Music books are my jam and Lady Sunshine hit all the right notes. I loved this book. I was taken on a journey that I never wanted to leave.
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Told in dual timelines in 1979 and 1999 Jackie spends the summer at her Aunt and Uncle’s 400 acre estate, known as The Sandcastle.
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Jackie spent a magical summer there in 1979, where her uncle, a famous musician gathered fellow musicians and artists to congregate and gather each night around a campfire. Jackie bonded with her cousin and her aunt, but her magical summer ended in tragedy.
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In 1999 she must return when The Sandcastle becomes hers to sell. She must confront her past and face her future, all with the backdrop of a gorgeous setting and set to the soundtrack of her life.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Graydon House Harlequin Publishing for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest novel by Amy Mason Doan - 4.5 stars rounded up for a wonderful look into family, secrets and the cost of fame.

Told in two distinct time periods, 1979 and 1999, we find Jackie Pierce falling under the spell of Sandcastle, her uncle’s bohemian music colony on the CA coast. She also falls under the spell of Willa, her cousin, and they become the best of friends. Then tragedy strikes and Jackie never sees Willa again. Twenty years later, Jackie is living a world away as a teacher in Boston when she learns her aunt passed away and left her Sandcastle. She heads back, intent on packing it up and selling as soon as possible. However, she discovers her uncle left a notebook of songs that her aunt gave to a producer to make a tribute album. With musicians once again inhabiting the estate, Jackie is again under its spell and set on getting answers to long-buried secrets.

This book will transport you back in time complete with an amazing setting and summer soundtrack. It’s a coming of age story with family loyalties and secrets tested at all turns. Both Willa and Jackie are strong female characters that you will fall in love with. This is a fabulous summer read that I couldn’t put down until the mystery was solved with that wonderful ending.

Jackie has just learned she has inherited The Sandcastle from her aunt and uncle. When she returns to the estate, she realizes her past is there to haunt her. She is not sure she wants to remember or face her dark secret.

Back in 1979, Jackie has been sent to her Uncle’s for the summer. She has never met him or his family. But Jackie and Willa, her cousin, become fast friends after a rough start. They have a free and easy summer, until one day Jackie discovers the family secret. She and Willa concoct a plan to change things…it ends up changing their whole world.

Oh wow! What a fantastic novel. I fell hook, line, and sinker right from the start. The setting of the house and the communal living is very unique. Plus, the music references and the music business is fascinating. Add the wonderful characters along with the mystery and you have a five star story!

Need a novel which you cannot put down…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

This novel alternates between two time periods, both told from the point of view of a woman named Jackie, both set at the Sandcastle, the (fictional) California property where (fictional) famous folksinger Graham Kingston lived with his family. In 1979, 17 year old Jackie is sent by her father and step-mother to spend the summer there with her Uncle Graham, Aunt Angela, and cousin Willa, all of whom she has never met, only to find that it’s kind of a freewheeling artists colony for the summer. In 1999, the adult Jackie returns for the first time in 20 years when she inherits the property from her recently deceased aunt, planning to sell it but convinced to allow a tribute album to her uncle to be recorded there first. You know from the start that something bad happened that summer that has kept Jackie away for the last 20 years, but it takes a while to figure out exactly what. So it’s a character-driven novel with a little bit of mystery, a little bit of coming of age story, and just a great overall atmosphere, where not just the characters but the location really comes to life.


If you’re looking for something to read that has a summery vibe but is not light and fluffy, this book would be a great choice. Looking forward to catching up on Amy Mason Doan’s previous books as well as whatever she writes next.

4.25 stars.

