The Last Bathing Beauty

by Amy Sue Nathan

A former beauty queen faces the secrets of her past—for herself and the sake of her family’s future—in a heartfelt novel about fate, choices, and second chances.

Everything seemed possible in the summer of 1951. Back then Betty Stern was an eighteen-year-old knockout working at her grandparents’ lakeside resort. The “Catskills of the Midwest” was the perfect place for Betty to prepare for bigger things. She’d head to college in New York City. Her career as a fashion editor would flourish. But first, she’d enjoy a wondrous last summer at the beach falling deeply in love with an irresistible college boy and competing in the annual Miss South Haven pageant. On the precipice of a well-planned life, Betty’s future was limitless.

Decades later, the choices of that long-ago season still reverberate for Betty, now known as Boop. Especially when her granddaughter comes to her with a dilemma that echoes Boop’s memories of first love, broken hearts, and faraway dreams. It’s time to finally face the past—for the sake of her family and her own happiness. Maybe in reconciling the life she once imagined with the life she’s lived, Boop will discover it’s never too late for a second chance.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Romance, Chick Lit, Historical, Book Club, Adult

300 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2020

About the author

Writer of novels, lover of cats, morning coffee, dark chocolate, and bold lipstick. Former vegetarian, occasional crafter, adequate cook, loyal friend, proud mom to two awesome adults.

Website: AmySueNathan.com
Twitter: @AmySueNathan
Facebook: Amy Sue Nathan
Instagram: @AmySueNathan

(Are you sensing a theme, here?)

Reviews

[Sandysbookaday (taking a step back for a while) · Rating 4 out of 5]

EXCERPT: Summer 2017

Boop Peck had looked everywhere for her favourite lipstick. It wasn't in the bathroom, or in her purse, bedroom, or her pocket. She shuddered at the injustice: Boop remembered her first telephone number - 359J - but not the whereabouts of the lipstick she'd worn the day before. Or was it the day before that? She peeked around and patted herself again. Nothing. A lost lipstick wasn't the end of the world. Unless it was Sly Pink, her discontinued colour of choice, which it was.

Enough with the lipstick.

The girls would arrive soon. No, the ladies would arrive soon. Boop chuckled. Ladies sounded so stuffy, boring, and inaccurate. Even at eighty-four Boop and her friends would always be girls - and they'd never be boring.

ABOUT THIS BOOK: Everything seemed possible in the summer of 1951. Back then Betty Stern was an eighteen-year-old knockout working at her grandparents’ lakeside resort. The “Catskills of the Midwest” was the perfect place for Betty to prepare for bigger things. She’d head to college in New York City. Her career as a fashion editor would flourish. But first, she’d enjoy a wondrous last summer at the beach falling deeply in love with an irresistible college boy and competing in the annual Miss South Haven pageant. On the precipice of a well-planned life, Betty’s future was limitless.

Decades later, the choices of that long-ago season still reverberate for Betty, now known as Boop. Especially when her granddaughter comes to her with a dilemma that echoes Boop’s memories of first love, broken hearts, and faraway dreams. It’s time to finally face the past—for the sake of her family and her own happiness. Maybe in reconciling the life she once imagined with the life she’s lived, Boop will discover it’s never too late for a second chance.

MY THOUGHTS: What a delightful read! I really didn't want to close the rather beautiful cover on The Last Bathing Beauty by Amy Sue Nathan. I finished reading with tears in my eyes and a smile on my face.

This is a story of family and friendship, hope and disappointment, owning your mistakes, taking control over your own future and making it the best future it could possibly be.

The summer Betty was four, her parents had dropped her off with her grandparents in South Haven for the weekend - and had never come back for her. Her Jewish grandparents have raised her with love, a strong work ethic, and big dreams for her future. But the summer of 1951, the year Betty is crowned Miss South Haven, just when it seems that all her dreams are within reach, something happens to change her life.

The Last Bathing Beauty travels back and forward in time between 1951, when she was still Betty Stern, a smart and sassy girl on the cusp of a great future, and 2017 when she is Boop Peck, widow, mother of one son, grandmother of two girls, and great-grandmother of 2 point something great-grandchildren.

