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August
Seventeen-year-old Rory is sent to Normandy for a summer she never wanted—to improve her French and recover from a painful breakup.
But between seaside picnics, new friendships, late-night conversations, and the quiet magic of the French coast, Rory slowly begins to rediscover herself.
Then she finds a forgotten box of love letters.
As Rory becomes drawn into the story of a past romance, unexpected parallels begin to emerge between the letters and her own life. The deeper she reads, the closer the voices from the past begin to feel, until the people in the letters seem almost as present to her as her new friends in Normandy.
Set in the dreamy seaside atmosphere of Normandy and inspired by the mood of Taylor Swift’s folklore and evermore, August is a nostalgic coming-of-age novel about friendship, first love, healing, and the kind of summer that changes everything.
Perfect for readers who love:
found family
strong female friendships
cottagecore and coastal settings
soft romance
emotional coming-of-age stories
bittersweet summer nostalgia
But between seaside picnics, new friendships, late-night conversations, and the quiet magic of the French coast, Rory slowly begins to rediscover herself.
Then she finds a forgotten box of love letters.
As Rory becomes drawn into the story of a past romance, unexpected parallels begin to emerge between the letters and her own life. The deeper she reads, the closer the voices from the past begin to feel, until the people in the letters seem almost as present to her as her new friends in Normandy.
Set in the dreamy seaside atmosphere of Normandy and inspired by the mood of Taylor Swift’s folklore and evermore, August is a nostalgic coming-of-age novel about friendship, first love, healing, and the kind of summer that changes everything.
Perfect for readers who love:
found family
strong female friendships
cottagecore and coastal settings
soft romance
emotional coming-of-age stories
bittersweet summer nostalgia
232 pages, Paperback
Published July 8, 2026
About the author
Fanni Senkise
1 book11 followersFanni Senkise was born in Hungary, educated in the UK and lives in France. She holds a Master’s degree in Children’s Literature and English Literature with a side of East Asian Studies. She loves to spy on the secret life of cities and have bubble tea with the things that go bump in the night. Her universe is a cosy café where everybody is welcome with hot drinks and comfort to share stories and coexist peacefully.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 19, 2026
If you still don’t know what to read this summer, come with me!
About the book (in short):
Aurora, who everyone simply calls Rory, is looking forward to an exciting summer—this time in France, in the small town of Agon on the Normandy coast. She has just gone through a difficult breakup, so her family thinks this little getaway might help her heal: she will attend a summer school where she takes French classes. Something to take her mind off things.
And it definitely helps her get distracted… in the best possible way!
I absolutely loved that the story takes place in two timelines at once. At the beginning, Rory finds letters and diary-like entries from a girl who once lived a summer that changed her life completely.
In some parts of the book, I even saw myself reflected in the characters—sometimes in Rory, sometimes in the “summer girl.”
That’s why it felt so refreshing that Rory had Isabelle as her support, while Évelyne supported the summer girl. Both friendships were beautiful, and I honestly couldn’t choose between them. If I had to pick, Rory x Isabelle felt the closest to my heart.
I also really loved Rory’s “father–daughter” relationship with Mr. Morel. There was a line that really hit me, when she was asked if she missed her father: it wasn’t the person she missed, but the fact that she didn’t really have a father at all.
I loved how every chapter pulled me in more and more—I just wanted to know what would happen next.
As for the side characters, I really enjoyed Rory’s friend group and even those who joined later. It was impressive how many characters appeared in such a relatively short book, yet none of them felt lost—everyone had their own voice and personality.
And the ending… it completely shocked me, as the little puzzle pieces fell into place and I finally understood who everyone really was.
Thank you, Fanni, for your trust, your message, and for letting me read your book!
I loved every single word of it! <3
About the book (in short):
Aurora, who everyone simply calls Rory, is looking forward to an exciting summer—this time in France, in the small town of Agon on the Normandy coast. She has just gone through a difficult breakup, so her family thinks this little getaway might help her heal: she will attend a summer school where she takes French classes. Something to take her mind off things.
And it definitely helps her get distracted… in the best possible way!
I absolutely loved that the story takes place in two timelines at once. At the beginning, Rory finds letters and diary-like entries from a girl who once lived a summer that changed her life completely.
In some parts of the book, I even saw myself reflected in the characters—sometimes in Rory, sometimes in the “summer girl.”
That’s why it felt so refreshing that Rory had Isabelle as her support, while Évelyne supported the summer girl. Both friendships were beautiful, and I honestly couldn’t choose between them. If I had to pick, Rory x Isabelle felt the closest to my heart.
I also really loved Rory’s “father–daughter” relationship with Mr. Morel. There was a line that really hit me, when she was asked if she missed her father: it wasn’t the person she missed, but the fact that she didn’t really have a father at all.
I loved how every chapter pulled me in more and more—I just wanted to know what would happen next.
As for the side characters, I really enjoyed Rory’s friend group and even those who joined later. It was impressive how many characters appeared in such a relatively short book, yet none of them felt lost—everyone had their own voice and personality.
And the ending… it completely shocked me, as the little puzzle pieces fell into place and I finally understood who everyone really was.
Thank you, Fanni, for your trust, your message, and for letting me read your book!
I loved every single word of it! <3
August 2, 2026
Perfect beach read for August
The perfect beach read in August of course. Want to imagine spending a summer in a small beach town in Normandy France as a seventeen-year-old? This may be the book for you. Rory is sent to friend's of her mother's (she has two mothers) to learn French and get over a first-love break-up. She soaks up the seaside and the magical French culture that will change her forever. Rory grows as a person, especially when she finds the secret letters of a previous resident of the guest room and reads about her love story. Heartwarming, coming-of-age story we all would enjoy the experience.
The perfect beach read in August of course. Want to imagine spending a summer in a small beach town in Normandy France as a seventeen-year-old? This may be the book for you. Rory is sent to friend's of her mother's (she has two mothers) to learn French and get over a first-love break-up. She soaks up the seaside and the magical French culture that will change her forever. Rory grows as a person, especially when she finds the secret letters of a previous resident of the guest room and reads about her love story. Heartwarming, coming-of-age story we all would enjoy the experience.
August 1, 2026
The ultimate cozy summer read. If you would like to read about teenage friendship and French food and getting over heartache and traveling Normandy, this is a book for you. There is very little drama, a lot of supportive female friendships, romance that is not the center of the protagonist's life, and a low key love letter mystery in the background. This book is a very relaxing, heartwarming, refreshingly light read. Perfect for summer afternoons with lemonade and ice cream.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews