Summer Days, Starry Nights is a love letter to summer, the 1960s, and the decade’s music, told through the story of 14-year-old Reenie Starr.

More than anything, Reenie loves her family’s summer resort, Sandy Shores, so when guest reservations start declining in the summer of 1962, she knows she’ll do whatever it takes to reignite its spark. To combat the dwindling numbers, Reenie’s mother, Mimi, hires 17-year-old Gwen, a dancer from Toronto, to organize dance classes and parties at the resort. Reenie instantly takes to Gwen and her glamorous big-city ways, but Gwen has secrets she’s trying to keep and a past she’s trying to run away from, both of which will lead to trouble.

Through Reenie’s innocent eyes, author Vikki VanSickle beautifully captures the novel’s time and place. Reenie’s affection for Sandy Shores shines through the lush descriptions of the resort and its surroundings. It’s hard not to fall in love with Reenie’s favourite place.

And it’s just as hard not to fall in love with Reenie. In trying to please her parents and impress both her cool older brother, Bo, and the mysterious Gwen, Reenie goes to extremes to attract attention to her beloved resort, setting in motion a plan that doesn’t end up working out quite as hoped. But with such good intentions, Reenie’s failings are all the more endearing.

The novel’s only weak spot is the last-act revelation of an old secret harboured by Reenie’s mother. Although VanSickle hints at Mimi’s past a few times in the story, the twist feels sudden and arrives a bit too late.