Betty is quite wonderful. I fell in love with her character. I aspire to be her should I make the great age of eighty-four. Actually, I aspire to be her long before then. She is going to be my role model.

Amy Sue Nathan has created a vivid and captivating picture of life in a Jewish family at a holiday camp in 1951. The summer romances, the morals and mores of the time, so very different from now, when mixing outside your social/religious/racial circle was frowned upon, and young women were expected to marry to please their families and improve their social status.

This is a lovely story, told with both humour and empathy. I will be reading this author's other books. Highly recommended.

❤😪❤😪.5

'You're never too old to find love and throw a good party.'

'Sometimes it takes a long time to get things right.'

THE AUTHOR: Amy Sue Nathan is Writer of novels, lover of cats, morning coffee, dark chocolate, and bold lipstick. Former vegetarian, occasional crafter, adequate cook, loyal friend, proud mom to two awesome adults.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Lake Union Publishing via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of The Last Bathing Beauty by Amy Sue Nathan for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...

[Bren fall in love with the sea. · Rating 3 out of 5]

“They each sat in a chair without talking. Words weren’t necessary to keep someone company.”
― Amy Sue Nathan, The Last Bathing Beauty

Review to follow..someday!

Nostalgia, Nostalgia, Nostalgia!!

That is what this book does..clothes you in nostalgia!

How many times have I said nostalgia now?

So..just a few thoughts on this one. I am not always in the mood for nostalgia. Certainly not now. This is one that I think is really beautiful that I just was not in the mood for because..that word again! It is nostalgic!

A grandmother recounting what went wrong in her life to her Granddaughter who is in danger of making those same mistakes.

So nostalgic.

And summery. It is blooming with summer as Bet recounts the summer on the beach in Michigan that changed her life and altered its course forever.

I have read so many books like this and sometimes I find them wonderfully tranquil, even therapeutic, but other times books like this bring me down.

Why? Because we can't go back..any of us..the beach is a distant memory and I'm stuck in the house trying to avoid Corona Virus.

Not in the mood to be nostalgic.

That does not mean it isn't a moving, well written and tender read, brimming with breathtaking descriptions of the Lakes of Michigan. Calling all Michiganders...you will want to read this!

And it takes place at an inn, strangely like the Catskills where us New Englanders got our summers on. (See Dirty Dancing for more on that.)

I do not want to give anything away so I will not. But one thing: the kind of thinking that lead to a certain decision the main character made infuriated me.

I w as in a youth group as a kid for people of my religion, Jewish. I stopped going when, at a weekend getaway, they showed us a film on why it is so important Jewish people marry in their own religion only.

Being the little rebel I was, I was enraged, disgusted and quit the group.

I believe anyone should love whomever they want and whatever ethnicity or religion they are, it's fine. I never subscribed to that other stuff. (I could use a stronger word than "stuff" but for purposes of being the demure gal I am not, I will refrain).

Anyway..yeah, I LOVED the Jewish terms that will make sense to nobody who does not know Judaism. That's Okey Dokey though. I would encourage people to read The Last Bathing Beauty, as it is witty and warm and full of strong characters. It is just a fun book. But it is NOSTALGIC! Oy vey. Highly recommended.

[Karren Sandercock · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 1951, Betty Stern is an eighteen year old young lady with her whole life ahead of her and she want's to study at Barnard College in New York. She loves fashion, makeup, looking as pretty as the girls do in the glossy magazines and she dreams of being a fashion editor. Betty lives and works at her grandparents Sterns Summer Resort. Her grandparents have high expectations of her and they want her to represent the resort in the local beauty pageant and be crowned Miss South Haven. Betty want's to enjoy her final summer holidays before college, she meets Abe Barsky, she falls madly in love and she couldn’t resist a man with a dimple in the middle of his chin.

