The Summer of Lost and Found

Written by Mary Alice Monroe

Narrated by Cassandra Campbell

The New York Times bestselling Beach House series continues with this timely, tender, and compassionate tale of perseverance, love, and the bonds of family in the face of tremendous and sometimes painful upheaval.

The coming of spring usually means renewal, but for Linnea Rutledge, this spring is only bringing challenges. Linnea faces a layoff from the aquarium she adores, and her family’s finances, emotions, and health teeter on the brink. To complicate matters, her new love interest, Gordon, struggles to return to the Isle of Palms from England. Meanwhile, her old flame, John, turns up from California and is quarantining next door. She tries to ignore him, but when he sends her plaintive notes in the form of paper airplanes, old sparks ignite. When Gordon at last reaches the island, Linnea wonders—is it possible to love two men at the same time?

Love in the time of COVID-19 proves difficult, at times humorous, and ever changing. Relationships are redefined, friendships made and broken, and marriages tested. As the weeks turn to months, and another sea turtle season comes to a close, Linnea learns there are more meaningful lessons during this summer than opportunities lost: that summer is a time of wonder, and that the exotic lives in our own backyards.

Poignant and moving, The Summer of Lost and Found is “a novel of growing up, saying goodbye to the past, and learning to ask yourself the hard questions, including one of the most vital of all: ‘Who do you really want to be?’” (Kristin Harmel, New York Times bestselling author).

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: May 11, 2021
• ISBN: 9781797122120

Mary Alice Monroe

Mary Alice Monroe is the New York Times bestselling author of 27 books including her newest novel The Summer of Lost and Found (May 2021, Gallery Books), and her first Middle Grade book The Islanders (June 2021, Aladdin Books). Monroe’s books have been published worldwide. She’s earned numerous accolades and awards, including: Induction into the South Carolina Academy of Authors’ Hall of Fame; Southwest Florida Author of Distinction Award; South Carolina Award for Literary Excellence; RT Lifetime Achievement Award; the International Book Award for Green Fiction, and the prestigious Southern Book Prize for Fiction. Her bestselling novel The Beach House is a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie. Mary Alice Monroe is also the co-creator and co-host of the weekly webshow and podcast Friends and Fiction. Monroe found her true calling in environmental fiction when she moved to the Isle of Palms, South Carolina. Captivated by the beauty and fragility of her new home in the lowcountry, Monroe’s experiences gave her a strong and important focus for her novels. Monroe and Dorothea Benton Frank were lowcountry neighbors. Dottie--as she was called among friends-- lived across the inlet from Isle of Palms on the neighboring Sullivan’s Island. Together they became part of a small tribe of Lowcountry writers who gathered together over the years for meals and conversation supporting each other’s careers and personal lives. Dottie’s energy and spirit will be forever missed.  

Reviews for The Summer of Lost and Found

[jade oliverio · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I was so excited to learn that there was another hook in the series, as I’ve listened to them all. But to quickly realize it was about COVID was monumentally disappointing. And the author’s use of all of the media catch phrases such as pod, pivot, and social distancing was nauseating. I listened, because I fell in love with the characters several books ago, but this book was a complete and total turn-off and disappointment.

[Angel Fish · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This book's substance lies primarily with COVID. I was not impressed.