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The Forget-Me-Not Summer
Liverpool, 1936: Miranda and her mother, Arabella, live comfortably in a nice area. But when her mother tells her she can no longer afford their present lifestyle, they have a blazing row, and Miranda goes to bed angry and upset. When she wakes the next morning, however, her mother has disappeared. She raises the alarm but everyone is baffled, and when searches fail to discover Arabella’s whereabouts, Miranda is forced to live with her Aunt Vi and cousin Beth, who resent her presence and treat her badly. Miranda is miserable, but when she meets a neighbor, Steve, things begin to look up, and Steve promises to help his new friend in her search, and does so until war intervenes.
432 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 2013
55 people are currently reading
221 people want to read
About the author
Katie Flynn
100 books218 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Katie Flynn was born in Norwich and attended Norwich High School, where she was extremely happy and extremely undistinguished. Published at the tender age of eight, in Enid Blyton's Sunny Stories, she joined a Writers’ Circle as an adult, publishing short stories, articles, etc; only turning to novels in 1971 because the postal strike cut off her main source of income!
At first she wrote under several different names – Judith Saxton, Judy Turner, Lydia Balmain, Judith Arden – but her Katie Flynn books were a delight to write and proved far more popular than she had dreamed. She has now published nearly ninety novels, twenty-seven of which are Flynns. Her most recent titles are: Lost Days of Summer and Christmas Wishes.
Katie Flynn was born in Norwich and attended Norwich High School, where she was extremely happy and extremely undistinguished. Published at the tender age of eight, in Enid Blyton's Sunny Stories, she joined a Writers’ Circle as an adult, publishing short stories, articles, etc; only turning to novels in 1971 because the postal strike cut off her main source of income!
At first she wrote under several different names – Judith Saxton, Judy Turner, Lydia Balmain, Judith Arden – but her Katie Flynn books were a delight to write and proved far more popular than she had dreamed. She has now published nearly ninety novels, twenty-seven of which are Flynns. Her most recent titles are: Lost Days of Summer and Christmas Wishes.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
January 9, 2015
Originally published on my blog with more detail (https://lurkinginthestack.wordpress.c...)
One morning, Miranda wakes up to find that her mother simply isn’t there. Left alone in 1930s Liverpool, she’s forced to move into her Aunt’s house with her horrible aunt and cousin. Her life after her mother’s disappearance is radically different to life she once lead and as she picks up the pieces and navigates adulthood without her mother, or indeed much help from anyone, Miranda starts to find her place in her new world. This is a coming of age story about a girl who first loses her mother then adjusts and then has World War Two break out.
My first impression of this book was it was quite boring. The early part of the book drags out quite a bit and you find yourself thinking “yes, I know her aunt is horrible but what does this have to do with the disappearance of her mother?!” and you really want the action to move along.
But my book club ladies would be so mad at me if I didn’t finish so I kept going and I found something really great about this book. See as boring as I found this part for plot development, there was some great character development between the heroine and her best friend, a kid from down the road called Steve. Steve was known as the problem child of the street but when he meets Miranda, he’s putting that behind him and bonding with his new stepdad and younger half-brother. And it’s fantastic. You really get the sense that Steve is trying to change and develop a relationship with Miranda based on being ‘new Steve’. He’s friendly, helpful and although he struggles a bit, he gets there in the end. For the reader, it’s beautiful.
As the book goes on, the plot does start moving a bit faster. What really stuck with me though is the juvenile tone this book is written in. Miranda seems whiney and self-absorbed and never seems to break that mold. While this makes sense when you realize that Miranda is a teenager through three quarters of this book, it does get a bit annoying for the adult reader. You are forever waiting for the author to treat you as an adult and Miranda to grow up. Yet, it is an enjoyable book if you’re looking for a simple story to pass an afternoon without extending much brain power.
My book club ladies gave this book a solid 3 stars out of 5 and agreed that it gets slow at times but overall is a very satisfying read. The edition we read (pictured above) has quite a few typos which the ladies thought detracted from the overall story. Otherwise, they were happy with it but didn’t feel the need to rate it “Will read again”.
