Summer on the Bluffs
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- Create Date：2021-05-09 08:31:53
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Sunny Hostin
- ISBN：B07XY7LNXH
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Summary
Emmy Award winner， renowned lawyer and journalist， and View cohost Sunny Hostin makes her literary debut with this dazzling novel about a life-changing summer along the beaches of Martha's Vineyard。
Welcome to Oak Bluffs， the most exclusive black beach community in the country。 Known for its gingerbread Victorian-style houses and modern architectural marvels， this picturesque town hugging the sea is a mecca for the crème de la crème of black society—where Michelle and Barack Obama vacation and Meghan Markle has shopped for a house for her mom。 Black people have lived in this pretty slip of the Vineyard since the 1600s and began buying property in the 1800s， making this posh town the embodiment of “old money。”
Every summer， Esperenza “Perry” Soto， a beautiful and talented Afro-Latina lawyer， escapes the fetid heat of New York City for the gorgeous weather， cool water， and stunning views Oak Bluffs offers。 Sharing a cottage on the beach， owned by her “Ama”， with her husband and two god sisters， Perry is looking forward to trading meetings and clients for days of languor and fun。
When Memorial Day arrives and the season begins， some of the nation’s wealthiest， most powerful， and famous from the worlds of politics， art， and entertainment meet to swim， dance， party， and chill。 While a few can’t leave work behind， others indulge in a different kind of business affair。
But this summer on the Bluffs is different。 Ama is moving to the south of France to reunite with her college sweetheart。 She is going to give the house to one of her goddaughters and she has invited all three of them to spend the summer with her the way they did when they were kids。 Each of the women want the house desperately。 Each is grappling with a secret that they fear will make them lose Ama’s approval and the house。 。 。 。
Reviews
Jenn Swanson
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The overall story was good。 A wealthy and influencial black couple become godparents to 3 young girls。 Each girl has her own story。 There is a reason why they were picked and it isn't really revealed until the end。 This type of mystery I did like finding out。 They way the book was written， however， was obviously not geared toward me。 I can understand building people up in the message but not at making fun of others in the process。 The overall story was good。 A wealthy and influencial black couple become godparents to 3 young girls。 Each girl has her own story。 There is a reason why they were picked and it isn't really revealed until the end。 This type of mystery I did like finding out。 They way the book was written， however， was obviously not geared toward me。 I can understand building people up in the message but not at making fun of others in the process。 。。。more
Fancy Singleton
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Marthas Vineyard is the backdrop to the storyline of three women who are attached through the love， history， and secrets held by their godmother。 The novel is ‘paced’; not fast at all。 Each woman shares their encounters with individual relationships， how to deal， and even a secret that is soon revealed。When I read， I read to escape the normal day to day。 This book was a normal…day to day。 No escapism for me。 I guess I read to much of the raunchy stuff…so sorry Sunny。 3 stars。
Nikki
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Summer on the Bluffs by Sunny HostinNarrated by January LaVoyPublisher: Harper AudioGenre: General Fiction （Adult） | Women's FictionPublication Date: May 4， 2021Summer on the Bluffs by Sunny Hostin is the first book in the Oak Bluffs series and I am so glad there are more books to come。 I absolutely loved， loved， loved this book！ I laughed， I cried， and felt so many emotions。 These characters felt so real and alive。 At times， this story took my breath away。 There was so much depth to this book。 Summer on the Bluffs by Sunny HostinNarrated by January LaVoyPublisher: Harper AudioGenre: General Fiction （Adult） | Women's FictionPublication Date: May 4， 2021Summer on the Bluffs by Sunny Hostin is the first book in the Oak Bluffs series and I am so glad there are more books to come。 I absolutely loved， loved， loved this book！ I laughed， I cried， and felt so many emotions。 These characters felt so real and alive。 At times， this story took my breath away。 There was so much depth to this book。 I loved discovering the history of this incredible family and seeing how their lives were intertwined。 I was mesmerized by this book and couldn't get enough。 I can't wait to see what's to come with Oak Bluffs！The narration by January LaVoy was spectacular！ She is a marvel at the spoken word！ I'm so grateful to Sunny Hostin， Harper Audio， and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Maureen Egan
