All the Summer Girls audiobook

3.5 stars. "All the Summer Girls" tells the story of lifelong friends, Kate, Vanessa, and Dani who spent summers together at the Jersey Shore. When the adult lives that they have built for themselves come crashing down (Kate) or on the verge of potential change (Vanessa), or need a change (Dani), they come together again. All of them are hiding their own secrets from each other but they learn that honesty is the only way that you can get what you need.This book is billed as a beach book and it definitely fits into my definition of a good pick for the beach. When I go to the beach, I want something that keeps me turning the pages but that I don't have to think about too hard. Although some of the topics that the book deals with are on the tough side, you still don't have to think about it too hard.I really enjoyed this book. I really enjoy stories about friendship. Friendship is such a universal thing. We all need to have those sorts of relationships where we know that we have someone to lean on when things get really hard. Although there is some discontent between Dani and Vanessa in the beginning of the book, you still get to see why this group was so connected to each other. I loved seeing their relationship.The ending of the book fell a little flat for me. I really wanted to see a little more closure. It almost felt like the book stopped prematurely and it would have been nice to see more where things ended up for the women. Overall, this book is definitely enjoyable and I would recommend it to someone looking for a book on the lighter side that will still keep you turning the pages.

All The Summer GirlsByMeg DonahueMy"in a nutshell" summary...Three girls/ women...with issues...try to solve them during a beach weekend at the Jersey shore.My thoughts after reading this book...There might be one teensie spoiler in here so be careful!Loved it even though every one of these women were painfully annoying! The other thing about this book is that even though everyone has a secret...and they are all supposed to be best friends from childhood...they annoy each other! They still have secrets...they still irritate each other and in spite of their getaway weekend...Dani and Vanessa seem to want to tear into each other every second. And that leaves Kate...who has just been dumped...is preggers...and that's not a spoiler...you find it out in the first chapter...and still hasn't told anyone...including her ex fiancé!What hangs over everyone is what devastating thing happened to Colin...Kate's twin brother.What I loved about this book...I loved all of the Philadelphia and Jersey Shore references...we are familiar with all of it and the memories were awesome. The author even mentioned a Wawa hoagie...and locals crave those things!What I did not love...I was so annoyed by Dani, Vanessa and Kate...but that made the book a really yummy reading experience.Final thoughts...I though this was a really fascinating book...I loved it without becoming overly fond of the three main characters...is that even possible? Yes! Plus by the end of the book I loved them all!

The three of them had met at the Philadelphia Friends School years before, and their friendship bonds had cemented during the summers spent at the Avalon Beach house. They were very different from one another, yet their connections came from a common bond developed in the school: Katherine (Kate) Harrington, whose twin brother Colin often joined them; Vanessa Dale, whose hippie parents were a constant reminder of how different her life was from her friends' lives; and Dani Lowenstein, whose father owned the house on Avalon Beach and provided the backdrop to the fabulous summers.Now, years later, they come together for one more summer, hoping to heal from the secrets of the past and a tragic event that left them all reeling, and the problems in their present. Kate's fiancé Peter has just broken up with her only weeks before their wedding; Vanessa is still reeling from her husband Drew's betrayal with another woman; and Dani is suffering from her own guilt and unable to maintain any kind of life out in San Francisco.Will their secrets break them apart, or will they find enough strength in their friendship to help them heal? "All the Summer Girls: A Novel (P.S.)" is alternately narrated by the three friends, and the reader can jog along with them as they agonize over the past and try to carve out a future.An enjoyable and somewhat predictable read, it was also very satisfying and the perfect ending to a summer. 4.0 stars.

This book snuck up on me. I was not feeling the begining of the story, the flow felt halting. However, I wasn't a few chapters in before the characters completely pulled me into the story. I was invested in the lives of these people, and had to know what happened to Colin.

