It could not be a better time to escape into a book and a different world. The Last Bathing Beauty did that for me. I was transported to the year 1951 and swept up with the character of Betty Stern in South Bend, Michigan. This book and Betty, in particular, had so much heart. Themes of love, long lasting friendship, family(particularly the grandparent/grandchild connection), hope, and the Jewish faith. South Bend, Michigan was known for their summer resort communities, quite similar to the Catskills in NY. There was so much joy in this literary gem. Even when Betty faced adversity or disillusionment, this reader always felt a sense of hope and strength. I also enjoyed reading about simpler and more innocent times. There is romance in the way people spoke to one another and how they courted each other in 1951 and this spoke to my romantic soul. This is a book that will remain in my heart. Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for providing me with a digital copy of this book for an honest review. #NetGalley #TheLastBathingBeauty

Set in South Haven Michigan, The Last Bathing Beauty, is a dual coming of age story. It alternates back and forth in time between the present and 1951, and the principal characters are Betty Stern and her granddaughter Hannah. The Stern family owned a seasonal resort, on Lake Michigan. Families received the royal treatment by Ira and Yetta Stern, Betty's grandparents. The Stern Resort had: southern exposure to the lake, entertainment, a strictly kosher kitchen, counsellors for the kids, and midnight buffets! Betty grew up in South Haven with her Bubbe and Zaide. The summer of "51 would be Betty's best summer ever. Betty would be going to NYC to study at Barnard in the fall, so she planned to really enjoy the summer with her friends Doris and Georgia, before they all parted ways.

In the present, Betty becomes "Boop", she has 2 granddaughters, and twin grandsons. She is preparing to host Doris and Georgia in her home (the same one) in South Haven. It had been a long time since the three have been together in their hometown. The visit is interrupted when Boop's granddaughter Hannah, arrives unexpectedly, at her door.. Boop knew something must be up.

If you are "into" going back in time, to the "Jewish Resort" era, Amy Sue Nathan's has done a terrific job bringing this period back to life! Being a native of the East Coast, I am totally familiar with these resorts, having visited The Concord Hotel, Grossinger's and Kutscher's Hotel. The book is peppered with Yiddish and lots of good advice from Zaide (grandpa) Ira and Bubbe (grandma) Yetta. As predictable as you may think the story could be, Amy Sue Nathan throws in some great twists. My favourite character after Betty, was Zaide, but not far behind were Bubbe, Marvin, and Abe Barsky.

The content of the book was especially meaningful to me because, as I mentioned I was able to relate to so much of it. That is not to say that you have to be familiar with all of this to enjoy it. I highly recommend it because Amy Sue Nathan has done such a great job in recreating something that just does not exist anymore, (and that is so sad to me). So thanks for writing this very special book!

Thank you #netgalley and @lakeunionpublishing for the complimentary copy of #thelastbathingbeauty in return for my honest review.

I didn't expect to love this book as much as I did. It was a feel-good story about family relationships, standards for women, friendship, love, and loss. The setting reminded me of Dirty Dancing, a resort set in the 1950's. The characters were loveable and I didn't want this book to end! I would definitely recommend it to anyone.

I thoroughly enjoyed this dual-time line story that makes for a perfect nostalgic summer read. I found this new-to-me author's writing style fresh and compelling. The Last Bathing Beauty is a tribute to the resort era, bringing memories of summer holidays and dreams to life under her skillful pen. It is a story of friendship, family and romance. But most importantly it chronicles how a decision made during a carefree moment could change one's life direction. I absolutely adore dual-time line stories, this did not disappoint. It is told from the perspective of a character reflecting on long-buried secrets and how she battled cultural expectations that shaped and defined her life and legacy. Full of heartwarming characters, this book is story of hope and second chances.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author/publisher. I was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This book alternates between Betty reflecting on her teenage/early adult life back in the 50's and her life now, where she goes by the nickname of Boop. She has a few days planned with old friends, when her granddaughter drops in unexpectedly with some news of her own. This news triggers a lot of reflection and reminiscing of Betty's life experiences as well.

