I enjoyed what I would consider a great summer “beach” read. Lu, Kenya, and Natalia are friends since college and live on Cape May. Kenya is a high-powered lawyer and commutes to the city for work. Natalia works in her family winery. Lu was a lawyer but decided to open a high-class inn on the cape. Each of the women have secrets that involve another one. And those secrets may tear some relationships apart. I really enjoyed this book. #netgalley

This was an entertaining book. It was fun, heartwarming and held my interest. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others.

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Three friends wend their way through personal troubles.. Can their friendships last?

Lu finds out her mother was not truthful to her about her father and now her fiancé has not been completely truthful to her either. Will their long planned wedding take place?

Kenya lost her husband in a accident, or was it suicide? Either way she was left out of decisions that she should have been party to. Now a new man in her life wants her and she's not sure she can do a relationship again.

Nathalia wants to be a mother in the worst way. After a miscarriage, she finds her husband's old lover and mother of his child is still in contact with her husband. Can they move forward after this loss and betrayal?

All three women are guilty of keeping information from each other, and sharing information with others that they were sworn to secrecy to keep. Their rock solid girl group is now shattering as truths come to the surface and each of them feels betrayed by the others.

Three different stories for these three different women. After being close friends for ages, can they work through their individual issues and be there for each other?

I enjoyed this book. Although it begins a bit slowly, the book finds its legs and scampers forward quickly. A wonderful resolution for all three women.

A story about friendship, trust and forgiveness.

Lu, Kenya, and Natalia are best friends who are more like sisters living in Cape May. Despite their busy lives, they always find time for each other and are there to support one another. However, unspoken secrets threaten their trust and friendship.

I love the strong sisterly bond these characters share and how their friendship is portrayed. Their reactions to revealed secrets were understandable. They were trying to do what was best for them and trying to move forward.

I love the beach setting, making it the perfect beach read. I enjoyed the food descriptions in the book. However, the pacing was quite slow. Overall, I liked reading this book.

I wasn’t expecting even 1/4 of the shocks and secrets this book delivered!
I loved the setting of the beach of Cape May and the friendships of Lu. Kenya, and Natalia.
However, I didn’t think it was cool some of the secrets that the friends shared to others and even the unintended recipient.
I thought Kenya definitely deserved to know what had been withheld from her because it might have helped her recovery.
Lu receives 2 huge secrets but navigates both successfully.
Natalia gets the biggest shock and I thought it was bad but in the long run she’s better off with the results.
Friends who have your back are hard to find but even they can mess up sometimes.

Quick Summary: A sisterhood and secrets novel

My Review: Summer on Cape May by Monica Garner is a contemporary, women's fiction novel. It is scheduled for release on 4/29/25.

About the Book: "...three longtime friends find that past secrets, new loves, and hard choices test their bond like never before."

In My Own Words: A trio of friends have secrets and entangled lives.

My Final Say: Summer on Cape May represents a place where lies persist, lines are crossed, and love becomes the glue that binds a group of friends together.

I really wanted to love this book, but in the end, it was just a like for me. It was an interesting read, with a lot of moving parts. Some of those parts were believable and some were unbelievable.

I did love that the characters were multicultural and that they dealt with emotionally sobering issues.

It took me a minute to warm up to the writing style, truthfully. Also, the pacing was challenging for me, as a reader. I wonder if an audiobook format might set a better tone.

Other: Readers who enjoy stories of friendship and sisterhood, stories on overcoming situations in life, and stories on fresh starts may like this book.

Rating: 3.25/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: A
Triggers: Yes
Status/Level: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Format: E-book

Thank you to the author, to the publisher (Kensington Publishing | Dafina), and to NetGalley for granting access to a digital ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review. I am appreciative for the opportunity. I look forward to reading more from this writer.

4 ⭐. Not one to normally like more of a literary fiction book. I enjoyed this one. I like that there were multiple key elements in the book- including friendship, living at the beach and surprisingly secrets between best friends. I found that very interesting how Monica Garner brought about secrets and shattered these strong relationships. The novel has strong female characters, but they all had me equally invested in them. I was content with the ending and how everything panned out.

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is a nice story about friends who are like sisters. It helps that it is set in a beach town! But can they overcome one friend's betrayal?

Lu, Kenya, and Natalia are best friends who share not just meals and laughter, but also unspoken truths that eventually threaten to break their bond. The beachside setting of Cape May adds warmth and atmosphere, yet it’s the emotional tides beneath the surface that drive the story forward.

