Summer Darlings by Brooke Lea Foster

 

Star rating: 3.5/5

Foster's debut novel is a work of historical fiction that examines classism, sexism, and privilege. 

Summary:

Heddy grew up very poor in NYC with a single mother. She desperately wants to make a better life for herself and her mom, but she's just lost her scholarship to Wellesley, and her future feels very uncertain. She's starting a summer nannying position for a very wealthy family at Martha's Vineyard, hoping that building connections with the wealthy elite will help her land a rich husband. But she soon finds that privilege and wealth often come at a cost, and that the lives of rich people aren't usually as perfect as they seem. 

Review:

Unfortunately, this book was kind of a snooze for me. I was drawn to this book because I love historical fiction, and I especially love the feeling of getting swept into another time period. I don't think Foster did enough to really set the stage for this book taking place in the 60s - aside from the blatant classism and sexism that was much more openly portrayed back then, I feel like this book could have been set in any decade. I felt zero connection to Heddy's character and found her overall unlikeable. I also found quite a few editing errors and/or sentences that just didn't make a ton of sense, which I know, books are bound to have a few mistakes here and there, but I was just left feeling like this book was kind of sloppily thrown together.

So why even give it 3.5 stars? Because something about this book was compelling enough to keep me going. I kept wanting to call it quits, but I just couldn't stop. I kept finding myself drawn back in. It was a very pleasant and effortless summer read, something I was able to speed through, always holding my attention. If you want something fluffy to read by the pool, I recommend this book!