One morning, Miranda wakes up to find that her mother simply isn’t there. Left alone in 1930s Liverpool, she’s forced to move into her Aunt’s house with her horrible aunt and cousin. Her life after her mother’s disappearance is radically different to life she once lead and as she picks up the pieces and navigates adulthood without her mother, or indeed much help from anyone, Miranda starts to find her place in her new world. This is a coming of age story about a girl who first loses her mother then adjusts and then has World War Two break out.
My first impression of this book was it was quite boring. The early part of the book drags out quite a bit and you find yourself thinking “yes, I know her aunt is horrible but what does this have to do with the disappearance of her mother?!” and you really want the action to move along.
But my book club ladies would be so mad at me if I didn’t finish so I kept going and I found something really great about this book. See as boring as I found this part for plot development, there was some great character development between the heroine and her best friend, a kid from down the road called Steve. Steve was known as the problem child of the street but when he meets Miranda, he’s putting that behind him and bonding with his new stepdad and younger half-brother. And it’s fantastic. You really get the sense that Steve is trying to change and develop a relationship with Miranda based on being ‘new Steve’. He’s friendly, helpful and although he struggles a bit, he gets there in the end. For the reader, it’s beautiful.
As the book goes on, the plot does start moving a bit faster. What really stuck with me though is the juvenile tone this book is written in. Miranda seems whiney and self-absorbed and never seems to break that mold. While this makes sense when you realize that Miranda is a teenager through three quarters of this book, it does get a bit annoying for the adult reader. You are forever waiting for the author to treat you as an adult and Miranda to grow up. Yet, it is an enjoyable book if you’re looking for a simple story to pass an afternoon without extending much brain power.
My book club ladies gave this book a solid 3 stars out of 5 and agreed that it gets slow at times but overall is a very satisfying read. The edition we read (pictured above) has quite a few typos which the ladies thought detracted from the overall story. Otherwise, they were happy with it but didn’t feel the need to rate it “Will read again”.
August 13, 2015
I must say I found the written language in the book a bit confusing at times even thou its English. I did enjoy the story however I feel like the book was missing an ending or at least the mothers side of the story. It's what kept me reading,so that I find out why Arabella left her daughter behind without any explanation.
January 11, 2016
Very difficult to read and the story was too slow
March 6, 2018
Love books set in this era and this one was no exception. Recommended.
April 30, 2017
Don't waste your time with this one.
The title is misleading as it is not about a summer but many years.
The whole book was stuffed with filler rather than story.
The "missing mother" plot line is almost unnecessary to the overarching story.
Characters and situations are given importance then almost disappear like her aunt and cousin, Maisie and even Gerald and Julian. Why did we need to know about Miranda driving the grumpy officer? It was a waste of time. The author seems to be more interested in telling us how many cups of tea and treats they were consuming than rounding out the story.
The title is misleading as it is not about a summer but many years.
The whole book was stuffed with filler rather than story.
The "missing mother" plot line is almost unnecessary to the overarching story.
Characters and situations are given importance then almost disappear like her aunt and cousin, Maisie and even Gerald and Julian. Why did we need to know about Miranda driving the grumpy officer? It was a waste of time. The author seems to be more interested in telling us how many cups of tea and treats they were consuming than rounding out the story.
November 29, 2023
A really nice story, but I can't put my finger on what I didn't like about it. The writer seemed to make it a bit unbelievable at times. For a simple story things happened where there was no explanation as to how we got there, e.g. knowing it was her mother that was dragged onto the boat - there was no evidence to say why. It went from being very interesting and seeming as though it was going somewhere to me becoming deflated because it went nowhere. I liked the characters though and the way it was written was nice.
September 2, 2013
I struggled to get into this one- although I did really enjoy it by the end. Other people's reviews of the latter half convinced me to carry on! Not my favourite Katie Flynn by a long way- but I did enjoy the latter part of the story
May 1, 2016
Nice easy read, likeable characters. But was kind of disappointed with it too
November 19, 2017
Two stars for a WTF ending.
September 6, 2024
I received this book from my Grandma. She had read it so passed it to me, and to be honest, I wasn't sure if I ever would actually read it. However, when I came to it - through the use of a random generator wheel - I found that I actually really enjoyed this.
I thought the characters were built in a way that conveyed them as real people. Miranda had unlikable moments, as did Steve, and even Beth had moments where I felt as though I could understand who she was as a character. I liked how Avril became a main character later on in the story, but Julian and Gerald felt quite irrelevant after having been built up quite a lot. I think the relationship with Miranda and Gerald could have been further developed, which would've been nice to see in contrast to Steve and Miranda, but that is definitely just a preference.
