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hsinjulit's review
genre : historic sapphic romance (1942 & 1946)1.5 stars rounded down.
pairing : white sapphics
POV : dual 3rd-person (with headhopping)
location: New York City, NY, USA
indie? : yes
Nice concept but unfortunately the execution was not great. I appreciate that the author utilized the historical background of WWII among others and acknowledged the existence of queer people back then. Because of Bears’ effort as well as this one cute and sweet scene in chapter 14, I wanted to rate it higher. And yet the more I thought about the frustration I had with the writing, the less I could justify even a two-star rating. I considered DNF’ing it about 20% into the book and promptly stopped reading it for three months. Even though I eventually managed to plow through it, I did somewhat regret reading this book.
Let’s talk about why.
1. Questionable POVs: Basically headhopping, to the extent that I don’t always know what’s going on because I was confused over whose point of view I was in.
2. Flashbacks: Look, I don’t hate flashbacks in storytelling; I think it could be a powerful way of delivering interwoven storylines. However, the way it was done in Late City Summer ended up being a lot of concealing of information (which is a huge gripe of mine), and we didn’t know what was going on in the past timeline until very close to the end of the book. All the buildup through the entire story ended up being very anticlimactic once the 1942 event was concluded.
3. Italic thoughts: I think it was used too often that it wrecked the flow of the storytelling. My editing brain came up with a lot of alternative ways to write it in a less irritating way while I was reading. In addition, the emotions and thoughts of the characters changed so drastically within seconds all the time that I felt like I was being dragged all over the place. I feel the story I read and this left me very confused as to why the characters reacted the way they did.
4. Aversion of critical scenes: We didn’t get to see the pivotal scene. It was rehashed through other characters the next day and I cannot help but think that was just the easy way out.
5. Kate deserved better, because throughout the story, I kept feeling like Emily was taking advantage of her.
But hey, I love the idea of these women chasing their dreams in the 1940s. It was very disappointing as Late City Summer could’ve been an excellent book after several rounds of editing or told through a different media, say a film (the author is a filmmaker). I would say that if you don’t mind lots of flashbacks and headhopping, you might enjoy this.
content warnings: sexism, graphic sex, cheating
Buddy read with Gabriella; check out her review!
I received a digital review copy from Bold Strokes Books via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.
00leah00's review against another edition
3.0
“Late City Summer” is a historical, second-chance romance set in 1942 and 1946. It has a dual timeline as each time period has dedicated chapters, rather than flashbacks. It’s also the debut from Jeanette Bears.
Emily Stanton has just graduated college in Boston and is headed to New York City to get married. Kate Alessi is the wedding photographer hired by Emily’s mother. What no one knows is that four years ago, Emily and Kate met and fell in love while Emily was in NYC on summer break.
At first this seemed like the perfect book for me, I love the cover and the setting. I love second chance romance, it’s my favorite trope, but this one just didn’t click with me. The chemistry between Emily and Kate didn’t wow me or make me believe in their relationship, past or present. I think because Bears did both timelines, it was hard to really feel the connection from either one as there isn’t a lot of time spent in one time. I did like both main characters and several side characters. There’s good character development with Kate and Emily and I enjoyed how it unfolded.
What I thought Bears did well was the slow burn with the two women coming to understand and accept their feelings for each other in the 40’s. The expectation is for Emily to get married and become a housewife even though she’s just gotten a degree. Kate is expected to give up her job once the war is over but neither are happy with these choices. Being gay was not widely accepted at the time and I always enjoy reading about people that defy the times for not only love, but their way of life.
I had some issues with this that I think are common with debuts. There seemed to be a lot of head-hopping and I wasn’t always sure whose point of view I was reading. A majority of the book is in Emily’s point of view but every so often, I would realize it’s been switched to Kate’s and then I’d have to go back and re-read the passage. The pacing was also problematic for me. The first 30% or so is pretty slow and reads more like a love letter to New York than a romance. It got better after that but it seemed to take a while to get there and get me invested.
While this didn’t completely work for me, it seems like it worked a lot better for others. I recommend reading other reviews to get a better feel.
I received an ARC from Bold Strokes Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Emily Stanton has just graduated college in Boston and is headed to New York City to get married. Kate Alessi is the wedding photographer hired by Emily’s mother. What no one knows is that four years ago, Emily and Kate met and fell in love while Emily was in NYC on summer break.
