Summer Fridays

Starred review from March 25, 2024
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. Agent: Liz Parker, Verve Talent & Literary.

May 1, 2024
Reminiscent of a Nora Ephron movie, Rindell's novel is a nostalgic, heart-pounding coming-of-age tale about falling in love and finding yourself. It's the summer of 1999 in New York, and Sawyer is preparing for three months of enduring heat waves, reading manuscripts, and solitude. Her fiance, Charles, was assigned to a major case at his law firm, meaning late nights and working weekends with his too-close-for-comfort co-worker, Kendra. With summer Fridays approaching at Sawyer's publishing job, she can't help but dread the long, lonely months awaiting her in New York. But soon enough, Sawyer acquires an unlikely companion: Kendra's boyfriend, Nick. At one of Charles and Kendra's law firm dinners, Sawyer had the less than agreeable experience of talking to surly Nick, who poked fun at her name and hinted that their partners might be having an affair. Content to leave Nick and his cynicism behind, Sawyer is surprised to receive an email from Nikolai70@aol.com containing an apology. They continue emailing, then instant messaging, and Sawyer learns that Nick is not only thoughtful and a great listener, but also the only person who truly understands her crumbling relationship. As summer continues and their partners stay out later and later for "work," Nick and Sawyer become one another's closest confidantes. He's the first person to hear about her editorial dreams, her condescending boss, and even her NYC bucket list, which soon becomes fodder for their summer Fridays. Drawn together by the strangest of circumstances, Sawyer and Nick start living for their Fridays together. But when summer ends, where does their relationship stand? Rindell perfectly captures the thrilling, butterfly-inducing feeling of falling in love against a background of sultry summer nights in the bustling city. She explores the complexities of wanting what you can't have and pushing past feelings of settling for less as Nick and Sawyer navigate a passionate, vulnerable connection with their future in limbo. Heartbreaking and romantic in some parts, downright swoonworthy in others.

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