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The Summertime Girls
This is an alternate Cover Edition for ISBN10: 0425279634/ ISBN13: 9780425279632.
When two lifelong friends reunite for one more summer in small-town Maine, they must bridge the gap caused by the dreams and secrets that tore them apart…
Ally Morris and Beth Abbott were beyond inseparable. From the very first time they met, the girls knew they’d found a once-in-a-lifetime friendship. But sometimes, life can’t help but get in the way.
As time goes by, disappointments and petty resentments begin to alter what they once thought was forever. Ally’s boho lifestyle leaves her drowning in confusion and cheap whisky, while a terrible secret threatens to shatter Beth’s carefully controlled world. By the time they need each other most, Ally and Beth are nearly strangers to each other.
When a family crisis prompts Beth to contact Ally for help out of the blue, the girls reunite in Maine. But the distance between them is overwhelming. To save their friendship, Ally and Beth will have to confront painful moments in their past and redefine who they are—before their incredible connection fades away for good…
When two lifelong friends reunite for one more summer in small-town Maine, they must bridge the gap caused by the dreams and secrets that tore them apart…
Ally Morris and Beth Abbott were beyond inseparable. From the very first time they met, the girls knew they’d found a once-in-a-lifetime friendship. But sometimes, life can’t help but get in the way.
As time goes by, disappointments and petty resentments begin to alter what they once thought was forever. Ally’s boho lifestyle leaves her drowning in confusion and cheap whisky, while a terrible secret threatens to shatter Beth’s carefully controlled world. By the time they need each other most, Ally and Beth are nearly strangers to each other.
When a family crisis prompts Beth to contact Ally for help out of the blue, the girls reunite in Maine. But the distance between them is overwhelming. To save their friendship, Ally and Beth will have to confront painful moments in their past and redefine who they are—before their incredible connection fades away for good…
304 pages, Paperback
First published August 4, 2015
21 people are currently reading
1226 people want to read
About the author
Laura Hankin
6 books1,098 followersLaura Hankin is the author of HAPPY & YOU KNOW IT, A SPECIAL PLACE FOR WOMEN, and the upcoming THE DAYDREAMS. She's written for outlets like McSweeney's and HuffPost, while her musical comedy has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and more. She lives in Washington, DC, where she once fell off a treadmill twice in one day. Contact her on Instagram/Twitter: @LauraHankin or Tiktok: @laura_hankin
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
September 12, 2015
I DEVOURED THIS BOOK. I read it in a single sitting (probably 3 hrs total). This novel is cinematic, quriky, heartfelt, funny and an honest sneak peek into the mind of two millenials aiming to navigate the complexities of their lifelong female friendship. This quick read is perfect for the beach, a plane, a park bench, or snuggled up under the covers! The book is a luxurious and easy read, but it leaves you with some profound and poignant thoughts.
Hankin has done an incredible job honestly addressing the healthy and unhealthy secrets we keep from our closest allies, the subtle resentment that often goes unspoken in nearly-familial friendships, and how we can hide from our true desires when the option to move forward with our dreams can feel too daunting. And somehow, miraculously, she does it with a sweetness and grace that makes the read feel like a massage! Flipping between Ally and Beth's perspectives as the narrative unfolds keeps the novel moving, and the stark difference in the girls' mindsets gives you a glimpse into the true nature of their friendship. It was such a delicious read!
Hankin has done an incredible job honestly addressing the healthy and unhealthy secrets we keep from our closest allies, the subtle resentment that often goes unspoken in nearly-familial friendships, and how we can hide from our true desires when the option to move forward with our dreams can feel too daunting. And somehow, miraculously, she does it with a sweetness and grace that makes the read feel like a massage! Flipping between Ally and Beth's perspectives as the narrative unfolds keeps the novel moving, and the stark difference in the girls' mindsets gives you a glimpse into the true nature of their friendship. It was such a delicious read!