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I saw this author on Good Morning American and she spoke about this book it sounded like the perfect summer read。 It was not😫！ As well spoken as she is her writing is is exact opposite。 I truly blame her editors。 The concept was original: the first black woman who received a seat on the Wall Street stock market。。 This was discussed in two sentences and then we fast forward to her in present time very wealthy。 There were three goddaughters who were also the focus of the book。 There was no charact I saw this author on Good Morning American and she spoke about this book it sounded like the perfect summer read。 It was not😫！ As well spoken as she is her writing is is exact opposite。 I truly blame her editors。 The concept was original: the first black woman who received a seat on the Wall Street stock market。。 This was discussed in two sentences and then we fast forward to her in present time very wealthy。 There were three goddaughters who were also the focus of the book。 There was no character history just fun facts thrown in randomly throughout the book。 There was more detailed given to food and description of the home’s bedrooms 。 A lot of name dropping which I find annoying。 Overall a disappointing read。 。。。more
LeEtta Clark
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OMG ITS LIKE WAITING TO EXHALE BY SUNNYYou know it’s going to be juicy。 The women are beautiful and flawed like us in real life。 The references to artists， poets， musician， locations and history is so rich with just the right balance of current events。 I’m 63 and I wished I knew an Ama in my lifetime。
Casey Wisniewski
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worst piece of trash I have ever read！ Don't buy this book。 I wish i could get my money back for this one！ worst piece of trash I have ever read！ Don't buy this book。 I wish i could get my money back for this one！ 。。。more
Nelda Brangwin
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A very enjoyable summer book。 I enjoyed the characters， but felt I was being told the story rather than being able to “experience” the story unfold。 The elements are all there for a summer book， the wealthy， love， secrets， and family。 It was refreshing to see Black people as residents of a wealthy Martha’s Vineyard enclave。
Linda McCutcheon
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Summer on the Bluffs by Sunny Hostin is the perfect definition of a beach read。 It has ultra rich folks， secrets， lies， adultery， and so much drama。 The audiobook feels like a friend spilling all the tea about a well known family。Amelia "Ama" Tanner is the proud owner of a summer home on Oak Bluff an exclusive affluent black beach community along Martha's Vineyard。 She is a self made Wall Street millionaire who has more than paid her dues in life。 She has spent decades with her husband Omar who Summer on the Bluffs by Sunny Hostin is the perfect definition of a beach read。 It has ultra rich folks， secrets， lies， adultery， and so much drama。 The audiobook feels like a friend spilling all the tea about a well known family。Amelia "Ama" Tanner is the proud owner of a summer home on Oak Bluff an exclusive affluent black beach community along Martha's Vineyard。 She is a self made Wall Street millionaire who has more than paid her dues in life。 She has spent decades with her husband Omar who truly fell in love at first site with Ama。 Though they never had children of their own they have help provide and care for three very unique goddaughters。All of that changes after Omar's passing when Ama invites her now adult goddaughters for one last summer together on the bluffs where she will decide which of them will inherit the summer home that has been a source of reprieve from life for all of them。These three goddaughters， Perry， Olivia and Billie are not related and how each came into Ama's life is the culmination of this book。 Their connection to her is heartbreaking， captivating and， I have to say for me， jaw dropping。 Each woman has a fascinating story of their own from being cheated on， dealing with racism， and the fear of coming out。 The narrator January Lavoy is phenomenal at not only portraying so many distinct characters but in making us feel the emotional journey they each must face。 I wish we spent more time with the beginning of Ama and Omar's love story; especially after learning about Ama's feelings for another before meeting Omar。 There's real life drama， emotions and an element of soap opera dramatics which I devoured like a tidal wave。 This is the book everyone will and should be reading this summer。 。。。more
