PRAISE FOR THE LAST BATHING BEAUTY
“The Last Bathing Beauty is a pitch-perfect summer read, starring Betty ‘Boop’ Stern, a plucky heroine with a tackle box full of secrets and enough regret for a lifetime. Using dual timelines, Nathan expertly unravels the events that derailed Betty’s sparkling future in 1951 and continue to haunt her even as an eighty-four-year-old woman. Full of characters that shine and told with compassion and humor, this is women’s fiction at its best.”
—Sonja Yoerg, Washington Post bestselling author of True Places
“Amy Sue Nathan is a true storyteller, and The Last Bathing Beauty is her best book. It’s an epic tale of family, secrets, loss, marriage, betrayal, friendships, laughter, and regrets.”
—Cathy Lamb, author of Julia’s Chocolates and All About Evie
“The Last Bathing Beauty is a gorgeous story about how life doesn’t always work out the way we want it to, but if we’re willing, we can still make it a great life. This book ripped at my heart in the best possible way, and I won’t forget it. Told across three generations of smart, determined, compassionate women, The Last Bathing Beauty is the loveliest of stories about the sacrifices and triumphs that come from being a daughter, wife, mother, and friend.”
—Juliet McDaniel, author of Mr. & Mrs. American Pie
“For those who believe in happily ever after, Amy Sue Nathan’s The Last Bathing Beauty is a real winner. She has spun a heartfelt tale about romance, heartbreaks, friendship, and the wisdom that comes from living a life with no regrets. Told with tenderness and humor, readers will love this journey back in time with Boop and the girls.”
—Renée Rosen, bestselling author of Park Avenue Summer
“In this reimagining of Dirty Dancing, Nathan demonstrates expert storytelling when we meet the charismatic Betty ‘Boop’ Stern as a young woman, and also as an eighty-four-year-old as she looks back on a difficult choice that altered the path of her glittering future. Told with empathy and lyrical prose, The Last Bathing Beauty is a winning tale of friendship, regret, and second chances with a ring of endearing and spirited women at its heart.”
—Heather Webb, USA Today bestselling coauthor of Meet Me in Monaco
“A thoroughly enjoyable, past-and-present tale of a life-changing summer and its echoes decades later. This story has it all—great characters, sensory-rich settings, and a sweet salute to believing in second chances. The finale will have you cheering.”
—Susan Meissner, bestselling author of The Last Year of the War
“The Last Bathing Beauty is an emotionally gripping story that captivated me from page one. Amy Sue Nathan knows how to thread the past and present together in a way that readers won’t soon forget. A moving tale about second chances and the fathomless depths of true love.”
—Tina Ann Forkner, author of Waking Up Joy
ALSO BY AMY SUE NATHAN
The Good Neighbor
Left to Chance
The Glass Wives
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Text copyright © 2020 by Amy Nathan Gropper
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.
Published by Lake Union Publishing, Seattle
www.apub.com
Amazon, the Amazon logo, and Lake Union Publishing are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc., or its affiliates.
ISBN-13: 9781542007092
ISBN-10: 1542007097
Cover design by Faceout Studio, Lindy Martin
Dedicated to
Elaine Bookbinder
and
Charlene Klein
CONTENTS
START READING
SOUTH HAVEN, MICHIGAN
PROLOGUE
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
EPILOGUE
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS AND AUTHOR’S NOTE
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
It is not the Atlantic City of the west, as has been erroneously stated by ambitious writers. There is no comparison and probably never will be. It is simply the same old South Haven that has charmed so many thousands in the past and hopes to charm as many thousands in the future. Do not come to South Haven with the idea of finding a Coney Island or an Atlantic City, for you will be disappointed. If you are looking for an ideal place to spend a week, a month or a year in a rational sane way then come to South Haven and you will find it.
Picturesque Michigan, pamphlet, 1913, author unknown
SOUTH HAVEN, MICHIGAN
PROLOGUE
BETTY
September 1951
Any other bride might have gazed into the mirror, stepped away, and then glanced back over her shoulder for another peek. Not Betty. She hadn’t looked at herself once today, and in fact she’d avoided her reflection all week. She knew the person looking back from the mirror would not be her. Betty Claire Stern no longer existed. She wanted to say she died, but Betty was mindful of her reputation for melodrama.
Perched gingerly on the window seat with a layer of crinoline crunching beneath her thighs, Betty studied her bedroom. Pink and floral, it had been perfect for growing up, for playing with her friends, and for private times. Her slice of North Beach and Lake Michigan was also perfect. She turned, glanced out the window to the west, and sighed.
As of tomorrow, Lake Michigan would be to her east, and her bedroom—one she had never seen, but that likely wouldn’t have pink posies—wouldn’t boast a view of anything besides a patch of grass or a front stoop. Betty was moving from Michigan to Illinois, from South Haven on the lake to Skokie in the suburbs.
It wasn’t really that far. Just a few hours’ drive.
Would she have a car?
Betty lifted the curl cluster at the nape of her neck with
