An easy, nostalgic read that was just the thing to keep on my nightstand when I needed to escape the reality of the current news cycle: In THE LAST BATHING BEAUTY, Amy Sue Nathan transports you to simpler days on the Michigan shore—another place, another time, with characters who feel real—in friendship, in love, in family and loyalty and compromises and decisions and dreams, all of it bittersweet. The ending was just what I hoped for, even as the sigh of what might have been lingered. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an early peek.

Heartwarming and captivating journey with fabulous characters. I will be recommending this to every woman in my circle--especially those who believe in second chances, hope, resiliency, and happy endings. It's one that had me smiling and celebrating inside as I gently closed the back cover. This light fictional read during these heavy emotional times in our world was just what my heart needed.

If I could go back in time, I think hands down I would choose summertime in the fifties. Preferably at a resort where I'd sip cocktails and take salsa dancing lessons, eat midnight buffets and fall in love. :) There is a reason Dirty Dancing is one of my all time favorite movies and the episodes of Mrs. Maisel in the Catskills are my absolute favorite. The Last Bathing Beauty by Amy Sue Nathan has ALL of those things which is why I adored it. Not only does the gorgeous cover scream summer, so does the story!

Following the story of Betty (in the past) and Boop (Betty of the present day), you get to meet her friends, her family and the learn why summer of 1951 changed her life forever. The alternating chapters between past/present, the long lasting friendships and overall atmosphere of the story checked all the boxes for what makes a perfect summer read! First love! Best friends that are there for you no matter what! If you need something to get lost in for a few days, dreaming of the perfect one piece bathing suit and summer sunset walks, THIS IS IT.

This is the story of Betty Sterns who was raised by her grandparents fell in love with a non-Jewish man and then married a Jewish man. I was intrigued by how she told her story. She tells it to her family as they come to visit her, feelings come back, and life’s choices are second-guessed.

I always find it interesting when someone retells their lives story. They are able to look back and see how choices could have been different, how the choices they made changed the lives they are living now and see how different feelings made a difference in the choices they made. This is true of Betty. While living an amazing life with her grandparents she wanted a different life. She wanted a life where the hired help of the summer would include her, she wanted to love a boy that her grandparents would not accept, and she wanted to win the Miss South Haven pageant. But as she tells her story she realizes that life she did have was wonderful also. She loved her husband, she had an amazing family, and she had a good life.

The dual timelines were easy to follow, the story came together perfectly, and I thought 0f the characters as my friends. I was interested in learning the rest of Betty’s story and I wanted her family and friends to accept her story and make her be okay with what she was remembering. I have become a fan of historical fiction books and this one was exactly what I was looking for.

I LOVED The Last Bathing Beauty by Amy Sue Nathan. An excellent story, told in dual timelines, one in the 1950's, at a Jewish summer resort in Michigan, and the other timeline, in current day, as Betty, now an old woman, facing her past, regrets and secrets through a beautiful relationship with her granddaughter and best friends. Very well put together, full of wonderful characters. Thank you NetGalley, author and publisher for the Advance Reader Copy, all opinions are my own.

The Last Bathing Beauty was such a wonderful read! I'm not typically one for historical fiction, but I loved this book.

The story of Betty, her grandparents' summer resort and her lifelong friends was great. I loved the peek into those old time resorts, such as the one featured in Dirty Dancing. I also enjoyed the in-depth view of Betty and her best friends lives and friendships.

This is definitely a book about friendships, hardships, true love and making the best of things when the situation calls for it. It made me smile and also made me sad for the characters in various places.

If you want a good summer read or a great escape from the current social distancing, The Last Bathing Beauty will fit the bill.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and author for allowing an ARC at my request. This review and all thoughts are my own.

The Last Bathing Beauty is a gem of a novel!
I was transported back to the summer of 1951 in South Haven, Michigan, an area that is on Lake Michigan.

We meet Betty Claire Stern spending the last summer before college at the family's summer resort. Not only is romance on her mind but she is competing in a beauty pageant.

I really enjoyed the alternating timeline between 1951 and 2017 reading about Betty in her 80's.