In 1951, Betty “Boop” Stern wanted nothing more than to have a summer romance and to spend her days with her friends Doris and Georgia at the Jewish lake resort where she lived with her Grandparents. Her parents had left her with her Grandparents when Betty was five years old, and she’d always been an ideal Granddaughter - one that worked hard at the resort in summers, and did well at school. In fact, Betty was due to head off for college at the end of summer. This, at a time in history, when most girls aspired to get married and have a family if, and when, they completed high school.
Betty finds her romance in the very attractive college man Abe, there to work at the resort over the summer. The attraction is immediate and intense. When she learns from Abe that he isn’t Jewish, Betty realizes this might impede a future together as far as her family was concerned. But she loved him and she was sure that her family would grow to love him as well.
The book is told from two time periods: Betty, in the summer of 1951, and Boop as a woman in her 80’s in 2017. Rejoined for one last summer at the home of her youth by her life long friends, Boop is surprised by a visit from her Granddaughter Hannah, who needs some time away from her own life to gain perspective and to get advice from her Grandmother. The secret story of her youth is recalled to Hannah in order to provide some insight into the decisions that Hannah must make, as well as to bring peace to Boop for decisions made long ago.
I really enjoyed this story. Fans of the movie “Dirty Dancing” will appreciate the context and setting of this story. I appreciate the messaging in the book, which reflects a time some might say was simpler, but also more rigid.
This book is a perfect summer read and I recommend it to readers of Women’s fiction.
Thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC of this book in exchange for the honest review provided here.

This cover makes me so excited for summer and long walks on the beach. I have had it on my radar for quite some time and when it was picked as the March Amazon First Reads selection, I knew it was going to be a big new release.

I haven’t read anything by this author before but she has written three other well received books and I was excited to give this one a try.

Besides all the hype and the beautiful eye catching cover, this book boasted a sassy heroine and I was most excited to read about her, but beyond that I didn’t really know too much about what this book was about.

Summary
A former beauty queen faces the secrets of her past—for herself and the sake of her family’s future—in a heartfelt novel about fate, choices, and second chances.

Everything seemed possible in the summer of 1951. Back then Betty Stern was an eighteen-year-old knockout working at her grandparents’ lakeside resort. The “Catskills of the Midwest” was the perfect place for Betty to prepare for bigger things. She’d head to college in New York City. Her career as a fashion editor would flourish. But first, she’d enjoy a wondrous last summer at the beach falling deeply in love with an irresistible college boy and competing in the annual Miss South Haven pageant. On the precipice of a well-planned life, Betty’s future was limitless.

Decades later, the choices of that long-ago season still reverberate for Betty, now known as Boop. Especially when her granddaughter comes to her with a dilemma that echoes Boop’s memories of first love, broken hearts, and faraway dreams. It’s time to finally face the past—for the sake of her family and her own happiness. Maybe in reconciling the life she once imagined with the life she’s lived, Boop will discover it’s never too late for a second chance. (summary from Goodreads)

Review
I am not going to lie ,when I read the summary and saw that this book was set during the 1950s summer, at a lakeside resort similar to the Catskills, my mind instantly went to Dirty Dancing. Echos of ‘no one puts baby in a corner’ echoed in my mind, even before I started reading this one. I love that movie and I can appreciate a lost time when families went on resort vacations together and made memories. So even before I cracked this one open, I already felt a connection and joy at what waited inside.

Right away I connected to the main character Betty. I loved how the story is told between an older Betty and a younger Betty. Betty’s granddaughter Hannah plays an important role in Betty’s life and I loved watching Betty tell her story to her granddaughter who happens to be very much like her. I thought their relationship was heartwarming and made me miss my grandma!

This is an excellent coming of age story. I was hooked and completely invested in Betty’s story. I could totally relate to her restlessness and her hope of finding a summer love when she goes to work at the resort. Often when there is a duel timeline story, one is usually stronger than the other but in this book, I felt the two were very balanced and I enjoyed both the modern and historical parts in equal measure.

Even if some of the story felt familiar to me, as if it were something I had read or heard before, I didn’t feel like it was a cookie cutter story at all. I thought Betty was a fantastic character with lots of spunk and sass and even if her story had familiar themes, I found her character to be a stand out and she made my reading experience unique and enjoyable.

