125Pages

I went into Summer Secrets with so much hope. Jane Green is one of my auto buy authors, so I look forward to her books. This one especially peaked my interest as Green released a super short story Cat and Jemima J a few months before publication to spur interest. My interest was peaked as the short ends on a cliffhanger about Jemima’s current life. Jemima J is one of my all time favorite comfort reads so the thought of her popping up in this book had me super excited. Sadly, that never happened, I kept reading and reading waiting for her story to intersect and it never did. My other main issue with this book was that I don’t care for adultery/cheating storylines. If they are the impetus of a story, fine, but as a major plot point I just don’t care for it. Green’s writing was on point as usual, she does have a lyrical quality to her writing and I always like her turn of phrase. The world building was solid and I enjoyed the pacing. The story alternates between Cat at twenty-eight and at forty and I liked how the glimpses of the past gave an insight to the mindset of the characters in the future. The character development was a little flat to me. I was not super invested in the characters and some more fleshing out would have helped. I did like the addiction storyline; it was the main focus I enjoyed. Showing someone working their way back from rock bottom is a story arc I always enjoy. WhileSummer Secrets was a decent read I have come to expect more from Green, and this one fell a little flat.      

Favorite lines – Secrets have a habit of rising to the surface, like milk gone sour.