Review - - Lost in the Summer of '69

Lost in the Summer of '69

by Eliza Knight

Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark

Release Date: June 9, 2026

Reviewed by PJ

Three generations of women, an unforgettable summer of music, and the epic cross-country road trip they'll never forget.

Summer, 1969. Eleanor Bell doesn't have anything to lose. According to her doctors, she might not remember how to sing or play guitar soon, so why not head west now? Why not join the music festivals sweeping the country and lose herself in the music again in a swan song of her own?

Except Eleanor forgets, maybe on purpose, to tell anyone where she's going. When her daughter, Leanne, discovers her mother missing, she enlists the help of her own daughter, Nora, to help her find Eleanor. The last thing Nora wants to do before starting as one of Yale's first female undergrads is hit the road. But then Nora hears her grandmother on the radio - singing. Nora and Leanne hop in their Lincoln Continental for a cross-country road trip, always one step behind Eleanor, who has been dubbed the Dame of Rock n' Roll by none other than Johnny Carson.

Full of nostalgia and awash with the warmth of summer, Lost in the Summer of '69 is an epic celebration of savoring the encore-no matter what the next act may bring.

PJ's Thoughts:

Eliza Knight's Lost in the Summer of '69 is one of my favorite books this year. A multi-generation story featuring a grandmother, daughter, and granddaughter, it takes readers from present day back to the summer of 1969 with a life-changing journey of music, books, travel, testing boundaries, chasing dreams, reconnection, and self discovery. 

Knight's compelling storytelling offers up a poignant, immersive, celebratory, heart-tugging journey of female empowerment that hits all the right notes, especially for those of my generation for whom that iconic summer holds precious, sometimes contentious, coming-of-age memories. I laughed, teared up more than once, found myself nodding in agreement with the mother/daughter dynamics, felt the heartbeat of that summer in my soul, and, yes, sang along with the musical artists of my teens as the main characters crisscrossed the country, soaking in the myriad music festivals of that summer while my mind traveled between the book's characters and my own memories. How can it have been 57 years when it feels like only yesterday?

Whether it evokes your own memories or introduces you to that long-ago summer that changed so much, Lost in the Summer of '69 is an uplifting, empowering, emotional, joyful story of relationships, family, personal growth, and chasing your dreams regardless of age or circumstance. It has my enthusiastic recommendation!