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Postcards from Summer
The Notebook meets Love & Gelato in this heart-wrenching novel about a teen girl who travels to her late mother’s majestic summertime home to learn of the romance—and the tragedy—that changed her life forever.
Seventeen-year-old Lexi has always wanted to know more about the mother who passed away when she was only a child. But her dad will barely talk about her. He says he’d rather live in the present with Lexi, her stepmom, and her half-brother. Lexi loves her family, too, but is it so wrong to want to learn about the mom she never got to know?
When Lexi’s grandma dies and secretly leaves her a worn blue chest that belonged to Lexi’s mother, Lexi is ecstatic to find a treasure trove of keepsakes. Her mom held onto letters, pamphlets, flyers, and news articles all from the same beautiful summertime getaway: Mackinac Island—plus a cryptic postcard that hints at a forbidden romance. If Lexi wants answers, this island is where she needs to go.
Without telling her dad, Lexi goes to the gorgeous Mackinac Island in Lake Huron, reachable only by ferry. Cars are forbidden and bikes are the number one mode of transportation along the quaint cobblestone streets, and the bright white hotel that looms like a high castle over charming cafés and bookshops. While following her mother’s footsteps, Lexi befriends an elderly former Broadway star and a charming young hotel worker while quickly falling in love with her surroundings.
But though the island may be beautiful, it’s hiding unfortunate secrets—some with her mother at the center. Could some questions be best left buried beneath the blue waters?
Seventeen-year-old Lexi has always wanted to know more about the mother who passed away when she was only a child. But her dad will barely talk about her. He says he’d rather live in the present with Lexi, her stepmom, and her half-brother. Lexi loves her family, too, but is it so wrong to want to learn about the mom she never got to know?
When Lexi’s grandma dies and secretly leaves her a worn blue chest that belonged to Lexi’s mother, Lexi is ecstatic to find a treasure trove of keepsakes. Her mom held onto letters, pamphlets, flyers, and news articles all from the same beautiful summertime getaway: Mackinac Island—plus a cryptic postcard that hints at a forbidden romance. If Lexi wants answers, this island is where she needs to go.
Without telling her dad, Lexi goes to the gorgeous Mackinac Island in Lake Huron, reachable only by ferry. Cars are forbidden and bikes are the number one mode of transportation along the quaint cobblestone streets, and the bright white hotel that looms like a high castle over charming cafés and bookshops. While following her mother’s footsteps, Lexi befriends an elderly former Broadway star and a charming young hotel worker while quickly falling in love with her surroundings.
But though the island may be beautiful, it’s hiding unfortunate secrets—some with her mother at the center. Could some questions be best left buried beneath the blue waters?
575 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 31, 2022
180 people are currently reading
5710 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 292 reviews
June 11, 2023
1⭐️
i have a lot of thoughts. did i like this book? no. did this take me literally forever to read? yes. were there moments i liked? yeah. but i did skim the literal 100 last pages (just read dialogue) because WHY WAS THIS BOOK SO LONG? the premise was great. the plot was great. it would've been a good book if it was executed well. here's the thing though. yk when u read a book and u only feel like ur reading letters on paper and not seeing a movie in ur head? this WHOLE book was just seeing letters on a page. i liked JR and Ryan but not enough. all the drama was so unnecessary (other than the fire). the plot "twists" were predictable and idk it just fell flat for me. i liked the island setting and whatever but the pages and pages of inner monologue and descriptions were so unbearable and boring. there was no need for this book to be almost 600 pages. also the switching between povs would've been so good but it literally felt like every character was the same by the end and ugh it was disappointing. i literally almost dnfed this book at 50% but I'm glad i finished it bc a lot happened in the last 100 pages. everything did definitely come together but since the last chapter was lexi and not emma, it didn't feel very fulfilling if that makes sense. anyways I'm disappointed but at least it made sense by the end 🤷🏼♀️. but the thing is like we got SO MUCH context from emma that lexi will never get so is her story will complete? not really...? anyways justice for JR and honestly for ryan bc what the heck he deserves sm better. emma didn't even love him the way he loved her and then DIED AT WAR??? no. ALSO OMGGG i couldn't STAND LEXI AND EMMA. they cried every 5 seconds. their "trait" was zoning out which gave us SO MANY pages of inner thoughts to read before one of the characters would be like "are you still with me?". i wish i wasn't. like come on i just read 5 pages of how u don't like ur dad. WE KNOW.
also i saw people saying that island Mackinac isn't even by lake huron? but that's how she refers to it in the book. so if that's true like how would u let that happen 😭
songs: taylor swift- false gods, 22, cruel summer
i have a lot of thoughts. did i like this book? no. did this take me literally forever to read? yes. were there moments i liked? yeah. but i did skim the literal 100 last pages (just read dialogue) because WHY WAS THIS BOOK SO LONG? the premise was great. the plot was great. it would've been a good book if it was executed well. here's the thing though. yk when u read a book and u only feel like ur reading letters on paper and not seeing a movie in ur head? this WHOLE book was just seeing letters on a page. i liked JR and Ryan but not enough. all the drama was so unnecessary (other than the fire). the plot "twists" were predictable and idk it just fell flat for me. i liked the island setting and whatever but the pages and pages of inner monologue and descriptions were so unbearable and boring. there was no need for this book to be almost 600 pages. also the switching between povs would've been so good but it literally felt like every character was the same by the end and ugh it was disappointing. i literally almost dnfed this book at 50% but I'm glad i finished it bc a lot happened in the last 100 pages. everything did definitely come together but since the last chapter was lexi and not emma, it didn't feel very fulfilling if that makes sense. anyways I'm disappointed but at least it made sense by the end 🤷🏼♀️. but the thing is like we got SO MUCH context from emma that lexi will never get so is her story will complete? not really...? anyways justice for JR and honestly for ryan bc what the heck he deserves sm better. emma didn't even love him the way he loved her and then DIED AT WAR??? no. ALSO OMGGG i couldn't STAND LEXI AND EMMA. they cried every 5 seconds. their "trait" was zoning out which gave us SO MANY pages of inner thoughts to read before one of the characters would be like "are you still with me?". i wish i wasn't. like come on i just read 5 pages of how u don't like ur dad. WE KNOW.
also i saw people saying that island Mackinac isn't even by lake huron? but that's how she refers to it in the book. so if that's true like how would u let that happen 😭
songs: taylor swift- false gods, 22, cruel summer
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 17, 2022
So before we launch into the review, just pause and go look back at the cover. Isn't it darling? This is literally why I even considered reading this book.
Alright, now we can move on to the important stuff. Let's start with the plot. While the 'teenage girl trying to find out information about her late mother's past life' is definitely a common trope, Platt did a good job executing it. I was completely engaged in what was going on in both timelines, and I had no idea how it was going to end (I had a hypothesis that turned out to be right, but I was really just guessing). The way that Platt brought Mackinac island to life was amazing, and now I must plan a trip there. The carriages, lake, forest, and environment overall sound like a dream (don't believe me? Just look at this and you will be convinced).