Penny Leidecker
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This is the first book I’ve read by Sunny Hostin and I was really impressed with this book。 Summer on the Bluffs is centered around Amelia “Ama” and her three goddaughters， Perry， Olivia， and Billie。 Amelia has asked them all to spend the summer at her house on Oak Bluffs and at the end of the summer， one of them will get the keys to it。 All three women want the house for different reasons。 All four women are keeping secrets from each other and the goddaughters are afraid their secrets will hurt This is the first book I’ve read by Sunny Hostin and I was really impressed with this book。 Summer on the Bluffs is centered around Amelia “Ama” and her three goddaughters， Perry， Olivia， and Billie。 Amelia has asked them all to spend the summer at her house on Oak Bluffs and at the end of the summer， one of them will get the keys to it。 All three women want the house for different reasons。 All four women are keeping secrets from each other and the goddaughters are afraid their secrets will hurt their chances of being the chosen one。 As the summer season ends， the secrets start being revealed and there’s angst， hurt feelings， and feelings of betrayal。 I won’t leave any spoilers， but I will say the goddaughter I wanted to get the house was the lucky recipient。 I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher and this is my voluntary and honest review。 。。。more
Linda Romer
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I really liked Summer on the Bluffs。 A wonderful， heartfelt novel。 I enjoyed the story and the characters。 Ama was amazing and her three adopted godsisters are so much fun。 They all have secrets to share。 I loved the song references and the food talk。 I'm looking forward to continuing with this series。 Olivia is my favorite sister。 A great ending and an entertaining read。I give Summer on the Bluffs 4 stars for its heartfelt read。I would recommend this book to Fiction fans。 I really liked Summer on the Bluffs。 A wonderful， heartfelt novel。 I enjoyed the story and the characters。 Ama was amazing and her three adopted godsisters are so much fun。 They all have secrets to share。 I loved the song references and the food talk。 I'm looking forward to continuing with this series。 Olivia is my favorite sister。 A great ending and an entertaining read。I give Summer on the Bluffs 4 stars for its heartfelt read。I would recommend this book to Fiction fans。 。。。more
Davida Chazan
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3。5/5 Stars。This is Hostin's first novel， which she intends to be the first of her Oak Bluffs series。 As a debut work， it is quite good。 You can find out more if you read my #bookreview on my blog here。https://tcl-bookreviews。com/2021/05/0。。。 3。5/5 Stars。This is Hostin's first novel， which she intends to be the first of her Oak Bluffs series。 As a debut work， it is quite good。 You can find out more if you read my #bookreview on my blog here。https://tcl-bookreviews。com/2021/05/0。。。 。。。more
Christine Hankerson
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I enjoyed this book and like how Ms。 Hostin weaved a storyline with the sisters。 I read the book in a few days because I wanted to find out how it finally ended。 A good page turner！
Beth
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More like 3。5。Bring on the summer reads！ I really liked the concept behind this beach book set on Martha's Vineyard。 The story revolves around Ama Vaux Tanner， her late husband， and their three god-daughters， who are are now in their 20s。 What makes this book a little different from the rest is that uber-wealthy Ama is Black， as are her daughters。 The book includes themes of systemic racism and colorism along with the expected plot lines concerning family drama， romance， life on the island， past More like 3。5。Bring on the summer reads！ I really liked the concept behind this beach book set on Martha's Vineyard。 The story revolves around Ama Vaux Tanner， her late husband， and their three god-daughters， who are are now in their 20s。 What makes this book a little different from the rest is that uber-wealthy Ama is Black， as are her daughters。 The book includes themes of systemic racism and colorism along with the expected plot lines concerning family drama， romance， life on the island， past secrets， and finding one's way in the world。 The plot could have been a bit tighter， but overall an enjoyable read。 I'll likely look for the next book in the series。 The audiobook was read by the wonderful January LaVoy; for my thoughts on her performance， see AudioFile magazine。 。。。more
momssanity