There are family secrets to discover as the story unfolds.

The descriptive writing puts me right there in the story of a time when life was slower and simpler.

The characters are complex, complicated and incredibly endearing.

I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it!

This is a very sweet book. It tells Betty’s story from the summer after she graduated high school in 1951 and from the present. It focused more on 1951, which was my favorite time in the book. I loved the setting in a summer resort, which was very popular at the time. I enjoyed watching Betty live her live that summer and seeing the changes is what was accepted then vs now. Great book!!!

Amy Sue Nathan is a new author for me, she is a Tall Poppy Writer (check out the website for some awesome writers here) and I'm thrilled to be one of their reviewers.

Summer isn’t here yet but this would be a perfect beach read. It took me to the Catskills of the Midwest (didn’t even know they had one) in 1951. Betty planned it to be her last summer of fun before starting at Barnard’s in the fall. Her future is all planned out.

Current day Betty is...well, older but wiser? Forced to acknowledge that fateful summer reveals memories buried and secrets revealed.

As I was getting into this book I started to worry that this was going to be another predictable story and for a bit it was, until it wasn’t. Weaving back and forth in time with the majority taking place at a Jewish Summer Resort run/owned by the grandparents of Betty. The Last Bathing Beauty is a well written story with authentic characters and multiple layers. It’s not just about first love but forbidden love, family and secrets (just to name a few).

This book releases next week and will be available on different platforms. I recommend this book to those that enjoy coming of age stories as well as taking a peek at a bygone era.

My thanks to the author for an advanced e copy (via Netgalley) in exchange for an honest review

A great book to read during the quarantine of 2020. What a beautifully written, heartbreaking and heartwarming family story. Told in dual timeline of 1951 about Betty, a HS graduate with an exciting summer ahead before she goes off to college...to current day Boop, as she’s now called, coming to terms with a move she’s not quite sure about. The love between Boop and her granddaughter is so sweet, along with her friendship with Doris and Georgia. What happens that summer of 51 is accurate for the time.

Set in South Haven, MI, the Catskills of the Midwest, at Stern’s Summer Resort, Betty’s Grandparents resort. The resort caters to Jewish families who come back year after year. The story talks of family, responsibility and the choices we make.

Thanks to Ms. Nathan, Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone.

Perfect for a weekend escape. It is a story of Betty Stern, a young girl with dreams of a career and a happy marriage. Then later in her life, when betrayals and secrets are finally revealed, she struggles to come to terms with the life she has had and what might have been.

The plot was somewhat predictable, and there was an excessive amount of description. Character development was certainly not the best. Most of the characters seemed to be there only to “showcase” Betty. But, overall, it was still a very enjoyable story. If you enjoyed the movie “Dirty Dancing”, you will enjoy this book.

THE LAST BATHING BEAUTY is the perfect book to read right now. Not so gloomy as to add to depression, but not so cheerful as to be annoying when there are so many things to worry about. Just a totally engrossing, read-in-one-sitting book.

Betty Stern is looking forward to her summer in South Haven. It is her last summer at her grandparents’ resort before she heads off to Barnard, she has a good chance at being crowned Miss South Haven, and she’s hoping for a summer romance to make her more worldly.

She doesn’t expect to find true love with Abe Barsky, and she doesn’t anticipate the life-changing consequences of their relationship.

More than 60 years later, Betty is again anticipating her last summer in South Haven, before she moves to California to be near her son. But a visit from her childhood friends, combined with a bombshell announcement from her granddaughter, Hannah, and an effort to resuscitate the “Miss South Haven” contest, forces her to revisit that summer and its repercussions. #TheLastBathingBeauty #NetGalley

Linda's Book Obsession Reviews "The Last Bathing Beauty" by Amy Sue Nathan, Lake Union Publishing, April 1, 2020

I loved everything about "The Last Bathing Beauty" by Amy Sue Nathan. Amy Sue Nathan is a wonderful storyteller, and the writing in this book vividly describes the characters, the events, and the landscape. This is an amazing book that puts so many things into perspective. The themes throughout this novel are the importance of friendship, family, second chances, acceptance, forgiveness, love, and hope.  This story is written in the summer of 1952, and also is written in the present. The story takes place in the summer of 1951 at a family lake resort and revisits this in the present. The author describes her characters as flawed, loyal, supportive, each with their own set of problems.

