Friday, August 7, 2015

The Summertime Girls by Laura Hankin

Published August4, 2015 by Berkley
When two lifelong friends reunite for one more summer in small-town Maine, they must bridge the gap caused by the dreams and secrets that tore them apart…

Ally Morris and Beth Abbott were beyond inseparable. From the very first time they met, the girls knew they’d found a once-in-a-lifetime friendship. But sometimes, life can’t help but get in the way.

As time goes by, disappointments and petty resentments begin to alter what they once thought was forever. Ally’s boho lifestyle leaves her drowning in confusion and cheap whisky, while a terrible secret threatens to shatter Beth’s carefully controlled world. By the time they need each other most, Ally and Beth are nearly strangers to each other.

When a family crisis prompts Beth to contact Ally for help out of the blue, the girls reunite in Maine. But the distance between them is overwhelming. To save their friendship, Ally and Beth will have to confront painful moments in their past and redefine who they are—before their incredible connection fades away for good…

My Thoughts…

When a friendship goes bad who is to blame?  Of course, each person blames the other.    That is the story of Ally and Beth.    Best friends since grade school, these girls have a falling out.   They then come back together to support Beth’s grandmother in Maine, which is the place of their summer vacations.   Memories come back, feelings come to the fore front, and they each realize that they need each other.  

Beyond the falling out and the blame, I believe this is a story of Beth and Ally finding themselves.   They come to Maine with hurt feelings and not understanding why their best friend was not there for them in their time of need.  As they discover that the other was in need at the same time they take looks back and open their eyes to what their friendship really means to each them.   They have to decide if their friendship is worth saving or if they should just do what they came to do in Maine and go their separate ways.   

I loved Beth’s grandmother.    She was the quiet and calm voice for both the girls.    The understanding of their life was amazing.    The fact that she was okay with where her life was heading with a grace that not all do made me love her even more.    As she went through her house, the memories that she shared with Beth and Ally made her extremely real.   She is the grandmother that everyone wants to have. 

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