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drownedworld's review
5.0
Oh wow. No one writes as beautifully as @kkletter does. I repeatedly went back & reread many lines (& also read them to coworkers) because EAST COAST GIRLS is gorgeous. & powerful, & heartbreaking & funny & so very compelling.
jennifoo's review
3.0
Not a “suspense” book. Over dramatized look at a group of girls’ lives. So much inward reflection and metaphors for life. Very little dialogue. Lots of descriptions and descriptions and descriptions.
bookishwithwine's review
4.0
I love a book about friendships, and this one is about four friends. Hannah, Maya, Blue and Renee. Going to Blue's Nana's house in Montauk was a summer tradition they looked forward to. One summer tragedy strikes involving Hannah's boyfriend, Henry, who is in a coma, and has been since they were teenagers. The chapters alternate between Hannah, Blue and Maya. Most of the story is present day, but throughout the book we are taken back to the night everything changed.
I think I went through every emotion while reading. Anger, sadness, anxiety, and excitement. The author did a good job with the build up to finally learning what happened that night, and that is what made this one a page turner. So many ideas of how Henry ended up in a coma went through my mind, but the truth was worse than I ever imagined.
While the ending didn't play out like I thought it would, it was the right one to do. When I read a non-thriller I like a good happy ever after ending, and in a way the ending was closure for the girls. Make sure you have tissues nearby!
This one is out now!
I think I went through every emotion while reading. Anger, sadness, anxiety, and excitement. The author did a good job with the build up to finally learning what happened that night, and that is what made this one a page turner. So many ideas of how Henry ended up in a coma went through my mind, but the truth was worse than I ever imagined.
While the ending didn't play out like I thought it would, it was the right one to do. When I read a non-thriller I like a good happy ever after ending, and in a way the ending was closure for the girls. Make sure you have tissues nearby!
This one is out now!
purrfectpages's review
3.0
I feel sort of guilty giving this one only three stars. Does it satisfy the requirement of being a decent beach read? Check. Did it make me think of the old days when I would devour books about preteen friendships in one day? Also check. So why only three stars you might ask? I think it’s because while it had all the trappings of simpler summer novels, it also dealt with some rather weighty material, but in a somewhat less weighty way. This story reunited four girls in the beach town they spend so many summers bonding in years ago. Then tragedy struck and the place, and their friendship, was never the same again. They want their reunion to be a reminder of simpler times, but life is reminding them you can’t hold on to the past. It’s hard to explain- if it had been pure escapism, you might say the story lacked depth. Had it been darker it would have become a different novel entirely. In the end I enjoyed it for what it was, but couldn’t help reflect on how some things could have been done differently, sort of like the subject matter in the novel itself.
bhunsberger's review
3.0
4 girl friends enjoyed time at the beach as teenagers, and while they made a pact to return every year as adults, life happened and those visits failed to occur. Finally, an effort is made, and the 4 women are all back together, though with some fractures in those friendships. This book is focused on the issues each woman is dealing with, either individually or as the group. A good amount of the book is recalling memories from their youth, and I found myself starting to skim through those sections more quickly.
kbranfield's review
3.0
East Coast Girls by Kerry Kletter is an intriguing novel of friendship and healing.
Twelve years after a tragedy that altered their lives, Hannah, Maya, Blue and Renee have all gone their separate ways. They are still friends but they rarely see one another. When Blue's grandmother's beach house is put up for sale, Maya convinces her friends to get together to celebrate their thirtieth birthdays. Although Blue is easy enough to convince, Hannah is reluctant to return to Montauk. Finally agreeing to join her friends, the women set off for a relaxing weekend together. However, unbeknownst to Blue or Hannah, Maya invited Renee to join them. Blue is furious since she has not spoken to her former best friend over the years. But Maya and Hannah are happy to see their friend despite the tension between Renee and Blue. With each of the women keeping secrets, will the weekend together heal them and their friendships?
Hannah's life is not at all what she planned twelve years ago. She adheres to a strict schedule and relies on a plethora of medication and rituals to get through life. She and Maya are best friends but there is some friction between them over the weekend. Hannah instantly regrets agreeing to the trip and as her fears threaten to overwhelm her, will she return to the safe life she has carved out for herself?
Blue is a highly successful stockbroker whose career leaves little time for a personal life. And that is just the way she likes it since she is growing to hate spending time at home. Blue is still nursing her fury at her estranged former best friend, but she has never revealed why she stopped speaking to Renee. Not one to step out of her comfort zone, she unenthusiastically accepts an old love's invitation to spend the evening together. Will her long held insecurities ruin Blue's second chance for a relationship with the man she has never been able to forget?
