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Summer Darlings
By Brooke Lea Foster
Gallery Books, 9781982115029, May 5, 2021, 368pp.

The Short of It:

Everything you want in a summer read, a slow-burn romance, a Martha’s Vineyard setting, a 1960’s backdrop of money and glamour but also a tiny bit of deception to keep you interested.

The Rest of It:

I went into this read with an open mind and it surprised me in a lot of ways. It wasn’t a straight-up beach read, as you’ve come to expect from a cover like the one above. Summer Darlings offered quite a bit more and kept me interested very early on.

After losing her scholarship at Wellesley, Heddy must find a way to earn her tuition money quickly and the easiest way to do that is to be a nanny for one of the wealthiest families on the island. Heddy is great with children but the lifestyle is a stretch for her. She has never been surrounded by so much wealth and opulence, nor has she any experience with how social circles work.

At first she is envious of her boss. She seems to have everything, a beautiful home, an attractive husband but no matter how much money you have, things are never as perfect as they seem. Between the other inhabitants of the island and her keen observations, there is definitely trouble in paradise.

I really loved that this story had a little bit of everything. It had all the glitter and glamour you’d expect from the island rich, but there is a bit of darkness too and honestly, it caught me by surprise. Heddy is young and impressionable but she doesn’t always make good choices, which surprised me given her upbringing. Nonetheless, I found it to be a great summer read and a good kick-off to summer reading. Have you read it?

This is the first book on my 10 Books of Summer list.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

Three Perfect Liars
By Heidi Perks
Gallery Books, 9781982139940, March 2021, 336pp.

The Short of It:

Exactly what I wanted. A good story that was hard to put down.

The Rest of It:

When Laura left her high profile job at Morris and Wood for six months of maternity leave, she had no idea that when she returned, the temp that she personally hired would still be there, sitting at her desk, working with her most important client. Turns out that Mia has done such a great job while she was away, that her boss Harry Wood has decided to keep her on.

At first, Laura is confused. Surely this is a mistake. Once she’s up-to-speed, things will return to normal but that’s not the case. Everyone in the office seems to love Mia and although Laura makes her feelings known, Harry doesn’t agree. Mia will continue to work with Laura’s previous client and Laura will work on other accounts.

As the tension mounts and Laura tries her best to balance her workload and the challenges that a new baby brings, she is convinced that there must be more at play. Why is Mia even there? Yes, she hired her but she was a temp and clearly not looking for a long-term position, or was she?

The pacing of this story was excellent. Perks quickly pulls you in. There’s a lot more than just workplace rivalry going on and although it’s immediately hinted at, it’s not immediately apparent what is going on. Perks keeps you guessing. I found this to be a solid story and loved how quickly I needed to turn those pages. It did remind me a little of the movie Baby Boom and those of you who have seen that movie might see some similarities in how the office is run but the similarities stop there. If you need a solid read that also happens to be a page turner, pick this one up.

Source: Review copy provided by the publisher.
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

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