Over six decades later, Betty’s a grandmother herself and everyone uses her nickname and they call her Boop. She still likes to dress nicely, loves to have her nails done and makes sure her lippy compliments her outfit. When her granddaughter Hannah arrives for a visit, Boop is delighted to see her, but she can sense Hannah's troubled and she’s worried about her. This makes Betty reflect and look back on her own life, her teenage dreams her first love, and she wonders what happened to Abe and why did their summer romance end all those years ago?

Betty supported by her childhood friends Doris and Georgia; faces her past and tries to help her granddaughter Hannah as well. The Last Bathing Beauty is a story about how a young Betty was pressured into doing what was expected of her at the time, it wasn’t fair and that you should own all pieces of your life, good or bad. I loved the book, not at all what I expected and five stars from me.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a confession - I requested an ARC of The Last Bathing Beauty from NetGalley based mostly on the cover. I was born in the early 1950's, and much of my childhood was spent on the beach playing with beach balls like the one in the picture, and my older sisters wore swimsuits of this style back then. But I was also interested in the synopsis of the story, although this isn't the type I would normally choose.

Very well written, the story kept me interested throughout, even though it seemed basically what is referred to as "women's fiction." But hey - I'm a woman, so there! The story takes place in South Haven, on Lake Michigan, at a Jewish summer camp. The Stern family, comprised of Betty (also known as Boop) and her grandmother and grandfather, live there year round, and own and run the camp in the summer.

In 1951, Betty is eighteen years old, and determined to have her first summer romance before she heads off to college in the fall. Instead of just a summer romance, however, she falls deeply in love with one of the young men working at the camp that summer. What transpires over that summer will have repercussions for the rest of her life, and leave her wondering if she made the right choices when she was young. At age 84, living once again in South Haven, her granddaughter and her two best friends help her come to terms with how her life turned out.

The story may seem somewhat simple, but the author was skillful enough to leave me guessing at a couple of situations throughout. I did find the ending to be a little bit cloying in its sweetness, but overall, it was a pleasant and endearing read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3 solid stars

[MicheleReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rated 4.25 stars

The Last Bathing Beauty takes us back to the summer of 1951 in South Haven, Michigan. Located on Lake Michigan, this area was affectionately regarded as “the Catskills of the Midwest” filled with resorts for the area’s Jewish families. Betty Claire Stern is the granddaughter of the owners of Stern’s Summer Resort and this will be her last summer with her best friends Georgia and Doris before heading to New York City to attend Barnard College hopefully followed by a career at a fashion magazine. Betty quickly finds herself head over heels in love and also gets ready to compete in the annual Miss South Haven beauty pageant. What starts as an idyllic summer becomes one that will change the course of Betty’s life.

The story is told in the past and in 2017 where Betty, now in her 80s and known as Boop, is preparing to leave her home in South Haven and move to California. She has invited Georgia and Doris to visit when Boop’s granddaughter Hannah shows up unexpectedly and in need of help. Hannah’s crisis is all too familiar to Boop’s past, which has long been kept a secret from her family. Boop can’t help her granddaughter until she makes peace with the decisions she made as well as the decisions that were made for her long ago.

The Last Bathing Beauty brings back in accurate detail, an era long gone where families spent entire summers together in resorts (think of the movie Dirty Dancing) and everyone was expected to marry “their own kind.” You can visualize the lakeside resort and feel the yearning of young desire. The characters are endearing and you’ll ache along with them thinking of the roads not taken. None of the plot twists were surprising. This was simply a lovely book.

Review posted at MicheleReader.com

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it. Its not a "not to missed" but I enjoyed it. Dual timeline, to understand what Betty (Boop) has been holding her entire life, since that fateful summer of 1951, played out through her grand daughters modern day repetition. There was a beauty to the friendship aspect of it, on the elder level. And an homage to the Jewish family resorts that are no longer, as well as the big Summer Resort Beauty Pageant and Competition. The past meets the modern and circles back.

[The Lit Bitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

This cover makes me so excited for summer and long walks on the beach. I have had it on my radar for quite some time and when it was picked as the March Amazon First Reads selection, I knew it was going to be a big new release.