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Summer on the Bluffs is the epitome of Black Joy！ Ama was one of the first Black women to wear the trading jacket on the New York stock exchange floor。 She was a fierce woman and nothing stood in her way。 Along with her husband， Omar， they built an empire of their own。 When Omar passed away Ama knows she has a few secrets to tell her three goddaughters。 As the summer in Martha’s Vineyard winds down， each young woman is given her truth。 They must decide whether to grow with the news or let it wei Summer on the Bluffs is the epitome of Black Joy！ Ama was one of the first Black women to wear the trading jacket on the New York stock exchange floor。 She was a fierce woman and nothing stood in her way。 Along with her husband， Omar， they built an empire of their own。 When Omar passed away Ama knows she has a few secrets to tell her three goddaughters。 As the summer in Martha’s Vineyard winds down， each young woman is given her truth。 They must decide whether to grow with the news or let it weigh them down。 This book is filled with prevalent topics in today’s society and would make for the perfect book to take to the beach！ 。。。more
Lori Burns
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Good beach read。
Monica **can't read fast enough**
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3。5 starsI enjoyed the story's premise and appreciated Hostin's smooth and readable writing， this is would be a good choice for vacation/long weekend reading。 I picked this up with the intention of just reading a few pages last week and ended up finishing it the next day。 The characters are all interesting， but like most books that have multiple point of views there were perspectives that I wish I had gotten more from。 it appears that this is going to be a series， so maybe the following books wi 3。5 starsI enjoyed the story's premise and appreciated Hostin's smooth and readable writing， this is would be a good choice for vacation/long weekend reading。 I picked this up with the intention of just reading a few pages last week and ended up finishing it the next day。 The characters are all interesting， but like most books that have multiple point of views there were perspectives that I wish I had gotten more from。 it appears that this is going to be a series， so maybe the following books will focus on the other women that have been brought together as a family。 Hostin touches on colorism in this story but does it so lightly that it didn't feel adequately addressed。 I also wasn't a fan of how Olivia's （the only dark skinned woman in the group） relationship with a white man played out。 Especially since I didn't really like the personality that he was given。 I also don't generally like cheating in a story even when it's not a romance and that's an issue for another of the featured women。 Although， there were some issues that kept me from loving this one， I will continue the series。 Hostin's writing kept me engaged even through events/tropes that I don't typically enjoy。 I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review。Where you can find me:•（♥）。•*Monica Is Reading*•。（♥）•Twitter: @monicaisreadingInstagram: @readermonicaGoodreads Group: The Black Bookcase 。。。more
Elisa （The Overflowing Bookshelf）
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In her literary debut， Sunny Hostin takes readers to the beaches of Martha’s Vineyard and one family’s life-changing summer in Summer on the Bluffs。 This novel by the Emmy Award-winning， renowned lawyer and journalist， and View co-host， which comes out on May 4th， will give readers a glimpse into what happens when members of a found family take different paths in life and reveal long-kept family secrets。If you’re looking for your next beach read， then look no further！ This novel was super fast-p In her literary debut， Sunny Hostin takes readers to the beaches of Martha’s Vineyard and one family’s life-changing summer in Summer on the Bluffs。 This novel by the Emmy Award-winning， renowned lawyer and journalist， and View co-host， which comes out on May 4th， will give readers a glimpse into what happens when members of a found family take different paths in life and reveal long-kept family secrets。If you’re looking for your next beach read， then look no further！ This novel was super fast-paced， which made for an engaging and binge-able story that makes this the perfect book to add to your summer reading list。 The novel talks about family， race， and love in honest ways and shows that sometimes a found family can be just as strong as a biological one。The narration style was a bit confusing at times which could’ve been in part because of the fast pace of the story。 While I found certain parts very abrupt in alternating between who was experiencing the third person narrative， I still enjoyed seeing every character’s point-of-view on the events of both the past and present。As the title suggests， this is a fabulous summer read that will have you wishing you were spending time at Chateau Laveau with Ama and her goddaughters。 Fans of family drama and some romance on the side， this is a great book whether you’re reading it poolside or in your next book club meeting！*I received an ARC from William Morrow Books in exchange for my honest opinion。 。。。more
