Morse, Catherine Con. The Summer I Remembered Everything. Crown, 2025. 978-1-593-71142-2. 290 p. $19.99. Grades 7-10.
When sixteen-year old Emily Chen-Sanchez’s parents ground her for the C+ she got in psychology class, she knows she has to find a way to spend the summer away from her doom-speaker dad, critical mom, and perfect older sister, Tessa. She takes a job being a weekend companion to an eccentric old lady who lives in a beautiful Spanish-style mansion in their sleepy, Southern town. An outlier in her family of overachievers, Emily finds acceptance, nonjudgement, and fun with Mrs. Granucci (Mrs. G) as the older woman introduces her to Eggs Benedict, a wax George Harrison figure, and a lovely pair of blue leather shoes. Emily has a flirtation with Mrs. G’s handsome, preppy nephew, Ezra, who keeps an eye out on his beloved aunt and swears Emily to secrecy about the old woman’s increasing forgetfulness. During the week, Emily keeps busy with swimming practice and sporadic conversations with her best friend and secret crush Matt–who now is dating another girl–and face timing pal Heather who is working in London for the summer. Refuge at Mrs. G’s become more precious once Emily’s mother is diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Her feelings of being second best increase as she sees Tessa dealing with her mother’s illness efficiently, and she realizes Matt has moved on and her chance to be with him has past. At Mrs. G’s, Emily feel valued and important; the old woman appreciates Emily’s art and straightforwardness. As the summer weeks progress, however, Mrs. G’s behavior becomes erratic. She accuses Emily of stealing her engagement ring; she runs a red light and gets in a car accident. Emily is faced with the dilemma of betraying her senior friend or risking Mrs. G’s safety. With the help of her dad, Emily makes the choice to inform Mrs. G’s son about his mother’s failing mental state. Emily discovers she has resources of courage that will help her have honest discussions with her parents and even the ability to admit she loves Matt. The Summer I Remembered Everything deals with a young mixed race (Asian American and Latinx) girl’s growing pains familiar to many teen readers. Author Catherine Con Morse constructs a comfortable setting, free of violence, crime, sex, and foul language, making this a cozy read, despite Emily’s angst. Readers who like the Jenny Han series will like this book.
THOUGHTS: This cozy book will find fans who relate to Emily’s struggle to find her place in her family, her attempts to meet challenges, and her realization that she loves her bff, Matt. Some of the author’s choices in plot seem not so believable to me. In point, Emily’s charge, Mrs. Grannuci says she was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York; but the reader is told time and again that the older woman is the consummate Southern lady with a deeply Southern accent (Watt Moose for White Moose). My family moved from New York to Philadelphia when I was in high school, and even my younger sister–who was six months old at the time–retains some vestiges of a New York accent just from growing up in a household where r’s were dropped and a’s were drawn out. I couldn’t get past this detail; it would have been so easy to have let the reader assume Mrs. G was born and raised in South Carolina.
Realistic Fiction