This is an excellent summer read and I am looking forward to reading more by this author in the future. It was a perfect novel to escape with and it left me feeling satisfied with the story and ending and excited for more books from this author which to me is the trademark of a successful read!

Book Info and Rating
Kindle Edition, 300 pages
Expected publication: April 1st 2020 by Lake Union Publishing
ASIN B07VK749J5
Free review copy provided by publisher, Lake Union Publishing in partnership with Tall Poppy Writers/Bloggers, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and in no way influenced.
Rating: 4 stars
Genre: historical fiction, womens fiction

I have a confession - I requested an ARC of The Last Bathing Beauty from NetGalley based mostly on the cover. I was born in the early 1950's, and much of my childhood was spent on the beach playing with beach balls like the one in the picture, and my older sisters wore swimsuits of this style back then. But I was also interested in the synopsis of the story, although this isn't the type I would normally choose.

Very well written, the story kept me interested throughout, even though it seemed basically what is referred to as "women's fiction." But hey - I'm a woman, so there! The story takes place in South Haven, on Lake Michigan, at a Jewish summer camp. The Stern family, comprised of Betty (also known as Boop) and her grandmother and grandfather, live there year round, and own and run the camp in the summer.

In 1951, Betty is eighteen years old, and determined to have her first summer romance before she heads off to college in the fall. Instead of just a summer romance, however, she falls deeply in love with one of the young men working at the camp that summer. What transpires over that summer will have repercussions for the rest of her life, and leave her wondering if she made the right choices when she was young. At age 84, living once again in South Haven, her granddaughter and her two best friends help her come to terms with how her life turned out.

The story may seem somewhat simple, but the author was skillful enough to leave me guessing at a couple of situations throughout. I did find the ending to be a little bit cloying in its sweetness, but overall, it was a pleasant and endearing read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this novel because it is charming and takes place in the context of America in the 1950s which I especially like. This is the story of Betty and the summer when she grew up. Living in the Catskills of the Midwest, South Haven Michigan, Betty had a summer romance which came to a predictable 1950s close.

The reader has the opportunity to relive this when Betty (unfortunately, now called Boop) relives those months with her oldest friends and granddaughter. Certainly, young women will enjoy reading about life in the 50s and understanding the constraints that society placed on women.

Thank you Netgalley for a delightful read during these tough days.

Betty is a teenager living with her grandparents in the early 1950’s. The grandparents run a Jewish resort and this is the story of her romance the summer of her senior year in high school. The storyline alternates between the 50’s and today. The resort reminded me of the movie, Dirty Dancing. It was a quick read and would be the perfect beach book

The Last Bathing Beauty by Amy Sue Nathan is a wonderful historical fiction novel. I love the 1950s and the whole essence of this story is just so perfect. A huge fan of books that take place in the 40s/50s/60s, I was so excited to read this book.

Look here:

Everything seemed possible in the summer of 1951. Back then Betty Stern was an eighteen-year-old knockout working at her grandparents’ lakeside resort. The “Catskills of the Midwest” was the perfect place for Betty to prepare for bigger things. She’d head to college in New York City. Her career as a fashion editor would flourish. But first, she’d enjoy a wondrous last summer at the beach falling deeply in love with an irresistible college boy and competing in the annual Miss South Haven pageant. On the precipice of a well-planned life, Betty’s future was limitless.

Decades later, the choices of that long-ago season still reverberate for Betty, now known as Boop. Especially when her granddaughter comes to her with a dilemma that echoes Boop’s memories of first love, broken hearts, and faraway dreams. It’s time to finally face the past—for the sake of her family and her own happiness. Maybe in reconciling the life she once imagined with the life she’s lived, Boop will discover it’s never too late for a second chance.

The story has a dual timeline of past/present and it works well in this book. The setting of a summer resort similar to the Catskills reminded me of the movie Dirty Dancing! It’s not hard to close your eyes and put yourself there. I loved how Betty’s story was told, her lifelong friendships, plus her relationship with her grand-daughter. This was such a good book, the perfect break from all of the heavier suspense novels I’ve been reading.

Get it right now! Go here to get it on Kindle.

This was a very enjoyable book with a nice story. I loved reading about all the 59’s fashions. My only complaint was that the story was very predictable.

