As I'm either reading fantasy or romance these days, this was a nice change of pace. It did have its raunchy and saucy parts which I very much enjoyed. And all the intrigue and questions that formed kept me on my toes. The memory loss was a little far-fetched in a way, but thankfully it wasn't over the top.

I really enjoyed the character development. You think you know what the character is all about, but then - bam - something new is revealed. Loved it. I really dislike it when plot twists are predictable, thankfully that wasn't the case with this book.

I hadn't read anything by Kerry Lonsdale before, but I'm definitely intrigued enough to pick something else of hers up now! All in all, a very enjoyable and quick read.

I love Kerry Lonsdale's books! But...I can't say that Last Summer is one of my favourites. Although her writing is fast-paced and really good, I found the basic premise of the book too far-fetched for me. Don't get me wrong, the book is an unputdownable read, full of plot twists but, in my personal opinion, the beginning kind of gave away the main ones. All in all, a good book.

The plot twists!! Just when I thought I figured something out, a plot twist would happen and suck me right back in to the story. I could not put this story down; I just needed to know what was happening. Great read!

Just 2 stars, though I wished for more. The character's secrets were so transparent, the docile acquiescence to non-answers infuriating. Even the quirky method of amnesia in this book did not elevate the basic plot. Best to save your beach reading time for something else.

A book that seriously had me hooked from page one. Full of unreliable, yet reliable and loving characters. It almost feels like you are right along with Elle trying to figure out who to trust and what really happened. Last Summer was a quick read, mostly because it was next to impossible to set it down!

Tell me already! Those were the words constantly spinning through my mind as I read Last Summer.

Lifestyle journalist Ella Skye remembers the chance meeting with her husband, Damien; their rapid free fall into love; and their wedding. But she can’t remember the car accident that ripped her unborn child from her. Ella can’t even recall being pregnant. Hoping to find the memories of a lost pregnancy that’s left her husband devastated and their home empty, Ella begins delving into her past when she’s assigned an exclusive story about Nathan Donovan, a retired celebrity adventurer who seems to know more about her than she does him.

The opening words to my review were not words uttered in frustration, but words uttered in excitement. There is this underlying sense of mystery and secrecy throughout this book. This sense of intrigue kept me on the edge of my seat awaiting the answers. I needed answers, absolutely had to have them right now! For this reader, that is one of the signs of a good mystery and the key to keeping me hooked.

I’m sure some of you will figure out the hows and whys of this book, but I didn’t. There are several twists and while none of them made me sit back and say “WOW!”, they were impressive and had me putting down my Kindle for a minute to catch my breath. Last Summer is well done and is sure to thrill the lovers of mystery out there. This was my first Lonsdale novel and it certainly won’t be my last.

Can a marriage survive if deceit, lies and secrets are done all in the name of love?
This compelling book by Kerry Lonsdale is a page turner with unexpected twists that led to my reading late into the night. How could I have so many different feelings toward Ella, whom this story revolves? But WOW, it is easy to see why there are already over 2500 great reviews. This book pulled me in from the first page and I thought I knew how it would end (another ho hum) but then the author wrote an unbelievable ending that left me very glad I had the opportunity to read “Last Summer.”

Thank you Netgalley and the author for an ARC of this book for my honest review.

This was my first Kerry Lonsdale book and I really feel like I have missed out on getting to read her previous books all these years! I do love going into a book with no expectations and being blown away by the story and the writing. The first six pages are full of many bestselling authors I know and love singing their praises for Kerry's books which got me really excited to dive in. I was engrossed right from the beginning to the very last page! A big thank you to Netgalley as well as Lake Union for this copy for review, and for helping me to discover Kerry Lonsdale.
Imagine waking up in the hospital with terrible pain in your abdomen and a splint on your wrist, and you have no idea what happened or how you got there. This is all too real for Ella Skye and she’s scared to death. Ella’s husband Damien is at her bedside trying to calm her but he has a hard time believing Ella has no memory of what happened to her. Damien informs her that she was pregnant with their son Simon but that he died in the car accident. How can someone remember their own husband, the dinner she cooked for him the night before, and the fact she works as a journalist for Luxe Avenue but she has no clue why she’s lying in a hospital bed? Nothing shows up on her scans, so the neurologist said she can go home and rest and hopefully her memories will slowly return. She’s suffered a very traumatic experience and only time can heal her wounds, or will her memory loss open more painful memories she hoped would never return.
Love, Loss, Betrayal, and discovering all over again who you thought you were and who your actually not. I loved the storyline, the twists I didn’t see coming, and the ending I didn’t expect but loved. Last Summer will be released on July 9th, go preorder your copy!