Kelly Kay Erwin
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I loved this book。 Such a great read and its a must read
Alex Curtis
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First of all I love Sunny Hostin， I love her on the view and when she fights with that gross Meghan McCain。。 Okay， back to the book， wow I really enjoyed it and it had to do allot with when you hear about Martha's Vineyard you think of an overly white， extremely upper class of people。 We don't typically get stories of wealthy black people in fiction， at least not in this kind of fiction。 It's refreshing。 Was it the best book of 2021？ Nope。 I really enjoyed reading a beach read that dealt with pe First of all I love Sunny Hostin， I love her on the view and when she fights with that gross Meghan McCain。。 Okay， back to the book， wow I really enjoyed it and it had to do allot with when you hear about Martha's Vineyard you think of an overly white， extremely upper class of people。 We don't typically get stories of wealthy black people in fiction， at least not in this kind of fiction。 It's refreshing。 Was it the best book of 2021？ Nope。 I really enjoyed reading a beach read that dealt with people of color who were living in Martha's Vineyard， and it just made me smile。 。。。more
Carrie
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This was the book my heart needed this week and I didn’t even know it。Summer on the Bluffs by @sunny is the first in the new Oak Bluffs series and I can’t wait for more。 At the heart of the story is Ama， and her three grown godchildren that Ama and her beloved deceased husband， Omar， helped support and raise in some way。 Now Ama is bringing the girls together for a final summer to decide who she will leave the family home on Oak Bluff to。 She has invited all three of them to spend the summer wit This was the book my heart needed this week and I didn’t even know it。Summer on the Bluffs by @sunny is the first in the new Oak Bluffs series and I can’t wait for more。 At the heart of the story is Ama， and her three grown godchildren that Ama and her beloved deceased husband， Omar， helped support and raise in some way。 Now Ama is bringing the girls together for a final summer to decide who she will leave the family home on Oak Bluff to。 She has invited all three of them to spend the summer with her the way they did when they were kids。 Each of the women want the house desperately。 Each is grappling with a secret that they fear will make them lose Ama’s approval and the house。Oak Bluffs is the most exclusive black beach community in the country。 Known for its gingerbread Victorian-style houses and modern architectural marvels， this picturesque town hugging the sea is a mecca for the crème de la crème of black society—where Michelle and Barack Obama vacation and Meghan Markle has shopped for a house for her mom。 Early on in the book， this west coast girl started googling pictures of Oak Bluffs because Hostin does an amazing job of transporting you there and giving a bit of the history too。And that’s when I realized why I couldn’t put this story of found family and home down。 The love， hope and Black joy celebrated throughout this book made me smile。 Stories showing loving， successful Black women thriving are the ones I want to read！ Hostin seamlessly weaved in issues of micro-aggressions， racism， and colorism。 We learn of each woman’s story and I found myself cheering， and crying， for each godsister。 Don’t go in thinking this is just a beach read。 It is so， so much more than that！ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Audio for the ALC。 January LaVoy is one of my favorite narrators and she was excellent for this story。 。。。more
Nicole Toft
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I was surprised by the depth of this book， since I was looking for a light read after finishing Chris Whitaker’s book。 But I liked it。。。a lot。 Ama and Omar， along with their three goddaughters， Perry， Olivia and Billie， are figuring out life。 The setting of Oak Bluffs in Martha’s Vineyard is divine。 A community of the black elite， it has a rich history。 Secrets abound。 The narration was exquisite。 The first in a trilogy， and I’m already looking forward to reading more。
Dr。 Barb