On to the characters, they are generally well developed, engaging, and relatable. Emma's narrative read just like Rapunzel from Tangled, and I loved how different and unique each character was.
My absolute favorite part about this book was how Platt addressed risky behaviors so common throughout the YA genre. So many YA books I've read recently treat drugs/alcohol/etc. in a 'boys will be boys' type of way, which drives me crazy because the more we normalize or excuse behaviors, the more prevalent they will be. Was there underage drinking in this book? Yes, and it was clearly portrayed as an irresponsible decision. Even the way that this book treats sex is unique. One teen couple does sleep together, but there are absolutely zero details given, and that physical aspect wasn't the basis of their relationship. It was like a minor add-on instead of the focal point. Also, the real OTP in this story had such a healthy relationship. They truly wanted what was best for the other person, and it was so sweet to watch.
I really only have a few minor complaints. First, I wish that we had gotten more details about the event at the climax of the story. I was left with a few questions that I would have loved answers to. Second, I would have loved an epilogue, or at least another chapter taking place six months later or something. Finally, this was a really long book. Normally with split timelines I feel like I get gypped on both storylines, but this one I feel like we could have cut back and still gotten a good amount for both.
Overall, this was a delightful summer read!
Content warnings: There are several characters who are LGBTQ, a smattering of mild language, and some mild references to sexual topics.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own, and I am writing a voluntary review.
Alright, now we can move on to the important stuff. Let's start with the plot. While the 'teenage girl trying to find out information about her late mother's past life' is definitely a common trope, Platt did a good job executing it. I was completely engaged in what was going on in both timelines, and I had no idea how it was going to end (I had a hypothesis that turned out to be right, but I was really just guessing). The way that Platt brought Mackinac island to life was amazing, and now I must plan a trip there. The carriages, lake, forest, and environment overall sound like a dream (don't believe me? Just look at this and you will be convinced).
On to the characters, they are generally well developed, engaging, and relatable. Emma's narrative read just like Rapunzel from Tangled, and I loved how different and unique each character was.
My absolute favorite part about this book was how Platt addressed risky behaviors so common throughout the YA genre. So many YA books I've read recently treat drugs/alcohol/etc. in a 'boys will be boys' type of way, which drives me crazy because the more we normalize or excuse behaviors, the more prevalent they will be. Was there underage drinking in this book? Yes, and it was clearly portrayed as an irresponsible decision. Even the way that this book treats sex is unique. One teen couple does sleep together, but there are absolutely zero details given, and that physical aspect wasn't the basis of their relationship. It was like a minor add-on instead of the focal point. Also, the real OTP in this story had such a healthy relationship. They truly wanted what was best for the other person, and it was so sweet to watch.
I really only have a few minor complaints. First, I wish that we had gotten more details about the event at the climax of the story. I was left with a few questions that I would have loved answers to. Second, I would have loved an epilogue, or at least another chapter taking place six months later or something. Finally, this was a really long book. Normally with split timelines I feel like I get gypped on both storylines, but this one I feel like we could have cut back and still gotten a good amount for both.
Overall, this was a delightful summer read!
Content warnings: There are several characters who are LGBTQ, a smattering of mild language, and some mild references to sexual topics.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own, and I am writing a voluntary review.
August 26, 2024
Lexi needs to develop a full frontal lobe before thinking again
May 16, 2022
I didn't actually read this because the glaring error in the description was enough to put me off.
Mackinac Island is nowhere near Lake Superior. You can barely get from one to the other by boat, and then only by going through a canal!
Mackinac Island is in Lake Huron, near where it meets Lake Michigan.
Oh, and the streets aren't cobblestone. They are paved.
They only things they got right in the description is that cars are not allowed and the fact that there is a giant white hotel (the Grand Hotel), although it doesn't really loom over anything- it is off to the side. You see it from the ferry on your way in, but otherwise, you have to go out of the downtown area to see it in person.
I had the chance to request an ARC, but since the description includes multiple errors, I passed as I am sure the actual book would enrage me. Especially because it appears the setting is major part of the story. As someone who has been to Mackinac Island many times, I can't do it.
Also, the audiobook is 20 hours!! Holy cow.
Mackinac Island is nowhere near Lake Superior. You can barely get from one to the other by boat, and then only by going through a canal!
Mackinac Island is in Lake Huron, near where it meets Lake Michigan.
Oh, and the streets aren't cobblestone. They are paved.
They only things they got right in the description is that cars are not allowed and the fact that there is a giant white hotel (the Grand Hotel), although it doesn't really loom over anything- it is off to the side. You see it from the ferry on your way in, but otherwise, you have to go out of the downtown area to see it in person.
I had the chance to request an ARC, but since the description includes multiple errors, I passed as I am sure the actual book would enrage me. Especially because it appears the setting is major part of the story. As someone who has been to Mackinac Island many times, I can't do it.
Also, the audiobook is 20 hours!! Holy cow.
June 25, 2022
okay soooo i adored this book for so long. the further i got into it, the more i wanted to hear emma’s story, but towards the end, i was yearning to hear more of lexi’s point of view. overall LOVED the book. would’ve been a 5/5 IF the last two chapters didn’t disappoint me❤️
July 28, 2023
2.5 ★
every time JR calls Emma a “perky princess” an angel dies
every time JR calls Emma a “perky princess” an angel dies
March 27, 2025
It was cute and sweet, but it could have been 200 pages shorter 🙃
January 21, 2023
I put off finishing this book for so long, and every time I picked it up I was ready to be done with it. Unfortunately that didn't happen quickly because... this book is almost 600 pages long???
The story is so slow and repetitive. I know they're mother and daughter, but so much of Lexi and Emma's narration was the exact same. Emma was also pretty dumb. I understand wanting to know about your mom, but she literally shows up at Mackinac Island and starts asking around as if everyone were her mom's close personal friend.
Then there's the love triangle. I knew right away who Lexi would end up with. It's always the moody guy who's kinda mean to her. The book tries to turn him into a sweetheart and make the other guy less appealing, but it felt out of character. And I'm not surprised JR ends up being a cruddy dad who tries to hide his emotions and never opens up to his daughter about her own mother. He's clearly got issues dealing with his emotions and showing love for his loved ones.
I'd probably have liked the book more if it was shorter. It does try to flesh out its characters and give them realistic problems to deal with, but it's just so slow and nothing of interest happens in 90% of it.
I think I'm just not the right market for this kind of book. It's got a pretty cover, though.
The story is so slow and repetitive. I know they're mother and daughter, but so much of Lexi and Emma's narration was the exact same. Emma was also pretty dumb. I understand wanting to know about your mom, but she literally shows up at Mackinac Island and starts asking around as if everyone were her mom's close personal friend.
