The Summer of Lost Letters

April 1, 2021
Grades 9-12 After 17-year-old Abby discovers old letters of her late grandmother that reveal a long-lost love, Edward, and a past that no one, not even Abby's mother, knew of, she decides to spend her summer on the island of Nantucket to uncover her grandmother's past. There she locates the family that her grandmother lived with for several years, and she meets Noah, Edward's grandson, for whom she soon develops feelings. As they search for answers to her grandmother's heartbreaking past, they begin a romantic relationship, and when the secrets are unearthed, Abby and Noah must determine if they will repeat their grandparents' mistake of choosing family and pride over love. Filled with history, romance, and adventure, Reynolds' young-adult debut smoothly blends historical elements, such as WWII and the Holocaust, with romantic summer escapades. Aspects of Jewish culture, such as the Shabbat prayer, are sprinkled throughout, adding to the historical relationship and importance of Abby's family history. History enthusiasts especially will enjoy this fun, layered romance.

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May 1, 2021
Take one box of letters referencing a secret love affair, add a fizzy summer romance, season with inordinate wealth, and throw in a soup�on of environmental concern. When a package of letters arrives from her recently deceased grandmother's nursing home, 17-year-old Ashkenazi Jewish Abby discovers O'ma hid a long romance that took place in the period between her rarely discussed escape from the Nazis and her adulthood as mother and grandmother. So Abby finds herself a summer job in Nantucket, home of the mystery letter writer, and begins her investigations. Almost immediately she has a meet-cute with letter writer E's attractive, preppy, 18-year-old grandson, a Sephardic Jew who would rather study botany than enter the family business, and sparks fly. Zesty, genuine dialogue (with a few mildly dated pop-culture references), adventures with a diverse group of new friends, genealogical research, and the mystery of O'ma's past--which includes a missing necklace--make for a full summer. Judaism provides a central point of identity, with Shabbat dinners and a helpful rabbi, and within that context, a range of experiences are represented. The ending is emotionally satisfying if mildly credulity-stretching. This is a confection that will leave readers eager for a summer in Nantucket and their own perfect romance. Charming, with historical depth to balance the froth. (author's note) (Romance. 12-18)

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June 1, 2021

Gr 7 Up-Seventeen-year-old Abby Schoenberg has recently lost her grandmother O'ma and discovers a stash of old love letters among her belongings. The letters tell of a romance on Nantucket during the 1950s that was passionate but ended badly. Her grandmother never spoke of that time of her life and Abby's curiosity is piqued, so with her parent's permission she obtains a summer job on the island and begins to sleuth out what happened in O'ma's past. Abby soon befriends Noah, the grandson of the man who wrote the letters, and the two confront some hard truths and prejudices that O'ma endured as a Jewish refugee, who lost her biological family in Auschwitz and then lost her secondary family in America. This is a blend of romance, history, and a coming-of-age narrative that all ties together well. Abby and Noah's Jewish faith and background are respectfully represented and showcase the reality that some Jews have to downplay their religion and culture to fit in. Abby and Noah are cued as white and secondary characters have various ethnicities. VERDICT This contemporary romance with a healthy mix of historical fiction, that also incorporates some deeper truths, will be a fun summer read. A solid YA purchase.-Nancy McKay, Byron P.L., IL

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