Hollywood Nostalgia and
Modern Day Cape Cod
Blend Into a Delightful Tale
Description
For thirty-year-old Frankie Simon, selling movie memorabilia in the shop she opened with her late mother on Hollywood Boulevard is more than just her livelihood—it’s an enduring connection to the only family she has ever known. But when a mysterious package arrives containing a photograph of her mother and famous movie stars Glory Cartwright and her husband at a coastal film festival the year before Frankie’s birth, her life begins to unravel in ways unimaginable.
What begins is a journey along a path revealing buried family secrets, betrayals between lovers, bonds between friends. And for Frankie, as the past unlocks the present, the chance to learn that memories define who we are, and that they can show us the meaning of home and the magic of true love.
Experience the salty breeze of a Cape Cod summer as it sweeps through this sparkling, romantic, and timeless debut novel tinged with a love of old Hollywood.
Details
- Rating: ☆☆☆☆
- Title: A Summer to Remember
- Author: Erika Montgomery
- Genre: Women’s Fiction, Historical Fiction
- Length: 320 pages
- Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
- Release Date: 5/11/2021
- Excerpt
My Thoughts
A Summer to Remember is a dual narrative with mystery, romance, and adventure, topped with a beautiful cover. It is the perfect book to toss in a bag and head to the beach with.
Frankie and her late mother owned and worked together at a Hollywood memorabilia shop. As Frankie is working around the shop after her mother’s death, she discovers some things that cause her to question her mother’s past. It certainly seems that secrets have been withheld. And since Frankie’s biological father has never been disclosed, Frankie is immediately interested in what she is learning.
The more she thinks about it, she becomes determined to look into her mother’s past. So she packs her bags and heads out to follow clues that she hopes lead to her father.
As I mentioned, this is told by two people. The story jumps back and forth between Frankie’s quest for answers and Louise, a friend of her mother’s who Frankie hopes can give her some answers.
This was an interesting story and I enjoyed the unfolding of the mystery. Though it was more of a leisure discovery than suspenseful or intense, it easily held my attention.
My Concerns
This is a very small concern, but at times it felt a little slow.
Final Thoughts
If a romantic story with a mystery attached is your cup of tea, this will make you smile. And if you like lots of references to old movies, your smile will grow even bigger. You’ll absolutely love this book.
My thanks to NetGalley for an e-book and the ability to read and review this book.
Rating
About the Author
A card-carrying cinephile and native New Englander, novelist Erika Montgomery lives with her family in the Mid-Atlantic where she teaches creative writing and watches an unspeakable amount of old movies.