Betty Stern has so much hope and excitement for the summer of 1951! She's graduating high school and has plans to attend Barnard College in New York to pursue her dreams of becoming a fashion editor in the fall...but first she has the whole summer ahead to have fun and make lifetime memories at her grandparent's summer resort, Stern's Summer Resort, where she works and helps them out. Her grandparents have raised Betty since she was a very small girl after her parents abandoned her with them. "The summer Boop was four, her parents had dropped her off in South Haven for the weekend-a weekend that lasted seventeen years." She is so excited to be spending her last summer with her best friends, Georgia and Doris before going out on her own. The summer has so much promise for a young woman and maybe catching the eye of "a boy who made her heart shudder". This is her summer with Abe Barsky.

Flash ahead to 2017. After a lifetime of family and life, Betty, who is known as Boop, is together with her best friends once again reminiscing about the summer of 1051 and the events that took place. Her granddaughter, Hannah, is also part of this little group as the memories are being recollected. There are secrets, mystery, and surprises I didn't expect. The question of what actually happened that summer. What were the events that lead up to the "Miss South Haven" bathing beauty contest and why was it the last one ever held? The story is intertwined between the two time lines in an intriguing and page turning blend with a need to find out what happened.

I love the characters in this book. Betty, as a young girl with zeal and love of life to when she's an older woman, Boop, who has questions and a desire for Hannah's life to be different than what hers became. The supporting characters are perfectly intertwined to create a story of connections and relationships that tugged at my heart. As others have said, this story has a Dirty Dancing aura in the resort atmosphere. The writing took me into the scenes and held me there as if I were experiencing it myself. Then jumping into the story of 2017, I felt the emotions of Boop as she faced her past with resolve, painful memories and the desire to bring the truth out after all those years. Ms. Nathan beautifully wove the two stories together to bring it to a surprising ending that touched my heart.

I enjoyed reading this book so very much. It was a great way to escape into another time and place for me. It is wonderfully written with so many passages that speak of what "life" is and what choices can result in the direction a life can go. These two passages were profound to me:
You should own all pieces of your life, good or bad," Hannah said. "They make up who you are."
"Sometimes it takes a long time to get things right." Boop said."

I want to thank Netgalley, Lake Union and Ms. Nathan for the honor and privilege of reading this wonderfully touching and special story of relationships, family love, forgiveness and hope. All opinions and thoughts in this review are my heartfelt own.

The Last Bathing Beauty is an engaging story told in two timelines, one of which takes you to the summer of 1951, when 18 year-old Betty is summering/working at her grandparents resort before she heads of to college in the fall, and in 2017 as an 84 year-old looking back on her life as it come full circle when her granddaughter Hannah shows up unexpectedly and in need of help. This was a wonderful read, especially in times like this when you'd like to escape the current news for awhile. Definitely recommend!

What a lovely escapist piece of historical fiction.

The Last Bathing Beauty did a wonderful job of transporting me away to South Haven, Michigan, in 1951, at a Jewish summer camp where Betty Sterns and her friends are spending their last summer before heading off to college - it's all about friendship, romance and competing in a beauty pageant....

In a more current storyline, Betty is now an elderly woman (in her 80's) and is reflecting back on that time - forced into facing the secrets and memories that have been buried away from that summer.

The Last Bathing Beauty is a story of friendship, true love, 'what if's' and second chances - I loved the dual timeline, but particularly the 1950's part - I'm always drawn to that period of time - it's a time I'd of loved to live through and experience more than any other, and the summer resort vibe vividly brought to life in this novel swept me away to a summer full of fun, cocktails. dancing and falling in love.

If you enjoy dual timelines and coming of age stories and are looking for something to get lost in for a few days then The Last Bathing Beauty would make a great choice.

This is a bittersweet love story from a nostalgic time period. The author does a great job transporting us into the 1950’s. The setting is a Jewish resort area in the Midwest with rich characters and descriptions. This story doesn’t limit itself to a certain heritage but instead to a time period with rigid parental guidelines to dating and marrying alike. While reading the story I remembered a great aunt asking me if my boyfriend, now husband, was Polish. Great job by a talented author!