I haven’t read anything by this author before but she has written three other well received books and I was excited to give this one a try.

Besides all the hype and the beautiful eye catching cover, this book boasted a sassy heroine and I was most excited to read about her, but beyond that I didn’t really know too much about what this book was about.

I am not going to lie ,when I read the summary and saw that this book was set during the 1950s summer, at a lakeside resort similar to the Catskills, my mind instantly went to Dirty Dancing. Echos of ‘no one puts baby in a corner’ echoed in my mind, even before I started reading this one. I love that movie and I can appreciate a lost time when families went on resort vacations together and made memories. So even before I cracked this one open, I already felt a connection and joy at what waited inside.

Right away I connected to the main character Betty. I loved how the story is told between an older Betty and a younger Betty. Betty’s granddaughter Hannah plays an important role in Betty’s life and I loved watching Betty tell her story to her granddaughter who happens to be very much like her. I thought their relationship was heartwarming and made me miss my grandma!

This is an excellent coming of age story. I was hooked and completely invested in Betty’s story. I could totally relate to her restlessness and her hope of finding a summer love when she goes to work at the resort. Often when there is a duel timeline story, one is usually stronger than the other but in this book, I felt the two were very balanced and I enjoyed both the modern and historical parts in equal measure.

Even if some of the story felt familiar to me, as if it were something I had read or heard before, I didn’t feel like it was a cookie cutter story at all. I thought Betty was a fantastic character with lots of spunk and sass and even if her story had familiar themes, I found her character to be a stand out and she made my reading experience unique and enjoyable.

This is an excellent summer read and I am looking forward to reading more by this author in the future. It was a perfect novel to escape with and it left me feeling satisfied with the story and ending and excited for more books from this author which to me is the trademark of a successful read!

See my full review here

[Sonja Yoerg · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Last Bathing Beauty is a pitch-perfect summer read, starring Betty “Boop” Stern, a plucky heroine with a tackle box full of secrets and enough regret for a lifetime. Using dual timelines, Nathan expertly unravels the events that derailed Betty’s sparkling future in 1951 and continue to haunt her even as an eighty-four-year-old woman. Full of characters that shine and told with compassion and humor, this is women’s fiction at its best.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book free from Amazon First Reads for March.
I was so excited to read this book because I LOVE South Haven, MI. It is a small slice of heaven tucked into the Midwest, and I am fortunate to have spent much time there over the years. But it seemed in reading this book that the author selected the location, and then tried to write a story to fit the setting. The story fell far short of the location, and felt forced and contrived,
The book takes place partly during the summer of 1951 after Betty’s senior year in high school, when she assists her grandparents in running their kosher summer resort. Apparently, she is a jack of all trades and can do some of everything, and clearly the resort could not function without the help of Betty and her adoring minions, Doris and Georgia. I saw shades of Dirty Dancing and Mrs Maisel (those episodes which took place in the Catskills) in the descriptions of the resort.

The book alternates between 1951 and 70 years later, still in South Haven, when Betty (known as ‘Boop,’ cue the painful eye roll and cringe every time that name is used!) is a widow and just now coming to terms with the events which occurred back in 1951. Betty/Boop was annoying in either time period.

I grew weary of constant references to Betty’s grandparents and their supposed influence over the whole town: every other page someone mentioned ‘I won’t tell your grandparents,’ ‘what would your grandparents say?’ ‘don’t let my grandparents know.’ And ‘Nannie always say this,’ ‘according to Nannie,’ ‘Nannie would have cringed.’ Enough already!

