The Summer I Remembered Everything

by Catherine Con Morse

In search of a summer escape from her overbearing family, an Asian-Latine teenager becomes the mentee to a chic elderly woman. But as her mentor's memory starts to fade, the teenager is confronted with a choice that may jeopardize their friendship.

Emily Chen-Sanchez can’t do anything right. She’s been grounded for a bad grade; she can’t stop fighting with her perfect older sister; everyone’s tense because her mother’s just been diagnosed with thyroid cancer; and she hasn’t spoken to her best friend Matt in two weeks, four days, and about seven hours (not that she’s counting).

Her new summer job is the perfect as companion to an eclectic, lively, Super Southern elderly lady, Mrs. Granucci.  All Emily has to do is help Mrs. G ‘remember” her likes, dislikes, anything Mrs. G has a habit of forgetting, even Emily’s name. Emily feels closer to Mrs. G than everyone else until Mrs. G falsely accuses Emily. The betrayal will have ramifications for them both, and Emily must make a decision that will change their lives forever.

The Summer I Remembered Everything is a story of longing for an escape, finding yourself, caring for someone with an illness, and learning that sometimes the right decision is always the hardest.

Genres: Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Young Adult, Family, High School, Contemporary

304 pages, Hardcover

Published April 29, 2025

About the author

Catherine Con Morse is the author of the coming-of-age boarding school novel THE NOTES, which was shortlisted for the CRAFT first chapters contest. A Kundiman fellow, she received her MFA from Boston University, where she taught undergraduate creative writing for several years. Her work appears in Joyland, Letters, HOOT, Bostonia, the Racist Sandwich podcast, and elsewhere. Catherine was one of the inaugural Writers in Residence at Porter Square Books.

In high school, Catherine attended the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities, a public arts boarding school, where she was as intrigued with her teacher as Claire is with Dr. Li. Catherine continues to play and teach piano today. Most recently, she taught English at Choate Rosemary Hall, and lives in the Connecticut River Valley with her husband and daughter.

Reviews

[Pine Reads Review · Rating 3 out of 5]

“And well, I’ve spent a whole heck of a lot of time thinking about Mrs. G—in all kinds of ways: worrying about her, delighting in her, feeling seen by her. Which means I must really care about Mrs. G. And she needs me.”

When her dreadful report card is opened by her parents, Emily Chen-Sanchez has already come to terms with her fate—one that involves being grounded for the rest of the summer. With the desire to escape the constant competition from her perfectionist sister and all the boy troubles chasing her, Emily begins a job hunt which leads her to the doorsteps of Mrs. Granucci. As she cares for her new companion, she finds herself growing more entangled in new stressors ranging from her childhood best friend’s love life to her mother’s new diagnosis. But, amidst everything, Emily has found her safe haven in the Granucci residence, which remains her final thread as her beloved Mrs. Granucci begins to slowly lose herself to dementia. What had once been a “simple job” no longer has the same meaning as Emily continues to explore where she best fits.

From the beginning, Emily’s character and personal struggles were clear. Much of her identity revolved around the pressures she received from her immigrant family and being a constant source of comparison to her sister, Tessa, which I could relate to through my own personal experiences. Emily’s desire to feel understood and seen in her life is a theme that is common to the teenage experience, and I can see how her challenges could resonate with a lot of young readers. Additionally, Morse did an amazing job of highlighting the ways in which Emily embraced her multi-cultural background given that her mother is Taiwanese and her father is Spanish. There were many moments in the Chen-Sanchez household that managed to both anger me and help me develop a soft spot for Emily’s family members and their individual issues, especially Emily’s sister Tessa during their mother’s cancer journey. While Morse’s writing drew me into all of Emily’s relationships, I felt disconnected from her journey as I found some of her day-to-day problems to be rather shallow. The pacing and transition between different scenes also felt slightly unnatural, as I found myself wanting more from her interactions such as the ones involving Mrs. Granucci. There were scenes involving Emily and Matt, her childhood best friend, that I also wished were expanded on as I felt that I didn’t have a great sense of their past together. If fixed, this could have added more depth to their dynamic after Matt gets involved in a new romantic relationship. However, I do think Morse’s strongest points in this novel are the strength, realistic qualities, and relatability of each of the characters. Overall, The Summer I Remembered Everything is a perfect read for anyone wanting to dig into a good slice-of-life that captures the struggle of a young girl in finding a true sense of belonging.

The Summer I Remembered Everything releases on April 29th, 2025.

Pine Reads Review would like to thank NetGalley and Crown Books for Young Readers for sending us an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change before final publication.

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[Katrina G · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a gem! And shout out to my library for carrying it because I never would have found this otherwise.