July 11, 2018
21/2 stars. Sure it was light reading. I did not have connections w the characters. Both sides seemed to drag on. It felt as if it was written for a chic flic movie. It would be a nice reading for those who had Best friends for life. It won’t linger in my mind for long.
August 9, 2015
Stunningly boring and pedestrian.
August 1, 2015
I think we have all been there a time or two. Kids, marriage, work, life gets in the way of friendship and soon you realize you have lost touch with someone special in your life. This is the story of two besties that lost the connection and struggle to find it again.
This story touched me in several ways. I have been there! Not even very long ago and reconnecting with people that mean so much to you is important. The author takes us through the lives of these two women and major changes in their life that created a rift. And when brought back together, good memories and good times serve as shaky foundation to reconnect again. But all is not well and things blow up in a big way. But like any solid friendship, work has to be done to move forward.
This book is a reminder to me to hold precious good friends, for they are so hard to find! The author did a nice job creating two strong women that choose to fight for what they want and deserve in life and personally. A thought inspiring, touching read that is perfect for summer escapes!
This story touched me in several ways. I have been there! Not even very long ago and reconnecting with people that mean so much to you is important. The author takes us through the lives of these two women and major changes in their life that created a rift. And when brought back together, good memories and good times serve as shaky foundation to reconnect again. But all is not well and things blow up in a big way. But like any solid friendship, work has to be done to move forward.
This book is a reminder to me to hold precious good friends, for they are so hard to find! The author did a nice job creating two strong women that choose to fight for what they want and deserve in life and personally. A thought inspiring, touching read that is perfect for summer escapes!
April 15, 2019
A nice story about a long time friendship hitting some bumps in the road as most usually do. I think the characters could've been built up a bit more and found some parts boring but overall a nice heartfelt read.
May 12, 2025
I knew nothing about this book, it was just one I had on my bookshelf that someone had given me and I honestly enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Such a beautiful story about friendship and forgiveness! 🥰
November 5, 2015
I forgot to post my official review! Here it is!
MY TAKE:
4 Stars!
Memorable. Resounding. Beautiful.
This story brings back memories I will never forget anytime soon as I look back over the years when my best friend and I were inseparable! Heck, we met in the 6th grade and rode our bikes to each other’s houses! Even though a huge amount time and distance separates us now of over 50 miles and a good 1-½ hour drive, over these last 38 years we’ve been friends, I can honestly say they have been the BEST years of my life - ALL because of her! We have lost a lot of contact over the last several years, new friends, too, but I foresee us getting closer again one day, even if it is only on the phone for now. We have such wonderful memories together that nothing can separate that!
Best friends will do anything for each other - anything, and this includes keeping secrets, family secrets, and even larger secrets about each other, other people, or even each others’ families. (If only walls could talk, huh!)
We've all been there with our best friends when a small tiff over something that is so tiny and ridiculous to others who easily laugh it off, but to best friends, this can sometimes shatter their relationship. To best friends it can be so huge to them, it’s the tipping point, and can become just about unforgivable to each other, yet at the time that is what stops them from talking for months, or worse, for years.
This is what happens with Ally and Beth. A tiff, but it’s a huge tiff for them that does not get talked about or worked out. It gets pushed onto that back burner, and stews over the years on Ally’s end, especially. Beth really has no clue what is going on. It’s not until Beth really needs Ally to help move her Grandmother out of her old Maine home that Beth is so familiar with from going there over the years in the summer, and she loves Ally’s Grandmother just like her own. Now it’s time to put Grandma into a nursing home, and there are mixed feelings all the way around with everyone, even with Grandma. She's really upset over losing her car.
This is actually helping to bring the girls’ issues forward, out and into the open where they really need to be if these two wonderful friends want to get back to the way they were. There is a lot of work these two, now women, need to work on, but they can do it, if they do it together, right? That is what best friends do best, right?!