Then there's the love triangle. I knew right away who Lexi would end up with. It's always the moody guy who's kinda mean to her. The book tries to turn him into a sweetheart and make the other guy less appealing, but it felt out of character. And I'm not surprised JR ends up being a cruddy dad who tries to hide his emotions and never opens up to his daughter about her own mother. He's clearly got issues dealing with his emotions and showing love for his loved ones.
I'd probably have liked the book more if it was shorter. It does try to flesh out its characters and give them realistic problems to deal with, but it's just so slow and nothing of interest happens in 90% of it.
I think I'm just not the right market for this kind of book. It's got a pretty cover, though.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 7, 2024
No way should this book be over 500 pages long. Cut the fluff 350 max! Also we need a new editor with all these typos.
July 14, 2022
This book was phenomenal. It kept me on the edge of my seat until the end and I couldn’t possibly devour its pages fast enough. I’d give it more stars if I could. This was honestly the best story I have ever read in a long time. By the end, I felt as if all the characters were my friends and I was very sad once it was over. However, it had a lovely ending and no questions were left unanswered. By the end of the story I felt as if I knew Lexi’s mom, Emma, too. This book made me cry with all the sad and happy tears. It was the perfect summer read. It also has the most beautiful cover which drew me into it in the first place. I am so grateful because without it, I’m not sure I would have found this story. It is truly one of the best books I have ever read and I cannot wait to revisit my friends again someday. I cannot rave about this story enough! Also I have been wanting to visit Mackinac island for many year and this just gave me even more drive to make a trip there happen someday. Cynthia Platt, I cannot thank you enough for this truly touching story. I hope you write more books like this in the future. I will buy and read them all while hanging on every word.
February 17, 2024
4.5 ⭐️
wow. i’m in tears the ending completely wrecked me i don’t have words. emma is quite possibly one of my favorite characters ever, despite her flaws. and i loved seeing how all her friendships and relationships changed over time. all i can say is friends to lovers for the win.
wow. i’m in tears the ending completely wrecked me i don’t have words. emma is quite possibly one of my favorite characters ever, despite her flaws. and i loved seeing how all her friendships and relationships changed over time. all i can say is friends to lovers for the win.
July 13, 2024
the only thing i remember about this was how long and heavy it was and how much i whined about it to my family.
July 16, 2025
I'm very torn about this book. I'll give it 2.5 stars, but I'm honestly going back and forth on it.
To start off, this book is told in two different voices and two different time lines. Half is a modern day narration from Lexi, who is trying to figure out more about her mom's past because her dad won't tell her anything (more on that later). The other half is told by her mom, Emma, back when she lived on Mackinac Island.
I really enjoyed reading Emma's chapters, but Lexi's were kind of slow and a little boring for me. There was a lot I liked about this book but a lot I didn't like. To fully explain, I'm going to have to include some spoilers.
The atmosphere in general was beautiful, I loved the setting and descriptions. I was very invested in Emma's story the whole time, and I really genuinely cared about her and her friends. I was honestly heartbroken about how her friendship with Linda turned out and how they never got closure or any type of reconciliation with one another. While reading Emma's chapters, I somehow forgot that she obviously ended up dying and was really sad when I remember towards the end of the book that it was heading for an inevitable ending. It didn't really explain how she died which bothered me a little, it just said 'her heart gave out' so that kind of leaves room for speculation I guess.
The beginning of the book was a lot of fun. Sure, all the characters had some sort of unpleasant situation going on in their lives but the important thing was that they had each other. The friend group, made up of Emma, Linda, Jr. and Ryan, was really sweet. It's a super fun book to read in summer and I loved reading about the four of them having fun together and leaning on one another for support.
As for the beginning in Lexi's pov, she receives her mom's old mosaic chest and decides to make up a huge lie and go behind her dad and step mom's back to basically run away while they think she's visiting colleges. This obviously isn't right, and if she had to face the consequences of it, I'd be fine. But she had literally zero consequences for her actions. None. She lied to her parents, spent a ton of money, and overall just made some pretty bad decisions and didn't have to deal with any of it. In the end, it made it seem like her dad was the one who needed to apologize becausehe wouldn't tell her anything about her mom and that's what drove her to leave (again-theres a lot to unpack with her dad).
The middle was where stuff really started to unravel on Emma's side of the story. She's dating Ryan now and Jr. is acting really distant and for some reason she can't see the connection between those two things. Then there's a big dramatic fire and Jr. is sent to juvie for causing it. After the fire, it's implied that it took a ton of work to get the hotel up and running again, but we see none of it. I guess that makes sense because fire repairs would be pretty boring to read about. Things get really tense between Emma and her parents because she wants to become an artist and they want her to take on the family business. If I'm honest, after a while I was tired of them reiterating the problems between Emma and her parents because neither of them was being very logical and they simply wouldn't listen to each other.
On Lexi's end, she's really just figuring out what happened to her mom with the fire and everything. She also becomes friends with an incredibly rude old woman who used to be famous and seems to worship her even though this old lady is kind of evil. That seems to happen with old people, though. They can get away with being evil just because they're old. Once again, I found it kind of boring. Also, sidenote, Lexi is supposedly depending on her older step sister to research colleges and tell her about them so that Lexi can lie to her dad, but we never see any of that happen. She seems to barely communicate with anyone the whole time she's there and also faces no consequences for that except when her step sister yells at her over the phone once or twice.
Then there was the ending. I read the ending in one night, and I'm not talking 50 pages. I read the last 100+ pages of this book in one sitting because I was so desperate to know what happened.
On Emma's side, it's the next summer after the huge fire and she's still dating Ryan but stuff between her parents are still strained while Ryan is getting along really well with his dad. Last summer, he and his dad fought a lot so it's obviously pretty weird to see them sort of being friends and it kind of felt forced for the plot. Emma is sort of gaslighting herself into thinking that she'll be happy going to college with Ryan and everything will work out if she just plays the part of the perfect girlfriend. She keeps telling herself that she has to do things for him because he's so amazing and forgiving which really annoyed me. Then Jr. shows up and everything just goes downhill from there.
To sum it up, there's a big plot twist and Ryan ends up joining the military and then Emma breaks up with him while he's at basic training and gets together with Jr. The plot twist was one that I predicted from a mile away, just like the other major plot twist, which we'll get to in a second. The whole breakup with Ryan is weird to me because it depended on the fact that we find out he started the fire and watched Jr. get in trouble for it and said nothing. They relationship between him and Emma is so odd to me because they really don't seem to fit well together at all. She cheats on him, he manipulates her. There's very little communication and in the end I felt like they were only placed together to keep Emma and Jr. apart and add tension.
For Lexi, she's kind of spiraling and having a huge breakdown at the end of the book because she thinks that Jr. is her dad and her dad at home isn't actually her biological father. She meets Linda and honestly they have a pretty sad conversation that gives Linda's perspective on the whole thing. Lexi also has this sort of romance with a hotel worker named Casey that never gets resolved. Also, Lexi seems like she doesn't have friends because over the course of the week that she's on Mackinac nobody except her dad and step sister reach out to her, and Casey who she just met.