4.5For some reason I just felt this book SO MUCH. I sobbed for like a half of it. I need all the peace of mind in the world for characters like Colin and Danni. They always pull on my heartstrings the most effectively. Ah, GOSH.

Fun read and quick.Would be a perfect beach read or vacation read. Interesting characters who are really trying discover who they are and how a secret can influence your life. Enjoyed it

This is a nice summer book. Not too cliched or predictable, which is always a good change. Likable characters with some depth. Worth the read.

Meg Donohue’s All the Summer Girls is a story of friendship.Oh, it’s about more than that, too — like motherhood and substance abuse and grief and first love. But beyond those tiny, inconsequential little topics? It’s friendship. Sisterhood. The bonds of women — the marks we make upon each other, and how we flounder or thrive in the aftermath of loss.A fateful night one summer eight years before drove a wedge between this once-inseparable trio: three friends who grew up visiting the same beach house each summer in Avalon, New Jersey. It took me about 30 pages to clarify who was with whom and what they were doing and where they lived, etc., but once I had the principle players down, I was hooked on Donohue’s latest. Her sophomore effort delved much deeper into her characters’ interior lives than How To Eat A Cupcake, which I really appreciated. And who couldn’t use a little literary vacation to the Jersey Shore? (Sans Snooki, of course.)Almost a decade later, each woman is carrying a secret — or a half-truth — about one tragic night. Though Kate and Vanessa have moved jerkily forward, Dani is as broken as ever. Despite her messy edges (or maybe because of them?), Dani was my favorite character. An aspiring novelist and lost soul who wanders San Francisco like a ghost, Dani dances with too many personal demons . . . and I really felt for her. More than the others. When she reunites with Vanessa and Kate after losing her twelfth job in seven years (no small feat), we know her tough, somber exterior is just a mask.My Type-A side could relate to serious, steadfast lawyer Kate, and my tender side broke in half as she struggled with the end of an engagement and unexpected pregnancy (all facts revealed almost immediately, so no spoilers). She’s never come to terms with what happened in Avalon eight years ago, changing her family forever, and her fiance’s ultimatum that she come to terms with it was heartbreaking. And that her friends would declare A Kate is a Kate is a Kate felt, to me, like the highest kind of compliment. She’s loyal, honest and true.The book is quick and fast and, dare I say it, an excellent “beach read.” I hesitate to use the term too often because we hear it all the time as soon as Memorial Day rolls around. Plus, you know, some readers dismiss “beach reads” as fluffy entertainment — and All the Summer Girls has real heart. I felt the ends were wrapped nicely without convenient “tied with a bow” packaging, and I appreciated the resolute — even hopeful — close. After the heartache, it was a balm.With mystery, beautiful language and a gorgeous beach backdrop, Donohue’s story will appeal to fans of women’s fiction, novels on friendship and books laced with emotion and drama in equal measure. All the Summer Girls deserves that much-coveted spot next to your SPF 30 — or the spot on your nightstand to simply take you away.

Choice is a powerful element in our lives. It can change our path in a heartbeat. Kate, Vanessa, and Dani understand this all too well. Friends since childhood, they spent their summers at the beach along with Kate's twin brother, Colin. A swirling collision of choices bring about a tragedy, and the girls find themselves drifting apart and leading separate lives. Kate is an attorney engaged to be married, Vanessa is married and raising a little girl, and Dani is the free spirit trying to write her first novel. Then, Kate's fiance breaks up with her on the same day she finds out she's pregnant. Vanessa, although deeply in love with being a mom, is questioning other areas of her life--the career she gave up and her husband's loyalty. Finally, Dani is struggling with addiction.In addition to all these life changes, the girls are holding onto secrets from that fateful night many summers ago--the night Colin died. Can they come back together? Can they overcome the long buried secrets?All the Summer Girls is a fast read, full of well fleshed out characters and interesting twists and turns. It's an examination of the power of choice and the importance of the ties that bind. In addition to keeping you turning the pages, the novel's themes make you consider your own life and relationships. My only complaint is that it ended too soon, too abruptly.I recommend this novel to readers who enjoy getting lost in memorable characters and a fast-paced story with thoughtful questions. It's a captivating summer read just in time for summer!Note: I received a complimentary copy for review purposes. A positive review was not guaranteed or requested; the opinions expressed are my own.

