Summer Fridays
A Novel
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4.5 • 26 Ratings
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
You've Got Mail for a new generation, set in the days of AOL and instant messenger banter, about a freshly engaged editorial assistant who winds up spending her "summer Fridays" with the person she least expects
Summer 1999: Twentysomething Sawyer is striving to make it in New York. Between her assistant job in publishing, her secret dreams of becoming a writer, and her upcoming wedding to her college boyfriend, her is plate full. Only one problem: She is facing an incredibly lonely summer as her fiancé has been spending longer and longer hours at work . . . with an all-too-close female colleague, Kendra.
When Kendra's boyfriend, Nick, invites Sawyer to meet up and compare notes about their suspicions, the meeting goes awry. She finds Nick cocky and cynical, and he finds her stuck in her own head. But then Nick seeks out Sawyer online to apologize, and a friendship develops.
Soon, Sawyer's lonely summer takes an unexpected turn. She and Nick begin an unofficial ritual—exploring New York City together every summer Friday. From hot dogs on the Staten Island Ferry and Sea Breezes in a muggy East Village bar to swimming at Coney Island, Sawyer feels seen by Nick in a way that surprises her. He pushes her to be braver. To ask for what she wants. Meanwhile, Sawyer draws Nick out of his hard shell, revealing a surprisingly vulnerable side. They both begin living for their Friday afternoons together.
But what happens when the summer is over?
Summer Fridays is a witty and emotional love letter to New York City that also captures the feeling of being young and starting out, uncertain what to do on your summer Friday. It’s also perfect for readers who remember when “going online” meant tying up the phone line, and the timeless thrill of seeing a certain someone’s name in your inbox.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
National tragedy prompts the heroine of this heartrending romance from Rindell (The Two Mrs. Carlyles) to reflect on a summer spent with a man she never expected to love. In October 2001, New Yorker Sawyer reexamines her life and priorities, along with the rest of the city. What stands out most is the summer of 1999, when she was in her early 20s, just starting a career in publishing, and engaged to her college sweetheart. Then her fiancé starts spending too much time with a woman from work. The woman's boyfriend, Nick, believes the two are having an affair and reaches out to Sawyer with his suspicions. Though Nick and Sawyer get off to a bumpy start, when Nick learns that Sawyer's new to New York and always home alone, he pushes her to spend her summer Fridays, when both their offices let workers out at noon, having fun and exploring the city with him. As the pair develop a deep friendship, Sawyer finds herself torn between what others want for her and what she wants for herself. The frame narrative adds emotional heft to this lovely, nostalgia-tinged romance. Readers will be entranced.
