The Summer List by Amy Mason Doan Book Review

The Summer List by Amy Mason Doan Book Review

The lowdown from Goodreads

Publication Date June 26, 2018

Laura and Casey were once inseparable: as they floated on their backs in the sunlit lake, as they dreamed about the future under starry skies, and as they teamed up for the wild scavenger hunts in their small California lakeside town. Until one summer night, when a shocking betrayal sent Laura running through the pines, down the dock, and into a new life, leaving Casey and a first love in her wake.

But the past is impossible to escape, and now, after seventeen years away, Laura is pulled home and into a reunion with Casey she can’t resist—one last scavenger hunt. With a twist: this time, the list of clues leads to the settings of their most cherished summer memories. From glistening Jade Cove to the vintage skating rink, each step they take becomes a bittersweet reminder of the friendship they once shared. But just as the game brings Laura and Casey back together, the clues unravel a stunning secret that threatens to tear them apart…

The Summer List by Amy Mason Doan Book Review

Oh, this book! The Summer List contains three different storylines & somehow Amy Mason Doan weaves them all together in an effortless & beautiful manner. This story is about friends, love, forgiveness, family we have & family we choose.

Childhood Best Friends

Now, I’m not sure how many of you know this, but my co-pilot on this little blog, Jessica, is my childhood best friend. As kids, we spent endless hours together & were attached at the hip. Then, we had a difficult & completely devastating break-up before our Senior Year of High School. We spent many years apart & missed out on a lot of important pieces of each other’s lives. When you have a friend as close as we were, it’s a loss you feel in your gut. When the person you always thought would be there is somewhere else, the pivotal moments in your life are altered in a way that is difficult & painful to explain.

The main characters, Laura & Casey share a lot of similarities with this type of loss. They live across the lake from one another & become so immersed in each other’s lives. They are a package deal. When Laura cancels all their college plans & ghosts Casey, it crushes each of them in different ways. Casey is left behind wondering why & what happened while Laura moves on & tries to forget about Laura & their small lake town.

Scavenger Hunts, Driftwood & Memories in a Roller Rink

Laura receives a letter that draws her back to her idyllic lake town to see her childhood best friend again. Strained relationships, old secrets, hurt feelings & heartbreak quickly float to the surface. Laura & Casey work through a scavenger hunt retracing their old stomping grounds, rehashing the past & learning if they can be friends again.

There is another timeline in The Summer List in addition to Laura & Casey’s past & present. Amy gives readers pieces of the timeline throughout the story & rest assured it all comes together in the end.

THE VERDICT

I am Really Into This book! I found it so easy to connect with the characters in The Summer List & the storyline of two best friends coming back together after years apart really struck a chord with me. The Summer List is a wonderful read for summer & it’s definitely made it to my Summer Poolside Reading List. The story is emotional, well-written has a bit of mystery & Amy reminds us all how tender, sweet & meaningful our friendships are.

Special thanks to Amy Mason Doan, Harlequin/Graydon House Publishing & Kathleen Carter for providing our copy in exchange for an honest & fair review.

Be sure to check out all the books on Sarah’s Summer Poolside Reading List!

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: AMY MASON DOAN

Amy Mason Doan grew up in Danville, California and now lives in Portland, Oregon.

She’s written for The Oregonian, San Francisco Chronicle, Wired, Forbes, The Orange County Register and other publications. Amy has an M.A. in Journalism from Stanford University and a B.A. in English from U.C. Berkeley.

Her debut novel, THE SUMMER LIST, will be published by Graydon House on June 26,  2018.