Reviews

Postcards from Summer by Cynthia Platt

bibliotequeish's review against another edition

4.0

Lexi doesn't really remember her mom, she died when she was young and her father doesn't talk about her.
When Lexis maternal grandmother passes away, Lexi is sent a mosaic box containing letters and mementos from her mothers past. Equipped with nothing but the name of a hotel Lexi travels to Mackinac Island hoping to piece together the mystery of her mothers life.

A dual timeline story with alternating POVs, so you are learning the secret of what happened to Emma, Lexis mom, along with her. Beautifully written, with an interesting story, this book had me counting down the minutes till I could pick it back up.
I wanted to know what happened to Lexis mom, as the story neared the end I grew so accustomed to Emma's voice that I forgot she had passed away, I found myself really sad that she was no longer part of the story.
Definitely a book I would recommend

tris_runner_tribute's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

beauty_and_the_rose's review against another edition

5.0

This story was such an emotional roller-coaster but it was an amazing read ❤ I fell instantly in love with all the characters in both storylines. It's the perfect summer read and well worth picking up. I'm so glad I came across this gem!

lvanherck's review against another edition

emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

amatczynski's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

taylorsandhu's review against another edition

emotional lighthearted mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

jeanna's review against another edition

emotional lighthearted reflective fast-paced

2.5

sjarrell140's review against another edition

5.0

All the best books are worth staying up late for! This book tore me to SHREDS. This is a long book but it was worth every page. The dual timelines, setting, characters & twists were all held together by this one mystery. And the mystery is worth waiting for

katielzg's review against another edition

medium-paced

3.0

kays_reading_journal's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

I picked up this book because a bookseller on Mackinac Island recommended it, and I genuinely loved it. Postcards from Summer is a dual timeline mystery/ love story that was really enjoyable to read. 

There’s a big reveal towards the end that was AMAZING. When it finally hit me my jaw dropped. While there were some hints throughout the book, I wasn’t sure about it until page 443, I just think it was done perfectly. 

There were only two things that weren’t perfect to me. The first was that the two protagonists seemed too similar to me. Their individual voices just didn’t really shine through the text well enough for me to really care for Lexi. 

The second one, was all the facts about the settings that were changed. I searched and searched online trying to find the author explaining why they changed things, but I couldn’t find anything. If they included an authors note about it in the novel, it may not have bothered me so much. Let me explain: This setting isn’t just a fictional island based on Mackinac, it is the island. Every time something in the text differed from real life, it took me out of the story. The main points are numbered below for your convenience, if you don’t care, you can skip to the concluding paragraph. 

1. Lexi books a hotel at the age of 17 with no problem at all. You have to be 18 to book a room anywhere and I believe on Mackinac, you actually have to be 21. 
2. There was a fake Mirror Rock in the book instead of the real Arch Rock. 
3. The main character walks through a farming exhibit at the historical society on the island. There isn’t a historical society on the island, and as far as I could find researching, farming was never major at all on Mackinac. 
4. Lastly, (for now) there’s a line saying kids were playing in the sand, but the island doesn’t have sand beaches, only rock. 

I just don’t get why these aspects were changed because they easily could’ve been written around, or just weren’t necessary at all. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I loved Emma’s character, and I loved the mystery and the feeling of summer. But if you’re reading this because it takes place on Mackinac, be aware some aspects were changed.