Characters were lame, plot was thin, with simplistic and juvenile writing style. Around 30% through, it seemed that the author was still developing the storyline and laying its foundation – took forever to get moving. I thought it would be a quick read since it’s short but I had to really force myself to read it. It read like a script from an overly saccharine sweet 50’s musical, but without the clever lyrics and energy of rousing song and dance numbers to add charm and warmth

[Susan Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

“You should own all pieces of your life, good or bad. They make up who you are.” Those words are spoken by Hannah, as her grandmother Betty “Boop” reveals long-held secrets, memories of her first love, and the dreams she had as a young girl. The Last Bathing Beauty is a heartfelt novel written with compassion and hope, reconciling the past to pave a road to happiness and second chances. The characters in this book bring life and heart to this story, each with a distinct voice and personality—they made me love them, they made me sad, they made me angry, they made me laugh, they made me cry, and they made me believe in the promise of love and home.

[Renée Rosen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review coming soon

[Krista · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4 stars
This is a great read for our almost summer reading season. I’d classify this a Women’s Fiction with a beachy feel. The story is told in dual timelines of the 1951 version of Betty (Boop) Stern, and her 2017 version.

We watch Boop navigate both time periods and understand how choices made by her family members, and herself helped to shape her future. This is a story about family connections. I enjoying learning about the Midwest ‘Catskills’ lake side resort in Michigan. It’s where Betty grew up with her Jewish grandparents after having been abandoned by her parents. I also appreciated how choices made that fateful summer when Boop was just eighteen, affected the rest of her life. It also helped give her the wisdom as to how to answer a grand-daughter’s plea for help during her own crisis.

I enjoyed so many things about this book including the gorgeous cover. This was such a lovely and relatable read about family, love, connections, and following your heart.

‘Thank-You’ to NetGalley; the publisher, Lake Union Publishing; and the author, Amy Sue Nathan, for providing a free e-ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Kimberly Brock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amy Sue Nathan is unmatched when it comes to crafting wistful stories that uplift, but also manage to take a hard look at characters navigating difficult turning points in their lives. THE LAST BATHING BEAUTY may be her best yet! Immediately appealing with its sentimental nostalgia for first loves and summers on the water, it soon becomes apparent that the women who populate this story aren't just remembering the joys of family vacations, beauty pageants, and a carefree girlhood. As Nathan moves between the secrets of the past and present, characters wrestle with deep personal regrets and griefs while struggling with the cultural norms that challenge their best selves. A woman's choices (and lack of choices) sits front and center in both timelines. I enjoyed every carefully crafted description of a time and place of innocence, while reminded of injustices and heartbreak in the lives of girls coming of age in 1950s America. The contemporary voices of these friends as mature women who are reunited to look back at the past are fresh and authentic and I wished I could sit in their circle and know lasting relationships like that in my own life. For readers who are nostalgic for the charm of the past and a tug at the heartstrings, this story is a joy. For those who've known lost loves and dreams, it is a reminder of the strength of female friendship to create healing and home and the miracle of second chances, even when the hour is late. Luminous!

[Jessica Strawser · Rating 5 out of 5]

An easy, nostalgic read that was just the thing to keep on my nightstand when I needed to escape the reality of the current news cycle: In THE LAST BATHING BEAUTY, Amy Sue Nathan transports you to simpler days on the Michigan shore—another place, another time, with characters who feel real—in friendship, in love, in family and loyalty and compromises and decisions and dreams, all of it bittersweet. The ending was just what I hoped for, even as the sigh of what might have been lingered. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an early peek.

[Vonda · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a delightful quick paced summer read. When "Boop"'s grandaughter shows up for an unexpected visit she brings news for Boop. Boop and her lifelong friends decide Boop needs to share the secret she held for life and was hoping to take it to her grave.

[Shawn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really didn't care for the main character, Betty/Boop, when she was 18 OR when she was 85. She was supposedly "really smart", but she came off as vapid and whiny and annoying.

[CarolG · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a swell story, a charming cover and a catchy title! Although I was pretty young in the 50's, we lived in a lakeside town in northern Ontario which was a hive of activity in the summer and I can remember being enthralled by the teenagers running around in similar bathing suits and flirting with the boys. I couldn't wait to grow up. In more recent times, we actually drove through South Haven a few years ago; it's a beautiful area and we always meant to go back and spend more time there but then the 2016 election happened and we decided to keep our money in Canada when travelling. Of course now we can't travel anywhere. This story goes back and forth in time between 1951 and 2017 as we learn about Betty/Boop's life. Very well written with a cast of likeable characters. Recommended summer reading! 3-1/2 Stars!