The story seemed to have many different plot points to get you to the end goal. Jamaica House seemingly irrelevant at the start, then leading you down a paranormal route, before the reveal of the true cause, and consequent plotline that followed, really felt as though it was done to throw in those twists, but definitely kept the story interesting, and building on the starting focal point of Miranda's mother's disappearance.
Saying that though, I did regularly keep forgetting, due to the relatively infrequent theme, that Miranda's mother was missing. Apart from sections within chapters that infrequently focused on this plot point, it went from being the main aspect of the early chapters, to an afterthought in the later ones. I suppose it represents how this becomes less of a focus for Miranda as she grows up.
One thing I wanted to see more of was the later stage relationship of Steve and Miranda. It felt as though, as a reader, I missed a lot of development of them going from 'bezzies' to actually being married at the end, which seemed to come out of nowhere.
I did enjoy this book, but there were points where I felt myself cringing, but that was mainly due to generational divides between myself and the author, and this ties with some of the linguistic, cultural, and layout choices used.
I had seen some people say that they struggled with the way the book read. Personally, I didn't find this myself, but I definitely understood this, as the paragraphs were quite long, as were the chapters, and the way some of the dialogue was laid out wasn't typical as most books are.
I would recommend the book for light reading, a subtle romance, mystery, and underlying later war theme. I doubt I would read this again, but if I were to come across another Katie Flynn book, I might be tempted to pick it up.
I thought the characters were built in a way that conveyed them as real people. Miranda had unlikable moments, as did Steve, and even Beth had moments where I felt as though I could understand who she was as a character. I liked how Avril became a main character later on in the story, but Julian and Gerald felt quite irrelevant after having been built up quite a lot. I think the relationship with Miranda and Gerald could have been further developed, which would've been nice to see in contrast to Steve and Miranda, but that is definitely just a preference.
The story seemed to have many different plot points to get you to the end goal. Jamaica House seemingly irrelevant at the start, then leading you down a paranormal route, before the reveal of the true cause, and consequent plotline that followed, really felt as though it was done to throw in those twists, but definitely kept the story interesting, and building on the starting focal point of Miranda's mother's disappearance.
Saying that though, I did regularly keep forgetting, due to the relatively infrequent theme, that Miranda's mother was missing. Apart from sections within chapters that infrequently focused on this plot point, it went from being the main aspect of the early chapters, to an afterthought in the later ones. I suppose it represents how this becomes less of a focus for Miranda as she grows up.
One thing I wanted to see more of was the later stage relationship of Steve and Miranda. It felt as though, as a reader, I missed a lot of development of them going from 'bezzies' to actually being married at the end, which seemed to come out of nowhere.
I did enjoy this book, but there were points where I felt myself cringing, but that was mainly due to generational divides between myself and the author, and this ties with some of the linguistic, cultural, and layout choices used.
I had seen some people say that they struggled with the way the book read. Personally, I didn't find this myself, but I definitely understood this, as the paragraphs were quite long, as were the chapters, and the way some of the dialogue was laid out wasn't typical as most books are.
I would recommend the book for light reading, a subtle romance, mystery, and underlying later war theme. I doubt I would read this again, but if I were to come across another Katie Flynn book, I might be tempted to pick it up.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 27, 2024
A good little story which, in my opinion, got better as it progressed. In the first half, it reminded me of a 'Famous Five' story for children, but as the characters grew older, the story seemed to improve enough to catch my interest.
I'm sure many of the words and phrases must be local to Liverpool but many readers must be just as baffled as I was - there should have been a table of explanations somewhere in the book for those not familiar with these local sayings or words. One word which caught my attention and mentioned several times, is a 'gharry'. This may or may not be a local or military word but the only 'gharry' I know is a horse drawn carriage used in India and Egypt! This does not exactly tie in with the war time story in East Anglia but I'm assuming it means a car or taxi. There were also a few typo errors which should have been picked up in the proof reading.
A few queries on the storyline -
Steve was in the RAF and didn't know what the air raid siren was!!