I am a white girl. So I couldn't relate to Emily for the cultural things she was facing as an Asian/Hispanic character, but I did find certain things she had to say to be very enlightening and educational. There were certain times characters would say something, and Emily would have something against it and I would find myself thinking "I don't think that was a bad thing to say?" which really showed me the lack of understanding I had about such things. Emily's voice did a good job at explaining how some things were problematic without making the other characters (and the reader) feel bad for thinking those things to begin with. To be clear, it shouldn't be Emily's job to do that if this was a real life scenario, but I'm thankful for the fictional character existing to help open up my mind to things I hadn't noticed before.

Emily had a lot of struggles throughout the story that I could relate to as a formerly angsty teen myself. But even at her angriest, I still felt the other characters were relatable too. Tessa was just as valid in her feelings as Emily was, and I found myself siding with both of them when the girls had their fight.

This was a great story. It's something that I could see getting turned into one of those indie coming of age movies.

[Melissa (Nissa_the.bookworm) · Rating 4 out of 5]

•𝐅𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐒 𝐓𝐎 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐑 𝐈 𝐑𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆

1. If you or a family have ever undergone a cancer diagnosis, this is an important read.
2. Ever dealt with a sibling rivalry? Read to see how Emily handles it.
3. I love a light romance in YA books, so if you do too, this one’s for you!
4. Ever wondered what it’s like to take care of someone with dementia? Emily decides to take this on for the summer.
5. If you have a teenage daughter, I recommend this one for her.

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a coming-of-age story featuring Emily who gets a job being a companion to an elderly lady over the course of the summer. Emily's family is also supporting her mom as she has a nodule on her thyroid and will undergo a FNA to see if the nodule is cancerous. I'm a thyca survivor and appreciate the thyroid cancer representation, though it wasn't written correctly which is misleading to readers. There were lots of consistency errors in the book like Mrs. Granucci having different first names (Leila and Lydia) and Emily telling readers that her mom has thyroid cancer before a FNA is conducted but then a few pages later saying her mom doesn't have cancer. There was also so much telling instead of showing which made me feel like I was reading a long diary entry, but I did appreciate the dementia and thyca aspects to the story. Thank you NetGalley for an ARC.

[Marjie Lam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emily Chen-Sanchez needs an escape - she’s grounded, not speaking to her best friend, and her mom may or may not have cancer, so things are stressful at home. She finds a summer job as a companion to an eccentric older woman, and it feels like the perfect opportunity for Emily to get out of the house. Of course, the summer isn’t exactly smooth sailing, and the story takes off from there.

This was the perfect book for summer - enough substance and tough topics for me to be invested, but the chapters still flew by. YA done well is ideal for this! I loved getting to know Emily and her friends and family, and I especially appreciated reading about a mixed race protagonist. I couldn’t stop thinking about how I wish books like this existed when I was a teenager. Maybe they did, but nobody was pressing them into my hands, so I was an adult before I read a book about a family that looked like mine (and it’s still a rare occurrence!). Huge thanks to the author for gifting me this book!

[Amélie ౨ৎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the perfect book to kick start my summer reading! I truly enjoyed reading it. It was very easy to get into the story.
The story centers around Emily who ends up taking a summer job to  “remember” for Mrs.Granucci, an aging Southern lady, as an easy escape from the stifling environment of her home. However there’s a lot more to the job than what meets the eye. The story takes us along as Emily manages dealing with her family’s stress over the news of her mother’s diagnosis, and at the same time dealing with the awkwardness between her and her bsf after a past incident at a party.
I am truly in love with Catherine Con Morse’s storytelling style. The story weaves the different aspects of family dynamics and complex emotions, blending it into this beautiful coming of age story.  
Emily is such a well rounded character, Con Morse does an excellent job of making her personality, and thoughts fit right with her age making her a very believable character.
As someone who has had family members who have dealt/are dealing with dementia, I was drawn to the story and to see how it would unfold. The internal struggle that Emily deals with as Mrs. Granucci’s memory declines and the growing concern over her were especially touching. I personally love the older generations, chatting with them and hearing their life stories and would love to have a summer job similar to Emily’s. So reading the bond between Mrs. Granucci and Emily was super endearing.
It was also very interesting to see how Emily navigates the different dynamics in her life and the (sometimes messy) relationships like with her sister.  
There were moments in the story that would make me upset with Emily’s family, despite that  these characters are written in such a way that it is impossible to hate them. They each have their own individual struggles and worries, and there was something I could relate to with each character.  
By her writing I can just tell what a lovely person Catherine Con Morse is.  I can't wait to read every single thing she writes.
Thank you so much to the author for gifting me this book!

