SUMMER FRIDAYS

YOU’VE GOT MAIL FOR A NEW GENERATION, SET IN THE DAYS OF AOL AND INSTANT MESSENGER BANTER, ABOUT A FRESHLY ENGAGED EDITORIAL ASSISTANT WHO WINDS UP SPENDING HER “SUMMER FRIDAYS” WITH THE PERSON SHE LEAST EXPECTS…

summer, 1999:

Twenty-something Sawyer is striving to make it in New York. Between her assistant job in publishing, her secret dreams of becoming a writer, and her upcoming wedding to her college boyfriend, her plate is full. Only one problem: She is facing an incredibly lonely summer as her fiancé has been spending longer and longer hours at work… with an all-too-close female colleague, Kendra.

When Kendra’s boyfriend, Nick, invites Sawyer to meet up and compare notes about their suspicions, the meeting goes awry. She finds Nick cocky and Cynical, and he finds her stuck in her own head. But then Nick seeks out Sawyer online to apologize, and a friendship develops.

Soon, Sawyer’s lonely summer takes an unexpected turn. She and Nick begin an unofficial ritual — exploring New York City together 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. Meanwhile, Sawyer draws Nick out of his hard shell, revealing a surprisingly vulnerable side. They both begin living for their Friday afternoons together.

But what happens when the summer is over?

praise for summer fridays

“ROM-COM PERFECTION.” 
—People Magazine, “Best Reads of Summer 2024”

“A NOSTALGIC, HEART-POUNDING COMING OF AGE TALE… 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… HEARTBREAKING AND ROMANTIC in some parts, DOWNRIGHT SWOONWORTHY in others.”
—Kirkus (starred review)

"A LOVELY, NOSTALGIA-TINGED ROMANCE. Readers will be ENTRANCED."
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“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.”

- Joanna Rakoff, bestselling author of My Salinger Year