Laura has lived a sheltered life growing up in a small
California lakeside town; her parents are loving-yet-strict,
her mother very religious, and her father very protective. A
new family moves in across the lake, and Laura is tasked
with introducing herself to the daughter of a single mother,
Casey. They immediately become best friends and are
inseparable throughout high school. Raised by her
free-spirited artist mother, Casey has the freedom to do
what she wants and not worry about the consequences. Laura
and Casey do everything together, knowing no matter what
they have each other. Stuck with nothing to do in their
small town but hang out by the lake, Casey's mother
orchestrates elaborate scavenger hunts, which become more
and more popular among their classmates. And while Casey is
content keeping things the way they used to be, Laura enjoys
their newfound popularity. But on the night of their last
scavenger hunt before leaving for college, Laura is betrayed
in the deepest way, with only Casey to blame.
Now, after years without contact, Laura receives an
invitation from Casey to have a new scavenger hunt. Her
initial reaction is to ignore it and let the past stay in
the past, but Laura can't help but be intrigued by this
request to return home. This scavenger hunt is designed to
take them back to the places of their most beloved memories,
and may or may not be the key to bringing them back
together. Can Laura forgive the betrayal she experienced all
those years ago? And will Casey understand why Laura left
without warning?
THE SUMMER LIST reads with a
slow cadence and has been carefully crafted by Amy Mason
Doan. I was surprised to see that this is Doan's debut
novel! She evokes feelings of close friendship, first love,
and growing up that were genuine and awkward (in a good
way), like we all were when we were teenagers. As adults,
Laura and Casey have always held on to the things that
happened during those summers, but the women they've grown
into are believable and fully realized, too. It's a
thought-provoking, nostalgic, and intriguing debut. I look
forward to more books by Amy Mason Doan!
In the tradition of Judy Blume’s
Summer Sisters, The Summer List
is a tender yet tantalizing novel
about two friends, the summer night they fell apart, and the
scavenger hunt that reunites them decades later—until the
clues expose a breathtaking secret that just might shatter
them once and for all.
Laura and Casey were
once inseparable: as they floated on their backs in the
sunlit lake, as they dreamed about the future under starry
skies, and as they teamed up for the wild scavenger hunts in
their small California lakeside town. Until one summer
night, when a shocking betrayal sent Laura running through
the pines, down the dock, and into a new life, leaving Casey
and a first love in her wake.
But the past is
impossible to escape, and now, after seventeen years away,
Laura is pulled home and into a reunion with Casey she can’t
resist—one last scavenger hunt. With a twist: this time, the
list of clues leads to the settings of their most cherished
summer memories. From glistening Jade Cove to the vintage
skating rink, each step they take becomes a bittersweet
reminder of the friendship they once shared. But just as the
game brings Laura and Casey back together, the clues unravel
a stunning secret that threatens to tear them apart…
Mesmerizing and unforgettable, Amy Mason Doan’s
The Summer List is about losing and recapturing the
person who understands you best—and the unbreakable bonds of
girlhood.
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