Last Summer

';A thoughtful social commentary and tender narration of friendship and loyalty' from the bestselling author of A Wedding on the Beach (Publishers Weekly). The town of Yorktide, close to Maine's beautiful beaches and the city of Portland, seems like the perfect place to raise a family. For Jane Patterson, there's another advantage: her best friend, Frannie Giroux, lives next door, and their teenaged daughters, Rosie and Meg, are inseparable. But in the girls' freshman year of high school, everything changes. Rosiequiet, shy, and also very prettyattracts the sneers and slights of a clique of older girls. Over time, the bullying worsens. When Meg betrays their friendship, fearful that she too will be targeted, Rosie suffers an emotional breakdown. Blaming both Meg and Frannie, Jane tries to help Rosie heal while dealing with her own guilt and anger. In the months that follow, each struggles with the ideas of forgiveness and compassion, of knowing when a friendship is shattered beyond repairand when hope can be salvaged, one small moment at a timePraise for Holly Chamberlin ';Nostalgia over real-life friendships lost and regained pulls readers into the story.'USA TodayonSummer Friends ';A great summer read but with substance. It will find a wide audience in its exploration of sisterhood, family, and loss.'Library JournalonSummer with My Sisters ';A dramatic and moving portrait of several generations of a family and each person's place within it.'Booklist on The Family Beach House