What do readers think of Summer of Love by Kerri Maher? Write your own review.

The cover doesn't do this book justice. This a book that begins in the 1967 Summer of Love and follows the consequences of free love and substance abuse. Three generations of stories unfold exploring the impact of addiction and lies and the struggles and rewards while moving towards sobriety.

Coming to grips with the past, forgiveness and forging a future are the main themes.
The belief that storytelling is healing was explored through out this text and as an avid reader I have to agree.

I hope Summer of Love is the must-read book of Summer 2026. This gorgeously written novel explores the secrets, heartbreak, and healing of the Hartley women in California wine country. I loved every word, every emotion, and every moment of pain.

I highly recommend this book. It's an absolutely beautifully written story about sisters, set against the historical fiction backdrop of the counterculture revolution in San Francisco and the rise of women leaders in the wine industry.

Thank you to BookBrowse for providing an early copy in exchange for my honest thoughts. I loved this book and highly recommend it. 5 stars.

The Summer of Love encompasses many themes from the era of sex, love & rock 'n roll to the present day with the overall focus on the trajectory of one family, secrets, addiction to alcohol or drugs or people and their journey to find peace & serenity.
My first husband was an alcoholic who died too young because of his addiction. I spent many years in Alanon learning self care and following the steps associated with my program. Just yesterday, I met a woman struggling with her husband's addiction. Alcoholism is an insidious disease that destroys lives, families, futures and relationships.

Kerri Maher weaves a story that shows the devastation as well as the resilience of those who find a way to sobriety. For me, the book is uplifting, encouraging and a brave examination of the author's own struggle.

I am grateful to Netgalley and BookBrowse for the opportunity to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

1967 Haight Asbury was the place to be wearing flowers in your hair, enjoying free love, powerful music, and turning on, tuning in and maybe dropping out. It seemed so ideal and for a time, it was.

This is the backdrop of the story of a California Napa Valley wine family. Winnie is a free spirit while her sister Miranda is the serious one. Their mother, Joan is left to run the family winery after her husband's alcoholic suicide. Dawn is Joan's granddaughter. All are affected by family secrets, addictions, love gone wrong, and ultimately by recovery.

If only we could all subscribe to the "all good things in moderation" dictum, but wine, like life in the Haight – when consumed to excess - is depicted as the family's downfall. Miranda is the only one who actually enjoys the wine for its taste – who refines the grapes to produce better product and who generally drinks sparingly. Everyone else drinks for the feeling – or the blocking of feeling - and that's where things fall apart.

This seems to be a cautionary tale. It also raises the issue of inherited addictive tendencies – Dawn seems to embody the nature vs. nurture example here.

However, there is definitely hope. Recovery is depicted as real people helping each other. As one person notes, this is the only disease cured by storytelling. People sharing and taking care of each other make a difference. Interestingly, t's a fictional story about a heroine named Phoebe that leads Dawn to finding help, her family, her true self and ultimately healing and love.

Since I grew up during the sixties, I identified with the ideals of the hippies and also with the characters in this book. And I still definitely enjoy a good glass of wine – for the taste – and in moderation.

Highly recommend this book – it would be excellent for discussion groups.

A moving, poignant and loving portrait of three women as they come of age during a "summer of love" separated by forty plus years. It explores the consequences of decisions made hastily but not thoughtfully. And, it is a stunning tribute to a golden age and to women.

Set in a dual time line that alternates between 1967-1970s and 2015, this book deals with three women: Winifred ("Winnie"), her sister, Miranda, and Dawn. Winnie and Miranda are daughters of a Napa winery owner. Winnie is a free spirit and artist, taking off after college gradation, while Miranda assumes a role in the winery. The turbulent 60s and its counterculture takes Winnie down a spiraling road to a broken heart.

Returning to her roots yo recover, she grapples with being back at the winery as she renews her ties with Miranda. But when she is lured back to her love, Winnie finds that heartbreak is her decision and other consequences are her burden. She hands these to Miranda as she runs away. In 2015 we meet Dawn struggling with alcoholism and discovering a book that has deep meaning to her and her family.

Seeking answers she uncovers the most closely guarded family secret. I loved the writing, the story, the characters, the setting - I've been to Sonoma, Temecula but not Napa, but the beauty of any winery does not escape me. The book captured my interest immediately and based on what the author wrote in her Afterword, she exquisitely captured the essence of this California setting. Having grown up in the 60s, I kept hearing.

"California Dreaming" as I read and the historical element to this book is well done.
This is a book for lovers of historical fiction that’s honest, real and heartfelt. Highly recommend.

Thank you BookBrowse/NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for giving me access to this ARC.

I love this era in England. Its mean, deceitful, conniving, treacherous and such "fun" to read about. Anne Bolyen in particular had it so very bad. Absolutely loved the twist with the witches, loved that women got some revenge and liked learning more about several queens. Well written, fun in an odd sense and overall just a good read.

I enjoyed Summer of Love and appreciated reading details of the 60s. I was a very young child in the 60s so I didn't get to experience, as a peer, the tumult of those trying times. I also really liked reading about the vineyard and the strong women who made it into a successful enterprise. The themes of addiction throughout the book helped to better understand each character's personality, their strengths and weaknesses.

I appreciate receiving a free copy of Summer of Love and am providing my honest review.

Summer of Love by Kerri Maher is a vivid and emotionally rich historical novel set during the cultural upheaval of 1960s San Francisco. Maher beautifully captures the spirit of the era; the music, freedom, hope, and uncertainty of the Summer of Love… while also showing the emotional complexity beneath the movement. The characters feel authentic and deeply human as they search for identity, connection, and purpose in a rapidly changing world.

What makes the novel especially compelling is its balance of nostalgia and realism. Rather than romanticizing the decade, Maher explores both the beauty and consequences of chasing freedom and reinvention. Her descriptive writing fully immerses readers in the atmosphere of Haight-Ashbury and the counterculture movement. Thoughtful, engaging, and heartfelt, Summer of Love is an excellent choice for fans of character-driven historical fiction and stories of self-discovery.