At the end her dad showed up and we find out the big twist, which is that her dad, Mathew Carter, is Jr. I predicted it from the literal beginning of the book but I'm glad that's how it ended up. However, it kind of makes everything weird in my opinion. Since her dad is Jr., it makes sense that he was really upset when Emm died but it doesn't make sense that he would turn into such a cold father to his daughter and never tell her anything about her mom. I understand that it had to be this way for the story to happen at all, but it feels just like it was used as a convient way for Lexi to go on this trip. Her dad had to be mean and tell her nothing to push her to go on the trip to Mackinac in the first place. Once her dad finds her, he's changed his attitude completely with no explanation. He's not even mad that his daughter lied to him and drove hours away to an island and spent probably thousands of dollars on gas and the hotel. Again, she faces no consequences at all and it makes it seem like her dad was entirely in the wrong. Obviously I do believe that it was wrong for her dad to keep things from her and tell Lexi nothing about her mom, but it felt really unrealistic to his character to do that in the first place.
There's a lot of instances where I feel like some characters did things unrealistic to their actual character just to keep the plot going, which really annoyed me.
Overall, I liked the story of Emma even though in the end it was honestly kind of heartbreaking. I did shed a few tears during the last chapters of the book. And that's why I'm so torn. I loved the story, the characters and the setting. But some things made me mad and also made no sense. I could also see an agenda inserted in a really clunky way that annoyed me. It added nothing to the story and just felt like it was there for brownie points.
So I'm going with 2.5 stars. I'm glad I read it and I honestly might read it again, only for the atmosphere and characters. I would recommend to people who really enjoy a 'Love and Gelato' type of book, as long as you can get past the things I mentioned.
To start off, this book is told in two different voices and two different time lines. Half is a modern day narration from Lexi, who is trying to figure out more about her mom's past because her dad won't tell her anything (more on that later). The other half is told by her mom, Emma, back when she lived on Mackinac Island.
I really enjoyed reading Emma's chapters, but Lexi's were kind of slow and a little boring for me. There was a lot I liked about this book but a lot I didn't like. To fully explain, I'm going to have to include some spoilers.
The atmosphere in general was beautiful, I loved the setting and descriptions. I was very invested in Emma's story the whole time, and I really genuinely cared about her and her friends. I was honestly heartbroken about how her friendship with Linda turned out and how they never got closure or any type of reconciliation with one another. While reading Emma's chapters, I somehow forgot that she obviously ended up dying and was really sad when I remember towards the end of the book that it was heading for an inevitable ending. It didn't really explain how she died which bothered me a little, it just said 'her heart gave out' so that kind of leaves room for speculation I guess.
The beginning of the book was a lot of fun. Sure, all the characters had some sort of unpleasant situation going on in their lives but the important thing was that they had each other. The friend group, made up of Emma, Linda, Jr. and Ryan, was really sweet. It's a super fun book to read in summer and I loved reading about the four of them having fun together and leaning on one another for support.
As for the beginning in Lexi's pov, she receives her mom's old mosaic chest and decides to make up a huge lie and go behind her dad and step mom's back to basically run away while they think she's visiting colleges. This obviously isn't right, and if she had to face the consequences of it, I'd be fine. But she had literally zero consequences for her actions. None. She lied to her parents, spent a ton of money, and overall just made some pretty bad decisions and didn't have to deal with any of it. In the end, it made it seem like her dad was the one who needed to apologize becausehe wouldn't tell her anything about her mom and that's what drove her to leave (again-theres a lot to unpack with her dad).
The middle was where stuff really started to unravel on Emma's side of the story. She's dating Ryan now and Jr. is acting really distant and for some reason she can't see the connection between those two things. Then there's a big dramatic fire and Jr. is sent to juvie for causing it. After the fire, it's implied that it took a ton of work to get the hotel up and running again, but we see none of it. I guess that makes sense because fire repairs would be pretty boring to read about. Things get really tense between Emma and her parents because she wants to become an artist and they want her to take on the family business. If I'm honest, after a while I was tired of them reiterating the problems between Emma and her parents because neither of them was being very logical and they simply wouldn't listen to each other.
On Lexi's end, she's really just figuring out what happened to her mom with the fire and everything. She also becomes friends with an incredibly rude old woman who used to be famous and seems to worship her even though this old lady is kind of evil. That seems to happen with old people, though. They can get away with being evil just because they're old. Once again, I found it kind of boring. Also, sidenote, Lexi is supposedly depending on her older step sister to research colleges and tell her about them so that Lexi can lie to her dad, but we never see any of that happen. She seems to barely communicate with anyone the whole time she's there and also faces no consequences for that except when her step sister yells at her over the phone once or twice.
Then there was the ending. I read the ending in one night, and I'm not talking 50 pages. I read the last 100+ pages of this book in one sitting because I was so desperate to know what happened.
On Emma's side, it's the next summer after the huge fire and she's still dating Ryan but stuff between her parents are still strained while Ryan is getting along really well with his dad. Last summer, he and his dad fought a lot so it's obviously pretty weird to see them sort of being friends and it kind of felt forced for the plot. Emma is sort of gaslighting herself into thinking that she'll be happy going to college with Ryan and everything will work out if she just plays the part of the perfect girlfriend. She keeps telling herself that she has to do things for him because he's so amazing and forgiving which really annoyed me. Then Jr. shows up and everything just goes downhill from there.
To sum it up, there's a big plot twist and Ryan ends up joining the military and then Emma breaks up with him while he's at basic training and gets together with Jr. The plot twist was one that I predicted from a mile away, just like the other major plot twist, which we'll get to in a second. The whole breakup with Ryan is weird to me because it depended on the fact that we find out he started the fire and watched Jr. get in trouble for it and said nothing. They relationship between him and Emma is so odd to me because they really don't seem to fit well together at all. She cheats on him, he manipulates her. There's very little communication and in the end I felt like they were only placed together to keep Emma and Jr. apart and add tension.
For Lexi, she's kind of spiraling and having a huge breakdown at the end of the book because she thinks that Jr. is her dad and her dad at home isn't actually her biological father. She meets Linda and honestly they have a pretty sad conversation that gives Linda's perspective on the whole thing. Lexi also has this sort of romance with a hotel worker named Casey that never gets resolved. Also, Lexi seems like she doesn't have friends because over the course of the week that she's on Mackinac nobody except her dad and step sister reach out to her, and Casey who she just met.
