her fits of anger and deliberately saying things to hurt others. I enjoyed how the story was told especially and particularly appreciated the letters which written but not sent. I found this to be a clever and moving way in which Wolfson told both Sue and Jane’s stories and the decisions they made.

An enjoyable and quick read from a talented writer. I look forward to more books by Wolfson. She is a talented author who shows all her character's inner thoughts and feelings. We also learn about Silas and what his life was like before he met both Jane and Sue making him also an interesting character.

This might not have lived up to my high expectations, but it was still well written, full of heart, and showcased family dynamics.

Thank you to Harlequin - Mira and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

A new author for me and the description was intriguing. Two women from different circumstances became pregnant, about the same time by the same man. Flash forward to 16 years later and the two girls that resulted from these pregnancies meet on social media. They hatch a plan to spend the summer with their birth father in Maine.

It's an interesting concept and this coming of age story has some enlightening moments for each girl. They came for different reasons, but through shared experiences come to the realization that the family they had wasn't as bad as they imagined.

I received a free ARC eBook from Net Galley and the publisher in exchange for my honest opinions.

3.5 stars

Hazel Box and her single mother, Jane, had a close and loving relationship throughout her childhood and into her teen years. Then Cass came into her mother’s life. While Cass provided love and stability that Jane never knew with Hazel’s father, the new family dynamic has Hazel feeling like an outsider. When the twin boys are born, Hazel feels more than ever that she doesn’t belong. When Hazel is contacted online by a girl claiming to be her half-sister, Hazel jumps at the chance for a genuine connection.

Eve has been harboring anger ever since she learned that her father was not her biological parent. Her internet searches have let her find her birth father, as well as discovering a half-sister her own age. She spent some time last year with Silas, her birth father, and she intends to do so again this year, only this time, with Hazel along.

THAT SUMMER IN MAINE explores the varied and complicated relationships between the newly discovered sisters, former lovers, and blended families. When I selected this book to read, I assumed that the focus was going to be on the mothers of the girls and their former lover, but I was mistaken. While everyone’s story is touched on to some degree, Hazel is the hub, with her feelings of alienation and separation, and her search for belonging. I’m truly not a fan of teenage / young adult books, as my preference is to read about people who have had a chance to mature some, find out who they are, and then see the choices they make. Having said that, I did enjoy seeing the self revelations that Hazel’s mother discovered when her daughter was away from home, and how she allowed her new found happiness to truly take away from the relationship she had with Hazel. While I felt a tad sorry for Silas, the girls’ father, who was portrayed as a somewhat tragic figure, I also couldn’t help but shake my head at his carelessness and wonder if there were a dozen more unknown half-sisters lurking about. I appreciate that Hazel did somewhat find some peace, and a better sense of herself. THAT SUMMER IN MAINE is the type of read which will appeal to readers who really like to delve into complicated relationships, and those who enjoy exploring the emotions and lives of girls on the verge of becoming women in this crazy world.

Title: That Summer in Maine
Author: Brianna Wolfson
Genre: YA
Rating: 3 out of 5

Years ago, during a certain summer in Maine, two young women, unaware of each other, met a charismatic man at a craft fair and each had a brief affair with him. For Jane it was a chance to bury her recent pain in raw passion and redirect her life. For Susie it was a fling that gave her troubled marriage a way forward.

Now, sixteen years later, the family lives these women have made are suddenly upended when their teenage girls meet as strangers on social media. They concoct a plan to spend the summer in Maine with the man who is their biological father. Their determination puts them on a collision course with their mothers, who must finally meet and acknowledge their shared past and join forces as they risk losing their only daughters to a man they barely know.

This novel is a case of me just not liking the characters. Any of the characters. Well, Hazel was alright. I can’t imagine how she feels, struggling to find her place with her mom, stepdad, and new brothers and feeling adrift and ignored—and then she gets a message out of the blue she has a sister. And Eve, well, I definitely didn’t like her in the slightest. Lying, manipulative, selfish, superficial…Just no.

Frankly, both the girls’ mothers were annoying as well. And I have a bit of trouble believing they’d let their daughters go off to spend time in Maine with a father who never even acknowledged their existence…and who they don’t really know. To a place with no cell phone service. Really? How likely is that? Between that and the unlikable characters, well, I would have been better off passing on this one, despite the enjoyable writing style.

Brianna Wolfson lives in San Francisco. That Summer in Maine is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Harlequin/MIRA in exchange for an honest review.)

Wow. Just...wow. A roller coaster of emotions. Strong tale with enough wit and humor to keep it from being depressing.
An excellent read.

I just could not get into this book. I read half of it and that was enough. The writing seemed a bit rough. Hopefully with time the author's writing will be smoother. As I read I found that I just was not interested in what seemed to be two spoiled teenage girls.

When I requested this ARC from Netgalley and Harlequin, I was intrigued by the family dynamics and how they would play out. And in the end, the one thing I really enjoyed was the realization that family isn't always biological, it can be found or built from scratch. With that being said, there was a lot that I didn't care for, or I just never connected with the characters. The one thing I will talk about here is there are two plots or chunks, but they aren't woven together well. I think this could have benefitted from being written in a more integrated way or as separate plots altogether.

*Not included on Goodreads*
I really struggled to get through this book and ended up skimming large sections. Like I mentioned about the way it was written with the chunk of letters in the center was really offputting and really threw me off the story. Within that, and this may just be me, the way the letters were written in felt like Jane competing with the other mother. Like oh well you are telling this part of your story, well here is mine. It left a sour taste in my mouth. I felt like this could have been handled better or presented better with more humility.

I really wanted to enjoy this book because it sounding intriguing, but I mostly just struggled through it, taking weeks to read it.

This was such a beautifully written contemporary novel about family, the need to know where you come from, and the irreplaceable bond of mother and daughter. I think we all enjoy a good story of lost love, at least I know I do, but this added a whole new perspective to it for me. I’ve never read anything quite like it, and that is part of what makes it so special. You get to follow four women on two journeys. Jane and Susie, on their journey of dealing with the past and how their daughters were conceived and what that means for their lives and relationships now. Then the journey of Hazel and Eve, dealing with getting to know their biological father and deciding what that means for their lives moving forward, but also adjusting to the fact that they are sisters.

I immediately fell in love with Hazel and Jane, and the relationship they had before Jane found Cam and their family grew. Brianna’s way of writing make the character’s feelings so realistic that you can almost feel them right alongside them. I found it harder to relate to Susie and Eve, but that was purely for the fact that their affluent background isn’t something I relate to. It was entirely appropriate and crucial to the story, and I enjoyed their part in it. I actually found it quite easy to like all of the characters, feel pity for them, empathy and joy. This is truly a beautiful story, and one that will swallow you up heart and soul

A well written book that explores family dynamics. I enjoyed the author's writing style and the thought provoking prose about wanting (and needing) to fit into your own family.