At first this seemed like the perfect book for me, I love the cover and the setting. I love second chance romance, it’s my favorite trope, but this one just didn’t click with me. The chemistry between Emily and Kate didn’t wow me or make me believe in their relationship, past or present. I think because Bears did both timelines, it was hard to really feel the connection from either one as there isn’t a lot of time spent in one time. I did like both main characters and several side characters. There’s good character development with Kate and Emily and I enjoyed how it unfolded.
What I thought Bears did well was the slow burn with the two women coming to understand and accept their feelings for each other in the 40’s. The expectation is for Emily to get married and become a housewife even though she’s just gotten a degree. Kate is expected to give up her job once the war is over but neither are happy with these choices. Being gay was not widely accepted at the time and I always enjoy reading about people that defy the times for not only love, but their way of life.
I had some issues with this that I think are common with debuts. There seemed to be a lot of head-hopping and I wasn’t always sure whose point of view I was reading. A majority of the book is in Emily’s point of view but every so often, I would realize it’s been switched to Kate’s and then I’d have to go back and re-read the passage. The pacing was also problematic for me. The first 30% or so is pretty slow and reads more like a love letter to New York than a romance. It got better after that but it seemed to take a while to get there and get me invested.
While this didn’t completely work for me, it seems like it worked a lot better for others. I recommend reading other reviews to get a better feel.
I received an ARC from Bold Strokes Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
shereadstales's review
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Thanks to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for the digital galley of this one.
I’ve been spending some time in the nonfiction realm lately, but I’m back with a review for this one, thaaat’s been out since September. I’ve got backlist catchup goals for April, so hopefully posts will be more frequent.
Four years ago, Emily Stanton spent the summer in New York City with her cousin, and a friendship with a photographer turned to romance. Now, Emily is back to prepare for her wedding, and she’ll have to face the woman she left behind four years ago and the feelings that never went away. Kate Alessi has made progress with her photography business, but she never stopped loving Emily. Will she let Emily walk down the aisle, or take a chance on an unconventional love?
I read this one off and on for about a month. I’d pick it up in between chapters of nonfiction books. It’s a slow burn, but once it heats up, the flames don’t stop. Yesterday, I tore through the last 30-40% in one sitting and thoroughly enjoyed it. I love a good historical romance novel, but only if it’s queer, haha! I was endeared to the characters, rooting for them all the way. The supporting characters were fun, particularly Art and Allie, and I loved the epilogue.
All in all, a solid, historical read if you’re into that. Pick it up wherever you get your books.
eyrinreads's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
biblio_gabriella's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
When I saw the premise, I knew I had to get my hands on this ARC. 1940’s second-chance sapphic romance is totally my vibe! Unfortunately though, while there’s a lot to like about Late City Summer, the execution fell flat for me.
Emily Stanton is an ambitious, talented artist who feels stifled by the expectations of her family and her boyfriend Tommy. In 1942, the summer after her first year of college, she goes to NYC for a few months to stay with Allie, her cousin and supportive friend. There, she meets Allie’s boyfriend Art and Allie’s best friend Kate Alessi, a hardworking aspiring photographer who delights in pushing Emily’s buttons. While Emily and Kate butt heads at first, they soon start to crave each other’s company outside of the group hangouts with Allie and Art.
I did really like the main romance, even though the chemistry started to fizzle out for me by the end of the book. I thought Emily was annoying at first, but she started to grow on me as I spent more time with her. I liked Kate from there beginning — her humor, her drive, her air of mystery, her passion, and her kindness — even though some things she did were a bit overbearing. Emily and Kate are super cute with all their banter and teasing, and eventually, their deep regard for each other. At first they’re dismissive of each other’s art forms, but through each other they learn to appreciate all types of art. For these reasons, and because they’re both so ambitious, I think they make a great couple.
There are so many cute date(?) scenes in this book! From a ride on the Wonder Wheel to Kate showing Emily her favorite NYC spots to an accidental night at a gay bar, these are the kinds of scenes I came for, and for the most part, they delivered. I seriously live for sapphic historical vibes! This book also has several lovely, highly developed side characters; namely, Allie, Art, and Kate's sister Mia. Tommy, Emily's boyfriend-turned-fiance, is also three-dimensional. We can see that Emily cares for him, though she recognizes that some of the things he says and does are subtly problematic.
Unfortunately, my reading experience had some downsides which lowered my enjoyment.
