The Summers We Left Behind

What's Left #1

by Marja Graham

No one told Emma Danes that it’s dangerous to fall in love with a place. But who could blame her when Harriettesville, North Carolina was the place that summer dreams were made of. The only thing that could make it better was Bennett Sorenson, the boy next door, who taught her what it was like to belong somewhere.

But when she learns that there are no perfect places, only the secrets that maintain an illusion of perfection, she leaves Harriettesville, those summer days, and the first boy she ever loved behind. Or at least she tries to...

Years later, during her final spring break of college, she unexpectedly finds herself pulled back to the beach. It would have been perfectly fine if Bennett wasn’t there, too. Determined to not ruin the trip for her friends she does her best to repress old feelings and forget the wounds of the past.

The one thing she didn’t count on was Bennett taking every opportunity to remind her of why she fell in love with Harriettesville, and him, in the first place.

Genres: Romance, Second Chance, Young Adult, Summer, Summer Romance, Second Chance Romance

268 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 13, 2024

Reviews

[Anjum Johal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, but felt like a story i’ve read 20 times already.

[Allie K · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book only took me so long to read because I picked it up the day I went back to work after summer break! The writing was smooth and clear, the characters were fleshed out and real, the setting was so clear I could picture every scene in my head immediately…I loved this book and these characters so much!

[Rio Guzman · Rating 3 out of 5]

okay so this book does feel like very similar vibes of many in the similar genre & almost exact plot points (tsitp, every summer after, etc.), but that wasn’t what bothered me about it. the book felt rushed and editing felt choppy and that’s what made this a 3 starts for me. this book was good, but I think had the potential to be great you know? so was slightly disappointed

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was adorable. Very much Every Summer After and Happy Place vibes, but I didn’t want to strangle the characters as much. A great beachside or poolside read.

[Gracie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Third read: Okay so it went through a round of edits and some minor stuff was changed around/added/removed, and I regret to say that I liked it more before haha. I still love it now, hence the 5 star rating, but I think it just got edited to the point that some of the original charm was lost and some aspects may have been confusing if I didn’t already know the story. There was one conversation in particular that I wish hadn’t been removed, and some scenes just felt like they added too much to a story that was beautiful in its simplicity. So while it’s still holding onto a 5 star, I think that’s mostly because I liked the book before and have that added nostalgia lol

Second read: So I said in my first review that I probably wouldn’t think about this book very much, but I actually thought about it so much that I read it again. It’s just so cute, and it has the perfect summer vibes. It’s honestly one of my favorite romance books of all time. 5/5 ⭐️

First read: This book was so cute! It felt like a mix between The Summer I Turned Pretty and The Summer of Broken Rules, and it was mostly fade to black. There was one explicit scene towards the end, but it gave plenty of warning and it was easily skippable. There was such a genuine connection between all of the characters, and it felt so real 🥹. I probably won’t think about this much, but it was a super fun read. 4/5 ⭐️

[ella · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5🌟i really enjoyed this! i didn’t realize how unpopular and new this book was after reading it. i just randomly picked it on kindle and here we are. the fmc was so relatable it felt like i was in the story at times. it’s a 2nd chance romance, but the reason for the fall out made sense. this felt like tsitp vibes and found family esc, but love and other words storyline. i enjoyed the side plot of her negative relationship with her mom and how that affected her and seeing her stick up for herself. my only complaint is something just feels missing from the story that i can’t quite pinpoint yet and i don’t think i’ll be thinking about this book come december. such a good book to wrap up the end of my summer reading!!

[Renee Auerbach · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’d like to thank booktok for my last read of the summer. This book was obviously very similar to others I’ve read (tsitp, Every Summer After, The Infinity Between Us) but it was still very enjoyable. I don’t quite understand why the reason for breaking up in all these books is always the same! I felt the writing quality of The Summers We Left Behind left something to be desired, but I’d still recommend reading it if you’re a fan of this genre.

[Rachél Hveem · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall it was a cute story. Although the storyline was underdeveloped and felt rushed. I wasn’t able to really connect the main characters and fall in love with them as much as I wanted.

[Karen Nguyen · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 - cute! was an enjoyable and quick read. i can see the blend of plots from every summer after and happy place but i feel like it lacked depth

[Ashley Tabachnick · Rating 5 out of 5]

oh i just loved that so much

[Wyatt Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 flat - signed edition (thanks Marja)

I love love. Only complaints are that Bennett shouldn’t be a first name and I’m not sure I would like Emma as a person.