Kate has the perfect life and the perfect relationship. In three months, she is getting married and starting the next part of her life. Until her fiancé backs out on the very day she discovers she is pregnant.Vanessa loves her husband and daughter, but she cannot stop thinking about the summer fling she never quite got over. An aspiring writer, Dani never quite gets around to finishing her own work because she would rather enjoy a few cocktails and someone else’s novel. Three friends who never put the past behind them will take a second chance to do just that.Kate, Vanessa, and Dani ditch a bachelorette party in Vegas and head back to Avalon, New Jersey. It is time to roll back the clock, soak up some sun, and figure out what went wrong between the summers they shared growing up and their adult lives. Sometimes it is the secrets from the past that destroy any chance of a future with the ones you love.The realistic portrayal of these three women is a stellar portion of what is sure to become a favorite beach read. It is an emotional trip that will resonate with readers no matter where they are in life. Definitely one for the dog days of summer.Kaitlin Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance & More - See more at: http://www.coffeetimeromance.com/Book...

Donohue has done it again and I could not be more happy. There is a risk that when you love an author's debut novel the subsequent books may not meet your high expectations. I loved How to Eat a Cupcake and I am happy to report that I also loved All the Summer Girls. Donohue writes compelling characters, ones that you can relate to. In ATSG Donohue brings three friends back together for a weekend getaway, back to the place that all feel at home. All of the women are facing person struggles, mixed with ghosts of the past and guilt that has fractured the foundations of the friendships years ago. What unfolds in ATSG is not only a universal story about love, friendship and ultimately finding ones self among the chaos of life, but also a story of the weight of secrets kept, forgiveness, growth and redemption. ATSG is a book to take to the beach, to share with a friend or is your next book club pick. This is a must read for summer 2013. Donohue knows how to write novels that cause you to become invested, to turn pages and to ruminate on what you read after the book is finished. A talent worth noticing. 5 stars.

4.5I thought this was a really engaging story about three young women, friends since childhood, each holding onto a secret regarding the death of one of the woman's brothers and how the secrets all come out during one summer week at the beach. The secrets were hinted at early on, but not revealed until much later and I read the book very quickly in anticipation. The personalities of each woman were very distinctive and well fleshed out and while I didn't relate to any of them completely, I recognized a part of myself in each of them. They were all flawed and sometimes annoying and unlikeable but aren't all human beings? I really enjoyed the author's writing style and how she seamlessly spun lyrical prose while maintaining the easy-breezy flow of the novel. Although the ending made me happy, I thought it wrapped up a bit too easily to be realistic. I will absolutely read this author again.

All the Summer Girls is a beautiful story of three friends who come together to regroup, reconcile and rekindle. It is all the things you want in a summer read, but it is so much more than that. It is a story about friendship, about love, about forgiveness. It is a story about growing up, while learning to be who you always were. It is a story about the glow of the summer, and the magical way the warm sea air wakes us up, and calms us down. I could not recommend this book more. Read it. On the beach. With a margarita.

I liked this! Nothing groundbreaking or super memorable, to be honest, but an enjoyable summer read. I liked the characters and the setting. Definitely made me want to go to the Jersey shore (or any beach for the Fourth of July).

I had high hopes for this book. They didn't entirely come to fruition ... the book moves slowly, Vanessa is a horrible character with no redeeming value who inexplicably ends up with the best life, etc., but I enjoyed it and wanted more. I think I found a new author.

Great summer read with familiar references to Philly, Avalon, and Lehigh U!

Great book. Easy read! Love all the references to Philly and Avalon.