US imports may differ from local products. Additional terms apply.
Learn More.
Amazon Global Store
International products have separate terms and are sold from abroad and may differ from local products including fit, age rating, and language of product, labeling, or instructions.
Manufacturer warranty may not apply but you may have other rights under law.
with the purchase of any eligible product. Shop now
Amazon Global Store
International products have separate terms and are sold from abroad and may differ from local products including fit, age rating, and language of product, labeling, or instructions.
Manufacturer warranty may not apply but you may have other rights under law.
Amy Mason Doan earned a BA in English from UC Berkeley and an MA in journalism from Stanford University. She has written for the Oregonian, the 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. The Summer List is her first novel.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyses reviews to verify trustworthiness.
I loved this book, reading it gave me a sense of nostalgia for my teen years and my best friend, this book is very well written and I couldn’t put it down. I laughed and cried reading Casey and Lauras story. For anyone looking for a book about true friendship a little humour and a little mystery this is the book for you!
5.0 out of 5 starsI truly love and miss these characters already
Reviewed in the United States on 27 June 2018
Verified Purchase
I truly love and miss these characters already. From the moment I picked it up, I devoured it in less than a week which is rare for me. Though I've always been a big reader, since writing for and working in TV I feel like I've acquired a diminished attention span. I start a million books with only a few needles in the haystack engaging me so thoroughly and the characters capturing me so deeply that I don't have a choice - I HAVE to know what happens to them.
I felt this way with Laura and Casey. The characters are drawn so distinctly, they're totally unique yet relatable as is their friendship, the peaks and valleys of it, the coming of age aspect and how they revisit it all as adults. I can't describe it any better than I felt like I was in their skin, feeling everything they were feeling emotionally while having no idea where the story was going and dying to find out how the strands of every mystery come together: what happened to Laura and Casey's friendship? What happened to JB and Laura's romance? What happened with Casey's mom? And what's Laura's origin story?
It all comes together so satisfyingly in the end which is a true feat. So many times I read books where interesting character development and mysteries are posed but they don't come together for a satisfying ending. The Summer List beyond delivered, I loved how the characters developed, how they mysteries unfolded, and mostly I loved the feeling it left with me, where I thought about it long after I put it down and how the themes resonated with me.
The writing is beautiful, the pacing is great and the story flows seamlessly despite juggling a few strands (which engaged me even more, I loved how it went back and forth between them as teens and them as adults as well as the third leg of the mystery - it was all very easy to follow). I love a story where you're always guessing/wondering/being pulled along but you're also not thinking too much about what the ending might be because you're so emotionally invested in each moment.
What I also really appreciate and find admirable in the writing is the efficiency of story. It felt like there wasn’t a single word wasted that didn’t push great story and character development. A lot of stories can get mired in too much detail or backstory or purple prose, this never happened in this book, I always felt engaged, there wasn't a moment I could skim past. Sorry to belabor but it's rare!
However, in the end, I loved the book for how it made me feel. I cried at the end which I can't remember the last time that has happened to me after reading a book. It reminded me of one of my all-time favorite books Crossing To Safety - which I read 20 years ago but I remember that same feeling of being so deep in their relationship that I cried, missed the characters when I was done, but they and the themes of the story lived on with me for long time. Felt the same way about Casey and Laura and The Summer List.
Can't wait to have my book group read so can discuss it more deeply and to give it as gift to family and friends who love good summer reads and compelling stories of friendship and family.
5.0 out of 5 starsI wanted to slow down to savor every beautiful description. But as I kept reading
Reviewed in the United States on 1 July 2018
Verified Purchase
When I started this book, I wanted to slow down to savor every beautiful description. But as I kept reading, I got so involved in the characters and the different stages of their lives that I didn’t want to put it down - so many surprises and twists up to the very end. This would be a wonderful choice for readers looking for a fast-paced, moving and clever story about friendship, lost love, and secrets. I really loved it and look forward to more books by this writer.