Lady Sunshine is a coming-of-age story that is both whimsical and heartbreaking. It follows Jackie aka Lady Sunshine when she visited her uncle’s sprawling estate one summer in 1979. It was there that she experienced freedom and belonging as she developed fast friendship with her cousin Willa. The Sandcastle, as the estate was called, was a place for musicians, artists and free spirited bohemians coming together to make music, stopover and have fun with Willa’s father, who was a known folk singer. But during the end of that summer, something tragic happened and Willa disappeared forever. Fast forward to 20 years later, Jackie received news that Willa’s mother passed away and that she bequeathed the Sandcastle to Jackie and also promised a producer that with Jackie’s blessing, he can record an album using the Sandcastle’s recording studio as a tribute to her uncle. Jackie reluctantly agreed, even though it opened up the Pandora’s box of what really happened that summer when she last stepped foot in that place. With alternating timelines of 1979 and 1999, I became nostalgic of the past as I read through the novel (remember walkman and discman? 😂) I wasn’t invested too much at the start, but by midway, I really felt for Jackie and Willa. Their friendship was so genuine, pure and innocent. Add to that the setting of Sandcastle with treehouse, woods, waterfalls and the ocean… truly a perfect summer read. I was really glad that Jackie was able to come to terms with her past and move on to have a better future. I love a good ending!!! The author included a playlist at the end of the book — play them while reading this and you’re guaranteed to have an enjoyable read!

Books set in the music scene of the 1970s are popular right now, (novels like Taylor Jenkins Reid's Daisy Jones and the Six, Emma Brodie's Songs in Ursa Major, Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau and Ronald Brownstein's nonfiction Rock Me on the Water) and if you fondly remember those days, Amy Mason Doan's new novel Lady Sunshine is for you.

The novel is set in two time periods- 1979 and 1999- at the Sandcastle, the home of once-popular folk singer Graham Kingston. The Sandcastle is a sprawling rural estate, where Graham, his wife Angela, and teenage daughter Willa live in a commune-like existence, along with the myriad of stragglers and fans who show up.

In 1999, Graham's niece Jackie, a Boston music teacher, has inherited the Sandcastle and returns to pack up the remains of the place and prepare it for sale after the death of Angela. Graham is already dead, and the story hints that there is something mysterious about his death, as well as questions about what happened to Willa.

While there, Jackie meets Shane, a musician who tells her that Angela asked him to record a tribute album at Graham's studio at the Sandcastle. Angela gave Shane a notebook with Graham's original music and lyrics, and although Jackie wants to finish the task and go back to Boston, something from the past haunts her.

Jackie came to stay at the Sandcastle one summer in 1979 when she was 17 years old. She didn't know her aunt and uncle well, and it is with Willa whom she creates a solid friendship bond. Willa teaches Jackie to surf, and they write songs together.

Although Graham is a hero to the many people who come and stay at the Sandcastle, there are hints that Angela and Willa think differently about him. After Jackie witnesses something disturbing, she and Willa decide to do something that results in tragedy.

Jackie lost touch with the Kingstons after that summer, and returning to the Sandcastle twenty years later brings up things she doesn't want to remember. She thinks she sees Willa on the property, although no one has seen Willa in twenty years, and other items show up that relate to the mystery of the night of Willa's disappearance.

Lady Sunshine is a story of young female friendship, with a mystery twined around it. Anyone who grew up in that 1970s time period will be transported back to those summer days, when music and friendship meant everything.

Thanks to Harlequin for putting me on their Summer 2021 Beach Reads Blog Tour.

This fascinating novel takes readers back to 1979 as young Jackie Pierce finds herself spending the summer at her uncle’s place on the California coast. Talk about laid back: People come and go, mostly artists and musicians (her uncle is one). Seems almost like a commune to me.
Jackie and her cousin Willa become good friends, with Willa showing Jackie all about the beach and the woods and Jackie returning the favor by teaching Willa about current culture (no TV available). However, the summer ends on a tragic note, and Willa disappears.
When Jackie inherits the property 20 years later, she just wants to get it ready for sale and move on. The place continues to draw her in, and she keeps extending her stay. As time wears on, she begins to wonder if what she thought she knew is true or not.
Very well plotted and haunting story.