Maya is impulsive, immature and self-centered. She flits from one job to another and relies on Blue to help her when she runs into trouble. Her latest problem is of her own making and she is in danger of losing something she holds very dear. Maya often fails to think about the consequences for her actions and she is prone to running away instead of facing her troubles head on. Maya is fiercely loyal and her heart is in the right place when she invites Renee to join them, but will this decision culminate with the results she desires?
Due to their various issues, their weekend away is anything but relaxing. Hannah's regrets about both joining her friends and the tragedy years earlier weigh heavily and influence her every decision. Everyone is growing weary of Maya's behavior but they are quick to forgive her poor choices. Blue is hardened and unforgiving towards Renee but she is grateful for her support. She is both excited and terrified to see her first love again but she cannot silence the negative voice inside her head. Renee is cautious but happy to see her old friends and she is tentatively hopeful the weekend together will mend the rift between her and Blue.
Alternating between different perspectives, East Coast Girls is an angsty novel that touches on several relatable topics. The characters are interesting but all of them remain stuck in the past. They are supportive of and genuinely care for each other. Over the course of their weekend, secrets are revealed and Kerry Kletter brings the novel to a hopeful conclusion.
Twelve years after a tragedy that altered their lives, Hannah, Maya, Blue and Renee have all gone their separate ways. They are still friends but they rarely see one another. When Blue's grandmother's beach house is put up for sale, Maya convinces her friends to get together to celebrate their thirtieth birthdays. Although Blue is easy enough to convince, Hannah is reluctant to return to Montauk. Finally agreeing to join her friends, the women set off for a relaxing weekend together. However, unbeknownst to Blue or Hannah, Maya invited Renee to join them. Blue is furious since she has not spoken to her former best friend over the years. But Maya and Hannah are happy to see their friend despite the tension between Renee and Blue. With each of the women keeping secrets, will the weekend together heal them and their friendships?
Hannah's life is not at all what she planned twelve years ago. She adheres to a strict schedule and relies on a plethora of medication and rituals to get through life. She and Maya are best friends but there is some friction between them over the weekend. Hannah instantly regrets agreeing to the trip and as her fears threaten to overwhelm her, will she return to the safe life she has carved out for herself?
Blue is a highly successful stockbroker whose career leaves little time for a personal life. And that is just the way she likes it since she is growing to hate spending time at home. Blue is still nursing her fury at her estranged former best friend, but she has never revealed why she stopped speaking to Renee. Not one to step out of her comfort zone, she unenthusiastically accepts an old love's invitation to spend the evening together. Will her long held insecurities ruin Blue's second chance for a relationship with the man she has never been able to forget?
Maya is impulsive, immature and self-centered. She flits from one job to another and relies on Blue to help her when she runs into trouble. Her latest problem is of her own making and she is in danger of losing something she holds very dear. Maya often fails to think about the consequences for her actions and she is prone to running away instead of facing her troubles head on. Maya is fiercely loyal and her heart is in the right place when she invites Renee to join them, but will this decision culminate with the results she desires?
Due to their various issues, their weekend away is anything but relaxing. Hannah's regrets about both joining her friends and the tragedy years earlier weigh heavily and influence her every decision. Everyone is growing weary of Maya's behavior but they are quick to forgive her poor choices. Blue is hardened and unforgiving towards Renee but she is grateful for her support. She is both excited and terrified to see her first love again but she cannot silence the negative voice inside her head. Renee is cautious but happy to see her old friends and she is tentatively hopeful the weekend together will mend the rift between her and Blue.
Alternating between different perspectives, East Coast Girls is an angsty novel that touches on several relatable topics. The characters are interesting but all of them remain stuck in the past. They are supportive of and genuinely care for each other. Over the course of their weekend, secrets are revealed and Kerry Kletter brings the novel to a hopeful conclusion.
leigh_marasco's review
2.0
This book just wasn’t for me. I had a really hard time getting into it, and debated putting it down without finishing at several points. The characters felt a little too extreme and I just couldn’t bring myself to care about their stories. Beyond that, there wasn’t much going on in the story and it felt a little dull. Just not my favorite!
tlvz721's review
4.0
There is nothing that compares to your chosen family. I was so impressed with this book. The characters were utterly real. I could picture them and hear them so clearly and I know I’ll still be wondering about them long after I’ve finished. That was one thing I loved the most about this novel: that, while the major questions were answered, it wasn’t concluded in perfectly crafted bows at the end (“they all moved into the beach house and lived happily ever after” would have been a bit too easy) because life itself doesn’t resolve that way. It’s adds to the feeling that this story is genuine. I highly recommend this book and give it a 4.5.
nicoleileen's review
3.0
3.5 stars
I enjoyed this read. It took me a bit to decide on my star rating. Will update my thoughts and review soon.
I enjoyed this read. It took me a bit to decide on my star rating. Will update my thoughts and review soon.