Summer of Love - a heartfelt family journey that begins in 1967.

In 2015, Dawn Hartley is approaching 40, and her life is not going in the direction she'd envisioned. While close to her mother Miranda, who raised her as a single parent, she finds it impossible to tell her that she has a drinking problem, especially since mother runs Hartley Vineyard in California's Napa Valley. When a project necessitates that she read the children's series Vineyard, Dawn is shocked how familiar the setting is. It sends her seeking to find the author, whose identity has never been revealed. When the story shifts to 1967, Miranda is learning the family wine business, while her free-spirited sister Winnie is enjoying the San Francisco scene, hoping to become a poet, as thousands of people seeking peace and love flock to the City by the Bay. The two sisters' lives go in very different directions through the 1970s. 

Summer of Love by Kerri Maher transports us to a pivotal period in time when San Francisco became the epicenter of the country's hippie and anti-war movements. Along with its nonconformist ideals came a surge in drug use. This is a moving story about a family seeking meaning and happiness, with characters impacted by addiction as secrets are kept. Maher faithfully captures the cultural eras in the novel, offering insight into the recovery process and the critical role of a strong support system. While there is heartbreak, this is a story filled with hope.

Many thanks to Berkley for the opportunity to read this book in advance. 

Rated 4 out of 5 stars.

Historical and Contemporary Fiction.

Publication Date: July 7, 2026.

Please "like" this post if Summer of Love sounds like a book you’d enjoy reading. I'd love to know. Scroll below the photo and click on the red outlined heart on the lower right-hand side of the page. Comments can also be left below.