Reviewed by Kristin
The library displays are bursting with beach books this
month. Fitting right in with that theme
is All the Summer Girls by Meg Donohue.
Three childhood friends, Kate, Vanessa and Dani, are reunited as each of
them is going through changes in their adult lives. At Dani’s father’s house at Avalon beach, the
women discover new things about themselves and the past difficult times they
faced together.
Kate is living in Philadelphia and has just found out she is
pregnant at almost the exact same instant that her fiancé breaks up with
her. Bad timing? Clichéd chick lit? Maybe both, but Kate has many more layers to
be explored in the rest of the story.
Vanessa is a full time married mother in New York City,
loving being with two-year-old Lucy, but starting to miss her career more than
she thinks she should. Feeling strains
in her marriage and chatting with an old boyfriend, Vanessa is also questioning
her status quo.
Dani is the wild child, working in a bookstore in San
Francisco while trying to write the novel that has been in progress for several
years. After being fired from twelve
jobs in seven years (the last one on her birthday), Dani is at the end of her
rope and is afraid that her only option is to go home to live with her father.
The missing character in this story is Colin, Kate’s twin
brother who died eight years before while they were all at Avalon beach. Dani and Vanessa also had strong connections
to Colin. These bonds are revealed as
the story unfolds and secrets come to light.
As the three friends discover truths about the night Colin died, their
friendship is almost torn apart.
This is a great book for vacation reading. Even though I prefer mysteries, I enjoyed
this light read. Somewhat predictable,
the author still throws in a few twists to keep things interesting. There are several other peripheral
characters: friends, family and acquaintances; but the real story revolves
around Dani, Kate, Vanessa, and Colin.
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