I highly recommend reading this book if you’ve ever had a best friend! It’s not always easy to maintain this high position of friendship, but if you had it once, it will always be there and you’ll really want your friend back!
At the end of the book, there is a Reader’s Guide with Discussion Questions if there is a Book Club who decide to read this! I highly recommend discussing this book out loud because I think you’ll get a LOT MORE out of this book that way!
One last thing I have to say is once I started reading this book, I had a really difficult time putting it down when I needed to! Make sure you allow yourself time to read this one, especially so you can enjoy it like I did! Who and how can you resist your best friend? (With a HUGE smile on my face!)
I need to say even though I enjoyed this book immensely, I can’t help but to say how I felt something seemed like there was something missing towards the end. Was there not enough time between these two friends that had passed for Ally to be so upset with Beth? Beth never did explain Tom . . . Is that what is bothering me so much about these two? In the same breath, Ally had a few dates and found some friendship with a guy they both went to school with, Owen, who was kind of a nerd, but as we grow from teenagers into women, we often find those nerds are not nerds but very smart and attractive men! Ally did not share this with Beth either, so perhaps I’m feeling the blues that the girls did not bring the men in their lives up more to discuss, but then again, this book is about best friends and not their boyfriends! I think that’s it! ALL women talk about men, and vice-versa! This is the prime time in women’s lives to be sharing the men in these women’s lives, and I believe that is what I felt was the missing link here. MORE romance next book, please!!!
I received this book from the Publisher, Berkley through NetGalley in exchange to write a review.
I also say, grab this one before summer ends and enjoy! This is the perfect book to squeeze in for that last "end of summer read"! One last book vacation for you! Enjoy!
MY TAKE:
4 Stars!
Memorable. Resounding. Beautiful.
This story brings back memories I will never forget anytime soon as I look back over the years when my best friend and I were inseparable! Heck, we met in the 6th grade and rode our bikes to each other’s houses! Even though a huge amount time and distance separates us now of over 50 miles and a good 1-½ hour drive, over these last 38 years we’ve been friends, I can honestly say they have been the BEST years of my life - ALL because of her! We have lost a lot of contact over the last several years, new friends, too, but I foresee us getting closer again one day, even if it is only on the phone for now. We have such wonderful memories together that nothing can separate that!
Best friends will do anything for each other - anything, and this includes keeping secrets, family secrets, and even larger secrets about each other, other people, or even each others’ families. (If only walls could talk, huh!)
We've all been there with our best friends when a small tiff over something that is so tiny and ridiculous to others who easily laugh it off, but to best friends, this can sometimes shatter their relationship. To best friends it can be so huge to them, it’s the tipping point, and can become just about unforgivable to each other, yet at the time that is what stops them from talking for months, or worse, for years.
This is what happens with Ally and Beth. A tiff, but it’s a huge tiff for them that does not get talked about or worked out. It gets pushed onto that back burner, and stews over the years on Ally’s end, especially. Beth really has no clue what is going on. It’s not until Beth really needs Ally to help move her Grandmother out of her old Maine home that Beth is so familiar with from going there over the years in the summer, and she loves Ally’s Grandmother just like her own. Now it’s time to put Grandma into a nursing home, and there are mixed feelings all the way around with everyone, even with Grandma. She's really upset over losing her car.
This is actually helping to bring the girls’ issues forward, out and into the open where they really need to be if these two wonderful friends want to get back to the way they were. There is a lot of work these two, now women, need to work on, but they can do it, if they do it together, right? That is what best friends do best, right?!
I highly recommend reading this book if you’ve ever had a best friend! It’s not always easy to maintain this high position of friendship, but if you had it once, it will always be there and you’ll really want your friend back!
At the end of the book, there is a Reader’s Guide with Discussion Questions if there is a Book Club who decide to read this! I highly recommend discussing this book out loud because I think you’ll get a LOT MORE out of this book that way!
