This novel is the second one I read this week with a slow burn but utterly beautiful love story set in the world of movies. Movie buff and memorabilia collector and seller Frankie Simon receives two letters from her recently deceased mother. The letter were written by a yester-year movie star to her husband and son. Frankie decides to track down the surviving son so she can give him the letters and that sends her on a journey where she discovers things from her mother's past, about her own history and the meaning of family ... all while falling in love.

A Summer To Remember, a debut novel by Erika Montgomery and to be published May 11, 2021, is the perfect beach read!

At 30 years old, Frankie Simon imagined a different life for herself – certainly not heartbroken, grieving and selling movie memorabilia in a shop on Hollywood Boulevard. Since her mother’s passing, Frankie has been trying to keep her mother’s store open, but rising costs are making it a challenge. One day she receives a package in the mail containing two unopened letters from long ago and an old photograph. The letters are addressed to the son of a deceased Hollywood star and she immediately contacts him hoping to forward a piece of his past. Ignoring Gabe, the rude addressee, Frankie sets off to hand deliver the letters and, in doing so, discovers that her past is linked with Gabe.

Although it took me quite a while to get into this novel, partly due to the flashbacks and partly due to my difficulty following the storyline, I loved reading about old Hollywood and getting a glimpse into lazy days celebrities spent vacationing in Cape Cod. I was reminded that we need to take opportunities when presented, ignore gossip and understand that our future is inextricably linked with and shaped by our past. Montgomery appealed to my nostalgia with her movie references and to my love of adventure with Frankie’s quest to unearth her past.

You’ll read about love, loss, secrets, betrayal, friendship and the necessity of finding where one belongs in this well-written, heartwarming look into old Hollywood and the relationships that endured the stress of the glitz and glamour.

Thank you to Erika Montgomery, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I read this book in one sitting. The characters aren't perfect and it made it feel more realistic. The transitions from the past and present were well-done.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review.

A beautifully written multi-layered story set in the past and present, A Summer to Remember is a delight.
In present day we have Frankie, owner of a LA film memorabilia store, finding two unopened letters written by Hollywood legend Glory Cartwright to her husband and son. They were in her recently departed mother’s possession along with a photograph of her mother, Maeve with Gloria and her husband, film star Mitch Beckett at Glory’s Cape Cod film festival. . Frankie is astonished not only to learn her mother knew them, but was at the festival where Frankie had tried to convince her to go many times. Realizing the timing is right she wonders if Mitch Beckett could possibly be her father and sets off for the Cape to find out.
The story in the past starts with Louise Chandler and her husband Russ meeting Glory for the first time as she and Mitch are coming to live on the cape for a year to escape Hollywood. Although she’s never really warmed to her husbands best friend Mitch, she and Glory soon become fast friends.
Beautifully written with an easy flow from past to present filled with wonderful characters you feel you know. I highly recommend A Summer to Remember.
Thank you to #St. Martins Press and #Netgalley

This is an intricate, beautifully crafted tale. So many different layers. I was intrigued at first that it started in Hollywood - it seems like so many books I've read recently take place on the East Coast. Then, it shifted to Cape Cod. However, the ties between the two made sense. Movie fans will love all the references.

Frankie is a Hollywood memorabilia dealer who recently lost her mother. She doesn't know who her father is. She heads to Cape Cod to try and piece together some clues and manages to unravel not only her own story but that of many others. Some of it is painful, most of it is cathartic.

There were a few parts that I thought were tied up a little too neatly, were too coincidental, but they served their purpose and were not completely unbelievable.

All in all, I loved this book. Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read a digital ARC in return for an honest review

A deceased mother’s hidden life and secrets are a shock to a grieving young woman. She uncovers the truth after finding two sealed envelopes and a life different from her own. I really enjoyed reading this. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Family secrets, Hollywood nostalgia and romance all add up to a story I enjoyed. My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A Summer to Remember by Erika Montgomery was just ok. I enjoyed it, but didn’t love it. The story was unbelievable and not that interesting. I did like the main characters, but didn’t find them engaging. I doubt I’d recommend it. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

WoW! I enjoyed reading this from start to finish!
Such a awesome book.
Erika really knows how to grab and hold your attention.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Frankie owns a memorabilia store that she shared with her late mother. One day she receives a package in which she finds a picture of her mom with a famous Hollywood couple a year before she was born. This starts her on a journey to unlock the secrets from her past.

Frankie runs a movie memorabilia shop in Hollywood. On a mission, she heads east to a Cape Cod town where a film festival is about to begin. Her main goal is to deliver two sealed letters addressed to the son of a deceased film star, whom she runs into almost immediately. The son, Gabe, is hostile at first. Then Frankie is stunned to learn that her mother was a fixture in this coastal town at one time, and that her own roots are entwined with those of Gabe's adoptive parents Russ and Lorraine, the film star Glory and her husband Mitch, and the film festival itself.

This is a good story, although it starts a little slowly. The idea of movie memorabilia as a thing was interesting. The coincidences are a bit much, but believably rendered. Frankie, Russ, Lorraine, Gabe, and Glory are multidimensional and worth rooting for. I recommend this novel. Thanks to Netgalley for the chance to read it.

“Where is your family?” “I’m not really sure... for all I know, they may be right here “

I could smell the salt air and feel the sand beneath my toes, what a wonderful story of nostalgia and memories !
Frankie runs a memorabilia shop in Hollywood, it was her deceased mothers dream. After her moms death a picture and two sealed letters are sent to Frankie. Having never known who her father was, this sends Frankie to the coastal town of Harpswich in search of her mother’s past.
This book took me a few chapters to get fully immersed but once I did I was hooked... romance, mystery, old Hollywood charm, movie quotes, secrets and new beginnings! I wanted more after I turned the last page .
A mix of old Hollywood with a current day beach town, who can possibly ask for more !
A huge thank you to St. Martin’s Press and to the author for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

As a fan of movies, this book was right up my alley. From the beginning when Frankie had a customer in her shop, I was hooked. A Summer To Remember had real characters. You could see these people had their flaws, and how they worked through their connected past. The setting in Cape Cod was fabulous. A book that had a touch of mystery that unraveled in flashbacks. A really good read!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this book. This is my honest review.

This story was a pure delight and offered a memorable tale of love and loss. This book will be the perfect Summer Beach Read for 2021 and is true to delight all who pick it up. The writing presented by Erika Montgomery is flawless and flows seamlessly as it tells the tale of Frankie and her sparkling romance. I cannot recommend this enough as it is not one to be missed.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy of this for review. It dazzled my senses and was pure joy!