[Bambi Rathman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Betty Stern has so much hope and excitement for the summer of 1951! She's graduating high school and has plans to attend Barnard College in New York to pursue her dreams of becoming a fashion editor in the fall...but first she has the whole summer ahead to have fun and make lifetime memories at her grandparent's summer resort, Stern's Summer Resort, where she works and helps them out. Her grandparents have raised Betty since she was a very small girl after her parents abandoned her with them. "The summer Boop was four, her parents had dropped her off in South Haven for the weekend-a weekend that lasted seventeen years." She is so excited to be spending her last summer with her best friends, Georgia and Doris before going out on her own. The summer has so much promise for a young woman and maybe catching the eye of "a boy who made her heart shudder". This is her summer with Abe Barsky.

Flash ahead to 2017. After a lifetime of family and life, Betty, who is known as Boop, is together with her best friends once again reminiscing about the summer of 1951 and the events that took place. Her granddaughter, Hannah, is also part of this little group as the memories are being recollected. There are secrets, mystery, and surprises I didn't expect. The question of what actually happened that summer. What were the events that lead up to the "Miss South Haven" bathing beauty contest and why was it the last one ever held? The story is intertwined between the two time lines in an intriguing and page turning blend with a need to find out what happened.

I love the characters in this book. Betty, as a young girl with zeal and love of life to when she's an older woman, Boop, who has questions and a desire for Hannah's life to be different than what hers became. The supporting characters are perfectly intertwined to create a story of connections and relationships that tugged at my heart. As others have said, this story has a Dirty Dancing aura in the resort atmosphere. The writing took me into the scenes and held me there as if I were experiencing it myself. Then jumping into the story of 2017, I felt the emotions of Boop as she faced her past with resolve, painful memories and the desire to bring the truth out after all those years. Ms. Nathan beautifully wove the two stories together to bring it to a surprising ending that touched my heart.

I enjoyed reading this book so very much. It was a great way to escape into another time and place for me. It is wonderfully written with so many passages that speak of what "life" is and what choices can result in the direction a life can go. These two passages were profound to me:
You should own all pieces of your life, good or bad," Hannah said. "They make up who you are."
"Sometimes it takes a long time to get things right." Boop said."

I want to thank Netgalley, Lake Union and Ms. Nathan for the honor and privilege of reading this wonderfully touching and special story of relationships, family love, forgiveness and hope. All opinions and thoughts in this review are my heartfelt own.

[Zoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tender, nostalgic, and sentimental!

The Last Bathing Beauty is an absorbing, heartwarming tale that takes us to the shores of South Haven, Michigan during 1951 when Jewish summer camps in the Catskills of the Midwest were the place to be, girls were excited for more than just marriage, and Betty Stern and her family would never be the same.

The writing is vivid and expressive. The characters are authentic, vivacious, and sympathetic. And the plot, using a past/present, back-and-forth style is a delightful mix of summer fun, friendship, family, coming-of-age, secrets, heartbreak, forbidden love, familial expectations, and second chances.

Overall, The Last Bathing Beauty is a heartfelt, beguiling, charming tale by Nathan that not only reminds us that everyone that enters our lives impacts, shapes, and defines it but that love is truly ageless.

Thank you to Amazon Publishing for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. I have to say I am not a romance fan but this was well written.... low on the sappiness I don’t like and high on character development, sense of scene and historic description. Also pluses were the dual time line of 1951 and the present and lots and lots of likable people.

[Nancy Brown · Rating 1 out of 5]

Actually, I didn't finish this one. I was not engaged by the characters or the story.

