Here’s how Booklist describes SUMMER HOURS, out June 4:
“Leaves the reader with the hopeful reminder that sometimes the things we’re nostalgic for can be had again…
A perfect summer read.”
It’s an absolutely lovely review & captures exactly what I was trying to achieve when I sat down to write the novel years ago. Can’t wait to get it to you!!
Look at this beauty! So excited to share the cover of SUMMER HOURS, which will be out June 4, 2019 from my lovely publisher, Graydon House. Thanks to PureWow Book Club for the cover reveal & the awesome, beachy pic. Available for preorder !
“Engaging and nostalgic, Summer Hours is a story of friendship, love, and golden moments. Doan’s writing sweeps you away to the high-speed, sun-soaked backdrop of nineties California and takes you on a woman’s journey toward finding herself.”
-Helen Hoang, author of The Kiss Quotient
“With Summer Hours, Amy Mason Doan deftly explores the powerful pull of the past and the way nostalgia informs our lives. A beautifully crafted story of love, ambition, and friendship.”
-Jamie Brenner, bestselling author of The Forever Summer and Drawing Home
“A touching novel of friendship, forgiveness and compassion.”
-Abbi Waxman, author of The Garden of Small Beginnings and The Bookish Life of Nina Hill
“A beautifully rendered and indelible story. Amy Mason Doan crafts an immersive world filled with vivid locations and complex people. I sank into all of it and didn’t want to leave.”
-Julie Clark, author of The Ones We Choose
I’m SO excited about my June 2019 novel & can’t wait to share the cover. It’s stunning.
Stay tuned for the reveal & a giveaway later this fall…
Please join me Thurs., Sept. 6 at 2p. pacific/5p. eastern for my first-ever Facebook Live! I’ll read a little, answer your questions (Dog or cat person? Least-favorite book? What are you working on now??) and announce a giveaway. Happy National Read-a-Book Day!
The lovely folks at Bookish have teamed up with my publisher, Graydon House, to give away FIVE copies of THE SUMMER LIST.
Here’s how to enter. Good luck!!
I love this review of THE SUMMER LIST in The Oregonian:
“If this Portland writer’s debut novel were a beverage, it would be a glass of frosty sweet-tart lemonade, sipped with that one friend from way back who knows you better than you know yourself…
It’s an ideal summer read…a compelling blend of love, betrayal, secrets and reconciliation…”
I ❤️ Book Groups!
Really enjoyed discussing Laura, Casey, scavenger hunts, summer camp, lake swimming, best friends, & a certain sexy roller rink scene with these sharp ladies last night in Portland.
Looking forward to visiting more book clubs this summer, both in person and virtually.
Have you picked THE SUMMER LIST for your book club? (nice choice!) I’d love to visit in person if you’re near Portland, or via video chat. And here’s a discussion guide (spoiler alert) to get you started.
I try not to read reviews but friends & family sent me some gems this week and I couldn’t resist peeking! I’m so grateful to everyone who takes the time to post. As a debut author in 2018, in can be hard to get traction, so writers appreciate even a one-word review—trust me!
Stanford Magazine, July Issue: “Character-rich…satisfying beach-vacation read.”
I took my first fiction-writing class at Stanford so this one is especially meaningful.
Long and Short Reviews: July Book of the Month
“Many moments are evocative, but never overdone, never theatrical. It’s definitely a novel one can re-read, and find new nuances each time. It is hardly light entertainment, but it is enthralling. Doan is a masterful writer; on style alone, I must give this 5 out of 5 stars.”
Fresh Fiction Wednesday Reads: Featured on ABC/WFAA-TV:
“As adults, Laura and Casey have always held on to the things that happened during those summers, but the women they’ve grown into are believable and fully realized, too. It’s a thought-provoking, nostalgic, and intriguing debut. I look forward to more books by Amy Mason Doan!”
GoodReads:
“The writing was extraordinary, intricate, and arresting. I was more than satisfied by the ending but would have happily read another 384 more pages. Amy Mason Doan has crazy good word voodoo.”
Thank you, Rakestraw Books and Books Inc., for two amazing readings in Northern California last week. I was truly touched by the turnout & energized by the audience’s terrific questions about THE SUMMER LIST, my writing process, and what it’s like to be a debut author.
One thing I’ve learned in my first week of readings, based on the photographic evidence? I gesture. A lot. Just call me #JazzHands.
I had such a fun talk with Hank Garner about writing and editing THE SUMMER LIST! Listen here.