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Amelia Tanner， Ama， is a successful black woman and one of her prized possession is a cottage on the bluffs in an exclusive black community。 With no children of her own， over the years she brings three “goddaughters” to the bluffs in the summers and stays in touch throughout the year。 Ama’s beloved husband， Omar， with whom she has shared her time with the girls， dies。 She is reconnected with a man she once had feelings for and is ready to set off with him。 It is time to share her plans for the c Amelia Tanner， Ama， is a successful black woman and one of her prized possession is a cottage on the bluffs in an exclusive black community。 With no children of her own， over the years she brings three “goddaughters” to the bluffs in the summers and stays in touch throughout the year。 Ama’s beloved husband， Omar， with whom she has shared her time with the girls， dies。 She is reconnected with a man she once had feelings for and is ready to set off with him。 It is time to share her plans for the cottage and how she chose Perry， Olivia， and Billie to be a part of her family。 The story is great and the love Ama has for her husband and the girls is natural and heartwarming。 The lives they share， the sibling rivalries， and the struggles as black women are insightful。 I loved Ama’s knack for cooking， loving， and sharing with those she cherishes。 The events of Ama’s life with Omar and the girls are described so well and it is a treat to be among them。 The real crux of the story， however， is when Ama reveals how she chose each girl to be a part of her family。 This story has wonderful characters， deep descriptions of places to visit， and the true meaning of love and loss。 。。。more
Jo Carol
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Pretty good story， 3/4 of the way thru， then the ending got all bunched up。 It was a shame too， cause I don;t read too much non fiction and i was disappointed。
Mary
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I just finished reading this fantastic book ！ It was hard to lay down， I was so involved in the interesting characters。 It didn't read like a first novel。 I loved this story of three diverse girls raised as godsisters。 Their relationships with each other and their godparents as so real。 I can't wait until the next one by Sunny Hostin is available。 I just finished reading this fantastic book ！ It was hard to lay down， I was so involved in the interesting characters。 It didn't read like a first novel。 I loved this story of three diverse girls raised as godsisters。 Their relationships with each other and their godparents as so real。 I can't wait until the next one by Sunny Hostin is available。 。。。more
Veronica
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I won this book as a Goodreads giveaway。 I enjoyed this book about 4 women of color who have secrets and tragedies in their lives。 Ama， the Godmother to 3 young ladies has decided to give her home in Martha's Vineyard to one of the ladies at the end of the summer。 She calls everyone to the house for the summer like she did when they were children。 She will reveal how they are linked to her。 They all want the house and all have secrets that must be shared。 It's a touching story of the lives we li I won this book as a Goodreads giveaway。 I enjoyed this book about 4 women of color who have secrets and tragedies in their lives。 Ama， the Godmother to 3 young ladies has decided to give her home in Martha's Vineyard to one of the ladies at the end of the summer。 She calls everyone to the house for the summer like she did when they were children。 She will reveal how they are linked to her。 They all want the house and all have secrets that must be shared。 It's a touching story of the lives we live in public and private。 If you enjoy sisterhood， coming of age stories you will like this book。 I liked it and gave it 4 stars。 。。。more
Stacey
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Summer on the Bluffs is set in Oak Bluffs an exclusive black beach community in the Vineyard。 The novel is a story of three goddaughters that return to spend the summer with their godmother at the beach。 At the end of the summer one of the goddaughters will become the owner of their godmother's cottage。 This is a story of love， secrets， family and the search of happiness and belonging。 I recommend this novel as it was a very enjoyable read。 Summer on the Bluffs is set in Oak Bluffs an exclusive black beach community in the Vineyard。 The novel is a story of three goddaughters that return to spend the summer with their godmother at the beach。 At the end of the summer one of the goddaughters will become the owner of their godmother's cottage。 This is a story of love， secrets， family and the search of happiness and belonging。 I recommend this novel as it was a very enjoyable read。 。。。more
Leslie Zemeckis
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Ama a woman in her 60s and her three god daughters gather one summer at historic Oak Bluffs in Martha’s Vineyards - each has their secrets and relationship problems An enclave of African Americans - a fun beach read
