"Shorecliff is a classic coming-of-age story told through the eyes of a naïve young boy who doesn't fully grasp half of what was unfolding around him until many years later. Part A Separate Peace, part I Capture the Castle, it's the story of a momentous summer when illusions are dashed, family ties are tested, and secrets come spilling out. DeYoung effectively demonstrates how certain events, no matter how big or small, can imprint the rest of our lives forever."
--Bronwyn Miller, Bookreporter
"A gripping and magical read.... DeYoung delivers on the premise marvelously well in her debut novel....This excellent novel about cousins interacting continues a genre that has New England antecedents....DeYoung writes with an easy grace."
--Kay Bourne, EDGE Boston
"Affecting... Thirteen-year-old Richard's retrospective account of a family gathering at Shorecliff, his mother's old family home, is filled with longing, love and regret.... DeYoung's engrossing conclusion and exquisite tone.... captures the mood and morals of a bygone era."
---Kirkus
"DeYoung delves into the complicated and shifting dynamics of a New England family....Much like the decade it captures-the 1920s-Shorecliff is a whimsical, captivating read that's tinged with nostalgia from the first page....Both the vivid characters and the alluring setting remained with me far after I closed the novel."
--Kelsey Thomas, Bustle
"DeYoung's vivid evocation of a summer home in Maine along with the enthralling, flawed members of the extended Hatfield clan held me captive from the very first page to the electrifying conclusion. Shorecliff reads like the work of a seasoned veteran of the form, not a debut novelist."--Meg Mitchell Moore, author of So Far Away
"Divine. . . . A delicious summer read. . . . Shorecliff gives readers a vivid picture of what happens when a sprawling family spends time in close quarters. Although set nearly a century ago on a picturesque Maine estate, DeYoung's novel is immediate and familiar, and her character development is nothing short of brilliant."
---Elin Hilderbrand, author of Beautiful Day
"I was swept away from the very first page, captivated by the Hatfields as they teeter between beauty and loss of innocence in one dreamlike summer. DeYoung's writing glitters with clarity, confidence, and depth, all the way to the book's stunning ending. A debut of a wonderful new literary voice."--Rae Meadows, author of Mercy Train
"This exceptional novel is reminiscent of the grand family classics of the nineteenth century. DeYoung manages a large cast--every one of them vital and unique--with deft timing. And with exquisite skill, she reveals calamitous events, enticing the reader with tidbits about what is to come. I look forward to future novels from this gifted author."--Anna Jean Mayhew, author of The Dry Grass of August
"True to itself and to the experience of its young protagonist....DeYoung succeeds in reminding us of how it felt to be young, when the realization that adults had pasts and lives independent of their role as masters and caregivers came as a shock, and overheard conversations among teenage cousins were a gateway to wisdom."
---Julie Wittes Schlack, Boston Globe