Summer Longing

March 1, 2020
When Ruth Cooperman retired from the cosmetics industry, she dreamed of settling down in a quirky, sleepy beachside town. Little did she know that lovely Provincetown on Cape Cod harbored so much drama. It all begins when someone leaves a baby on the doorstep of Ruth's summer rental house. Alarmed, Ruth calls Elise Douglas, the house's owner. But Elise does not call the authorities. Instead, Elise, who has been trying to get pregnant for years, is utterly entranced by the baby, whom she names Mira. In short order, Mira upends the lives of nearly everyone in Provincetown. While Elise is besotted, her wife, Fern, is worried about Elise's future heartbreak. Of course, Elise and Fern are also trying to run their business, Tea by the Sea, so they enlist Ruth, as well as other locals, to help babysit. Ruth's seclusion erodes as her summer house fills up fast, as Elise and Fern move back in (so there's more space for Mira); Ruth's adult daughter, Olivia, comes to visit; and Olivia invites her dad, Ruth's ex-husband, Ben, to stay, too. Meanwhile, Bianca Barros, like the Wicked Witch of the West, keeps popping into the tea shop, angry that Elise and Fern bought her niece's house. Yet Brenner (Drawing Home, 2019, etc.) keeps the tone light, avoiding dark dives into emotional waters. Instead, she deftly keeps all the plates spinning as Elise and Fern renegotiate their marital goals; Bianca's brother, Tito, takes a shine to Ruth; his nephew, Marco, catches Olivia's eye; Marco's sister, Jaci, avoids the family business of emptying oyster traps by working at the tea shop; and Ruth notices Ben anew. Threading through all of the friendships and baby-juggling lies, of course, is the question of the summer: Who is Mira's mother? Lots of summer sun warms this light, charming beach read.

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March 30, 2020
Brenner (The Forever Summer) takes readers to a small Cape Cod beach community where an abandoned baby becomes the talk of the town. When newly retired Ruth Cooperman moves to Provincetown, Mass., she is hoping to slow down. Then she finds an abandoned baby on the front porch of her rented beach house. Couple Elise and Fern move back in to the cottage they rented to Ruth to care for the infant rather than call the authorities, and Ruth’s quiet retirement becomes even more crowded after her estranged daughter, Olivia, agrees to visit, while Ruth continues her search for a house to buy. As Ruth and her daughter address Olivia’s sense of abandonment by her mother, Elise and Fern bond with the baby and dream of making her their own. However, the mystery of the baby’s mother lurks in the background, and Ruth’s tenuous relationship with her daughter, as well as the connections created as the town comes together to support Elise, Fern, and the baby, will soon be tested. While Brenner gets off to a slow, muddled start, she eventually finds her footing and achieves a satisfying ending. This touching, nuanced summer yarn delivers the goods.

April 15, 2020
Brenner returns to Provincetown, setting of The Forever Summer (2017), with new central characters and a familiar supporting cast of residents and locations. Ruth Cooperman rents Shell House from Elise and Fern for the summer, only to find a baby girl abandoned on the doorstep her first morning there. Rather than reporting the baby to the authorities, Elise begins taking care of her and growing attached while they all wait to see if someone they know is missing a baby. Between a disenchanted career woman, an unhappy widow, a college student home for the summer, a real estate agent and his handyman husband, restless retirees, evolving marriages, estranged daughters, complicated relationships, and summer lovers, there's sure to be someone for readers to relate to. Seemingly impossible situations resolve themselves by the end of the summer in the tidiest ways, allowing some to change their lives for the better and others to continue living golden-tinged existences in a charming and artistic community. Fans of Elin Hilderbrand, beaches, summer, and family are sure to enjoy this perfect-for-your-vacation read.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)