After a relaxing three day weekend, I'm excited to be back, and part of the Blog Tour for Lady Sunshine by Amy Mason Doan. I received a free electronic copy for honest review from the publisher. Thanks so much to Graydon House and Amy Mason Doan for giving me the chance to read an early copy and having me as part of the Blog Tour.
Author: Amy Mason Doan
Published by: Graydon House
Released: June 29, 2021
Source: Electronic Review Copy from Publisher via Netgalley
Synopsis: ONE ICONIC FAMILY. ONE SUMMER OF SECRETS. THE DAZZLING SPIRIT OF 1970S CALIFORNIA.
For
Jackie Pierce, everything changed the summer of 1979, when she spent
three months of infinite freedom at her bohemian uncle’s sprawling
estate on the California coast. As musicians, artists, and free spirits
gathered at The Sandcastle for the season in pursuit of inspiration and
communal living, Jackie and her cousin Willa fell into a fast
friendship, testing their limits along the rocky beach and in the wild
woods... until the summer abruptly ended in tragedy, and Willa silently
slipped away into the night.
Twenty years later, Jackie
unexpectedly inherits The Sandcastle and returns to the iconic estate
for a short visit to ready it for sale. But she reluctantly extends her
stay when she learns that, before her death, her estranged aunt had
promised an up-and-coming producer he could record a tribute album to
her late uncle at the property’s studio. As her musical guests bring the
place to life again with their sun-drenched beach days and late-night
bonfires, Jackie begins to notice startling parallels to that summer
long ago. And when a piece of the past resurfaces and sparks new
questions about Willa’s disappearance, Jackie must discover if the dark
secret she’s kept ever since is even the truth at all. (Synopsis from Goodreads)
My Thoughts: This book really captured my attention and held it the whole way through. It was a book that really took me on a journey and transported me a different place and time. I was initially drawn to the cover because it gives this great, summer kind of vibe. The story inside was surprising, interesting, and I couldn't look away. Amy Mason Doan did a great job crafting this one, and I can't wait to read more of their books.
This did have a great summer feel to it, a feel of celebration in a lot of its pages. Jackie comes to such a free and open place. It is on the California Coast. She's surrounded by musicians, free spirits, and artists. There's this vibe to the community that just seems very fun and very free. Of course things change as the book goes on, that sun gets covered by shadow.
I really liked the two different timelines and how it does stay a book set in the past the whole way through. The author picked interesting years to set the work in. Some of those years don't feel like they should be as long ago as they were.
This story had me intrigued the whole way through. I think it did a great job of teasing and revealing. It kept me reading. I'm definitely going to check out more from Amy Mason Doan. I'd add this one to your TBR pronto.
AMY MASON DOAN is the author of The Summer List and Summer Hours. She earned a BA in English from UC Berkeley and an MA in journalism from Stanford University, and has written for The Oregonian, San Francisco Chronicle, and Forbes,
among other publications. She grew up in Danville, California, and now
lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband and daughter.
Thanks so much for checking out my Blog Tour Stop for Lady Sunshine by Amy Mason Doan. Thanks to Graydon House and Amy Mason Doan for letting me be a part of this fun tour. If you're looking for some summer feels and a blast to the past, I'd definitely say give this one a read.
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