At the end her dad showed up and we find out the big twist, which is that her dad, Mathew Carter, is Jr. I predicted it from the literal beginning of the book but I'm glad that's how it ended up. However, it kind of makes everything weird in my opinion. Since her dad is Jr., it makes sense that he was really upset when Emm died but it doesn't make sense that he would turn into such a cold father to his daughter and never tell her anything about her mom. I understand that it had to be this way for the story to happen at all, but it feels just like it was used as a convient way for Lexi to go on this trip. Her dad had to be mean and tell her nothing to push her to go on the trip to Mackinac in the first place. Once her dad finds her, he's changed his attitude completely with no explanation. He's not even mad that his daughter lied to him and drove hours away to an island and spent probably thousands of dollars on gas and the hotel. Again, she faces no consequences at all and it makes it seem like her dad was entirely in the wrong. Obviously I do believe that it was wrong for her dad to keep things from her and tell Lexi nothing about her mom, but it felt really unrealistic to his character to do that in the first place.
There's a lot of instances where I feel like some characters did things unrealistic to their actual character just to keep the plot going, which really annoyed me.
Overall, I liked the story of Emma even though in the end it was honestly kind of heartbreaking. I did shed a few tears during the last chapters of the book. And that's why I'm so torn. I loved the story, the characters and the setting. But some things made me mad and also made no sense. I could also see an agenda inserted in a really clunky way that annoyed me. It added nothing to the story and just felt like it was there for brownie points.
So I'm going with 2.5 stars. I'm glad I read it and I honestly might read it again, only for the atmosphere and characters. I would recommend to people who really enjoy a 'Love and Gelato' type of book, as long as you can get past the things I mentioned.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 2, 2022
This book could've been so much better if it had been edited! 600 pages for a YA novel?!
The pacing was abysmally slow, with so much (emotional angst) repetition that snothered the story almost completely.
I can't understand how it got past the editor...and I can't quite believe I made it to the end!
The story, when it got going, was interesting. A summer love/mystery premise, with a lot of deep layers to it that got more complex as it progressed. Although I was glad to get to the end, it wasn't a totally satisfying one, as so much was quickly glossed over. Considering the page quota it took to get that far, this felt like a huge letdown.
But the cover is so lovely. :)
The pacing was abysmally slow, with so much (emotional angst) repetition that snothered the story almost completely.
I can't understand how it got past the editor...and I can't quite believe I made it to the end!
The story, when it got going, was interesting. A summer love/mystery premise, with a lot of deep layers to it that got more complex as it progressed. Although I was glad to get to the end, it wasn't a totally satisfying one, as so much was quickly glossed over. Considering the page quota it took to get that far, this felt like a huge letdown.
But the cover is so lovely. :)
May 29, 2022
ℙ𝕠𝕤𝕥𝕔𝕒𝕣𝕕𝕤 𝕗𝕣𝕠𝕞 𝕊𝕦𝕞𝕞𝕖𝕣 ʙʏ Cʏɴᴛʜɪᴀ Pʟᴀᴛᴛ
Swipe for synopsis ➡️
“The Notebook meets Love & Gelato in the heart-wrenching novel about a teen who travels To her late mothers majestic summertime home to learn of the romance— and the tragedy— that changed her life forever.”
🌅 then & now
🌅young love
🌅best friends
🌅growing up
🌅family duty
🌅dreams & reality
🌅mystery, secrets & lies
🌅mistakes
🌅difficult discoveries
parental loss
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
As a teen, I believe this would have been five star read for me. As an adult, with my path currently well-paved, it’s less for so. I’ll split the difference with four stars.
I loved the mystery of Lexi’s search for Emma’s (her mother) story through letters, postcards and a mosaic box. She also meets people from her mother’s past that fill in the blanks. Both Emma and Lexi have that optimistic, rose colored, passion of the young. The setting of this beautiful summer island and young friends growing up together is lovely. Until it’s not.
👍Likes:
I liked the passion of these young people. Emma’s artistically soul, her love of her childhood home on the island, and her passion for art. I loved her love for her best friend, JR.
I liked Lexi’s determination to find out more about the mother she lost despite hitting roadblock after roadblock, including her own father that won’t talk to her. I liked how the mosaic box of her mother’s was her guide into the past.
👎Dislikes:
Emma’s and Ryan/Linda’s parents were just so awful and selfish. The injustice of it all was pretty obnoxious.
There was a ton of avoidance and leaving things unsaid. Which I believed led to my third dislike which was …
This story was very long. Like long long. I feel like it could have been much shorter.
I hated that all the lack of communication and the parents pushing their needs on to their own child, inevitably led to what I believe killed her. She was so stressed and panicked from all of the relationship turmoil that her big heart took on, that her heart gave out at a young age.
The writing of this story is beautiful, it’s descriptive and visual. I predicted the discoveries, but the explanations, particularly the ending, made me tear up. Heart-wrenching is indeed the correct description.
#postcardsfromsummer #cynthiaplatt #maytbr #junetbr #bookstagram #booktok #book #litsknitsandhits #crochet #knit #bookstafriends #bookstan #booklove #bookworm #booksofinstagram#bookblogger #booklove #fivestars #bookylouwho
Swipe for synopsis ➡️
“The Notebook meets Love & Gelato in the heart-wrenching novel about a teen who travels To her late mothers majestic summertime home to learn of the romance— and the tragedy— that changed her life forever.”
🌅 then & now
🌅young love
🌅best friends
🌅growing up
🌅family duty
🌅dreams & reality
🌅mystery, secrets & lies
🌅mistakes
🌅difficult discoveries
parental loss
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
As a teen, I believe this would have been five star read for me. As an adult, with my path currently well-paved, it’s less for so. I’ll split the difference with four stars.
I loved the mystery of Lexi’s search for Emma’s (her mother) story through letters, postcards and a mosaic box. She also meets people from her mother’s past that fill in the blanks. Both Emma and Lexi have that optimistic, rose colored, passion of the young. The setting of this beautiful summer island and young friends growing up together is lovely. Until it’s not.
👍Likes:
I liked the passion of these young people. Emma’s artistically soul, her love of her childhood home on the island, and her passion for art. I loved her love for her best friend, JR.
I liked Lexi’s determination to find out more about the mother she lost despite hitting roadblock after roadblock, including her own father that won’t talk to her. I liked how the mosaic box of her mother’s was her guide into the past.
👎Dislikes:
Emma’s and Ryan/Linda’s parents were just so awful and selfish. The injustice of it all was pretty obnoxious.
There was a ton of avoidance and leaving things unsaid. Which I believed led to my third dislike which was …
This story was very long. Like long long. I feel like it could have been much shorter.
I hated that all the lack of communication and the parents pushing their needs on to their own child, inevitably led to what I believe killed her. She was so stressed and panicked from all of the relationship turmoil that her big heart took on, that her heart gave out at a young age.
The writing of this story is beautiful, it’s descriptive and visual. I predicted the discoveries, but the explanations, particularly the ending, made me tear up. Heart-wrenching is indeed the correct description.
