Undercover Chapters

Thank you NetGalley, HarperAudio Adult, and Jenn Bennett for the ARC in exchange for an honest review of the content.

The Summer of Lost Things is a childhood friends to lovers, summer romance set in a small Michigan beach town.

When Paige has to return to her home town for the summer to speak with her estranged father about tuition issues with Harvard, the summer becomes much more exciting than the bore she was expecting it to be. After reconnecting with her old crush Seb, they find a hidden secret in her deceased grandmother’s cottage. Paige and Seb decide it is time to get their old childhood crew back together, the wags.

The wags spent their childhood together hunting for Weird Jack’s treasure, who is a distant relative of Paige. Now, a new clue has reignited the wags search for the Golden Venus – a local legend that entices more than just the wags… In a thrilling search for the treasure, friendships are tested, deeper feelings begin to ignite, and something more sinister is lurking in the shadows.

Now, my review..

The positives:

• I loved all of the characters in this book, it was so much more than just your typical contemporary romance. It was friendships/found family, childhood friends to lovers, treasure hunting, and a deep seeded town mystery. The book was so well rounded, and kept me very engaged.
• The narrator, Allie Shae, did a phenomenal job. I feel like she was the perfect fit for this book. I plan to look up more books that she narrates.
• The treasure hunt and everything the characters go through during the hunt made me want to non-stop listen. I finished this book in one sitting. It had steamy adult Goonies vibes and that was something I wasn’t prepared for but thoroughly enjoyed.
• I enjoyed the progression of Paige and Seb’s relationship. It was fun learning about their childhood background and seeing how it affected the way their relationship evolved as adults.
• As someone who has lived in Michigan their entire life, it was super cool to read a book that is set in my home state. The locations the author depicted were very accurate, it was fun to visualize the different settings and places I have also explored.

The negatives:

• I can’t think of a single thing I didn’t love about this book. There were parts that frustrated me, but that is what those parts of the story were meant to do, so props to the author for that!

Overall, I think Jenn Bennett did a great job writing The Summer of Lost Things. The book was fun and ended in a way where there is still more story to tell, so I am hopeful there will be a sequel or series. I will be looking up more books written by Jenn Bennett after finishing this ARC read! Her story style reminds me of Emily Henry, which is a huge compliment in my opinion. The story was so well rounded, and I always love when a romance is very plot heavy and not just focused on the main couple.

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