[Sophia Feldman · Rating 1 out of 5]

Booktok made me do it. Not good like the writing made no sense. I has to reread because I thought I missed pages but was just the plot.

[Alysa Margherio · Rating 3 out of 5]

My all time favorite trope is beach house/childhood friends to lovers/second chance … so I was really excited for this one, but it felt way too similar to other books I’ve already read. It’s like the author took major plot points from TSITP, The Infinity Between Us, and Every Summer After. I mean... some of the quotes felt like they were straight out of TSITP. So as much as I wanted to love this one, it just fell short for me. Still 3 stars because I enjoyed the setting and the overall premise of the book!

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not love this.

This should have been FOR. ME. This is everything I want. Small coastal town, second chance romance. But no.

This book needed an editor badly. I can forgive a typo or two, but there were too many and it really pulled me out of the story several times.

I also have an issue when these stories have a plot that revolves around people just not being able to use their words. This was very Ever Summer After in the theme of two people hurting themselves for years solely because they don’t want to communicate. The conflict here could have been solved three years and six months before it was of either of the main characters just used their mouths. Miscommunication is fine, but is it really miscommunication without the… communication?

I wanted to love this, and I really tried.

Props to it being a super quick read.

[Kendal Schwahn · Rating 2 out of 5]

The storyline was there and had a lot of potential, but it felt like I was reading a rough draft and not the final product. I also noticed several typos and at times felt lost in the story line or in conversations. I felt like the characters could have been developed further and wanted to see more of the friendships.

[Lauren Maya · Rating 2 out of 5]

⭐️ 2.75 / 5 ⭐️

it was sort of giving tsitp but not as exciting and kind of all over the place

[Carolyn Breckinridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author Marja Graham has joined together sand, sun, summer and adolescence to create a sweet novel of first love, first heartbreak, and growth into young adulthood. As a coming-of-age story, she also tackles ramifications of dysfunctional and healthy families, sense of belonging and place, and the importance of significant adolescent friendships. The innocence of the relationship between Emma and Bennett, her two main characters, grows from awkward but titillating friendship during their early summer years into powerful emotional and physical bonds by the time Bennett prepares to leave for college. And during this time, the author portrays Emma as growing more self-assured and self-defined, and Bennett becomes a more confident young man. Perceived betrayal crashes down upon the couple, however, and their relationship shatters. The story that follows examines the courage it takes to risk and trust, to become vulnerable and to have faith, all within the context of romantic, friend and family relationships. Described as a New Adult novel, this story is marketed toward very late adolescence and adults in their twenties, however, many mature readers will recall the thrills and uncertainties of first loves and summers they too, might have left something or someone behind.

[Pauline Miranda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m still stuck on The Summer I Turned Pretty wagon and with the hot summer waving (even though it’s pouring rain rn) I’ve been looking for a book that has the same vibes of TSITP - which is a beach setting, a summer house, and a friends to lovers trope.

The Summers We Left Behind has hit the jackpot PERFECTLY! Although the difference is… it’s giving team Jeremiah (boo! HAHA) jokes aside, Bennett and Emma’s relationship is really cute. From the song “Strange” by Celeste, their story was “strangers to friends… friends into lovers… then strangers again…” but of course, their love for each other never left and they’ve rekindled their relationship.

I absolutely loved this book! No offense with the TSITP books and Jenny Han, but The Summers We Left Behind had more depth with the story. It explores relationships with families you made - whether it’s your summer neighbors or your chosen friends, and how sometimes we need to experience life differently for a blossomed future. The cheesy quote, “everything happens for a reason” is literally what this whole book is.

So if you’re looking for a book that has a VERY similar vibe to TSITP, this book is 😚👌🏻 it’s light and just fun!

Although it did have a few misplaced/ misspelled words, it was bearable!

[Karlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved every single second of this book. I could cry from the love I found in it’s pages.

Happy place meets the summer I turned pretty meets all of my beach romance dreams. I live for the yearning, the perfectly paced back and forth between the present day and the past, trying to figure out what happened between these two people who have clearly loved eachother from the moment they met up until now, even 4 years after they last saw eachother. The familiarity of bennet’s family & the love they share with Emma feels like a dream. The happy ending, the love you can feel through the pages.

I could read this over and over and never be sick of it.

Small disclaimer: there are a number of dropped words throughout this book and I think it could benefit from another round of editing. Normally this would drop my rating down a star but I loved this book SO much that I’m willing to completely overlook it.

