Review: The Summer We Lost Her

The Summer We Lost Her by Tish Cohen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This is a compelling family drama that shows what can happen when a husband and wife lose their way, and how tragedy can either break them or make them stronger.

Matt, a 50-something lawyer, and Elise, a 30-something Olympic-caliber equestrian, are in the Adirondacks to sell Matt's deceased grandfather's house. The trip started out badly when Matt and their 8-year-old daughter with cerebral palsy, Gracie, left NYC without Elise because she was having a problem getting her horse back from Florida and, because of that, she missed Gracie's first-ever school play.

It gets even more tense as Matt reconnects with the woman next door who he lost his virginity to when they were teenagers. Matt eventually learns some things about his grandfather (who raised him after his parents died) that would mean he was not the revered and philanthropic people looked up to.

Meanwhile, Elise is doing some soul-searching of her own. She must decide what's more important to her: Her family or her Olympic dreams. She also flashes back to her troubled childhood, which shapes the woman she is today.

When Gracie disappears one morning Matt and Elise begin to question everything.

Because Elise is away so much because of her training Matt is the dominant parent. A couple of times people ask how he manages to juggle everything and it's noted that if Matt was the one training for the Olympics and away from home so much no one would question how Elise juggles everything. (view spoiler)[That's why I was only semi-satisfied with the ending. If not for that, I would have given it 5 stars. (hide spoiler)]

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