#postcardsfromsummer #cynthiaplatt #maytbr #junetbr #bookstagram #booktok #book #litsknitsandhits #crochet #knit #bookstafriends #bookstan #booklove #bookworm #booksofinstagram#bookblogger #booklove #fivestars #bookylouwho
May 18, 2023
3.5 stars. This book is a CHUNKER and a lot of times that will be a hard pass for me in a contemporary book but this one I didn't really mind. It seemed to still move enough and have intriguing enough characters to keep me reading, though I do think it could have been SIGNIFICANTLY shorter and I would've enjoyed it a little more. This book is told in alternating perspectives and timelines. We get Lexi in present day who is in search of information about her mother. She never knew her because she died when Lexi was a baby but her grandma recently died and left her a lot of letters, etc. from her mom. She decides to go to Mackinac Island to try to find out more. We also get the past timeline of her mother as a young woman. Long story short, her mother was in a love triangle and there was a lot going on with the families, the island, etc. and there are a lot of questions brought to the surface-- including who Lexi's father actually is. I thought the dynamics between people were interesting and overall this was a good read, it just didn't have enough to necessitate almost 600 pages!
SPOILERS AHEAD:
Emma (the mom) had a relationship with a wealthy politician boy named Ryan as well as a less wealthy rebel boy named JR. JR was her BFF for years and years but then he set the hotel on fire where Emma and her family lived. He served time, etc. but then when he comes back we find out it wasn't actually him, it was Ryan and he covered it up because he knew his dad would get blamed since he had a criminal history. You could tell JR was her OTP the whole time and Ryan was just good on paper, but the "twist" in the end comes when we find out her dad (Who we know as Matt) was actually JR and she is their love child. I liked the former broadway star companion in the present timeline as well as the friendship with Ryan's sister in the past, though they didn't add that much to the story.
SPOILERS AHEAD:
Emma (the mom) had a relationship with a wealthy politician boy named Ryan as well as a less wealthy rebel boy named JR. JR was her BFF for years and years but then he set the hotel on fire where Emma and her family lived. He served time, etc. but then when he comes back we find out it wasn't actually him, it was Ryan and he covered it up because he knew his dad would get blamed since he had a criminal history. You could tell JR was her OTP the whole time and Ryan was just good on paper, but the "twist" in the end comes when we find out her dad (Who we know as Matt) was actually JR and she is their love child. I liked the former broadway star companion in the present timeline as well as the friendship with Ryan's sister in the past, though they didn't add that much to the story.
May 23, 2022
Postcards From Summer by Cynthia Platt
Lexi’s mom died when she was young and her dad clams up every time she asks about her. When a mysterious package arrives for her, Lexi can’t wait to open it away from the prying eyes of her father and step-mother. It’s more than she could have guessed, a mosaic box filled with letters and treasures that belonged to her mother and the news that her grandmother had passed away.
Lexi doesn’t know anything about her grandparents except that they tried to take her away from her dad when her mother died. But maybe with the clues from the box she can piece together her mother’s history. One big clue being Mackinac Island, where her mother spent her summers. Lexi’s step-sister, Chloe, convinces her to go there and find out more about her mother. From there we have dual POV, Lexi looking for information and Emma, Lexi’s mom, in her teen years before she left the island.
Mackinac Island has been on my bucket list for years so I knew I had to read this story. It was a typical YA novel with great love interests, (yes, it has a love triangle but I think it was well done), a beautiful setting, and some mysterious intrigue. I definitely think it was longer than it needed to be, especially since those that read a lot of YA can probably see the plot twists coming from a mile away. I thought Emma’s story line was well developed and it kept me wanting to read more. I was confused by several of Lexi’s decisions but who didn’t make poor decisions as a teen. Overall, I really did enjoy the story and think it makes for a great summer read!
I listened to the audio version and really liked it. At 20 hours in length I was able to get a lot done while listening.
Content Warning: underage drinking, some swearing, teen pregnancy
Lexi’s mom died when she was young and her dad clams up every time she asks about her. When a mysterious package arrives for her, Lexi can’t wait to open it away from the prying eyes of her father and step-mother. It’s more than she could have guessed, a mosaic box filled with letters and treasures that belonged to her mother and the news that her grandmother had passed away.
Lexi doesn’t know anything about her grandparents except that they tried to take her away from her dad when her mother died. But maybe with the clues from the box she can piece together her mother’s history. One big clue being Mackinac Island, where her mother spent her summers. Lexi’s step-sister, Chloe, convinces her to go there and find out more about her mother. From there we have dual POV, Lexi looking for information and Emma, Lexi’s mom, in her teen years before she left the island.
Mackinac Island has been on my bucket list for years so I knew I had to read this story. It was a typical YA novel with great love interests, (yes, it has a love triangle but I think it was well done), a beautiful setting, and some mysterious intrigue. I definitely think it was longer than it needed to be, especially since those that read a lot of YA can probably see the plot twists coming from a mile away. I thought Emma’s story line was well developed and it kept me wanting to read more. I was confused by several of Lexi’s decisions but who didn’t make poor decisions as a teen. Overall, I really did enjoy the story and think it makes for a great summer read!
I listened to the audio version and really liked it. At 20 hours in length I was able to get a lot done while listening.
Content Warning: underage drinking, some swearing, teen pregnancy
August 1, 2025
3.5 ⭐️
This could've been 4 stars if it wasn't so long, I think it definitely could've been edited down. Also some really cringe dialogue and moments. But the setting and the story line was great, it just fell flat in a few areas for me.
This could've been 4 stars if it wasn't so long, I think it definitely could've been edited down. Also some really cringe dialogue and moments. But the setting and the story line was great, it just fell flat in a few areas for me.
August 22, 2022
This was an interesting read. I liked the characters and the premise. The reasons it's a 3 star review for me is that it was definitely too long. While the writing was good, many scenes could have been cut and chapters ended earlier without anything being lost. Besides the long length, the pacing is very, very slow. You won't find yourself tearing through pages desperate to see how all the action will turn out. It's a slow and steady read.
Also, practically not a chapter went by without Lexi or Emma's stomach churning. Their reactions to their stressful lives were very similar. Too similar. I found myself reading the same words and phrases over and over because each girl was freaking out in the same ways in their own storylines. That was a bit tedious.
Another thing that bothered me was JR's behavior. He was all grump, all the time for most of the book until suddenly...he wasn't anymore? He'd been through a traumatic life event, but was that the reason? The 180 change in behavior isn't explained or acknowledged, which I thought was weird. Same for Ryan. He went from vehemently opposing his father's control to becoming his father's right hand man, and there was no explanation for this change either. And Emma never questions it. Never takes a moment to say, "Hey there, you were so angry at your dad trying to control you and now you're a yes man for him. What's the deal?"
Also, I have to mention, although this book is nearly 600 pages, there are a lot of mistakes in the manuscript. Lots of missing words, some repeated words, and transposed words. People love to ding self-published books for myriad formatting errors like this, but this book by a very large and respected publisher, has more than one or two. I lost count at around 6 errors of that nature.