[Kierstin Carnahan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this author on TikTok and she described this book as if Every Summer After and Love and Other Words had a baby and since I loved both of those, I had to read it. It does follow a similar format to those books: second chance love story/friends to lovers centered around shared summers at a beach house. And many reviewers say it’s similar but I didn’t care, I loved it. I read it really quickly! Emma and Bennett meet one summer when they meet as neighbors at a beach house and proceed to spend every summer together and fall more in love with each other but that was years ago and Emma thought Bennett was out of her life forever until after suffering a breakup, Emma is “kidnapped” by her friends for spring break where they end up at her old beach house…where Bennett is still the neighbor. If you’re still trying to hold on to summer, read this book! It’s available on kindle unlimited.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This felt like a first draft of a novel. Characters were underdeveloped, the plot was all over the place and then just sped up at the end. The third act conflict seemed resolved but then got played out again? Too many side characters to try and keep up with. Also, our current day female MC seemed like a completely different character than the past timeline version or her, even though they were supposed to be the same person. You grow and develop of course but you don’t completely change in only 4 years.

[Angie (angies_bookrebrew) · Rating 3 out of 5]

“He is so perfectly your type; it’s criminal.” She is spot on. He is my type. Tall, lean, skin tanned from being out in the sun, sandy brown hair that has a soft wave. What I can’t see from this distance are the honey colored eyes and the small scar on his lip that stands out after he’s spent an entire day outside. He’s the standard that I’ve held all past relationships and hookups against.

I'm a sucker for a second-chance romance where they fell in love as teenagers at the beach. Is this a trope? If not, it should be.

Bennett and Emma met when she moved into his beach town after her parents got a beach home. They immediately became friends and each summer they got closer and closer. Until they fell in love and it fell apart. After a few years and a bad breakup, she ends up at the old beach house, which she no longer owns, and is forced to face Bennett for the first time in 4 years.

After some pretending they don't know each other (it's fun for a bit) they realize their chemistry is a bit hard to hide. And they are forced to come to terms with the fact that neither of them has really moved on...this book was such a fun quick read with lots of angst and good pacing between past and present.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book took me so long to get into but I think that was more of my own slump than it was the book. It ended up being super cute, very the summer I turned pretty meets meet me at the lake kinda vibes. I don’t love the past and future pov, it isn’t my favorite but I understood why it happened for this book. So much love for the main character and her lead love interest. Very wholesome and full circle!

[Nicole Caligiuri · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars bc I do love a childhood friends-to-lovers second chance romance trope. It’s giving The Summer I Turned Pretty, Love & Other Words, and Every Summer After. It was super cute. For obvious reasons I was obsessed with Bennet. But Emma, the fmc, was like fine idk she didn’t have much personality. She was the kind of character that pushes friends away with one slight inconvenience. Not shocking but you know it’s a good read for the spring/summertime.

[Jessica Lerch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Saw this book pitched by the author on TikTok and it caught my eye so I downloaded it on Kindle Unlimited! The perfect blend of The Summer I Turned Pretty, Happy Place and Every Summer After! It was a quick read! I kept wanting more though. It felt too short and a little choppy. I will definitely pick up more by this author in the future, I’m really excited to see what she writes next!!!

[Rebecca Dye · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was cute, I guess, for the same story I've read many times before. I found myself skimming over the last few chapters because I was just ready to be done. The biggest disappointment to me was the "big fight." It was nothing, totally blown WAY out of proportion, to the point that it kind of ruined the whole book for me.

[Emily Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Giving this book 4 stars, more 3.5 stars for me but I think Marja did a fantastic job laying out the story of Emma and Bennett. There were some grammatical errors within the book itself, but I enjoyed the story and the characters a lot!

[Ellie Hindley-Skelt · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5. This felt very similar to the infinity between us, except also the reason they were apart was so minimal it was so confusing? I just didn’t feel the chemistry with the characters and it didn’t pull me in

[Kassondra Thoreson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick, fun read to finish out summer. It had all the beachy vibes and is a best friends to lovers to strangers to lovers which we all know is my favorite trope. This is like a mix between Every Summer After and The Summer I Turned Pretty series and I thoroughly enjoyed it

[Savannah Vazquez · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up after meeting this lovely author. I thought the story was really good (not usually a summer romance reader). I did have the version with missed typos/edits but overall a good story and will be passing it along to my friends. :)