RAF Scratby! - was there ever a military base in Scratby? I'm a Norfolk girl and have never heard of it, nor has Google!
It's the River Wensum and not Wensun which travels through Norfolk.
It's quite possible that the author wanted to create a few fictitious places hence the non existent RAF Scratby or the River Wensun, so why mention factual places in Norwich such as Castle Meadow, Samson & Hercules, Surrey Street and Ringland Hills? It should be consistent throughout and wonder if the research wasn't thorough enough.
Unfortunately all the above has affected my rating and has tended to alter my opinion on the book. I must say, apart from the above observations, I did enjoy the second part of the book but it can only be a 3 star I'm afraid.
My overall view is good but not compulsive.
I'm sure many of the words and phrases must be local to Liverpool but many readers must be just as baffled as I was - there should have been a table of explanations somewhere in the book for those not familiar with these local sayings or words. One word which caught my attention and mentioned several times, is a 'gharry'. This may or may not be a local or military word but the only 'gharry' I know is a horse drawn carriage used in India and Egypt! This does not exactly tie in with the war time story in East Anglia but I'm assuming it means a car or taxi. There were also a few typo errors which should have been picked up in the proof reading.
A few queries on the storyline -
Steve was in the RAF and didn't know what the air raid siren was!!
RAF Scratby! - was there ever a military base in Scratby? I'm a Norfolk girl and have never heard of it, nor has Google!
It's the River Wensum and not Wensun which travels through Norfolk.
It's quite possible that the author wanted to create a few fictitious places hence the non existent RAF Scratby or the River Wensun, so why mention factual places in Norwich such as Castle Meadow, Samson & Hercules, Surrey Street and Ringland Hills? It should be consistent throughout and wonder if the research wasn't thorough enough.
Unfortunately all the above has affected my rating and has tended to alter my opinion on the book. I must say, apart from the above observations, I did enjoy the second part of the book but it can only be a 3 star I'm afraid.
My overall view is good but not compulsive.
June 21, 2019
Time taken to read - on and off over 4 days
Pages - 432
Publisher - Century
Source - Bought
Blurb from Goodreads
Liverpool 1936
Miranda and her mother, Arabella, live comfortably in a nice area. But when her mother tells her she can no longer afford their present lifestyle, they have a blazing row, and Miranda goes to bed angry and upset. When she wakes the next morning, however, her mother has disappeared.
She raises the alarm but everyone is baffled, and when searches fail to discover Arabella’s whereabouts, Miranda is forced to live with her Aunt Vi and cousin Beth, who resent her presence and treat her badly.
Miranda is miserable, but when she meets a neighbour, Steve, things begin to look up and Steve promises to help his new friend in her search, and does so until war intervenes…
My Review
We open the book with a young Miranda, her mother goes missing and life is her trying to adapt to the new situation she finds herself in, her family and her new friend Steve. The book moves along from the mystery of Miranda's mothers disappearance to Miranda as an adult, never giving up hope of finding her mother. Covering her life into adulthood we follow her personal relationships, work life and getting through the war and all that comes with it.
The first part of the story I liked, Miranda as a kid, the ?haunting of the house they come across and the story and friendships that follow. Then it skips more to adulthood and it just changed the tone of the story for me, it could have been two different stories to be honest. Things that happened in the first part of the story, characters, I would have liked to have stayed relevant in the time change but it focuses on Miranda, her journey at the point and Steve and his part.
Considering how it all starts and how the author decided to bring the ending about it just wasn't for me. The pace was ok, some bits I liked a lot more than others. A lot of the characters had questionable behaviour/characteristics and some you really warmed to. Really mixed and I am sure some folk will love it but overall I didn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to and I think had I got more depth for some of the characters and depth I would have really like this one. This was my first read of this author, I would read her again, just this one wasn't for me, 2.5/5.
Pages - 432
Publisher - Century
Source - Bought
Blurb from Goodreads
Liverpool 1936
Miranda and her mother, Arabella, live comfortably in a nice area. But when her mother tells her she can no longer afford their present lifestyle, they have a blazing row, and Miranda goes to bed angry and upset. When she wakes the next morning, however, her mother has disappeared.
She raises the alarm but everyone is baffled, and when searches fail to discover Arabella’s whereabouts, Miranda is forced to live with her Aunt Vi and cousin Beth, who resent her presence and treat her badly.
