Book Review for Lost in the Summer of '69 by Eliza Knight

 

Lost in the Summer of '69 by Eliza Knight

Published:   June 9, 2026 by Sourcebooks Landmark

Genre:  Historical Fiction

 

Taken from Goodreads:  Daisy Jones and the Six meets Where’d You Go Bernadette in an epic story from USA Today bestselling author Eliza Knight, in which a soon-to-be empty-nester’s mother goes missing, leading her on a road trip with her daughter to track grandma down at a series of music festivals that popped up across the country in the summer of '69.

Summer, 1969. Eleanor Bell, a widow, has always given everything she had to her family, forgoing her own dreams of becoming a singer. When she receives a diagnosis of early Alzheimer’s on the eve of her sixty-ninth birthday, she decides to go on an epic musical bucket-list trip to fulfill her dreams: A summer tour of festivals.

Except she forgets, maybe on purpose, to tell anyone where she’s going. Leanne Miller discovers her mother missing, and she enlists the help of her somewhat distant college-aged daughter, Nora, to help her find Eleanor. The last thing Nora wants to do before starting as one of Yale's first female undergrads is to hit the road. But then Nora hears something strange on the radio—her grandmother’s voice. Nora and Leanne embark on a road trip in her husband’s Lincoln Continental from Atlanta, to California, Denver, Seattle, back to New York, and then New Orleans, always one step behind Eleanor, who has been dubbed the Dame of Rock n’ Roll by none other than Johnny Carson. It's an epic celebration of savoring the encore no matter what the next act may bring.

 

My Thoughts:   I read this book on Mother’s Day 2026 and it is the perfect book for the holiday.  Not only is it a book about a woman reliving her youth, but it is also a book about a daughter seeing her mother in a different light.   It is a book about rediscovering yourself, finding your true self, and making changes for a different life.

Everything about Lost in the Summer of ’69 is perfect.   I love the relationships, the friendships made, the music performed, and the road trip.  There is so much music history within this story, the names are top notch names, the songs are familiar to any music listener.   

The Summer of ’69 is the perfect summer read.   I am an Eliza Knight fan and cannot wait to read more of her books.

Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark for a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

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Meet the Author (taken from her website):  Eliza Knight is an award-winning and USA Today bestselling author.

Her love of history began as a young girl when she traipsed the halls of Versailles and ran through the fields in Southern France. She can still remember standing before the great golden palace, and imagining what life must have been like. Join Eliza (sometimes as E.) on riveting historical journeys that cross landscapes around the world. Eliza will also publish her first contemporary women's fiction novel in 2025 under the pseudonym, Michelle Brandon.

While not reading, writing or researching for her latest book, she chases after her three children. In her spare time (if there is such a thing…) she likes daydreaming, wine-tasting, traveling, hiking, staring at the stars, watching movies, shopping and visiting with family and friends.

She is the creator of the popular historical blog, History Undressed and host on the History, Books and Wine podcast.

She lives in the sunshine state with her own knight in shining armor, three princesses, two very naughty Newfies, and a turtle named Fish.