This wonderful new novel by Amy Sue Nathan is all about the 'what ifs' of life -- the days we all look back on and wonder how out lives would be different if only we had chosen another path. It's full of friendship, love, family and regrets. I have read and enjoyed all of the books by this author but this one is my new favorite. First, because it takes place in Michigan along the Lake Michigan shoreline near where I spent all of my summers growing up. Second, it stresses the importance of friends, not only as teenagers but real lifelong friends.

This is a dual timeline novel about Betty at 18 ready to go to college and begin her life. She and her two best friends enjoy themselves as Betty joins the pageant to become Miss Grand Haven and more importantly she falls in love with a college student. The other timeline is Boop (as Betty is now called) now in her 80s and looking back at everything that happened during the summer of 1951.



I loved the characters in this novel especially Betty/Boop. This was a real coming of age novel, even though she is in her 80s, it's never too late to reconcile current life and memories. I loved the friendship between the three lifelong friends and the love that they felt for each other. Often in a dual time line novels, one story will be more interesting than the other but in this novel, I enjoyed both story lines and enjoyed Betty as a teenager as much as Boop as an older woman. Betty wanted more out of life than becoming a wife and mother, even though that was the goal of most women in the 1950's. She is a strong woman in her 80's and she and her friends show that life can be as exciting for women at any age as long as she has her friends.

An amazing read!!, filled with a rich story and wonderful characters! Highly recommend! This was a perfect read when things are stressed and you need an escape!

Amy Sue Nathan’s THE LAST BATHING BEAUTY was the perfect read at the perfect time, allowing me to escape my home and visit South Haven, Michigan. Told in a dual timeline, we meet Betty “Boop” Stern at two turning points in her life: 1951 at 18 and a recent high school graduate with plans for the future and 2017, 85 and getting ready to leave behind everything she knows and join her son in California. Before she leaves, she wants to enjoy her lifelong friends with their last visit to her childhood home. When her granddaughter arrives unexpectedly, looking for a haven and advice, it stirs up Boop’s memories of the fateful summer when her life changed in ways she could not expect.
There was so much about this novel that warmed my heart, especially how present-day Boop faces her past and the decisions she made, both on her own and those forced by fate. Nathan takes us back to the far-off summer at the Stern family resort on the lake where Betty is on the verge of stepping into her new life and following the path, she had dreamed about all her life. As the summer progresses, we see just how it is to grow up a woman in the early 1950’s, with family expectations, both as a female and with ethnicity. Although you hear about it still, it is eye-opening to see deeply rooted the individual cultural aspects were and how little choice Betty actually had in her future.
The story is beautifully written with characters I became instantly invested in. The setting was gorgeously described, and I felt like I was there with them. Though I love “Dirty Dancing,” the concept of regularly spending the summer at a resort like this was foreign to me, so I found myself sitting back and enjoying the visit.
This was the first Amy Sue Nathan novel for me, and it has left me wondering how I missed her previous ones. This will be a wonderful summer read, but is great any time, especially if you need an escape from daily life, like we currently do at release date.
Thanks to NetGalley and he publisher for an advanced copy of this novel. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
#TallPoppyWriter #BloomReads #TallPoppyBlogger #LakeUnionPublishing #TheLastBathingBeauty

This cover really drew me in when I first saw it and I knew I wanted to read it. I loved the dual timeline of the story. In 1951 Betty Stern is where she always is, working at her family's summer resort where Jewish families escape the heat of the cities. South Haven, Michigan - known as the "Catskills of the Midwest". Betty and her best friends are working and enjoying their last carefree summer. Life is filled with possibility and maybe love. Betty is determined to become a career girl. First college in New York, then a job at a fashion magazine, but she can't help falling for a good looking college boy working as a waiter at the resort. Then present day we see Betty (Boop) and the same friends, gray haired and elderly, still getting together. But there are secrets that might keep them tied together or might just tear them apart. This book has what I love most, excellent and well drawn characters. I found myself wanting the best for them. As teenager Betty prepared to compete for the crown and sash as Miss South Haven 1951, I felt goosebumps as she walked across the stage. The whole story comes together so well and it has a wonderful ending. Bravo! Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and author Amy Sue Nathan for the ARC.