Common Sense Media Review
By Lucinda Dyer
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Engaging summer romance uncovers long-buried family secrets.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
THE SUMMER OF LOST LETTERS begins on a dark stormy night, as a box containing old love letters arrives at 17-year-old Abby Schoenberg's house outside Boston. The letters reveal a secret romance between Abby's recently deceased grandmother Ruth and a man named Edward Barbanel, who lived on Nantucket, a tiny island off the coast of Cape Cod. No one in Abby's family has ever heard of Edward, and all they really know about Ruth's past is that she came to the United States as a 4-year-old refugee from Nazi Germany and was taken in by a Jewish family in New York state. Abby's internet searches reveal that Edward Barbanel and his family still live on Nantucket in a storied mansion called Golden Doors. Abby can't think of a better way to spend the summer before her senior year than going to Nantucket and finding out all she can about romance between Ruth and Edward, so she gets a job at a local bookstore and starts sleuthing. When Edward's grandson Noah (handsome, smart, and on his way to Harvard) finds Abby snooping around Golden Doors, he becomes so intrigued with the mystery (and Abby) that he volunteers to help her. As an uneasy romance unfolds between Abby and Noah, they uncover secret after secret. How will the truth affect their new romance?
Is It Any Good?
This engaging summer romance deftly weaves together a decades-old mystery with a serious storyline about rescuing Jewish children from the Nazis. Readers more interested in romance than history shouldn't worry, as The Summer of Lost Letters offers not one but two love rocky affairs, beach parties under the stars with blazing bonfires, and handsome preppy heirs to old money fortunes. Abby's search for her grandmother's roots in Europe may inspire teens to investigate their own family history.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Abby traced her grandmother's history in The Summer of Lost Letters. Is there someone in your family whose life story has always been a mystery? What would you like to learn about them?
Do you think family secrets from decades ago should be unearthed, or are they better left buried?
The Kindertransports saved thousands of Jewish children prior to the outbreak of World War II. Should our country take in refugee children from war-torn countries?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Coming of Age
- Topics : School ( High School ) , History
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Razorbill
- Publication date : June 15, 2021
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 13 - 17
- Number of pages : 374
- Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate