“Gorgeous writing and page-turning suspense.”–Nancy Thayer, New York Times bestselling author of Surfside Sisters “A brilliant firecracker of a book…beautiful, heartfelt, and life-affirming.”—-Emily Henry, New York Times bestselling author of Beach Read They share countless perfect memories–and one they wish they could forget. Childhood friends Hannah, Maya, Blue and Renee share a bond … Blue and Renee share a bond that feels more like family. Growing up, they had difficult home lives, and the summers they spent together in Montauk were the happiest memories they ever made. Then, the summer after graduation, one terrible night changed everything.
Twelve years have passed since that fateful incident, and their sisterhood has drifted apart, each woman haunted by her own lost innocence. But just as they reunite in Montauk for one last summer escape, hoping to find happiness once more, tragedy strikes again. This time it’ll test them like never before, forcing them to confront decisions they’ve each had to live with and old secrets that refuse to stay buried.
“Readers of Elin Hilderbrand and J. Courtney Sullivan will devour this book.”–Brenda Novak, New York Times bestselling author of One Perfect Summer
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The characters burst with so much life that you half-expect them to jump off the page and into your living room with some boxed wine. I laughed and FELT THINGS and wanted to call all my old high school friends.
A story about friendships and the need to move on and forgive. The one aspect I disliked most was that the characters had not moved on past the one traumatic incident…though they cared and supported each other. I enjoyed that the secrets were revealed as you read through the pages.
There are some heavy issues covered in the book. As part of a group of college girlfriends that remain close 36 years after graduation, I could identify that each character came into the relationship with their own baggage. So this book reminded me of the precious relationship I share with my girlfriends.
I do think the ending came about too quickly and should have been developed better to make it a more pleasurable read.
Thank you to NetGalley and MIRA for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
It was very good! It touched every emotion possible! I laughed, cried, and could not stop reading it. I definitely recommend it a must read for all !!!
What a story! This is a beach read with depth, feelings emotions…raw and heartfelt. But, many smiles and fun times that only old friends can share. Old friends that carry memories and baggage. I have an 18 year old daughter with a tight group of friends. I love these girls and can see little pieces of Maya, Blue, Hannah and Renee in all of them.
Four girls bond over their issues at home…they make a family. Maya … annoying, class clown, the friend who could talk anyone into anything, won’t back down. Blue … tough, scared, not good enough. Hannah … true blue, loyal, loving, cautious. Renee … the runner, in so many ways, best friend with Blue, till something destroys it. This book explores the complexities of friendship as a teenager and as an adult, holding grudges and releasing hurts, when to love and when to let go. Family can take on many different looks, but all the same feels.
Loved this book … the writing, the story, the characters, the emotions. I haven’t read this author before, but she is on my radar now! Thanks to Ms. Kletter, Harlequin and NetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone.
Four childhood best friends, who had been more family than friends, take a trip back to the summer house where many of their happiest memories took place. Each one is dealing with her own individual crisis. With this trip down memory lane, the four grown women must finally talk about the tragic event from twelve years ago to mend their fractured friendships and address the impact the tragedy has had on their lives.
This book features very complex friendships that are presented in an authentic way. If you have a group of close, longtime friends, you will recognize the dynamics and nuances that the author writes about so well. I loved how the author describes these types of friends as “life’s greatest first responders, rescuing one another time and again from life’s little atrocities.”
Besides being a book about friendship, the author skillfully addresses the concepts of fear, regret, and forgiveness. It will have you considering the impact of fear and regret in your own life as well as how you deal with forgiveness.
Overall, East Coast Girls was an enjoyable, intriguing read. I would definitely recommend it; book clubs, in particular, will enjoy this story as the group could easily spend hours discussing it.
I read an eARC generously provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I’m not going to go into details of what happened that terrible night referenced in the summary, because that will just spoil the whole thing for you. Four friends come back together for a vacation at their favorite place hoping to rekindle their once-deep friendships, and they find something totally unexpected.
I found the beginning of this to be a bit slow, and it took a few pages for things to move along at a good pace. At some point I became invested in learning what happened that fateful night years ago. And Henry … I wanted so much to know more about Henry after the small glimpses seen of him that night. I loved the sensitivity the author used to handle this important part of the story, even though it made my heart hurt.
Each of the four friends are nicely crafted to evoke a different response. Maya mostly annoyed me and I found it tough to relate to Renee’s part of the story, mostly because I thought the story focused more around Hannah and Blue. They had some real scars from that night that needed healing and were the central characters in the drama. I think Hannah got her healing, not so sure about Blue. Blue’s situation just made me sad. I’m willing to guess that many readers can relate to one or more of these characters in some way.
I did like how this story made me think about how a few wrong words and missteps was all it took for their lives to spin out of control, and how you cannot go back, you can only go forward. So in that respect, this is a book that might make you think about friendships, longevity, judgement and forgiveness. Some heavy topics and I did like this aspect of East Coast Girls very much.
East Coast Girls by author Kerry Kletter kept me turning the pages to discover what had happened to Henry! Hannah has been best friends with Maya, Blue, and Renee since school days. There was an event in their lives twelve years earlier which changed everything! After ‘that night’, Blue has not spoken to Renee. Hannah and Maya do not understand what happened between Blue and Renee. Maya decides it is time for a reunion and they should go back to Nana’s cottage on the beach to rekindle their friendships. I won’t post spoilers, but things do not go as Maya has imagined. Maya’s personality is over-the-top and I wanted to shake her at times. Hannah is beset with uncertainties and fear of life. He worry for Henry and hope for his recovery has consumed her life. Blue has channeled her disappointments into her work life. She is successful, but lonely. Renee appears at the beach house and Blue can not accept her being there. The tension among the friends increases and the reunion is not what they had hoped it would become. East Coast Girls is is a story of friendships, lost dreams, and grasping for a new start, but it is overall very sad.
Publication Date: May 26, 2020
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.