Publishers Weekly
03/30/2020
Brenner (The Forever Summer) takes readers to a small Cape Cod beach community where an abandoned baby becomes the talk of the town. When newly retired Ruth Cooperman moves to Provincetown, Mass., she is hoping to slow down. Then she finds an abandoned baby on the front porch of her rented beach house. Couple Elise and Fern move back in to the cottage they rented to Ruth to care for the infant rather than call the authorities, and Ruth’s quiet retirement becomes even more crowded after her estranged daughter, Olivia, agrees to visit, while Ruth continues her search for a house to buy. As Ruth and her daughter address Olivia’s sense of abandonment by her mother, Elise and Fern bond with the baby and dream of making her their own. However, the mystery of the baby’s mother lurks in the background, and Ruth’s tenuous relationship with her daughter, as well as the connections created as the town comes together to support Elise, Fern, and the baby, will soon be tested. While Brenner gets off to a slow, muddled start, she eventually finds her footing and achieves a satisfying ending. This touching, nuanced summer yarn delivers the goods. (May)
From the Publisher
"Brenner's novel about a retiree's second act in Provincetown is a delightful escape wherever you are."—People magazine
"A baby left on a doorstep begins Summer Longing, and the mystery pulls us along by the heartstrings to find out what happens to the endearing, maddening, fascinating families in a dreamy coastal town."—Nancy Thayer, best-selling author of Girls Of Summer
"Jamie Brenner's latest glittering read is her best summer book yet, a combination of page-turning plot and heartfelt human connection that will stay with readers long after the last sunset of the season. With Summer Longing, Jamie Brenner draws a world of hope and second chances that will leave readers wondering, with newfound optimism, what the next chapter might hold for their own lives."—Kristy Woodson Harvey, author of Slightly South of Simple
"Fans of Elin Hilderbrand, beaches, summer, and family are sure to enjoy this perfect-for-your-vacation read."—Booklist
"This touching, nuanced summer yarn delivers the goods."—Publisher's Weekly
"Summer Longing is Jamie Brenner at her best: an emotionally honest story about motherhood, friendship, and belonging."—PopSugar.com
"Lots of summer sun warms this light, charming beach read."—Kirkus Reviews
Kirkus Reviews
2020-02-09
When Ruth Cooperman retired from the cosmetics industry, she dreamed of settling down in a quirky, sleepy beachside town. Little did she know that lovely Provincetown on Cape Cod harbored so much drama.
It all begins when someone leaves a baby on the doorstep of Ruth’s summer rental house. Alarmed, Ruth calls Elise Douglas, the house’s owner. But Elise does not call the authorities. Instead, Elise, who has been trying to get pregnant for years, is utterly entranced by the baby, whom she names Mira. In short order, Mira upends the lives of nearly everyone in Provincetown. While Elise is besotted, her wife, Fern, is worried about Elise’s future heartbreak. Of course, Elise and Fern are also trying to run their business , Tea by the Sea, so they enlist Ruth, as well as other locals, to help babysit. Ruth’s seclusion erodes as her summer house fills up fast, as Elise and Fern move back in (so there's more space for Mira); Ruth’s adult daughter, Olivia, comes to visit; and Olivia invites her dad, Ruth’s ex-husband, Ben, to stay, too. Meanwhile, Bianca Barros, like the Wicked Witch of the West, keeps popping into the tea shop, angry that Elise and Fern bought her niece’s house. Yet Brenner(Drawing Home, 2019, etc.) keeps the tone light, avoiding dark dives into emotional waters. Instead, she deftly keeps all the plates spinning as Elise and Fern renegotiate their marital goals; Bianca’s brother, Tito, takes a shine to Ruth; his nephew, Marco, catches Olivia’s eye; Marco’s sister, Jaci, avoids the family business of emptying oyster traps by working at the tea shop; and Ruth notices Ben anew. Threading through all of the friendships and baby-juggling lies, of course, is the question of the summer: Who is Mira’s mother?
Lots of summer sun warms this light, charming beach read.