[Lori Spielman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again, Amy Sue Nathan provides a wonderful escape, this time to the shores of Lake Michigan, circa 1950s, in THE LAST BATHING BEAUTY. As the lovable Betty “Boop” prepares for a beauty pageant, she experiences her first real love, and with it, a crushing heartbreak. All the while, her childhood companions remain steadfast, becoming loyal, lifelong friends—or so she thinks. Being a native of Michigan, I was especially captivated by the story’s setting, a Jewish summer resort in South Haven, Michigan. With dual timelines, Nathan masterfully weaves a tale of love, friendship, betrayal, and ultimately, reconciliation. Fans of Elin Hilderbrand and Dorthea Benton Frank will flock to this novel.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amy Sue Nathan had me hooked when she compared the setting of The Last Bathing Beauty to those from Dirty Dancing and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Her novel made me think of both in various ways.

This was a great story overall. I loved the South Haven scenery and mood. It made me think of when my family and I went to a resort in Wisconsin every summer. I liked the bits of Jewish information, such as keeping Kosher, observing Shabbat, etc. The nineteen fifties came to life through this story and I was able to visualize everything as it might have been back then.

I could relate to Betty with being boy crazy at eighteen, as I remember being the same way when I was starting college. I was definitely stressed out for her situation (which is revealed before it's actually played out). There were some surprises that I did not see coming at all, even with the foreshadowing. I love that Betty/Boop stayed friends with Georgia and Doris for such a long time and how they looked after each other. Their friendship reminded me of Donna, Rosie, and Tanya in Mamma Mia.

My only hangup was that I wasn't a fan of the name Boop by itself. It worked when paired with Betty because of the cartoon icon, but sounded strange otherwise. This didn't take away from my enjoyment of the novel.

This was an interesting and thought-provoking story and Amy Sue Nathan did a great job telling it and keeping me engaged the entire time.

Movie casting suggestions:
Betty: Odeya Rush
Georgia: Ella Wahlestedt
Doris: Sami Gayle
Abe: Luke Benward
Marv: Alex Wolff
Hannah: Melissa Benoist
I'll trust Hollywood to cast Boop and her friends...

[Renee (some kind of a library) · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I could go back in time, I think hands down I would choose summertime in the fifties. Preferably at a resort where I'd sip cocktails and take salsa dancing lessons, eat midnight buffets and fall in love. :) There is a reason Dirty Dancing is one of my all time favorite movies and the episodes of Mrs. Maisel in the Catskills are my absolute favorite. The Last Bathing Beauty by Amy Sue Nathan has ALL of those things which is why I adored it. Not only does the gorgeous cover scream summer, so does the story!

Following the story of Betty (in the past) and Boop (Betty of the present day), you get to meet her friends, her family and the learn why summer of 1951 changed her life forever. The alternating chapters between past/present, the long lasting friendships and overall atmosphere of the story checked all the boxes for what makes a perfect summer read! First love! Best friends that are there for you no matter what! If you need something to get lost in for a few days, dreaming of the perfect one piece bathing suit and summer sunset walks, THIS IS IT.

Thank you to the author for my free Ebook!

[Marisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this novel and cant thank Amy Nathan enough for the early read!

this story touches directly to the heart filled with the true love between Grand-daughters and their Grandmothers, family secrets and lost love and chances and above all else memories.

Parts made me laugh and swoon, others cry and hope for the best.

Loved every page. Amy Nathan has a knack for developing relatable characters you love from the first to the last page!

thanks to Amy and to the publisher for an early read!

[Diane D White · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh

Every once in a long while I choose a book classified by Kindle as adult literary fiction only to find it is actually a romance or perhaps a YA novel. I seldom enjoy either.

[Holly LaPat · Rating 3 out of 5]