One last thing I have to say is once I started reading this book, I had a really difficult time putting it down when I needed to! Make sure you allow yourself time to read this one, especially so you can enjoy it like I did! Who and how can you resist your best friend? (With a HUGE smile on my face!)
I need to say even though I enjoyed this book immensely, I can’t help but to say how I felt something seemed like there was something missing towards the end. Was there not enough time between these two friends that had passed for Ally to be so upset with Beth? Beth never did explain Tom . . . Is that what is bothering me so much about these two? In the same breath, Ally had a few dates and found some friendship with a guy they both went to school with, Owen, who was kind of a nerd, but as we grow from teenagers into women, we often find those nerds are not nerds but very smart and attractive men! Ally did not share this with Beth either, so perhaps I’m feeling the blues that the girls did not bring the men in their lives up more to discuss, but then again, this book is about best friends and not their boyfriends! I think that’s it! ALL women talk about men, and vice-versa! This is the prime time in women’s lives to be sharing the men in these women’s lives, and I believe that is what I felt was the missing link here. MORE romance next book, please!!!
I received this book from the Publisher, Berkley through NetGalley in exchange to write a review.
I also say, grab this one before summer ends and enjoy! This is the perfect book to squeeze in for that last "end of summer read"! One last book vacation for you! Enjoy!
October 1, 2025
Two insufferable girls, they deserved each other.
February 15, 2024
I suppose I should have gathered from the title that this is a "beach book" - fluff to read when you're lying on the beach and don't want to concentrate too hard because you're busy looking at the hardbodies around you. If you're lucky, that is. Most beaches have a lot more soft bodies than hard bodies.
This book reads like it was written by a precocious fifteen-year-old. My library copy does not list it as "teen" or "young adult", perhaps because the main characters are supposed to be in their late twenties. The plot is painfully obvious: Parallel rifts in friendship between the two twenty-somethings and one of the twenty-something's grandmother and her best friend. It could easily be the basis of a Lifetime movie.
This book reads like it was written by a precocious fifteen-year-old. My library copy does not list it as "teen" or "young adult", perhaps because the main characters are supposed to be in their late twenties. The plot is painfully obvious: Parallel rifts in friendship between the two twenty-somethings and one of the twenty-something's grandmother and her best friend. It could easily be the basis of a Lifetime movie.
September 19, 2015
bought this as a beach book and it is just that.
the story line of two friends who have a "break up" over what is really a misunderstanding, but also how two women might have very different needs that end up pushing each other away. sometimes, even with best friends, there is a parting of the lives.
written about much younger women, the voice of the writer is also a bit on the immature side, so it fits the story line well.
as a beach book, it was just the kind of book you read when you are only paying some attention and will be putting the book down to go get ice cream, or pizza!
neither life changing or particularily thought provoking, but all around a fun little story.
the story line of two friends who have a "break up" over what is really a misunderstanding, but also how two women might have very different needs that end up pushing each other away. sometimes, even with best friends, there is a parting of the lives.
written about much younger women, the voice of the writer is also a bit on the immature side, so it fits the story line well.
as a beach book, it was just the kind of book you read when you are only paying some attention and will be putting the book down to go get ice cream, or pizza!
neither life changing or particularily thought provoking, but all around a fun little story.
August 12, 2015
I received a review copy
I love reading books about female friendships, and this book explored that deeply. In addition to learning about Ally and Beth, we also get just a brush of a sub-plot with Grandma Stella and her once best friend as well. Ally and Beth seem to have quite the complicated friendship throughout the years, but it was enjoyable to see even though they were quite different and not always the best people to each other, the bond they had established allowed them to remain firm friends no matter what was thrown at them in life. A steady that I enjoyed.
I love reading books about female friendships, and this book explored that deeply. In addition to learning about Ally and Beth, we also get just a brush of a sub-plot with Grandma Stella and her once best friend as well. Ally and Beth seem to have quite the complicated friendship throughout the years, but it was enjoyable to see even though they were quite different and not always the best people to each other, the bond they had established allowed them to remain firm friends no matter what was thrown at them in life. A steady that I enjoyed.