The big secrets of the book didn't surprise me at all, but they were right for the story.
Although this review reads a little negatively, overall, I did enjoy the story enough that I stuck with it to find out how the author would wrap it all up. I don't regret reading it, but I'm definitely ready to move onto a faster paced read now.
Also, practically not a chapter went by without Lexi or Emma's stomach churning. Their reactions to their stressful lives were very similar. Too similar. I found myself reading the same words and phrases over and over because each girl was freaking out in the same ways in their own storylines. That was a bit tedious.
Another thing that bothered me was JR's behavior. He was all grump, all the time for most of the book until suddenly...he wasn't anymore? He'd been through a traumatic life event, but was that the reason? The 180 change in behavior isn't explained or acknowledged, which I thought was weird. Same for Ryan. He went from vehemently opposing his father's control to becoming his father's right hand man, and there was no explanation for this change either. And Emma never questions it. Never takes a moment to say, "Hey there, you were so angry at your dad trying to control you and now you're a yes man for him. What's the deal?"
Also, I have to mention, although this book is nearly 600 pages, there are a lot of mistakes in the manuscript. Lots of missing words, some repeated words, and transposed words. People love to ding self-published books for myriad formatting errors like this, but this book by a very large and respected publisher, has more than one or two. I lost count at around 6 errors of that nature.
The big secrets of the book didn't surprise me at all, but they were right for the story.
Although this review reads a little negatively, overall, I did enjoy the story enough that I stuck with it to find out how the author would wrap it all up. I don't regret reading it, but I'm definitely ready to move onto a faster paced read now.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 22, 2024
dear lord.
i honestly picked this book up because of its cover. i mean...look at how beautiful it is! unfortunately, the cover was the most interesting part of this book.
it took everything in me not to dnf this. so much of it felt like fluff and the plot was not going anywhere. i found myself checking how many pages i had left...often. and considering there is 575 pages worth of staleness, i am surprised i saw the light of day. i will say the aesthetic of this book and the setting was very summery! i felt like i was in this hotel in this little nook and corner of the world. i enjoyed some of the scenes too, it was not all a lost cause! the moment at the end between lexi and her dad was precious, as well as some of the rendevous emma, jr, linda, and ryan got up to! unfortunately i predicted the "twist" very early on so the rest of my reading experience was just waiting for lexi to catch up. even the "twist" itself was not all that surprising. the last 100 pages were satisfying as lexi was getting closer to figuring out what happened so for that...2 stars, but i just could not bring myself to give it any more credit. without giving too much away if you do find yourself wanting to pick up this book, there is also a cheating plot point that happens and i PERSONALLY despise cheating in books. it is my least favorite trope, right next to miscommunication. i never root for the character who cheats, despite authors trying ever so hard to make me see the best in them. i do not like cheaters IRL, i will not like them in your book. also this is so nit-picky but the names of these characters...its almost like the author searched up the most common names and just went with it. and FOUR characters start with the name C....and two with J. i just-yeah not my favorite read. cute cover though!!!!
i honestly picked this book up because of its cover. i mean...look at how beautiful it is! unfortunately, the cover was the most interesting part of this book.
it took everything in me not to dnf this. so much of it felt like fluff and the plot was not going anywhere. i found myself checking how many pages i had left...often. and considering there is 575 pages worth of staleness, i am surprised i saw the light of day. i will say the aesthetic of this book and the setting was very summery! i felt like i was in this hotel in this little nook and corner of the world. i enjoyed some of the scenes too, it was not all a lost cause! the moment at the end between lexi and her dad was precious, as well as some of the rendevous emma, jr, linda, and ryan got up to! unfortunately i predicted the "twist" very early on so the rest of my reading experience was just waiting for lexi to catch up. even the "twist" itself was not all that surprising. the last 100 pages were satisfying as lexi was getting closer to figuring out what happened so for that...2 stars, but i just could not bring myself to give it any more credit. without giving too much away if you do find yourself wanting to pick up this book, there is also a cheating plot point that happens and i PERSONALLY despise cheating in books. it is my least favorite trope, right next to miscommunication. i never root for the character who cheats, despite authors trying ever so hard to make me see the best in them. i do not like cheaters IRL, i will not like them in your book. also this is so nit-picky but the names of these characters...its almost like the author searched up the most common names and just went with it. and FOUR characters start with the name C....and two with J. i just-yeah not my favorite read. cute cover though!!!!
August 17, 2022
DNF for 2 reasons:
1) the descriptions of Mackinac island are not correct. Cobblestone streets (they are paved, can you imagine BIKING on cobblestone?), the big white hotel looming over the town (its off to the side of the island), it’s located in Lake Superior (the island sits in Lake Huron), the “sandy” beaches (they are all super rocky, actually), the grand hotel puts on a beach bonfire every Friday (the hotel is a LONG long walk to the ROCKY beach)…. I could go on but I digress..
2) audio book was 20 (!!!!) hours long and the book is almost 600 pages
After taking a trip to Mackinac I was so excited to read a little novel about the island I love so much. The differences between real-life Mackinac and this one in the story were too glaring and annoying for me to read 600 pages worth of story. Life is too short.
1) the descriptions of Mackinac island are not correct. Cobblestone streets (they are paved, can you imagine BIKING on cobblestone?), the big white hotel looming over the town (its off to the side of the island), it’s located in Lake Superior (the island sits in Lake Huron), the “sandy” beaches (they are all super rocky, actually), the grand hotel puts on a beach bonfire every Friday (the hotel is a LONG long walk to the ROCKY beach)…. I could go on but I digress..
2) audio book was 20 (!!!!) hours long and the book is almost 600 pages
After taking a trip to Mackinac I was so excited to read a little novel about the island I love so much. The differences between real-life Mackinac and this one in the story were too glaring and annoying for me to read 600 pages worth of story. Life is too short.
May 29, 2022
I absolutely loved this book, even though I figured out the “mysteries” well before the ending.
I loved the teen characters, especially how mixed up and confused they were about their emotions. I have read reviews that say Emma doesn’t know her own mind, but I think they forgot what it was like to be a 17 year old in the summertime.
Lexi is so much like her mother. People who get frustrated with Lexi’s actions don’t see that. That both Emma and Lexi want to please their parents but want to be true to themselves too.
The ending is beautiful, and I find myself wanting to revisit Mackinac and these characters, to see what happens to the newer generation.
I loved the teen characters, especially how mixed up and confused they were about their emotions. I have read reviews that say Emma doesn’t know her own mind, but I think they forgot what it was like to be a 17 year old in the summertime.
Lexi is so much like her mother. People who get frustrated with Lexi’s actions don’t see that. That both Emma and Lexi want to please their parents but want to be true to themselves too.
The ending is beautiful, and I find myself wanting to revisit Mackinac and these characters, to see what happens to the newer generation.