I have Kerry Lonsdale's books in the past, so I was very excited to see that she had a new book coming out this summer. She has always written compelling books that keep me wanting more with complex characters.

This book had a great premise. We start the story in Ella's shoes, very confused with lots of gaps in memory. We don't know whether we can trust her husband, Damien, or not. The author's descriptions of the mountains and the wilds of Alaska were breathtaking. I have friends who live in Cordova, AK, so that was a fun find in this book--it's a pretty obscure place!

I also enjoyed the unreliable narrator feeling that we got from Ella. But pretty quickly I found that I couldn't find a character to root for in the story. Neither Ella or Damien or even Nathan, who we meet later, have very many redeeming qualities. I was hoping to feel less disoriented as the story went on, but I think I just felt too confused and with a lack of characters to root for, I found myself losing interest. I know no one is perfect, but I was at least hoping for character growth or something to make me really invested in at least one character, but that just never happened in this book.

The last few chapters cleared a lot up, but it felt like too little, too late, unfortunately. Check out the author's previous books for much more engaging characters!

2.5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the advanced copy.

Wow, this book, Last Summer by Kerry Lonsdale, is fantastic. The story of a women who wakes up in a hospital with huge lapses in her memory. Not knowing what has really happened, truthfully, Ella questions everything and everyone around her. Why can't she remember. This is such a strong storyline you cannot put it down, the characters and the decisions along with, probable leaps of faith, just keep rolling. I wish I could share more, but I can't give anything away. Read it and be part of the plot! Thank you #NetGalley #LakeUnionPublishing #LastSummer

Wow!

Such a great read with an ending I never saw coming!

Kerry Lonsdale writes a story that keeps you turning pages and has you completely immersed. I was so addicted to these characters.

I do have to say, I hope there’s another book coming. I want more!!!

Clever. That is the word that comes to mind when thinking about this book. The plot, the twist, the characters, the motive, the idea, the ending - they are all very clever. I can’t imagine being in the positions that Ella found herself in throughout this book. How absolutely frustrating and scary! And how she managed to move on with each revelation and truth uncovered is amazing! I am a big believer in gut instinct and, boy, did Ella have some spot-on hunches! I really enjoyed reading “Last Summer”. It was easy to read and was a perfect blend of psychological drama and suspense. I am interested in reading other books by Kerry Lonsdale, this one was my first by her, and I’m hooked!

Ella wakes up in a hospital and she can't remember the past couple months. She decides to look more into her past and winds up with more unanswered questions. Will Ella ever get her memory back? Will she ever find out how she lost her memory?
Last Summer was a really good book. I look forward to read more from Kerry Lonsdale!

I finished this book and thought "Wow! What just happened?!" I thought the author did an amazing job writing all the twists and turns that are threaded throughout this book. I kept trying to figure out exactly what happened last summer that resulted in Ella forgetting key pieces of her life (how do you forget your entire pregnancy?!). Let's just say I was no where near close to what actually happened and that is one of the things I liked best about this book - it was unpredictable! Once I started I didn't want to put this book down because I had to know what happened.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for providing a copy for review.

I've been a fan of Kerry Lonsdale's books since I devoured the Everything We Keep, the first in the Everything series and every book she writes has the same effect on me, I can't stop reading them and end up loving every book! Last Summer is no exception, every free moment I had in the two days it took me to read this book, I kept picking it up and could not wait to see what would happen.

A few of the revelations that happened in the book, I had a feeling would happen, but Lonsdale has her great way of throwing the reader for curveballs all along the way with a few revelations I was not expecting at all! I feel like there is no one better at writing about memory loss than Lonsdale. Throughout the story, I felt for Ella and you are hoping that she gets the answers she needs as to the parts of her memory she cannot recall.

This book states that it it is a standalone, but I will gladly line up to read a sequel if there is one, because the ending makes you want to read so much more of Ella and Damien's story! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a digital ARC of a fantastic book!

