Mary's Reviews > Last Summer at the Golden Hotel

Well hello Last Summer at the Golden Hotel by Elyssa Friedland, how I enjoyed you!! And not least of all because the audiobook is narrated by my favorite narrator, Julia Whelan. This book was a lot of fun, and it made me giggle as well as gave me all the family drama and summer vibes I could possibly want. This is a character-driven novel as well as being packed with them, so it is really helpful that the book has family trees for both the Goldman's and the Weingold's. I would recommend that if you are going to listen to the audiobook you should also have a copy of the physical book as well. The family trees aren't all that large, but they were so helpful to have. I loved getting to know all of the characters and it reminded me a little bit of the show Schitt's Creek for some reason.

I really enjoyed the switches between past and present, and Friedland did an incredible job of describing not just the characters, but the hotel as well. And oh, the drama, Last Summer at the Golden Hotel is a dramedy at its finest, and I loved the tension created between the two families. At its core that's what this book is all about, family, and I loved how heartwarming it ended up being. I haven't watched Dirty Dancing in an age so I can't speak to how much it reminds me of that movie (everyone is comparing it to that), but I can tell you that it immediately made me want to watch it again. This is my first time reading Friedland, but I definitely want to read more from her now and I have a sneaking suspicion I will be doing another listen of this one at some point.

I received a complimentary listening copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.