August 4, 2022
Sometimes life gets in the way of friendship, and sooner or later you’ll realize you lost touch with a best friend.
A story of two besties loosing connection and then struggling to navigate the complexities of their friendship.
Although this was neither a life changing or a particularly thought provoking story, I still enjoyed the overall meaning of friendship the author was trying to convey.
Disappointments and petty resentments can alter a friendship, but “you can’t punish a person for not being a perfect friend. No one is a perfect friend all the time”.
However, majority of the book was utterly boring.
A story of two besties loosing connection and then struggling to navigate the complexities of their friendship.
Although this was neither a life changing or a particularly thought provoking story, I still enjoyed the overall meaning of friendship the author was trying to convey.
Disappointments and petty resentments can alter a friendship, but “you can’t punish a person for not being a perfect friend. No one is a perfect friend all the time”.
However, majority of the book was utterly boring.
February 6, 2018
A very typical beach-read. Two 20 somethings have been growing apart for years, but are forced together for a nostalgia-inducing summer adventure (adventure may be a stretch - they're helping one of their grandmother's move) that forces them to confront the cracks in their relationship.
This was an enjoyable, light read, and the characters felt well-developed and relateable. The plot was not incredibly engaging.
3.5/5
This was an enjoyable, light read, and the characters felt well-developed and relateable. The plot was not incredibly engaging.
3.5/5
July 30, 2018
I really liked the character Beth at first and I very much disliked Ally, as she seemed like a whiny high school girl. Towards the end, I was screaming at both of them for making stupid decisions, but at least Beth's only affected her life. At least she's not a fricki- nope not gonna go there. Read the book yourselves to find out what Ally does. The book seemed a little boring and cliche at parts, but ultimately it wasn't bad and it got better as it went.
June 7, 2019
This book started out pretty slowly and I didn't think I was going to like it, but I powered through and ended up enjoying it. It's a sweet, predictable short read about female friendship, perspective, life and love. A good, easy read.
September 5, 2023
Very cute first book from one of my very favorite authors. I appreciated the back-and-forth perspective of two friends who are grappling with a potential friend breakup, perfectly told alongside a Stars Hollow-type beach town.
June 28, 2024
This is a really beautiful book about lifetime friendships. How important they are, the ups and downs of them, and the need for forgiveness. Forgiveness not only for each other, but for ourselves too.
September 3, 2025
I needed something light after the dumpster fire I just finished reading and this did the trick! Light, really cute a little cliche - I found both characters annoying in their own way but I wish the fallout was a little longer... felt like everything happened in the last 50 pages...
August 3, 2017
Fun, quick read, this book made me think and cry and then reach out to my best friend
July 15, 2018
A decent no-brainer, but nothing too special about this book or the characters. I did identify with the idea of friendship that changes over time, definitely true.
January 1, 2019
I couldn’t relate to the characters, I guess I avoid people like this IRL!!! Light easy read, a little predictable.
April 12, 2020
Typical chic-lit but it was a light and easy read. Sometimes it’s nice to not think much.
August 22, 2020
Good summer read.
December 7, 2022
2.5-2.75 stars. It started out with promise, but was just too dumb. Did not connect with the characters and felt there were too many plot lines competing with each other.
April 2, 2023
I love that this book focuses more on female friendship than anything else. It was a quick, immersive read - I could see it as a TV series.
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August 31, 2023Okay so yeah I understand why Laura Hankin doesn't ever put this book in her author bios.
May 9, 2024
Light reading but as others have said, became predictable and boring.
January 20, 2025
Enjoyable story of friendship. I liked her other book better and it wrapped up so neat and tidy at the end which was a bit ridiculous
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April 30, 2025August 2016
Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews