Cover Image: Last Summer

Last Summer

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Member Reviews

Ella wakes up in the hospital after a car accident, 5 days later she remembers nothing about being pregnant and nothing about the accident. The husband, Damien, wouldn’t answer her questions. Her work assignment, Nathan, has his own story to tell about them. There is so much going on, yet it comes together perfectly.

I read this book in a state of shock. There are so many things that made my jaw drop, made me wonder what the characters were thinking, and how the heck would this story end. I’m not sure any of the characters had an idea of how their actions would affect each other. If they did it didn’t seem that they cared. I’m not even sure they knew how their actions would affect themselves. It is scary that all three of the main characters had the potential to become parents and they would be responsible for another person.
Last Summer is a book that I enjoyed, I was intrigued by the suspense of how it would all come together. The characters were tough to relate to, the storyline was easy to read although it was sometimes a little confusing, and the ending left me shaking my head.

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Loved it!!!! I have read all of Kerry Lonsdale's books and this is my new favorite. This book had so many twists and turns that I didn't expect. Loved the story, characters and writing style. I have mixed feelings about Ella. While Ella was in Alaska, I realized I pretty much hated her. Then I felt sorry for her. I have no words for Damien, actually I do, but they aren't nice. There were so many secrets. When I finally thought the truth was revealed-- more secrets. Loved every minute of this book. I loved being along for the ride as Ella tried to recovering her missing memories. I feel bad for Nathan. he definitely ended up being one of my favorites along with Andrew.

Definitely recommend the book. Was not expecting the ending but it was brilliant!!! None of the characters were what they seemed. It definitely caught me off guard. Can't wait to read more books by the author.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Lake Union Publishing through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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Happy Publication Day to Kerry Lonsdale for Last Summer! I’ve read and loved all of Lonsdale’s novels and her latest definitely follows suit. The stories Lonsdale writes always have a good mix of love, intimacy, the intricacies of domestic relationships and a good dose of mystery. Women’s fiction with a bang! There’s always a little excitement. Last Summer does not disappoint! The main character, Ella, wakes up in the hospital after a car accident and suffers from selective memory loss. She doesn’t remember the accident itself, her pregnancy or anything that happened in her life the previous summer. The reader follows Ella on her journey from Nevada to Alaska as she tries to put all of the pieces together and get her memories back. It’s a wild and twisty ride filled with tons of secrets and lies. Highly entertaining! Thank you to NetGalley, Amazon Publishing and Lake Union Publishing for sending a complimentary copy of this wonderful summer read my way. Grab your copy today!

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Wow. I flew through this book. I picked it up, read the first couple chapters and was intrigued by this story of relationships and memory loss. I almost immediately had slight Dark Matter vibes, in that Ella was missing memories and I was sure something sinister had happened to her. I was right along with Ella wanting to know why her memories were missing and what happened.

My favorite surprise in this book was all the nature. The celebrity Ella is tasked with interviewing is Nathan Donovan, an outdoor enthusiast who is basically Bear Grills. I loved seeing them on hikes, shopping for gear, and planning a trip while working on the interview. The settings for Nathan’s house and work were picture perfect and I welcomed this part of the story. I also really enjoyed how his character was developed, he was easily my favorite part of the whole story.

I appreciated the balance of romance and something like light sci-fi mystery with a hint of suspense. I tore through the pages wanting to know what happened next, and welcomed the twists in the end. I knew something was up from the beginning, but the medium pace kept me interested, looking for clues, and hoping my hunch was right. I’m a fan of romance novels, both rom-com and romantic thrillers, so this was a fun read for me. I definitely need more romantic thrillers in my life after enjoying this one so much.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys romantic thrillers that have relatable lead characters. This is an easy, fast paced read that’s perfect for any summer TBR. I think readers would enjoy having this on deck for a beach read, relaxing by the pool, or during vacation travel.

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I have been a fan of Kerry Lonsdale writing since the beginning. I have always found her books to be entertaining. Last Summer does not disappoint.

Usually I like to be able to relate with the characters. I could not at all understand how or why Ella or Damien behaved in the way that they did or made the majority of the decisions that they made. I could not relate to them in any way. But with that being said, I did enjoy this book very much. Several times I thought I knew what direction Lonsdale was going and she would pull the rug out from under me. I am not how sure how Lonsdale was able to do that twice to me as a reader.