Jackie Pierces story starts in the summer of 1979 when she is sent to her uncles for three months. Here she meets many interesting people who are artists and have lives that she can not comprehend. Now with Jackie’s uncles passing, she has inherited her uncle’s estate and is back in town to try and decide what she should do with the property. All she wants to do is sell the property and go back to her regular life, but when she decides to honor her aunts wishes, she extends her stay, and her life is about to change. When the past resurfaces, Jackie will have to face the truths of what happened back when she was a child.

This was such a unique story of one woman’s journey to deal with the past. I liked the story line and how it developed throughout the book. The characters were complex and well written and the story kept me invested in finding out what really happened all those years ago. Amy Mason Doan was a new author for me, but I am already excited to see what other books she has written. Harlequin Publishing, Amy Mason Doan and Netgalley gifted me with an advanced copy of the book, and I would like to thank them all. All my opinion are entirely my own.

At seventeen, Jackie Pierce is sent to the California coast for the summer of 1979 to spend time with relatives she has never met. Her uncle is a musician and his estate is constantly filled with musicians and artists enjoying a bohemian lifestyle of communal living. She becomes fast friends with her cousin Willa until tragedy abruptly ends their summer adventures. Twenty years later, Jackie unexpectedly inherits the estate and when she returns to settle its affairs, she finds that her aunt had promised a music producer that he could record one final tribute album to her uncle at the property. She reluctantly agrees but the presence of all her guests brings back difficult memories and resurfaces some questions about what happened that summer in 1979.

For me, this was reminiscent of books like Daisy Jones and the Six, and The Great Godden – a summer of adventure and coming-of-age experiences until something happens and the narrative is piecing it together to reveal what transpired. Lady Sunshine alternates between 1979 and 1999, and the story unfolds in a satisfying way. We really get a sense of the free-spirited energy of those staying at the estate, and in that way, really set the scene for the magic of that place. Us as the reader can truly get a sense of the experiences through the eyes of Jackie seeing it for the first time.

I loved that the 1999 version of Jackie was a well-established grown woman in her 30s. She has a job she loves, is in a relationship and is now having to make some difficult decisions as she packs up the belongings of a family she only knew for a brief time. While I found some of the periphery characters sometimes hard to keep track of, Jackie, Willa and all the supporting characters were fairly well developed. Their stories are interesting and is woven into the story in a compelling way.

Overall, I really enjoyed this novel and recommend it for those who are looking for a summer read that has a bit of romance, a lot of friendship, some drama and mystery. It explores the relationship of families in different ways and how things may not always be as they appear.

Review: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (4.5 /5 stars)

Lady Sunshine is exactly what I want in a summer read. And by that, I mean it takes place outside and in the summer.

I love coming of age novels where we also the adult perspective, looking back in time at when they were a teenager, and that's exactly what we have here in seeing Jackie's life as a teen and as an adult, returning to the house of her famous uncle where she spent a formative summer. I wanted to be there, too. There were beaches, campfires, and lots of music. Plus best friends, first loves, and a mystery about why Jackie left and is so reluctant to return.

My only quibble is that I would've liked more set up with the ending. [I feel like Graham's dark side was revealed pretty quickly, and it was a fast transition from that to he's dead and the family is better off that way. Same thing with Willa being alive. I would've liked some more hints about that, too. The ending was satisfying, though, and I was happy with where everyone ended up. 4.5 stars.

Thank you to Let's Talk Books Promo, KCCPR, Harlequin Books and Netgalley for a copy of this one!

Lady Sunshine was a whim pickup for me. I loved the cover, the blurb sounded fantastic, and well, I can't ignore anything with folk music. A young adult girlhood dream to live with the land, to see a musician at work, to live alongside the ocean. The seventeen-year Jackie of 1979 doesn't yet know this will be the summer that shapes her, that changes her forever, but soon she will. The hardened Jackie of 1999 knows what those three-months did to her, to her family, but she still finds she can't deny the pull of Graham Kingston's music, her memories of Willow, and a sundrenched summer. The summer of '79 ended in heartbreak, the summer of '99 appears to be starting that way, but the musicians who are bringing Sandcastle back to life again may hold answers that Jackie didn't even know she was searching for.