[Agd]

6.8.25. 7+. Infrequent lang. Quick ref to drinking. Strong book.

Present-Day South Carolina.

Emily's (16) summer is off to a terrible start. A C+ in honors psych leads her helicopter parents to ground her. Her perfect sister is doing an internship at the local hospital in her quest to become a dr. Her best friend is on an alleged mission trip to England where really she's partying. She's not speaking with her best friend Matt who suddenly has started dating the girl of his dreams. And her mom has started cancer treatments. Looking for something to do, she answers an ad asking for an in-home companion. Mrs. G, it turns out, needs a little help day to day. The 2 become friends, and Emily finds the support/acceptance she doesn't feel anywhere else in her life. But then the warning signs creep in. Mrs. G forgets things & has sudden changes in moods. Emily starts to feel responsible to help Mrs. G remember her own life as dementia creeps in, even if that means it pulls Emily away from her own family and friends. As the job gets more and more overwhelming, Emily isn't sure what to do: get help for Mrs. G which feels like a betrayal or keep trying to do her job & take care of her.

Moves through the whole summer. Emily Chen-Sanchez is both Taiwanese & Panamanian, and novel touches on race in the South. Really like the swim scenes. Good summer book that isn't just lighthearted and breezy. Deals w/ real issues.

[Bailey Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Summer I Remembered Everything is a powerful, moving, beautiful, relatable, heartfelt, and needed read! The transition from teenage drama to a deeper reflection and lesson is so appreciated. This book does a phenomenal job of shifting the main character Emily's perspective and molding her into an inspiring young lady. Although she makes many mistakes, her honesty and courage shine throughout the book. The themes brought about some sadness and tears, but I love every minute of it. From friendship loss to watching someone lose themselves due to dementia this is a powerful read. There is so much to love about this book!

[Bree’s Bookshelf · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall this was a pretty solid read. I liked that this was a coming of age story and I enjoyed following Emily navigate her new summer job, problems with her friends, and also her home situation with her mom. I feel like some parts were a tad bit disjointed. I think there were a lot of things going on and I wished maybe if there were just a few less things going on we would better be able to focus deeper on certain things. But I also found it really insightful to see Emily navigate being both Asian and Latine. I thought the premise was pretty interesting and I think this book provided good representation for taking care of someone who might have dementia and also how a cancer diagnosis impacts one’s family.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looking for a reason to spend summer out of the house and away from her misunderstanding family, Emily takes up a job as a companion to the eccentric and charming Mrs. G., an elderly woman who is aware that her memory isn't what it used to be. A bittersweet story of friendship, family, and even a little love triangle, The Summer I Remembered Everything is a wonderful contemporary read, great for fans of Jenny Han.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 ⭐️

[Karen Siddall · Rating 5 out of 5]

A summer of growth, love, and remembrance.

The Summer I Remembered Everything by Catherine Con Morse is a wonderful young adult story of a pivotal summer in Emily Chen-Sanchez’s life. With her perfect older sister, Emilly always felt she was playing a losing game to shine in her parents’ eyes. While she had always admired, perhaps, idolized Tessa, she was also jealous, and her feelings led her into constant arguments with her overachieving older sister. When a less-than-satisfactory grade on her end-of-year report card grounds her for the first three weeks of summer vacation, she figures getting a job will at least get her out of the house and give her a break from her family. She applies to be a companion to an elderly neighbor lady, Mrs. Granucci, thinking she’ll be helping her around her home with her daily activities; however, the lively senior is vivacious, active, and busy with life. Yet, she is harboring a secret; her little episodes of forgetfulness are just the start of a hidden problem, something much more serious.

Emily is such a relatable girl, with her dreams and innocent desires, and the summer is one of coming of age in so many ways. She’s got the short end of the stick with a bad case of sibling rivalry, topped by having very cautious, anxious parents. Her mother has just been diagnosed with thyroid cancer and is undergoing treatment. Her best gal pal is in London for the next several weeks, and her best friend, Matt, has a crush on another girl, again. But this time, his crush on a girl with so many similar interests just hits differently for Emily. Now, her new employer and growing mentor, Mrs. G., swears her to secrecy about her declining mental acuity and memory issues. Any one of these situations would be a handful for a sixteen-year-old to handle, so it’s no wonder that mistakes are made and lessons must be learned.

The story really struck home for me, having had to care for someone, also not a family member, with cognitive decline. Things happen or get said that truly catch you off guard. The incident where Emily is accused of stealing is not an uncommon tale; it occurs frequently as loved ones progress through their disease, and it is hard to take, difficult to overcome, and move on. The situation between the two sisters was emotional to read about. I appreciated how the author had the characters confront their differences and air their feelings and perspectives. As time passes, you realize that having a sister is a truly unique relationship.