This was an enjoyable book that I was able to read very quickly and easily. Once again, Lonsdale didn't disappoint.

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Last Summer by Kerry Lonsdale is an entertaining summer read in which you are drawn into a story about the uncontrollable and rippled effect of lies and deceit.

I admit to being a bit disappointed in the over-used plot of a young woman (in this case, Ella Skye) awakening in a hospital following an accident to find herself with amnesia and a husband (Damien)who seems to be hiding something from her. However, Lonsdale keeps the reader interested with believable characters, well-written dialogues, curiosity about what's really going on, some pretty steamy scenes and an ending that made me feel as if a bomb had just gone off - KA-BOOM!!!!!! Say WHAT!?!?!?!?!

My thanks to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and Kerry Lonsdale for allowing me to read an ARC of this novel in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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What a mindbender!! Kerry Lonsdale has been recommended to me over and over and I have a few of her books in my cloud but I've just not yet pulled the trigger. This book has me wanting to just read nothing else. If Last Summer is anything to go by, I'll have my mind blown over and over again. Yes...it ends on a bit of a cliffy but the story could easily stand on it's own....unless you want to find out "the rest of the story". All I know is everything I thought, everything I guessed, everything I prayed to be true or false...none of it was what I expected or deduced or surmised. I was happily going along thinking one thing, the track veered sharply and I was already shaking my head with what the hell going through my mind...and then bam...off a cliff I went....in what is for me...the best of ways. There is so much I could say but the last thing I want to do is ruin the ride for someone else. The love between Damien and Ella is an absolutely heartbreaking but amazing journey that will have you wondering if you even read what you thought you read. I need so much more Ms. Lonsdale now...

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Last Summer is a gripping tale of a woman with selective amnesia and the path she takes to recover her missing memories. And at the crux of it all is what happened last summer.

Ella wakes up in the hospital after a terrible car accident that caused her to miscarriage her son, with no memory of having been pregnant. There is a distance between Ella and her husband, Damien, and she can’t figure out why. He won’t tell her what led to the fight they had the night before her accident, or anything about her pregnancy. He’s devastated by the loss of their son, but Ella can’t figure out why since he didn’t want children.

When Ella gets called on assignment to take another crack at a celeb profile on adventurer Nathan, she jumps at the chance since she spent last summer with him. Why doesn’t she remember any of it? Who is Nathan to her? Why is he so familiar to her? Is Ella better off not remembering what happened last summer?

The story of these three characters was so interesting and unlike anything I’ve read before. Was Ella in love with Nathan? Did Damien know? As the story unfolded, I felt the pain of all three characters. Nathan’s grief over the death of his son and the guilt he carried. Ella for betraying her husband. Damien for losing his wife. Nathan for losing Ella a second time. I found it all fascinating.

So why three stars?? The last 15% was brutal. What was that ending? This story was completely gripping and had me enthralled.... up until the last few chapters. Then I kind of felt a bit disgusted by Ella and Damien’s actions and manipulations and the ending did not sit well with me at all.

Last Summer is definitely an entertaining read, but I can’t say that I was satisfied by the way the story wrapped up. I received an advanced copy via the publisher and NetGalley and voluntarily left a review.

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How far would you go to get what you want? Would you go so far as erasing your memories to get what you've dreamed of since being a little girl?

Wow this book is amazing the secrets, lies and betrayal had me gripped since page one. I devoured this book it was fast paced and an excellent read with a storyline that was easy to follow. It all starts with a tragic event of Ella the journalist's car accident where she suffered placental abruption losing her 21 week old son Simon. Ella then suffers amnesia and can't remember anything to do with her pregnancy. She then gets a call from her boss that Nathan Donavan is asking to give her his exclusive interview again but only for Ella. The only problem is Ella can't remember the 5 days they said she interviewed him before and can't find any transcripts on her computer. She decides to go to meet Nathan against her husband's wishes hoping to find the lost memories. Does Ella find the answers she's hoping to find. Will her marriage survive the accident, amnesia and trip to see Nathan. You'll have to pick up the book because that ending holy moly this story is a ride. I am now anxiously awaiting side trip coming out summer 2020. I can't wait to see where Ella, Grace, Damien and Nathan's journey goes next.