July 3, 2024
DNF - its way too long and low key boring. it had a lot of potential so thats why i gave it a 2 stars instead of a 1 but i couldn't finish it. got like 3/4ths through it and i WOULD finish it but its actually ruining my summer with how long its taking me to get invested in it. so i gave up! sorry! maybe if it was shorter and less focused on her moms old life bc honestly i wasn't invested in the FL at all only her mom and JR 😭 i also "accidentally" looked at the spoilers from the book at the end and i was like... this is it? lmfao i think even if i finished it, i would 100% still give it a 2 stars...
June 16, 2022
First, there is a 1-star review below that is absolutely ridiculous and should not be added whatsoever to the ranking of this book. If you don't even attempt to read a book you shouldn't be reviewing it.
I really did like this book, I liked the back and forth and the uncertainty of it all. I do wish something things would have happened to set things right between characters before the ending. I would recommend this as a read.
I really did like this book, I liked the back and forth and the uncertainty of it all. I do wish something things would have happened to set things right between characters before the ending. I would recommend this as a read.
September 10, 2022
This is a YA novel with dual timelines telling the story of 17 year old Lexi as she tries to discover more about her mom, Emma, who died when Lexi was very young. I don’t read a ton of YA anymore but I was reeled in by this absolutely adorable cover, and then I was hooked when I read the synopsis and saw Mackinac Island.
(I’m a dork and made tiktok video for it so if you want to see it, message me 😂)
(I’m a dork and made tiktok video for it so if you want to see it, message me 😂)
November 17, 2022
well, this thing was as thick as a brick but sooo worth it! The dual storylines that came together were perfect! i loved the characters and the storyline was written so well. i will say, the "mystery" ending was slightly predictable(it didn't help that I accidentally spoiled something for myself while checking page numbers lol). it was so sweet to get a glimpse of summer while we had our first snowfall. i would recommend this to anyone who wants a summer book that's longer than the norm.
October 5, 2023
Apparently the author and the publisher don’t have the sense to check basic facts. A LOT of what was written about Mackinac Island is wrong, for instance it’s not located in Lake Superior. This is a HUGE error that is so easily checked, the author has to be insanely lazy to not do so. I’m disgusted. Do better.
June 29, 2023
I LOVE THIS BOOK😭😭
i read this again only a few months later and it was just as good as the first time i read it. i’ll recommend this book to everyone, it’s the best romance i’ve read and the best book i’ve read so far this year. I LOVE JR AND EMMA💕💞💗💓
i read this again only a few months later and it was just as good as the first time i read it. i’ll recommend this book to everyone, it’s the best romance i’ve read and the best book i’ve read so far this year. I LOVE JR AND EMMA💕💞💗💓
July 3, 2024
DNF at page 117. This just wasn't working for me. The protagonist, Lexi, felt a little bit like an over-worrier. The dual timelines and the sheer length of this one just made me lose interest. Plus, I've never been a big fan of romances.
July 3, 2022
CW: death of a parent/grief, fire, cheating (just a kiss)
Postcards From Summer is a sometimes heart-wrenching novel about a teen girl who travels to her late mother’s majestic summertime home to learn of the romance—and the tragedy—that changed her life forever
What I liked:
- the setting of Mackinac Island in Michigan was magical! There were horse drawn carriages and it just seems like a beautiful little place
- I really enjoyed the dual timelines, following Lexi in the (Now) chapters, as she searches for information on her late mother and learning Emma’s story in the (Then) chapters
- It kept me turning pages to find out what happened
- The characters were all pretty well developed (at least the main group of characters)
Why I didn’t give it 5 stars:
- So, at nearly 600 pages, this is a brick of a book, and while I still really enjoyed it, I feel like there was a lot of things that could’ve been cut and it wouldn’t have changed the story
- That being said, I wish there was an epilogue or even a few chapters at the end
- I know it happens, but I counted at least 5 typos
➖
There was also a love triangle, but it didn’t really bother me
➖ 17-year-old Lexi has always wanted to know more about the mother who passed away when she was only a child. But her dad will barely talk about her. He says he’d rather live in the present with Lexi, her stepmom, and her half-brother
➖ When Lexi’s grandma dies and secretly leaves her a worn blue chest that belonged to Lexi’s mother, Lexi is ecstatic to find a treasure trove of keepsakes. Her mom held onto letters, pamphlets, flyers, and news articles all from the same beautiful summertime getaway: Mackinac Island—plus a cryptic postcard that hints at a forbidden romance. If Lexi wants answers, this island is where she needs to go ➖ Without telling her dad, Lexi goes to Mackinac Island in Lake Huron, reachable only by ferry. Cars are forbidden and bikes and carriages are the main modes of transportation. While following her mother’s footsteps, Lexi befriends an elderly former Broadway star and a charming young hotel worker while quickly falling in love with her surroundings.m ➖ But though the island may be beautiful, it’s hiding unfortunate secrets—some with her mother at the center. Could some questions be best left buried beneath the blue waters?
Postcards From Summer is a sometimes heart-wrenching novel about a teen girl who travels to her late mother’s majestic summertime home to learn of the romance—and the tragedy—that changed her life forever
What I liked:
- the setting of Mackinac Island in Michigan was magical! There were horse drawn carriages and it just seems like a beautiful little place
- I really enjoyed the dual timelines, following Lexi in the (Now) chapters, as she searches for information on her late mother and learning Emma’s story in the (Then) chapters
- It kept me turning pages to find out what happened
- The characters were all pretty well developed (at least the main group of characters)
Why I didn’t give it 5 stars:
- So, at nearly 600 pages, this is a brick of a book, and while I still really enjoyed it, I feel like there was a lot of things that could’ve been cut and it wouldn’t have changed the story
- That being said, I wish there was an epilogue or even a few chapters at the end
- I know it happens, but I counted at least 5 typos
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There was also a love triangle, but it didn’t really bother me
➖ 17-year-old Lexi has always wanted to know more about the mother who passed away when she was only a child. But her dad will barely talk about her. He says he’d rather live in the present with Lexi, her stepmom, and her half-brother
➖ When Lexi’s grandma dies and secretly leaves her a worn blue chest that belonged to Lexi’s mother, Lexi is ecstatic to find a treasure trove of keepsakes. Her mom held onto letters, pamphlets, flyers, and news articles all from the same beautiful summertime getaway: Mackinac Island—plus a cryptic postcard that hints at a forbidden romance. If Lexi wants answers, this island is where she needs to go ➖ Without telling her dad, Lexi goes to Mackinac Island in Lake Huron, reachable only by ferry. Cars are forbidden and bikes and carriages are the main modes of transportation. While following her mother’s footsteps, Lexi befriends an elderly former Broadway star and a charming young hotel worker while quickly falling in love with her surroundings.m ➖ But though the island may be beautiful, it’s hiding unfortunate secrets—some with her mother at the center. Could some questions be best left buried beneath the blue waters?
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