Paulette
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Thank you Netgalley and Publishers William Morrow ， Harper Audio for an early copy of this book。 The comments and review are my honest opinion。An affluent black couple are godparents to three now grown women。 Ama and Omar were the godparents and owners of an ocean front mansion on Martha’s Vineyard。 Omar has passed and Ama has decided it is time for one of the women to own the well cherished and longed for mansion。 What transpires is a deep need， desire and feeling of ownership in Billie， Olivia Thank you Netgalley and Publishers William Morrow ， Harper Audio for an early copy of this book。 The comments and review are my honest opinion。An affluent black couple are godparents to three now grown women。 Ama and Omar were the godparents and owners of an ocean front mansion on Martha’s Vineyard。 Omar has passed and Ama has decided it is time for one of the women to own the well cherished and longed for mansion。 What transpires is a deep need， desire and feeling of ownership in Billie， Olivia and Perry to own the mansion。 But only one can own it and the reason can bring happiness and also sadness。The book is rife with name dropping of the top of society， artists and glittering events。 But also filled with disappointments， secrets， and eventually love。 。。。more
Teresa Vu
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I really enjoyed this book; at first， I thought it would be a "chick-flick"， easy-to-read type of novel， but I learned that it was much more richer than that。 The novel focuses on the life of Amelia， （also known as "Ama"） Vaux Tanner， and how she worked up to be the lovely， but smart， Black socialite of the Bluffs。 Ama， along with her husband， Omar， raise three goddaughters - Esperanza （also known as "Perry"）， Olivia， and Billie。 Although they all become successful， they also face some obstacles I really enjoyed this book; at first， I thought it would be a "chick-flick"， easy-to-read type of novel， but I learned that it was much more richer than that。 The novel focuses on the life of Amelia， （also known as "Ama"） Vaux Tanner， and how she worked up to be the lovely， but smart， Black socialite of the Bluffs。 Ama， along with her husband， Omar， raise three goddaughters - Esperanza （also known as "Perry"）， Olivia， and Billie。 Although they all become successful， they also face some obstacles as well。 Towards the end of the book， family secrets are revealed， and those secrets end up changing the women's lives。 I really liked Ama's character。 No matter what she went through， she handled it with poise。 Although she grew up poor， she worked her way up to be successful in finance， a field that is mostly male-dominated， and much harder for a woman of color。 I adored her relationship with Omar and the girls。 Perry， the oldest goddaughter， grows up to be successful， but learns that there is much to learn about marriage and relationships。 Olivia， who is much like Ama in her way of thinking and personality， encounters difficult experiences due to her skin color。 She learns to be comfortable in her own skin。 Billie， the youngest goddaughter， struggles with success and her identity; at the end of the book， she then learns how to be truly happy。Overall， I enjoyed this book; I learned a few things about African-American culture that I wouldn't have learned on my own。 I am also glad that there is a book that focuses on the success of African-Americans （rather than their disparities）。 A great read！**A big thanks to publishers William Morrow and Co， Sunny Hostin， and Goodreads for this ARC; all opinions are my own and are no way influenced by this giveaway** 。。。more
Cindy
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Well written but if you can't make me care about the characters by pg 60， you will have lost me。 These characters seem to have had no strife to toughen them。 Really no child abuse or divorce， date rape。。nothing？ God just doesn't deliver perfect lives like this，If the secrets revealed later will make these women real to me， relatable，then I guess drop bread crumbs sooner？ Well written but if you can't make me care about the characters by pg 60， you will have lost me。 These characters seem to have had no strife to toughen them。 Really no child abuse or divorce， date rape。。nothing？ God just doesn't deliver perfect lives like this，If the secrets revealed later will make these women real to me， relatable，then I guess drop bread crumbs sooner？ 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Summer on the Bluffs
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Summer on the Bluffs&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Summer on the Bluffs&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0