I loved Ella as a character. I felt her pain and confusion in everything that happened. At the end i felt heartbreak for Nathan and what he had gone through not once but twice. Damien well he's conniving and conceiving and i really liked how their stories were all connected. I would of loved to see this book told from multiple points of view. However it was an excellent read full of plot twists that i would highly recommend you pick up this summer.

I would like to thank Lake Union Publishing and netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

You can also find my review on my Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/p/BzooZ8pgNL0/ and goodreads

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This was unlike any memory loss thriller I've read and I was here for it! What an interesting take with complex characters.

Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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I have read and loved every book that Kerry Lonsdale has written and this is another good book by her that had many twists and turns that were totally unexpected. I loved the premise of forgetting very important things in Ella's life and wondering why something like that would happen, I loved the characters of Damien, Ella and Nathan and it kept me guessing as to how this all tied together. It was suspenseful, it had deceit and kept me guessing until the reveal of the "why". Up to that point I was all in and trying in my own mind to figure out how something like this could happen but the "why" seemed contrived, maybe even unbelievable, but the ending made sense for the storyline. I don't know that I really liked the ending, but it did make sense.

Overall, it was a good book. Kerry does a good job in keeping the suspense going and the reader guessing and I couldn't have guessed all the twists and turns, so the book/writer did their job masterfully.

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Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ella is in an accident, and loses her baby....but she can't remember certain things before the accident, including being pregnant....especially when her husband has decided he doesn't want kids.

She's a journalist and in the past has interviewed Nathan Donovan, who seems to know her well, but she can't remember him, or interviewing him.

She goes on a mission to find her lost memories....but will the past haunt her or bring her peace?

This book had an ending I didn't see coming!

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Outstanding, addicting and full of twists and turns right to the last page!

This was the first Kerry Lonsdale book I have read but it will definately not be my last. I hope there is a sequal to this amazing book!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Ms. Lonsdale for allowing me to provide my honest opinion.

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Holy Cannoli! What did I just read?? This was my first read by Kerry Lonsdale and now I want to drop everything and read her entire backlog. I absolutely inhaled this book in less than one day. I"m pretty sure my husband was ecstatic when he knew I had finally finished because no-one was talking to me until I did. I was obsessed with figuring out this storyline. I'm just blown away at the creativity. I loved it. Wowza.

That said, there were times when I was reading it where I got frustrated with several of the characters' actions. Now that I look back, it all makes sense. This was definitely one twisty tale and I enjoyed every word! My heart did break through a good portion of the book as our main character, Ella, lost her son at 21 weeks gestation in a car accident. However, her grief is different from most because she is unable to actually grieve Simon since she can't remember him or the pregnancy at all. Her search for the truth is baffling and that is where I will leave it because you will want to read this book without any spoilers from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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I really liked this book! It took me to many different places in my brain. I was sad, I was confused, I was shocked, angry and in disbelief! With all those emotions, I thought the book was really great! I think you will enjoy it, too! Comes out July 9! Let me know if you read it.~Janell @ Green Gables Book Reviews

Ella wakes up in a strange place. Where is she? What are these strange smells? The smell of food makes her feels sick. She’s in pain. Her stomach, her wrist. Pain. Why?

Damien is there. Why is he so upset? Ella can’t remember, but she was in a car accident. He is frustrated with her. Is she dreaming? Was she really in a car accident? What is Damien talking about? Who’s Simon? Wait…she was pregnant? Their unborn baby didn’t survive the car accident? What is he talking about? Why is he so frustrated with her? He says, “You were never supposed to forget Simon.”

The Doctor comes, asks about what she remembers last. She remembers making dinner, pork chops. Damien came home, he said, “We have to talk.” She doesn’t say out loud that she remembers that. The Doctor calls this Selective Memory Loss. Give it time, Ella.

Months go by, no memories return. She and Damien have been in love since they first met and now things are different, there’s a distance.

They still haven’t talked about Simon. She gets a call. It’s time to get back to work. She jumps at the chance. She hasn’t told her boss about her memory loss. She can handle this interview. She’s interviewed so many people. She remembers all those interviews. Why doesn’t she remember this person? Where are her notes from when she interviewed Nathan Donovan before?

Damien wants her to go to London with him and ditch the interview.