I admit, I did not expect to get pulled into this story the way that I did, it was quite impossible to put down. Amy Mason Doan does such an incredible job of taking you into the past, into a musical world, and into the thoughts of a 17-year-old girl and a 37-year-old woman. Filled with nostalgia and evocative descriptions, Lady Sunshine is the summer read you didn't know you needed. I was completely captivated by Jackie and Willa, the two cousins whos lives couldn't be any more different, but who found a bond that summer as they grew into themselves, as they faced the truth of fame and family secrets. Even better, Jackie's voice grows with her and I loved seeing the summer of '79 from her adult perspective, I love how Doan wrote about the hold it had on her, how the magic of the 400 acres never faded.

If you love historical fiction about the more recent past, folk music, and books like Daisy Jones, Lady Sunshine is a must pick up. A beautiful, dual-timeline tale that takes place in sunny California during the huge folk wave of the seventies.

This magical coming-of-age novel is a nostalgic look at friendship and family in a unique world filled with sunshine and secrets that you don't want to miss.

As a teenager, Jackie Pierce spent the summer of 1979 at The Sandcastle, the bohemian estate that belonged to her folk singing Uncle Graham. It was an idyllic time spent with her cousin Willa and the free spirited musicians and friends who drifted in and out of the secluded paradise until one horrible night ruins everything.

Twenty years later, Jackie inherits the place but wants nothing to do with the memories it holds and plans to quickly sell it. But when a young producer arrives hoping to record a tribute album to her uncle there, Jackie feels compelled to say yes and spends another summer at The Sandcastle, trying to figure out what actually happened so many years ago.

Doan builds such a vivid sense of place and time with this book. Reading the chapters set in the 70s makes you feel like you're at The Sandcastle, enjoying bonfires, swinging over the ocean or collecting sea glass. Jackie and Willa's teenage friendship is beautiful and so relatable and I couldn't stop turning the pages to find out what had torn them apart. I left this book feeling like I'd made two friends and wishing I could visit this special place and hear the music recorded in The Sandcastle studio. Lady Sunshine everything I want out of a summer read - it takes you on a trip without ever leaving home.

Thanks to Harlequin and NetGalley for a copy to review.

The Review

A truly heartfelt and enthralling historical fiction and mystery-read author Amy Mason Doan is a master of weaving various genres together in a most natural way. The culture and setting of both the ’70s and 90’s California scene were felt wholeheartedly in this book, becoming a character all its own within the narrative. The pacing as the stories of both the past and the (nearer past) helped elevate not only the mystery and narrative of this book but the character’s interaction with one another.

The characters and their relationships were the true heart of this novel. The way certain characters embodied the music scene of late 70’s era California was incredible to see unfold and really informed the development of Jackie as a protagonist to the character’s present day. The addition of the mystery aspect of this family’s legacy and history really showcased the balance the author found within the historical fiction genre, making this a truly remarkable read.

The Verdict

A masterful, engaging, and thought-provoking mystery and historical-fiction novel, author Amy Mason Doan’s “Lady Sunshine” is a must-read story. A great blend of family dynamics, cultural evolution, and family secrets and how they influence the development of our futures make this a stand-out narrative, and the perfect historical fiction read for the 2021 summer. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!

I wasn't really sure what to expect going into this book but the premise definitely intrigued me. I can't say enough about this novel. It was beautifully written, soulful and engaging. Sandcastle is a bit of Oregon that her Uncle owns and uses as a retreat for musicians. It's a place that Jackie gets to experience during the summer before her Senior year of high school. She's not sure what to expect but 20 years later she inherits it after her Aunt passes away. As Jackie cleans out the house and studio to sell, that life changing summer comes flooding back to her.

