Book Review: All the Summers in Between by Brooke Lea Foster

 

Pages: 320

Genre: Adult Fiction

Pub. Date: June 4, 2024

Publisher: Gallery

Source: Personal Copy

Other Books By Author: On Gin Lane, 

and Summer Darlings

My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

 

 

Goodreads says, "When wealthy, impulsive summer girl Margot meets hardworking and steady local girl Thea in the summer of 1967, the unlikely pair become fast friends, working alongside one another in a record store and spending every spare moment together. But after an unspeakable incident on one devastating August night, they don’t see one another for ten years…until Margot suddenly reappears in Thea’s life, begging for help and harboring more than one dangerous secret. Thea can’t bring herself to refuse her beloved friend—but she also knows she can’t fully trust her either.

Unfulfilled as a housewife, Thea enjoys the dazzling sense of adventure Margot brings to her life, but will the truth of what happened to them that fateful summer ruin everything? Testing the boundaries of how far she’ll go for a friend, Thea is forced to reckon with her uncertain future while trying to decide if some friends are meant to remain in the past.

Set in the dual timelines of 1967 and 1977, All the Summers In Between is at once a mesmerizing portrait of a complex friendship, a delicious glimpse into a bygone Hamptons, and a powerful coming-of-age for two young women during a transformative era."

 

 

It's the summer of 1967 in the Hamptons except Thea isn't there for vacation like many others, she is a local. She is spending her summer taking care of her younger sister and working at a local record shop. She forms an unlikely friendship with Margot, a wealthy summer resident, due to a chance meeting. They hit it off and Thea gets Margot a job at the record store. They have an nice summer filled with music, boys, and more until a violent incident tests their friendship. Fast forward to the summer of 1977, Thea is a young mother and isn't necessarily happy with her domestic life. Unexpectedly, Margot ends up on her doorstep in a time of need. She needs to hide out, as her husband has gotten into some trouble, and she looks to her old friend for some help. Brooke Lea Foster's All the Summers in Between is a coming of age tale about two friends, a bit of a mystery, and includes the gorgeous backdrop of the Hamptons.

Thea is a complex character in All the Summers in Between. She really irritated me at times, because she gets sucked into Margot's drama. I felt that their friendship was borderline toxic and Margot put Thea into situations that a real friend shouldn't. She also did things to her that were morally questionable. So, because I felt their friendship wasn't entirely healthy, I had a hard time getting on board for the rest of the novel as the two women find themselves in even more trouble. I kept questioning why Thea would take so many risks for Margot?

I did really like the setting of the Hamptons in the 60s and 70s, and the setting of a record store. The focus on music, lyrics, and art was a nice touch and really added to the plot and descriptions of the time period. I also appreciated how Foster  highlights women's issues during the late 60s and how it was hard to go against the grain or challenge society's expectations.

I felt the pacing of All the Summers in Between was off at times and due to this and the toxic female friendship, I have to say this was just an ok read for me; in fact, it was my least favorite of Foster's historical beach reads.

Have you read All the Summers in Between? Are you a fan of Brooke Lea Foster? Let me know in the comments below.