She wonders if going to do this interview might help her memory. A little time away. Get back to what she loves to do. She goes, when she arrives, Nathan knows more about her than she knows about him. She’s curious about why she’s shared so much about herself with him. In hopes of jogging her memory, Ella goes with him on his adventures in the Sierra Nevada, snowmobiling and a trip to Alaska. It is all to get the interview she needs for her magazine, right? Is there more that she is looking for? Is it really all about getting the interview?

Maybe there are somethings she doesn’t really want to know. Maybe some things might be best left forgotten.

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This is an intense twisted story of domestic suspense. Ella was pregnant and in a car accident...but she doesn't remember. She also doesn't remember being pregnant and losing her baby. But...apparently for a time after the accident she did. How can this be? Why does her husband Damien seem so sympathetic one minute...but then so angry the next? What secrets is Damien hiding? What secrets is Ella hiding? This book kept me guessing all the way through it to the end.
Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Kerry has done it again, weaving a story you are sure you have figured out only to throw in a plot twist. This physcological mindblowing story is filled with love, lies and deceit. Who is telling the truth, who is lying, and who is really truly in love? When should we bite our tongue and keep a secret from those we love and when should we be completely honest.

The story is all about Ella a journalist who is in an accident and loses her memory and her unborn son. She spends months trying to to remember last summer and how she got where she is today, she is confused about her marraige, her life, and her morals. She has had many losses in her life and maybe that is why she is unable to remember her pregnancy, the last summer, the accident and everything in between.

She goes back to Nathan to redo an interview from the preveious summer in hopes it sparks her memory. Meeting Nathan are stirred up more feelings of confusion, anger and doubt about herself, her marriage, her life in general. Her husband remain distant and cold throughout the book, which due to events in the book seem understandable,but are they really or is he playing his own mindgames?

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Ella is a lifestyle journalist (a new definition for me). After years of investigative journalism and many high celebrity scoops, she has settled into a married life with another high powered entrepreneur who was also a subject of her interviews.

Now Ella is seeking an interview with a subject whom she has interviewed before, also very high profile but who cancelled the entire interview. What is puzzling is that for one Ella cannot remember any detail of this interview, the man or the details and secondly anything related to this subject is not found on her data bases. The first is understandable. Ella is traumatised after an accident in which she lost her baby but the second is the strange part. Ella is a professional through and through and details of her past work is all recorded except this one.

Damien and Ella and Nathan form a triangle which is not quite what it seemed to be. The story is suspenseful, the ending even more so.

I read this story quite skeptical and looking at it from afar. It will appeal to many though.

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Wow, what an intense and thrilling read! I loved the relationship between Ella and Damien! I really enjoyed all the twists in this book! Just when I thought I had it all figured out I was again thrown for a loop. I would love to read more books by this author!

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Ella has woken up in the hospital and forgotten not all of her life, but some major parts of it. Like her pregnancy and her baby. And the baby's death. Her husband is by her side every moment, but there was just something about him that I didn't trust. From. The. Beginning.
I didn't like Damien. I mean, I didn't like Ella either. I didn't even like Nathan. I mean, okay, I fell for a few of the moments that I was supposed to fall for. But I wasn't swept away by him. Something just felt off about every character. But not in a mysterious way. Like an I-don't-like-these-people way. I didn't like the people in Gone Girl, they were despicable, but I was so deliciously intrigued by them that I HAD to keep going and I loved moment of it. That's what this book was missing.
I've read a few of these books with unreliable narrators, and usually the plot comes so out of the blue because even the little bread crumbs that are left around for the reader don't all add up.
Not so with this book. (Or maybe just with this reader?)
I figured out 80% of this book within the first couple chapters. Literally. I saw everything coming twenty miles away. And maybe that's why I found the whole middle section of this book bland. But what kept me reading, was the fact that maybe, just maybe the author wanted me to know everything that early and there were going to be some major twists. I mean, I've seen other readers talking about "THAT TWIST." So I kept reading. Waiting for the the twist. You know, the twist that I saw twenty miles away--give or take a few.
Okay, so I didn't know all the details and how. But I knew, I just KNEW what was happening and what was going to happen. So by the time I got to the end, I was pretty much right. I don't know even know how I was right, but I was. And I wish I wasn't. If I hadn't seen it coming, it would have been a really interesting twist. I would have been raving about it. So maybe when you read it, you won't see it coming and you'll rave about it. I wish I could.

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