Lady Sunshine is a story about finding family, finding yourself and growing up. This will go on my favorites of 2021 list for sure.

This book brought back in time and made feel a lot of emotions. I would have loved to live in the 70s California and I fell in love with the story and the great characters.
The author delivers a fascinating story full of emotions, secrets and the plot kept me turning pages as fast as I could.
A book like this should come with a soundtrack as I was playing songs in my minds as I read.
It’s a brilliant story, well developed and enthralling. You cannot help loving Jackie, Willa and the characters and, as the author is a talented storyteller, you cannot put this book down.
The dual timeline works perfectly and the characters are fleshed out and interesting.
It’s the first book I read by this author and won’t surely be the last.
It’s strongly recommended.
Many thanks to Graydon House and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I loved this dual timeline book- transitioning between 1979 and 1999. This was such a well written coming of age story that dealt with complex issues and wasn’t afraid to touch on difficult topics.
I finished this book in a day because I couldn’t put it down, a perfect beach read.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my gifted ebook copy.

I liked this book especially as a summer read. I always enjoy when authors hop back and forth between two different time frames, and Amy Mason Doan did just that with this book. I enjoyed Jackie's character both in the late 70s and late 90s, but there were parts of the storyline that I just did not personally connect with. Overall, it was a good book, but not one that I would rave about to my book-loving friends.

𝘊𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘤.

A family secret, music, a gorgeous setting, complex characters and beautiful writting.
This is my first book from this author and I fell in love with her writting, I was completely absorbed with this story since the first chapter. 𝙇𝙖𝙙𝙮 𝙎𝙪𝙣𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙚 is the perfect summer read.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 Let’s Talk Book Promo , Kathleen Carter Communications , Amy Mason Doan Author , Harlequin 𝘢𝘯𝘥 NetGalley 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺.

https://www.instagram.com/booksandcoffeemx/

Obviously the actual sunshine made my picture of this book, Lady Sunshine by Amy Mason Doan not as sharp as I would like, but it is fitting. The cover has a hazy feel which matches the book’s hazy, lazy, late 70’s feel.
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Once again, @berittalksbooks and @letstalkbookspromo picked a book I might have otherwise missed out on and I am so happy I read it. I am sitting back and reflecting about so many good points in the book. That is a good feeling.
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At one point our protagonist, Jackie, reflects that she came to Sandcastle, her uncles sprawling Oceanside property as a 17 year old always trying to act older and, while spending her summer days with her cousin, Willa, she was a 17 year old enjoying the simple pleasures of someone younger. It was that escape and the joy in just being that I enjoyed so much in reading about Jackie’s summer at Sandcastle.
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The author weaves in some suspense about what actually happened at the end of the summer and what demons the now adult Jackie is facing in her return to Sandcastle twenty years later. I thought the transitions in timelines was well done and I was caught up and interested in both.
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Everything was described in such beautiful detail that I was sure Sandcastle was a real place, Jackie’s uncle, Graham, was a real recording legend, and the cousin’s friendship made me want to visit my own cousin’s immediately.
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It seems odd that a book set in 1979/1999 is historical fiction. I lived that history and I think that is why I could sink in and let the atmosphere of the book settle over me and really enjoy it. I loved some of the cultural references like Spudnik and all the popular music that was thrown into the story. I think I might need a soundtrack!
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Truly a character driven story with character I really enjoyed. This book is out on Tuesday and I hope you will grab it and spend your summer at Sandcastle as well.
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AMAZING BOOK ALERT!!
I have loved Amy Mason Doan’s previous books and Lady Sunshine was one of my most anticipated books of the year. I LOVED this book!! I actually went into this one with no idea what it was about. All I knew was that it was a book of Amy’s and that meant it was an auto read for me. The story takes place over two summers twenty years apart. Both time periods were exceptionally written and the characters were complex and engaging. I was hooked from the first chapter and the mysteries and family secrets had a steady buildup until the end. I loved everything about this book! If you are looking for a great summer read be sure to pick this one up!