Publishers Weekly
04/15/2024
Foster’s clunky latest (following On Gin Lane) sees two friends reconnect after one of them winds up in danger. It’s 1977 and Thea has just celebrated her 30th birthday with friends and family in her hometown of East Hampton, N.Y. After the party, her former friend Margot shows up out of the blue with a vague story about her husband, Willy, a successful restaurateur with Mafia connections, and says she needs to hide out. As the story toggles between past and present, the reader learns more about the summer of 1967, when the women became close friends, but were driven apart following a violent incident they’ve kept secret ever since (the details come out much later). Middle-class Thea dreamed of becoming an illustrator, but gave up those ambitions and devoted herself to her family. Margot, in contrast, was one of the wealthy people who summered in the Hamptons—her father was a renowned morning show anchor, her mother was editor-in-chief of the New York Herald—and she rebelled against her parents by marrying Willy. There’s very little depth to the characterizations, and the descriptions often feel phoned in (“She glowed as if she’d spent the morning at the beach”). In the crowded field of beach reads, this fails to stand out. Agent: Rebecca Scherer, Jane Rotrosen Agency. (June)
From the Publisher
A mesmerizing story of the complexities of female friendship and the yearning of women to live full lives. Foster depicts the 1970s with sensitivity and a rich command of detail, and as the pace picks up toward a perfectly executed denouement, you won’t be able to turn away.” —Beatriz Williams
“Dazzling... A tale of glamour, intrigue and friendship set during a transformative era.” —First for Women
"This one had me racing to turn the pages. Thea, a local teen, meets Margot, a wealthy summer resident, and the two form an unlikely friendship tested with unimaginable twists and turns. I won’t say more — except pick it up... and cancel your plans for the rest of the week!" —Katie Couric Media
“This intense and beautifully written tale of complex female friendship, bonded by a dark secret, transports the reader to the upscale Hamptons of the sixties and seventies for a delicious taste of glamor and intrigue.” —Rhys Bowen, New York Times bestselling author
"Another engaging and thrilling novel for summer! All The Summers In Between takes us to 1977 in The Hamptons when Margot blows back into Thea’s life after ten years, and we know everything is going to change. With a bygone-Hamptons setting, deep friendships that return in a roar, and love that can survive it all, Brooke Lea Foster carries us with skill and suspense into a glittering world [that] has it all: mystery, friendship, secrets, enchanting setting, and of course love. With a reminder that women must find what is most important at the core of their own lives, make room in your beach bag for this mesmerizing book.” —Patti Callahan Henry, New York Times bestselling author of The Secret Book of Flora Lea
“Foster's crisp delineation of character, skill at suspense, and ability to evoke an intriguing time and place hit a new high: I simply could not put this mesmerizing book down. Two friends, two very different decades (the 60s and 70s), and all the mounting tension and trust issues that friendships in our youth can uniquely forge and sustain long after they may have run their course. In Thea, Foster's very real and relatable protagonist, readers will see themselves and experience her every hopeful move and misstep as girlhood pal Margot re-enters her calm domestic life ten years later like a time bomb. Another beautifully written historical fiction from a great storyteller, just in time for summer.” —Natalie Jenner, internationally bestselling author of The Jane Austen Society, Bloomsbury Girls & the forthcoming Every Time We Say Goodbye (2024)
* “Foster provides suspense and a well-driven plot . . . [She] fills the book with references to fashion, cars, and celebrities of the time periods . . . A fun and intriguing read.” —Library Journal, starred review
"A taut, dynamic examination of friendship, marriage, and the inescapable consequences of who we choose to trust and love. With everything to keep the pages turning—complex and vulnerable characters, perfectly flawed relationships, and an overwhelming sense of danger that lurks around every twisted corner—Foster’s stunning prose and inspired details almost made me forget just how fast my heart was beating. This is a summer book to read all year long! An amazing story! " —Lynda Cohen Loigman, author of The Matchmaker's Gift and The Wartime Sisters
"This beautifully written tale transported me to [the 1960s and 1970s] and had me wondering just how far I would go for my friends. I devoured it in a weekend!” —Woman's World
"If you are looking for something with depth that will make you think far beyond beach days and clambakes, this is sure to be a hit." —Chick Lit Central
Library Journal
★ 03/01/2024
Although she loves her husband and daughter, Thea is dissatisfied with her life on 1970s Long Island. There are relatively limited opportunities for her to establish a fulfilling career outside of her home and meetups with other preschool moms leave her wanting more. But when her wealthy, free-spirited friend Margot shows up, begging Thea to help her, life gets more interesting. Foster (One Gin Lane) provides suspense and a well-driven plot centered on what happened between the friends 10 years ago in the Hamptons. The narrative toggles between a summer in 1967 when Thea and Margot met as naive 19-year-olds and a summer in 1977 when they abruptly meet again. Foster fills the book with references to fashion, cars, and celebrities of the time periods. Because Thea and Margot worked in a record store in '67, song lyrics, bands, and album covers of that year get special attention. The dynamic between likable Thea and self-absorbed, unethical Margot makes for a fun and intriguing read. VERDICT A worthwhile novel, especially for fans of the music of the 1960s and 1970s.—Leah Shepherd
