The Summer List by Amy Mason Doan

The Summer List by Amy Mason Doan
Publisher: Graydon House
Genre: Contemporary, Women’s Fiction
Length: Full Length (384 pgs)
Rated 5 stars
Reviewed by Snapdragon

Laura and Casey were once inseparable: as they floated on their backs in the sunlit lake, as they dreamed about the future under starry skies, and as they teamed up for the wild scavenger hunts in their small California lakeside town. Until one summer night, when a shocking betrayal sent Laura running through the pines, down the dock, and into a new life, leaving Casey and a first love in her wake.
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But the past is impossible to escape, and now, after seventeen years away, Laura is pulled home and into a reunion with Casey she can’t resist—one last scavenger hunt. With a twist: this time, the list of clues leads to the settings of their most cherished summer memories. From glistening Jade Cove to the vintage skating rink, each step they take becomes a bittersweet reminder of the friendship they once shared. But just as the game brings Laura and Casey back together, the clues unravel a stunning secret that threatens to tear them apart…

Mesmerizing and unforgettable, Amy Mason Doan’s The Summer List is about losing and recapturing the person who understands you best—and the unbreakable bonds of girlhood.

A serious and thoughtful novel, The Summer List drifts back and forth in time, offering unique perspectives from our main character, Laura. She recalls the magic of friendships of teen years and especially the character of her closest friend. She contends with the character her friend has become, as well as her own; so this is curiously a novel of two selves in one, giving we readers an intriguing, though sometimes uncomfortable perspective.

The novel is less nostalgic than psychological, and makes us stop and think; not only about the characters, but about our own once-selves, choices, and reactions. Although billed as a ‘coming of age’ story, it’s more of a confrontation of the self. The main character and her relationships are under review, and in the midst of redevelopment, all so very on-purpose. The work is serious, perhaps–faintly–a touch too serious.

The picturesque backdrop and frequent recollections lend the story a dreamy, thoughtful air. It’s beautifully written, with incredibly believable conversations a highlight. There are awkward moments, heart-lifting moments, times of self-doubt. Doubt in others, both ordinary friends and in the old/potential romance.

Many moments are evocative, but never overdone, never theatrical. Its definitely a novel one can re-read, and find new nuances each time. It is hardly light entertainment, but it is enthralling. Doan is a masterful writer; on style alone, I must give this 5 out of 5 stars.