When Ella Skye is involved in a road traffic accident she loses her pregnancy. When she wakes up in hospital and the sad news is broken to her, she feels chilled. She has no memory of conceiving a baby son, of her journey through pregnancy or the name they had lovingly chosen for their son. She had always wanted a family and reasoned that she would have been ecstatic, especially as her husband Damien had recently told her he did not want a family. Worse still she knew she could not grieve for their son because she could not accept the concept of grieving for someone she had no memory of. Damien is reluctant to talk about their situation despite Ella wanting to get everything clear in her mind. He was grieving the loss of his baby.
She could remember her early history; she could remember her chance meeting with Damien that quickly became a passionate love affair; she could remember their intimate, perfect, romantic wedding day and their last holiday together in the Maldives. She could remember her job as a lifestyle journalist; she could remember every celebrity story she had ever submitted to be published apart from the last one.
The doctors believe her short term memory will most likely return with rest but Ella herself feels totally adrift. Nothing feels the same any more. Their home feels empty; her husband seems remote; in fact he doesn’t seem like the man she knows she fell in love with. Desperate to recover her lost days she agrees to interview reclusive celebrity adventure seeker Nathan Donovan, hoping the familiarity of her work will take her out of herself and reveal the mystery of her selective memory loss. This is the story of Ella’s quest to regain her recent memories.
This is a stand-alone novel full of intrigue, subterfuge and the lessons you learn and then wish you didn’t know. It’s about love and loss, grief, fear, lies, and outright deceit. The writing is fluid and the settings are amazing, beautiful and made me wish I were within this story, drinking in the picturesque scenery and living the life of danger and dare. I didn’t particularly like the three main characters and I found the storyboard quite a puzzle. I enjoyed reading it on the whole but I thought the last couple of chapters were not needed and in fact diminished the final twist in the story.
I received a complimentary copy of this novel from Lake Union Publishing through my membership of NetGalley. Thank you for my copy sent in return for an honest and unbiased review. It’s a 3.5 review from me.

I could not put this down! I’m not huge into thrillers but Last summer was such a good book. It gave me the best kind of anxiety and kept me on my toes.

This is a great psychological thriller-low key but enough to give your shivers or pause for thought. It has a killer tie up and an ending that will make you catch your breath.

I've been a fan of Kerry Lonsdale's writing over the past few years. She never fails to amaze and surprise me. Last Summer is no exception!

Right from the start, Last Summer was a compelling story. I had a hard time putting it down. It kept me on my toes and I had no idea what would happen next. While I was able to guess one small piece of the puzzle, everything else was a complete surprise. As always, Kerry did a great job describing people and settings. I felt whisked away on some armchair adventures! I loved the dynamic between Ella and the three big supporting characters: Damian, Nathan, and Davie. The feelings and emotions were captured perfectly for each moment.

I wish there would be a sequel, but I heard it's a stand-alone. There's definitely so much more to work with! Don't make this the last read of your summer; put it on the top of your TBR as soon as it publishes.

Movie casting ideas:
Ella: Odette Annable
Damien: Jeremy Jordan
Nathan: Ryan Paevey
Davie: Sarah Roemer

Last Summer


An imaginative and intriguing psychological drama about lies, deceit and memory loss.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

SUMMARY
Ella Skye is at the top of her game as a lifestyle journalist. Her assignments are the rich and famous, and she remembers every celebrity and politician she has interviewed. The chance meeting with Damien Russell, a wealthy entrepreneur; their love at first sight romance; and their low-key, intimate wedding are all locked in her memory. She can even remember Damien telling her he never wanted children. But what she can’t remember is the tragic car accident that landed her in the hospital and killed her unborn child. Ella can’t even recall being pregnant. And why would she even be pregnant if her husband didn’t want children?

Hoping to find her lost memories, Ella begins delving into her past trying to remember her pregnancy. The baby’s newly decorated room, and the maternity clothes mean nothing to her. At work, she’s assigned an exclusive story about Nathan Donovan, a celebrity adrenaline-junkie adventurer who seems to know more about her than she does him. To unravel the mystery of her selective memory loss, Ella follows Nathan from Sierra Nevada mountains to the frozen slopes of southeast Alaska. She soon discovers the people she trusts the most aren’t the only ones keeping secrets from her—she’s hiding them from herself. Ella quickly learns that some truths are best left forgotten.

REVIEW
If you could make a bad memory disappear, would you? LAST SUMMER is an imaginative and intriguing story. It’s a psychological drama exploring the limits of lies, deceit and secrets in relationships. One page easily leads to another in this quick and engaging read.

LAST SUMMER is a beautiful blend of characters, setting and story. My favorite part was the cleverly plotted twists and turns. Kerry Lonsdale has plenty of tricks up her sleeve and you may pick up on a surprise or two. Her writing is first rate and Ella, Damien and Nathan‘s characters are delightfully well-drawn. Be sure to pack this gem on your summer beach trip!

Kerry Lonsdale writes emotionally charged domestic drama, family suspense, and women’s fiction. She is co-founder of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, an international organization that boasts over 1,000 writers, Kerry resides in Northern California with her husband, two children, two naughty kitties, and an aging Golden Retriever convinced she’s still a puppy.

Thanks to Netgalley, Kerry Lonsdale and Lake Union Publishing for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Publisher Lake Union Publishing
Published July 9, 2019
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com