Summer Reading | Book Chatter

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.

Sunday Matters

Sunday snuck up on me. As you saw from an earlier post, graduation is almost complete. One down, another to go.

This past Thursday my son surprised us with another visit. He is good as not telling you what his plans are. He likes to just come through the door. The only thing is that the pup can tell he is coming even from a block away which is pretty impressive since she has never seen or heard his new car. He walked in, we hit the market and got stuff to grill plant-based burgers. He had stopped for fresh strawberries so we made strawberry shortcake too.

Right Now:

He came, he went. He will be headed back to San Luis Obispo today to finish up school and to gather up some more of his things. Not sure if this will be the last trip or not. His car is smaller now. We may have to drive up at some point to grab the rest.

Nothing else planned for the day besides a long walk which will have to be timed for optimal weather (it’s getting pretty hot) and my son’s departure.

This Week:

My daughter starts her camp training this week. Grad ceremony for #2 at the end of this week. Some work items I need to work on in preparation for the fall semester. Yes, I am starting early because I will be moving my daughter to Missouri during the most critical time for my campus. Hoping to get as much set as possible before I go. I don’t have anyone to back me up.

Reading:

10 Books of Summer 2021 and #VentureForth is in full swing. I am glad to have a list of books I want to get to because I was just approved for some really good ones and now I need to figure out a way to get them all read. Recently approved for: Damnation Spring by Ash Davidson, The Guide by Peter Heller, Taste by Stanley Tucci, and The Family Plot by Megan Collins. See what I mean? It’s a good problem to have.

This weekend I am picking up again with Summer Darlings.

Watching:

My son introduced us to Barry on HBO Max. It has Bill Hader and Henry Winkler. It’s quite funny and clever.

Grateful for:

We finally have a move-in date for my daughter. I have secured a hotel room for the week in Missouri. Need to check out the rental car situation. If I can get a rental, because there is a nationwide shortage, then I will book a flight. If not, then we will drive. I’ve padded move-in by a few days on each side to allow for travel and shopping.
Plants. I am eternally grateful for all of my new plant friends that I picked up during the shutdown. They have given me great joy and are thriving! I’ve split them into multiple pots now because they are doing so well. I had a horrible track record with plants before this so this is really something. This photo is an example of how my home is covered in plants now.

plants