Staff Picks Category: Provincetown

Summer Longing by Jamie Brenner [Book]

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Brenner returns to Provincetown, setting of The Forever Summer (2017), with new central characters and a familiar supporting cast of residents and locations. Ruth Cooperman rents Shell House from Elise and Fern for the summer, only to find a baby girl abandoned on the doorstep her first morning there. Rather than reporting the baby to the authorities, Elise begins taking care of her (and growing attached) while they all wait to see if someone they know is missing a baby.

Between a disenchanted career woman, an unhappy widow, a college student home for the summer, a real estate agent and his handyman husband, restless retirees, evolving marriages, estranged daughters, complicated relationships, and summer lovers, there’s sure to be someone for readers to relate to.

Seemingly impossible situations resolve themselves by the end of the summer in the tidiest ways, allowing some to change their lives for the better and others to continue living golden-tinged existences in a charming and artistic community.

Fans of Elin Hilderbrand, beaches, summer, and family are sure to enjoy this perfect-for-your-vacation read.

The Forever Summer by Jamie Brenner [Book]

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Over the course of a summer, seven women gather in a sprawling bed and breakfast in Provincetown to reconcile their complicated family relationships. Marin Bishop’s perfect life has fallen apart all at once with the appearance of a surprise half sister, Rachel, and the loss of her prestigious job. She and Rachel leave Manhattan to meet their grandmother Amelia on Cape Cod, stay for a few days at her inn, and forge connections neither knew they needed. As they gradually extend their stay week by week to the entire summer, Marin’s parents, boyfriend, aunt, Amelia and her wife Kelly, and seemingly all the other residents of Provincetown variously participate in their journey. Kelly teaches Marin the family craft of mosaic construction, and Marin’s completion of a long-planned gift wraps up her visit and sets her on her course, while great changes also come to the lives of Marin’s mother, Amelia, and Rachel. An engaging and emotional read with characters who stay with you.

This is a good fit for fans of Elin Hilderbrand, beaches, summer, and women’s stories.