3-1/2 stars: I loved the setup of this book, and I really enjoyed reading it, but I think it fell short of its potential. In the opening scene, Betty is about to get married, with very mixed feelings. Then we see her in her 80s, after a long marriage, still connected to her lifelong friends. What happened in between? The rest of the book alternates between the summer that led up to Betty’s decision to get married, and her present-day self facing those memories. For this to work well, we need to believe there was something strong and enduring about Betty’s summer romance – but while the relationship is appealing, I wasn’t convinced that those feelings would necessarily extend beyond the intensity of the moment. In a similar way, Betty’s lifelong friends are appealing, but not developed enough to be more than two-dimensional (maybe even one-dimensional in Doris’ case). Because the characters are fairly superficial, the resolutions come a little too easily as well. What is drawn richly, however, is the setting: a vacation resort in South Haven, on the shores of Lake Michigan, run by the heroine’s grandparents. Author Amy Sue Nathan does a wonderful job of capturing the lives and culture of the Jewish families who owned or visited resorts like these in the 1950s (think of the Catskills resorts in “Dirty Dancing” or “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”). It’s another place and another time, and we can see how these things would have shaped our heroine – I just would have liked a little more depth.

[Sherri Thacker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love, friendships, family, second chances ... that’s what this book is all about. It was a pretty good read even though it started out slow for me but once I got involved with the characters it picked up speed. It was neat reading between 1951 when Betty was 18 and 70 years later when she went by the name Boop. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review.

[Anne OK · Rating 4 out of 5]

With a little nod to Swayze and Grey as they dirty danced “Baby” through a summer of love and with a rewind and a little remake, Betty “Boop” Stern’s coming-of-age story begins at a summer resort for Jewish families located in South Haven, Michigan in the summer of 1951 at 18-years-old and catches up with her again decades later at 84-years-old.

An unexpected visit from Boop’s granddaughter with a shocking revelation pushes secrets and lies from her own past to the forefront. A diverse cast of characters shines as they bring this story to life with a variety of perspectives. A circle of deceit and secrets surround most of the players in Betty “Boop’s” messy and life-changing summer of 1951. Things go wrong in life and don’t always turn out the way we planned – one moment in time is all it takes to derail plans for the future.

The dual timeline is a well-balanced blend of “then” and “now” -- both equally appealing in their storylines. Years later, after a lifetime of love, family and friends, along with memories of days long ago that brought betrayal, tears and regrets, Boop now faces the most important challenge -- the steps toward forgiveness and a satisfying and happy ending that left me grinning ear-to-ear.

Told in vivid detail, the wonderful settings and imagery brings the beauty of Michigan to life, reminding me of the breathtaking sights and enjoyment found the summer my daughter and I made our own escape to the shores of Lake Michigan.

A few logistical hang-ups here and there throughout the book (the sun sets in the western sky – not the south), but nothing extreme and otherwise, Amy Sue Nathan is a wonderful storyteller and even though this book certainly broke my heart at times, it was surprisingly delightful and entertaining to read.

[Jodie (That Happy Reader)]

In 1951, Betty “Boop” Stern wanted nothing more than to have a summer romance and to spend her days with her friends Doris and Georgia at the Jewish lake resort where she lived with her Grandparents. Her parents had left her with her Grandparents when Betty was five years old, and she’d always been an ideal Granddaughter - one that worked hard at the resort in summers, and did well at school. In fact, Betty was due to head off for college at the end of summer. This, at a time in history, when most girls aspired to get married and have a family if, and when, they completed high school.
Betty finds her romance in the very attractive college man Abe, there to work at the resort over the summer. The attraction is immediate and intense. When she learns from Abe that he isn’t Jewish, Betty realizes this might impede a future together as far as her family was concerned. But she loved him and she was sure that her family would grow to love him as well.
The book is told from two time periods: Betty, in the summer of 1951, and Boop as a woman in her 80’s in 2017. Rejoined for one last summer at the home of her youth by her life long friends, Boop is surprised by a visit from her Granddaughter Hannah, who needs some time away from her own life to gain perspective and to get advice from her Grandmother. The secret story of her youth is recalled to Hannah in order to provide some insight into the decisions that Hannah must make, as well as to bring peace to Boop for decisions made long ago.
I really enjoyed this story. Fans of the movie “Dirty Dancing” will appreciate the context and setting of this story. I appreciate the messaging in the book, which reflects a time some might say was simpler, but also more rigid.
This book is a perfect summer read and I recommend it to readers of Women’s fiction.
Thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC of this book in exchange for the honest review provided here.