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Vendor
Mohrbooks Literary Agency
Sebastian Ritscher
Original language
English

SUMMER FRIDAYS

Suzanne Rindell

You've Got Mail for a new generation, this novel, set in the days of AOL and instant messenger, follows a lonely editorial assistant in publishing whose surprise meeting with "the other woman's" boyfriend changes the trajectory of her summer.
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 of 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.

Summer of 1999: Twenty-something Sawyer is balancing a new city, her suddenly-distant fiancée, her assistant job in publishing, and making a mark with her own writing. When she meets Nick, boyfriend to her fiancée's all-too-close female colleague, seriously, since when is karaoke part of staying late to work on a case? Sawyer's lonely summer in New York takes an unexpected turn.

At first she finds Nick salty and smug, and he finds Sawyer stuck in her own head. When Nick seeks out Sawyer online to apologize for said saltiness and smugness the early days of AOL and instant messenger banter ensue a friendship develops. As their relationship evolves, and Sawyer finds herself increasingly alone in her hot apartment, she and Nick begin an unofficial ritual -- exploring New York City 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. To follow her secret dream to write, and to advocate for herself at work. She pushes him to open up. To tell her what he's really thinking about things. At the end of the summer, with her wedding date looming large, Sawyer must choose between the life she thought she was living, and the freedom and joy she feels with Nick.

Suzanne Rindell is the author of four novels: The Other Typist, which has been translated into 20 languages, Three-Martini Lunch, Eagle & Crane, and The Two Mrs. Carlyles.
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Book

Published 2024-05-28 by Dutton Trade

Book

Published 2024-05-28 by Dutton Trade

Comments

From the first page [I] was absorbed...Suzanne Rindell's story of a 1920s police stenographer who becomes increasingly obsessed with a glamorous new typist reminds me at points of Notes on a Scandal and Patricia Highsmith, but has creepy charms all its own.

Take a dollop of Alfred Hitchcock, a dollop of Patricia Highsmith, throw in some Great Gatsby flourishes, and the result is Rindell's debut, a pitch-black comedy about a police stenographer accused of murder in 1920s Manhattan....A deliciously addictive, cinematically influenced page-turner, both comic and provocative.

UK & C: Zaffre/Bonnier ; Portuguese (P): ASA/Leya

In this pacey, emotional novel, Suzanne Rindell perfectly captures the essence of summer in New York City at the turn of the 21st century. With the wit and depth of all the best Nora Ephron movies, this love story is not to be missed.

Rindell joins the ranks of popular historical fiction authors Kristin Hannah and Kate Quinn with this fast-paced, gripping novel that compellingly explores a tumultuous era of 20th-century history.

The frame narrative adds emotional heft to this lovely, nostalgia-tinged romance. Readers will be entranced.

I could not put down Suzanne Rindell's delightful romance, which brought me back, in the most charming way, to the 1990s. A sweet, nostalgic coming of age tale.

Summer Fridays is both a love letter to New York City and a nostalgic glimpse back to the cellphone-free nineties. In this absorbing novel about a pivotal summer of longing, betrayal, and the desire to feel connected, a young publishing assistant needs to decide if she will follow the path others expect of her or if she'll go after something and someone infinitely more fulfilling. A wonderfully satisfying read!

Think of it as the publishing industry's take on Mad Men: a gripping fictional dispatch from the world of talented writers and editors with big dreams, secrets, and booze bills.

Rindell is a fine writer, and she's written a suspenseful and well executed novel. The Other Typist is an elegant debut.

Masterfully told, completely immersive, with in-depth characters who illustrate the social complexities of the time, this is an unforgettable historical novel, similar in impact to Snow Falling on Cedars, by David Guterson, and Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, by Jamie Ford.