You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.41 AVERAGE
3.41 AVERAGE
What I liked about this book was that even though Elise’s life is very different than my own, I could relate to her circumstances and I found her to be a very likeable character. She is career driven, but she cares deeply about her family.
Elise Sorensen is an accomplished athlete who competes in the equestrian sport of dressage. Her husband, Matt, supports her devotion to this vocation completely, both emotionally and financially, despite the costs and the hardship of her frequent absence from him and their young daughter, Gracie. In order to continue to fund the pursuit of her Olympic dream, Matt decides that it is time to sell his family’s cabin in the Lake Placid Adirondack area. He is a lawyer, and has just been offered a partnership in his firm, but needs to “buy in” to secure the post. Proceeds from the sale will not be ample enough to provide for both his and Elise’s goals. A few days after they arrive at the lakefront property and begin to ready it for sale, Gracie suddenly disappears without a trace. Matt and Elise are devastated. The search for their daughter gives both of them pause to examine their relationship and their priorities.
Elise is in her late thirties, and pining to participate in the Olympics? I did a bit of Googling, and indeed, the median age of Olympic riders is thirty six. Wow!
I was inspired to learn a bit about a few of the elements of the storyline that I was living in ignorance of. I read about and watched several videos displaying some examples of dressage. Interesting…. And, I’d like to thank Tish Cohen for her reference to Joni Mitchell’s song Little Green. I had never heard it and it piqued my interest, so I took a listen. It’s an absolutely beautiful song, with such sad circumstances surrounding it.
Elise Sorensen is an accomplished athlete who competes in the equestrian sport of dressage. Her husband, Matt, supports her devotion to this vocation completely, both emotionally and financially, despite the costs and the hardship of her frequent absence from him and their young daughter, Gracie. In order to continue to fund the pursuit of her Olympic dream, Matt decides that it is time to sell his family’s cabin in the Lake Placid Adirondack area. He is a lawyer, and has just been offered a partnership in his firm, but needs to “buy in” to secure the post. Proceeds from the sale will not be ample enough to provide for both his and Elise’s goals. A few days after they arrive at the lakefront property and begin to ready it for sale, Gracie suddenly disappears without a trace. Matt and Elise are devastated. The search for their daughter gives both of them pause to examine their relationship and their priorities.
Elise is in her late thirties, and pining to participate in the Olympics? I did a bit of Googling, and indeed, the median age of Olympic riders is thirty six. Wow!
I was inspired to learn a bit about a few of the elements of the storyline that I was living in ignorance of. I read about and watched several videos displaying some examples of dressage. Interesting…. And, I’d like to thank Tish Cohen for her reference to Joni Mitchell’s song Little Green. I had never heard it and it piqued my interest, so I took a listen. It’s an absolutely beautiful song, with such sad circumstances surrounding it.
If you are looking for a quick mystery family drama this is the book for you. I didn't love this book but I did enjoy it. I struggled to relate to the characters.
I received an ARC from Netgalley. All thoughts & opinions are my own.
I received an ARC from Netgalley. All thoughts & opinions are my own.
Grateful to have won an Advance Reader’s Copy of this book through Goodreads giveaways. You know an author has done well with their character development when you find yourself really getting mad at the characters for the decisions they are making. I can attest that the book is definitely a page turner having read the majority of it over the course of 2 short flights. Suspenseful and captivating, each page keeps you wanting more.
Captivating book, I didn’t want to put it down. This mystery, about a missing girl, made me want to keep reading. I needed to know what happened to her, and what was happening to everyone else. Felt like I was there, saying hi to the horses, fishing on the lake. Well written, I totally recommend.
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway! The cover is beautiful and I was excited to read it. The title and description made me think that the daughter's disappearance would be the main focus of the story, but it was really more about the couple's struggling marriage and what happens when a husband and wife both have big dreams and career goals but they also want to be parents. Elise has her sights set on competing in the Olympics and Matt wants to accept a partnership at his law firm. Elise's dressage training forces her to travel so much that Matt becomes the primary caregiver to their daughter, which seems like it's working out until Elise misses one too many important events with Gracie and Matt's bitterness reaches a new level. I think this struggle is very relatable for families where both parents want to pursue demanding careers. The first half of the book moved a little too slowly for me and I was frustrated by some of the choices the characters made, but overall this was an entertaining story.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
4.25 out of 5 stars
The Summer We Lost Her is an atmospheric marital drama story. I had to deduct from 5 stars because I found the beginning very slow. I realized at about page 130 that the first section completely set the atmosphere and vibe of the book but I was close to setting the book down and not continuing. I am very happy I decided to continue as I really enjoyed the second half of the book!
This is not my typical genre of book but it makes me want to dive into more domestic dramas!
Since The Summer We Lost Her is not my typical genre I can't do a lot of if you like this, then you'll like this. It did remind me of Gone Girl with the domestic drama part but this was no where near as thrilling as Gone Girl. The atmosphere of the book is definitely my favorite part. I know nothing about the Adirondacks or Lake Placid or any of that having grown up in South Carolina but I now feel like a teeny tiny piece of the area is within me.
I received this book for free from a Goodreads giveaway.
The Summer We Lost Her is an atmospheric marital drama story. I had to deduct from 5 stars because I found the beginning very slow. I realized at about page 130 that the first section completely set the atmosphere and vibe of the book but I was close to setting the book down and not continuing. I am very happy I decided to continue as I really enjoyed the second half of the book!
This is not my typical genre of book but it makes me want to dive into more domestic dramas!
Since The Summer We Lost Her is not my typical genre I can't do a lot of if you like this, then you'll like this. It did remind me of Gone Girl with the domestic drama part but this was no where near as thrilling as Gone Girl. The atmosphere of the book is definitely my favorite part. I know nothing about the Adirondacks or Lake Placid or any of that having grown up in South Carolina but I now feel like a teeny tiny piece of the area is within me.
I received this book for free from a Goodreads giveaway.