Garner crafts strong, relatable female leads, none of whom stand out more than the others—which works well in a story focused on the dynamics of friendship rather than individual arcs. The unfolding secrets inject just the right amount of tension, culminating in a believable, if painful, fallout.

For foodies, the vivid culinary details woven into their weekly gatherings are a treat. And for everyone else, the novel offers a comforting reminder that self-doubt and vulnerability are part of even the most seemingly put-together lives.

This is a solid, heartfelt novel—one that reflects the messiness and resilience of real relationships. A good pick for readers who enjoy character-driven stories with emotional depth.

This one had a lot of drama going on. No one was perfect in this story but all three were trying their best to do the right things. Each woman’s situation is explained as they all try to move forward with their lives.

Such a fun book that will have you longing for true friendship and the beach!

One summer, three women. Lu, Kenya, and Natalia are all on Cape May for the summer. They all have a secret, they all have some troubles. They also all have each other. This is all about friendship. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. One to slip into your beach bag.

1⭐️ Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for an advanced copy of Summer On Cape May.

Three friends who are like sisters are all going through things in their lives and trying to navigate the right path forward.

I had to stop reading after the first chapter the talk about the miscarriage was just too much for me. You should probably put some kind of trigger warning at the beginning of the book.

Which is worse - being betrayed by your mother, your wife, your fiance’ or your best friend?
Lu, Kenya and Natalia are doing their best to live the lives they have and the ones they want. Then, there’s a shake up! One after another, the friends are dealt some interesting cards. But...what do they do? How will they handle these fractures? This story has a few moving parts but it all goes together well. I quite enjoyed the story and loved getting to know the friends and seeing them through their ups and downs. The author does throw a curveball or two when you least expect it so be prepared!

three friends living on cape may, are planning a wedding for one of the friends. Secrets come to light, good read

friendship and love isnt built on ideals. its built on all the in-betweens too. sure the good time add those sprinkles to it. but the base, the base is the deep connection that you just have with some folk. those bonds are the ties that bind and bond you.
in friendship like with our three girls there is layers to each of you as individuals and together. when growing up different life happens to all of them. they can weather it together. but when things not only effect their own separate life but go on to shatter and betray the groups. what then? if you can withstand that. if you can withstand grief,sadness and hopelessness and come out holding each other up at the end. well, then youve made it.

i love how this book went deeper. it showed the light and shade of it all. communication and wanting to do to the right thing can often be the catalyst for so much of lifes mishaps! especially with those we love. when you think your doing the right thing, or trying to protect, or too scared, embarrassed or ashamed. it sucker punches you into silence, or doing something silly. but then its how you work your way out of that i guess. and how you allow others in. and these group prove that.
it sounds morbid to say i enjoyed this book because they went through an awful lot of angst. but i did. it was such a well balanced book. it handled everything the good and the bad with equal tender and sensitive writing.
i didnt favour any of the characters over the other and felt for each of them. together i just hoped theyd be ok because their friendship truly held my heart.

Summer on Cape May by Monica Garner is more than a summer read or a beach read. The novel explores friendship, strength, and trust. Lu, Kenya and Natalia are besties. They get together weekly sharing a meal, companionship, and feelings.

While their friendship is a key element, their living on the beach at Cape May is also one of the key elements for the book. However, secrets are another element. Each of the women is inadvertently placed in a situation where they know a secret that should be shared with one of the others, but they don’t. So when the secrets come out - which we all know they will - the information shatters their friendship.

The novel has strong female characters and while I appreciated them all, I was not liking any one character more than the others. This is a novel that if you are a foodie, the food described might be something for you. The novel reminded me that even the most together person has areas of self doubt and confusion like the rest of us! Summer on Cape May by Monica Garner is a good read.

A great premise and synopsis. Unfortunately the novel was lacking in every possible way. I do not recommend!

"Summer on Cape May" follows three longtime friends: Lu, Kenya, and Natalia, whose deep bond is tested during one summer.

The story portrays authentic female friendship. They have weathered many life's storms together, but now face individual challenges that threaten not only their personal happiness but their own bond.

What captured me most was how the author balanced the serious emotional themes with the vivid charm of the setting's backdrop. Cape May itself becomes a character, with its historic real estate, beaches, and warmth of small town comfort. While following the familiar women's fiction beats, the characterization and thoughtful handling of difficult subjects, grief, forgiveness, betrayal, and second chances elevate the reading experience. This story reminds us that true friendship can survive the most difficult revelations and that healing often comes through honesty and vulnerability.

This was an enjoyable beach read about friendship, relationships, family and secrets. I loved the setting in a relaxed beach town and the characters relationships with each other, their growth and realistic struggles.