In 1959, Betty Stern is enjoying her last summer, working for her Grandparents at the lovely resort, before she goes to college. Betty even decides to compete in a bathing beauty contest. She has her friends to support her, and there are young men who work and visit the resort that are looking to have a nice summer. Things don't often go as planned.

 In the present Betty, now called Boop, is at the house by the resort, and her former friends are visiting, as well as her granddaughter. Secrets from the past surface creating complex situations and problems. Friendships will be questioned, and so will loyalties.

I highly recommend this unforgettable and thought-provoking novel.

I really like this book even though parts were slow and over descriptive. Handling of blending past and present timelines very well
Great characters and a good plot.
4 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for a copy of book. All opinions are my own.

I loved this book. The blending of the past and 2017, during an era when families spent the summers together in a Catskill kind of war. Told with humor and great characters it was a book I throughly enjoyed.
Thank you to Amy Nathan and Netgalley, and the publisher for the opportunity to read this great book!

I loved South Haven and Boop and Hannah and the whole crew of women. Nathan did a spectacular job with the characterization, the atmosphere of the resort, the time period, and of course, the love story. Truly a gem of a book!

This is an amazing heartwarming dual time line book! In 1951, Betty has just graduated high school and is working another summer at her grandparent's resort. She meets Abe a waiter at the resort and they start dating. Jump ahead to 2017 and Betty now known as Boop has a granddaughter Hannah that reminds her so much of her younger self. As Boop helps Hannah with her problems, she realizes she must tell Hannah about the summer of '51. I loved the characters in this book. The love and affection between Boop and Hannah is wonderful to read. Boop reminds me so much of my grandmother. I truly loved this book and its amazing characters. I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

*special thanks to the publisher & NetGalley for an advance copy; all opinions are my own*

This was a great book-I particularly enjoyed the chapters that went “back in time”, to when Boop was known as Betty and was an 18 year old enjoying the summer between high school & college. It was the summer she could do anything she set her mind to, including finding love at her family’s South Haven vacation resort and winning the Miss South Haven beauty pageant. The author was somehow able to write both an 84 year old’s point of view (Boop) as easily as she wrote an 18 year old’s (Betty).
Even though I read several chapters during a February snowstorm, I was left feeling like I was on the beach with Betty & Abe. You won’t want to miss this beach-y, summery read!

A wonderful book told in dual timelines of a woman named Betty aka Boop.
This is a story of how life for her "happened" and now at eighty, she must divulge her mistakes so her granddaughter will not make these same errors.
It begins in 1951 alternating with the present day.
"Was it possible that the best-- or something close to it-- was yet to come for Boop as well?"
If ever you believe in second chances, this novel will validate that belief!
I loved the characters in this book. Boop is one determined lady who will stop at nothing to help friends and family!
I adore her best friends who know more than Boop realizes and have to right the wrongs as well.
You will laugh, cry and you will cheer for this strong lady!
Excellent!

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC.

I love Jewish fiction and books set in the 1950s.

What a wonderful plot set in Michigan in 1951 at a Jewish resort Betty (aka Boop in her later years) her grandparents owned. Her parents weren't like her parents and just "abandoned" her to her grandparents while they traveled as actors. She had her friends Georgia and Doris to keep her company when they all worked there during their senior year in high school. Betty wanted to be a fashion editor in New York after attending Barnard. She was fashion conscience and very stylish. She always wanted to be a contestant in The 1951 beauty contest hence the title (somewhat).

The book alternated between 1951 and 2017 when she was 84 years old. Her friends came to visit her. She was still living in Michigan in her grandparents house. She was married to Marv who she met at the resort but didn't really love. Her true love was Abe who was half-Jewish (his father) who her grandparents hired as a waiter.

Time flies and things change but not sure for the better. As the book gets close to the ending things change again and this time unbelievably so. No spoilers but it was wonderful.