FICTION

The Last Bathing Beauty

by Amy Sue Nathan
Lake Union. Apr. 2020. 304p. ISBN 9781542007092. pap. $14.95. F
COPY ISBN
Nathan (Left to Chance) weaves the exhilaration of first love with the pain of heartbreak. Octogenarian Boop has just lost her husband of more than 60 years. She’s looking back on the summer of 1951, when she was an 18-year-old beauty known as Betty and working at her grandparents’ resort in “the Catskills of the Midwest,” when her granddaughter Hannah arrives and reveals a dilemma. In 1951, Betty enters a local beauty contest and feels the first flutters of love with a college boy. She plans on going to college and pursuing a career. But things don’t go as planned, and Betty’s life changes in ways she could never have expected. Sixty years later, and with Hannah needing her more than ever, Boop wonders if she can find true happiness.
VERDICT Historical fiction readers will enjoy the references to long-ago vacation destinations such as the Catskills and the Poconos, along with Nathan’s clever and accurate descriptions of women’s lives in the 1950s. This novel of first loves and second chances will resonate with fans of historical fiction authors such as Beatriz Williams or Lauren Willig.
Reviewed by Adriana Delgado, West Palm Beach, FL , Apr 01, 2020
Comment Policy:
  • Be respectful, and do not attack the author, people mentioned in the article, or other commenters. Take on the idea, not the messenger.
  • Don't use obscene, profane, or vulgar language.
  • Stay on point. Comments that stray from the topic at hand may be deleted.
  • Comments may be republished in print, online, or other forms of media.
  • If you see something objectionable, please let us know. Once a comment has been flagged, a staff member will investigate.

RELATED 

FICTION

Reluctant Bride’s Baby Bombshell
by Stewart, Rachael
FICTION

His Princess on Paper
by Milne, Nina
FICTION

Accidentally Engaged to the Billionaire
by Colter, Cara
FICTION

Breaking the Best Friend Rule
by Lewis, Justine
FICTION

Socialite’s Nine Month Secret
by Pembroke, Sophie
FICTION

Secretly Married to a Prince
by Blake, Ally
More
ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?

We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?