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Purchase on Amazon: $12.99 Kindle / $24.30 Hardcover

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Published: May 22, 2018

Number of Pages: 416

My Copy Came From: Random House Publishers

Read Via: Hard copy sent in the mail

My Like Level: 3 out 5

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Favorite Quotes (I couldn’t pick just one!):

“Summer was a forever season, and held no pain.”

“Her outfit whispered, I am rich, and this is appropriate summer attire, because this is as beachy as I’m willing to get.”

“Ah, now she knew what divorce really was. Sharing decisions with someone you would run down on the street.”

“Did men have to do that, reframe the past into a lie, so they wouldn’t feel guilty about moving on? They had the strength to break things, but not the strength to carry them.”

Publisher Summary from Amazon:

“A shimmering story of art, money, and celebrity, The High Season is wicked summer fun.”—Helen Simonson, New York Times bestselling author of Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand

The Hamptons hath no fury like a woman scorned.

No matter what the world throws her way, at least Ruthie Beamish has the house. Lovingly renovated, located by the sea in a quiet Long Island village, the house is her nest egg—the retirement account shared with her ex-husband, Mike, and the college fund for their teenage daughter, Jem. The catch? To afford the house, Ruthie must let it go during the best part of the year.

It’s Memorial Day weekend and Ruthie has packed up their belongings for what Jem calls “the summer bummer”: the family’s annual exodus to make way for renters. This year, the Hamptons set has arrived. The widow of a blue-chip artist, Adeline Clay is elegant, connected, and accompanied by a “gorgeous satellite” stepson. But soon Adeline demonstrates an uncanny ability to help herself to Ruthie’s life—her house, her friends, even her husband (okay, ex-husband, but still). And after her job as the director of a local museum is threatened, Ruthie finally decides to fight back.

Meanwhile, away from the watchful eyes of her parents, Jem is tasting independence at her first summer job, but soon finds herself growing up too fast. One of Ruthie’s employees, a master of self-invention named Doe, infiltrates the inner circle of an eccentric billionaire and his wayward daughter. With a coterie of social climbers and Ruthie’s old flame thrown into the mix, the entire town finds itself on the verge of tumultuous change. By the end of one unhinged, unforgettable summer, nothing will be the same.

In a novel packed with indelible characters, crackling wit, and upstairs/downstairs drama, Judy Blundell emerges as a voice for all seasons—a wry and original storyteller who knows how the most disruptive events in our lives can twist endings into new beginnings.

Advance praise for The High Season

“The sophisticated and delicious portrayal of subtle class warfare at the shore would make a perfect beach book, but it’s a pleasure to read any time.”—Library Journal (starred review)

“You will revel in the human drama and comedy of this skillfully told tale. Wise, funny, and insightful.”—Adriana Trigiani, New York Times bestselling author of Kiss Carlo

My Thoughts:
Don’t let my rating of 3 out of 5 stars fool you. I really enjoyed this book. Why then the middle of the road rating you might ask? There have just been so many incredible 4 and 5 star books lately that I am being stingy with my higher ratings.
The High Season is a perfect beach read. Not only is it set during the Summer on a beach, it is full of love, heartache, betrayal and relationships that change as often as the tides. I really enjoyed the main character Ruthie Beamish. I rooted for her from the very beginning of the book. She is not your typical book character. She’s older, but not too old, and she’s a divorcee’ who has a spunkiness and fight in her that I admired. Doe, is another of our leads. She is young and fiercely determined to shed her trashy and tragic Florida upbringing in order to make it among the rich and influential Summer vacationers on this North Fork island.
There are some interesting side plots that occur throughout, but the main story is Ruthie’s world which is crashing down around her. She is losing her husband (although they are already separated) to a famous woman who rents Ruthie’s house for the summer, she is very close to losing her job, and her teenage daughter Jemma is having troubles with friends at school.
Pick this book up if you see it in the airport. I can almost guarantee that you will be as  swept into this story as I was.
Thank you to Random House Publishers for this Advanced Readers Edition in exchange for an honest review.

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