I recommend THE SUMMER I REMEMBERED EVERYTHING to readers of young adult fiction, especially those looking for a POC perspective.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy through Toppling Stacks Tours.

[sbu_andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd like to thank Catherine Con Morse for reaching out and providing me with an eARC of this book! What an honor.

I loved The Notes, and now having read her second it's safe to say two is a pattern: Con Morse has a great talent for crafting complex cross-generational relationships, as well as weaving "grown up" conflicts with adolescent angst--and treating both with a level of seriousness befitting a teenage POV. It's refreshing to see that sort of balance and respect for the reader. I especially loved how a deep love for the arts was apparent on every page--which I guess is typical of my and Con Morse's alma mater, hahaha. My only gripe is there's a bit of an overemphasis on closure towards the end, but that might just be due to the fact I'm a cynical old man and this book is aimed at a younger audience--which is a compliment, if that's not clear; this is exactly the kind of thing I would have DEVOURED as a teenager.

Emphatically recommend this one. Can already tell it'll be one of my favorite books of this year.

[Jame_EReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

👦🏻 review: my sister read the previous book, The Notes, from this author and she highly recommended her to me. At first I couldn’t understand Emily’s emotional turmoils and issues but as the story progressed the tones set in and the characters blended in. This book has discussed several factors about Emily’s identity, her relationships with her surrounding people and the mindset of being a teenager. Her coming of age, maturity to accept the summer job as Mrs G’s companion and the being accused of something she didn’t do made Emily grow up immediately. I like the realistic fiction that gave this book a chance to make the readers feel the story and what to expect after reading. Highly recommending this one.

[Caitie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 stars.

This was fine, I liked the representation in it (Chinese and Hispanic) but I think it felt rushed and lacked depth. Maybe I’m just tired of the artsy teenage girls whose family doesn’t understand them. Everything happened so fast without time for the reader to really process what’s happening, the information dump at the start didn’t work for me.

But Emily, the main character, did feel misunderstood by her parents who seem to overreact to wanting the best for her. We start immediately by her parents grounding her for getting a C+ grade in a class….which seemed a little weird to me but whatever. I just felt like there needed to be more depth to Emily’s parents and sister, the came across as cardboard cutouts.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

“‘It’s unique, having a sister. no one else knows you quite like she does; no one else shares the same childhood.’”
-
The plot was good, I just wasn’t super invested in Emily and the stuff going on. It didn’t feel like there were enough scenes with Mrs. Granucci. The romance was very light, which was nice because it didn’t take away from the main plot. Though I didn’t care for Matt, the ending felt satisfying. The part I liked best about this book was Emily and Tessa coming to an understanding as sisters who are very different from each other.

[Nor Finn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This read like a teenagers journal. I didn’t get it really. Spoiler; I liked her relationship with the old lady, and I like the story about the mother and thyroid cancer as I myself have been through the exact same thing and it was described exactly as I experienced it. But the characters and the story was kind of flat to me. And I didn’t understand her relationship with the old lady and why she was keeping her memories. It just seemed like it was gonna go somewhere more interesting than where it went. Meh.

[Kate Brasington · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a coming of age story! The FMC is a teenager who is grounded for the summer so she decides to get a job as a companion for an elderly neighbor to escape her house.
I loved the vibes this book gave off it made me feel a little nostalgic and had me thinking about my summers when I was in highschool. I also loved the FMCs inner monologue she was equal parts sassy and awkward which is my favorite!
I think if you’re looking for a bittersweet coming of age story to read this summer you’re going to love The Summer I remembered everything!

[Therearenobadbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

With this second book, I know now that I will love everything this author writes. She always intertwines art and deep thoughts about how we prefer to live our lives and what makes a priority with relevant social and family issues. It was very well crafted with a built-up to the crises and good resolution. will love everything this author writes.
Can't wait for more from this author.

[Ranette · Rating 5 out of 5]

A teen girl finds out what growing up is all about during this summer when she takes a job as a companion to an elderly lady who is suffering from the pains of old age. Her relationship with her boyfriend and family changes and she sees life differently.

[Carla A · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little disjointed at times but a good read.

[Jenni · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story centers on Emily, who gets a summer job as the companion/helper to an elderly lady in her neighborhood. Desperate to spend time away from her house, where her critical parents and perfect sister are, Emily is really excited about spending the summer with Mrs. G,, who asks her to remember things for her. There are some side stories here: Emily's mom is diagnosed with cancer, the boy she likes starts dating the "too nice' girl that Emily doesn't care for, and her best friend Heather is overseas for the summer. A sweet story that discusses friendship, crushes, and bigger topics like dementia and the elderly.