Summer Darlings

Summer Darlings
by Brooke Lea Foster

1962. Summer on Martha's Vineyard.

Heddy is a girl working as a summer nanny for a wealthy family in Martha's Vineyard. She is a college scholarship student at Wellesly who was raised by a single mother barely scraping by. Heddy is a very naive girl, embarrassed by her background, needing and wanting validation from the people she believes are so much more than she is.

She arrives in Martha's Vineyard starry eyed, ready to step into a world of beautiful people living idyllic lives. What she discovers is the ugly underbelly of this picture perfect world, starting with the very family she is a nanny for.

Heddy falls for two men on the island, Sullivan, the son of a wealthy family, and Ash, a land developer selling homes in his new development in Florida. She is also befriended by Gigi, a movie star who takes her under her wing and tries to gently educate her as to what she is up against.

Eventually, Heddy begins to realize she can absolutely trust no one but herself.  As insecure and unimportant as she believes she is, she nevertheless is a pawn to be used or disparaged by those around her. As the reader/observer I wanted to stand and cheer for her at the point she arrives at knowing that only she can take care of herself and does just that.

A happy ending?  Maybe so, maybe no. I think you should decide for yourself when you read this novel. I can see the possibility of a sequel. I would definitely read it should it happen.

Summer Darlings gets 4 of 5 shots from me.

Thank you Netgalley for providing an ARC of this book for my reading pleasure & review.

Little Disasters

Little Disasters
by Sarah Vaughan

Liz is a pediatric doctor. Her friend, Jess, presents at the ER with her sick baby. Liz is called in to examine the baby and discovers serious injuries that suggest possible abuse.

Liz has always looked at Jess as the perfect mother/wife/homemaker who makes it all look so  easy. She couldn't have possibly hurt her own child, could she? Liz has to make the impossible decision to report the injuries to the authorities.

This book deals with abuse, post natal depression, OCD, friendships, family relationships and the nightmare of being accused of hurting your own child.

After reading a 'meh' book immediately prior to this one, I was delighted to start a story that drew me in so quickly.  With several flashbacks, the story is primarily told in the present, day by day as the infant Betsey recovers in the hospital, her family is questioned, and Jess is required to be supervised with her older children.

The outcome of the investigation into Betsey's injuries is not entirely unexpected, which is to say... I saw it coming. But this is a book with a twist, and I have to say it's a satisfying twist. I love that although I predicted what was about to happen, Vaughan followed up with the unexpected.

Little Disasters was provided for my reading pleasure by Netgalley in exchange for my review. I'm pleased to give it four shots, which is very good on my scale. Little Disasters will be published on August 18, 2020.