My biggest issue was the writing style, which didn’t work for me at all. The prose doesn’t flow smoothly and I constantly had to reread sentences that didn’t make sense. Aside from that, there’s so much random head-hopping. The book is mostly in Emily’s POV, but there are some switches to Kate’s — most of them so jarring that I had to backtrack to figure out when we switched POVs. I also don’t know why the switches in POV were necessary. Emily’s POV alone could have sufficed, since we hardly learn anything about Kate through her perspective.
I also wasn’t a fan of the dual timeline of this book: constantly switching between 1942 and 1946, sometimes within the same chapter. In this style, we read the end of the 1942 timeline around the same time as the end of the 1946 timeline, which I found unsatisfying. I think it would have flown better if we’d started with the 1942 timeline, finished it, and then began with the 1946 timeline. As it was, I kept getting confused about which timeline we were in.
Furthermore, there’s some weird info-concealing going on, most of which makes no sense. For example, someone conceals the fact that Emily’s wedding photographer is a woman by using they/them pronouns (when Kate uses she/her). Also, Kate never mentions her sister or grandfather to Emily until she and Emily happen to run into them. This doesn’t make much sense to me because she seems close to them, even though at some points she seems dismissive of her grandpa’s store.
Lastly, the ending felt rushed, and even the epilogue was disappointing.
Overall, this book was a mixed bag for me. There were a lot of things I liked and a lot of things I disliked, so overall, I thought it was just okay.
I received an ARC from Bold Strokes Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Emily Stanton is an ambitious, talented artist who feels stifled by the expectations of her family and her boyfriend Tommy. In 1942, the summer after her first year of college, she goes to NYC for a few months to stay with Allie, her cousin and supportive friend. There, she meets Allie’s boyfriend Art and Allie’s best friend Kate Alessi, a hardworking aspiring photographer who delights in pushing Emily’s buttons. While Emily and Kate butt heads at first, they soon start to crave each other’s company outside of the group hangouts with Allie and Art.
I did really like the main romance, even though the chemistry started to fizzle out for me by the end of the book. I thought Emily was annoying at first, but she started to grow on me as I spent more time with her. I liked Kate from there beginning — her humor, her drive, her air of mystery, her passion, and her kindness — even though some things she did were a bit overbearing. Emily and Kate are super cute with all their banter and teasing, and eventually, their deep regard for each other. At first they’re dismissive of each other’s art forms, but through each other they learn to appreciate all types of art. For these reasons, and because they’re both so ambitious, I think they make a great couple.
There are so many cute date(?) scenes in this book! From a ride on the Wonder Wheel to Kate showing Emily her favorite NYC spots to an accidental night at a gay bar, these are the kinds of scenes I came for, and for the most part, they delivered. I seriously live for sapphic historical vibes! This book also has several lovely, highly developed side characters; namely, Allie, Art, and Kate's sister Mia. Tommy, Emily's boyfriend-turned-fiance, is also three-dimensional. We can see that Emily cares for him, though she recognizes that some of the things he says and does are subtly problematic.
Unfortunately, my reading experience had some downsides which lowered my enjoyment.
My biggest issue was the writing style, which didn’t work for me at all. The prose doesn’t flow smoothly and I constantly had to reread sentences that didn’t make sense. Aside from that, there’s so much random head-hopping. The book is mostly in Emily’s POV, but there are some switches to Kate’s — most of them so jarring that I had to backtrack to figure out when we switched POVs. I also don’t know why the switches in POV were necessary. Emily’s POV alone could have sufficed, since we hardly learn anything about Kate through her perspective.
I also wasn’t a fan of the dual timeline of this book: constantly switching between 1942 and 1946, sometimes within the same chapter. In this style, we read the end of the 1942 timeline around the same time as the end of the 1946 timeline, which I found unsatisfying. I think it would have flown better if we’d started with the 1942 timeline, finished it, and then began with the 1946 timeline. As it was, I kept getting confused about which timeline we were in.
Furthermore, there’s some weird info-concealing going on, most of which makes no sense. For example, someone conceals the fact that Emily’s wedding photographer is a woman by using they/them pronouns (when Kate uses she/her). Also, Kate never mentions her sister or grandfather to Emily until she and Emily happen to run into them. This doesn’t make much sense to me because she seems close to them, even though at some points she seems dismissive of her grandpa’s store.
Lastly, the ending felt rushed, and even the epilogue was disappointing.
Overall, this book was a mixed bag for me. There were a lot of things I liked and a lot of things I disliked, so overall, I thought it was just okay.
I received an ARC from Bold Strokes Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity and Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol, Homophobia, and Misogyny
More...