Miranda is miserable, but when she meets a neighbour, Steve, things begin to look up and Steve promises to help his new friend in her search, and does so until war intervenes…
My Review
We open the book with a young Miranda, her mother goes missing and life is her trying to adapt to the new situation she finds herself in, her family and her new friend Steve. The book moves along from the mystery of Miranda's mothers disappearance to Miranda as an adult, never giving up hope of finding her mother. Covering her life into adulthood we follow her personal relationships, work life and getting through the war and all that comes with it.
The first part of the story I liked, Miranda as a kid, the ?haunting of the house they come across and the story and friendships that follow. Then it skips more to adulthood and it just changed the tone of the story for me, it could have been two different stories to be honest. Things that happened in the first part of the story, characters, I would have liked to have stayed relevant in the time change but it focuses on Miranda, her journey at the point and Steve and his part.
Considering how it all starts and how the author decided to bring the ending about it just wasn't for me. The pace was ok, some bits I liked a lot more than others. A lot of the characters had questionable behaviour/characteristics and some you really warmed to. Really mixed and I am sure some folk will love it but overall I didn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to and I think had I got more depth for some of the characters and depth I would have really like this one. This was my first read of this author, I would read her again, just this one wasn't for me, 2.5/5.
June 25, 2023
Another enjoyable read by Katie Flynn. Although the cover makes it seem this is a war book it is really much more than that. One thing Flynn does well is to tell stories of children who befriend each other and support each other through life. Miranda wakes up one morning to discover her beloved mother has disappeared. Having fought with her recently she carries the weight of wondering whether the disappearance is partly her fault. Moving in with relatives who don't want her and treat her poorly, meeting her neighbour Steve opens her up to a whole new world around her. Will she ever find out what happened to her mother and what happens when war arrives? I definitely enjoyed this.
May 4, 2018
This was a fun novel I picked up on my travels in New Zealand. It is set in the years before and during the 2nd WW. A story of two young kids and their growing up years and the adventures they share in childhood, their service during the war and their growing romance.
January 27, 2019
Excellent
Another highly enjoyable read from Katie Flynn, she certainly knows how to capture and keep you r interest in a story. I enjoy reading her books and getting to know the characters. Thank you.
Another highly enjoyable read from Katie Flynn, she certainly knows how to capture and keep you r interest in a story. I enjoy reading her books and getting to know the characters. Thank you.
October 27, 2019
I really liked this book. Good characters and wonderful pre-war life in poor end of Liverpool. Clever ending which showed an author can conclude a book with some gentleness and reality in equal measures.
April 23, 2023
This is my first book by Katie Flynn. She has a good way of writing to keep me interested and invested in the characters. I liked the historical aspect of the novel, learning about Liverpool at the time of WWII. I would read more of her books.
February 27, 2024
What can I say.
I'm sorry but I couldn't really enjoy this book.
I started to grip on to this story but it was losing it for me.
I was getting a bit board with this one.
But one I couldn't read again.
I'm sorry but I couldn't really enjoy this book.
I started to grip on to this story but it was losing it for me.
I was getting a bit board with this one.
But one I couldn't read again.
October 3, 2024
I liked this book. It's quite long winded and some of the story at the beginning seems too far fetched but it was still a good read. I like Katie Flynn books. Reading about my hometown of Liverpool is alwsys a pleasure :)
February 26, 2018
This is a beautiful book! Highly recommended
May 15, 2018
Read a few years ago but dated today,another good book from Katie, never read a book of hers that I don’t like. 5 stars.
July 7, 2019
Very interesting book with suspense right to the end . Would recommend to others
November 20, 2019
I enjoyed this book.
April 19, 2020
Brilliant book couldn't put it down, only the second book of Katie's I've read and loved both of them. Looking forward to reading many more.
August 13, 2021
Did not really enjoy this book Went on for to long although I did manage to finish reading it right through The ending wasnt how I expected it to be
August 30, 2022
A thoroughly enjoyable read. I wish there was a sequel
November 22, 2023
Long but could even have been longer. There’s a big jump in time that could’ve been explored but enjoyed it so much. And so much more than i expected
March 29, 2024
Slow to star but a good read.
November 6, 2024
Good easy read
March 20, 2025
Beautiful love story.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews