Golden Hills: A Short Story

4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars | 8,426 ratings

Price: 1.99

Last update: 12-22-2024


About this item

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Weiner comes a heartfelt short story about a complicated friendship and a youthful betrayal that still has the power to shape two women’s lives.

Senatorial favorite Ida Berkowitz is headed for a win. Raised by a hardworking widowed mother, she’s authentic, relatable, and down-to-earth. Voters love her. Polls promise victory. Then her campaign manager utters four awful words: Who is Marissa Schuyler? She had almost managed to forget. Ida’s bunkmate at Camp Golden Hills when they were girls, Marissa was confident, sophisticated, and wealthy. Everything Ida wasn’t. Now the polished wife of a major conservative donor, Marissa’s announced a press conference. About Ida.

Just like that, Ida’s old insecurities come rushing in. So do new feelings of dread. After all these years, she knows what’s on Marissa’s mind. It could undermine everything Ida’s worked for. Because it isn’t very pretty.


From the Publisher

A bright future. A painful secret.

Top reviews from the United States

  • Jacq
    5.0 out of 5 stars Really good
    Reviewed in the United States on September 24, 2024
    I like short stories when they’re well written. This one is very well written. It draws you in like a great novel but an appropriate length arc. The protagonist is quickly fleshed out as very 3-dimensional, we feel her emotions with her. By the time it gets to the end it doesn’t feel too short or too drawn out or cut off; the ending leaves you feeling well satisfied. This good short story is comparable to a great slice of dessert - not a lot of quantity but able to be perfectly fulfilling and “hit the spot”.
  • Michelle L. Beck
    4.0 out of 5 stars Short and Sweet!!
    Reviewed in the United States on September 27, 2023
    Golden Hills is a short, sweet story about forgiveness, understanding, envy and friendship. Kind of a coming of age story. It navigates a ton of issues like sexuality, weight, betrayal, and misunderstandings.

    Senatorial candidate Ida Berkowitz is living a life that she never expected to have. She’s up in the polls and nothing appears to stopping her. Well, nothing until she hears a name from her past, Marissa Schuyler. She never expected something that happened when she was 16 could change the course of her life and career. She remembers that summer well and Marissa - her bunkmate at Camp Golden Hills. If Marissa tells her secret, it will change everything. So with tons of guilt and shame, Ida is reminded of all of her insecurities. She was the scholarship, smart, big boned teen (who hoped she’d shed some pounds), make friends and find love. BUT Marissa was the complete opposite. She was confident, came from a wealthy family, had tons of material things, pretty and thin. How had the friendship they had forged come to such a terrible end. What could have possibly happened that summer that would change them both forever?

    Overall, I thought Ida’s fear was a little irrational. I personally didn’t think that it (the secret) was that big a deal. But I enjoyed reading this short story. It moved quickly and was easy to read. I just thought the drama would be a little more shall I say scandalous. You read it and you tell me.
  • Alexis Campbell
    5.0 out of 5 stars cute!
    Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2024
    Cute short story! Always love everything from Jennifer Weiner and this was no exception! Love a good summer camp story too.
  • Leara Nicole Morris-Clark
    3.0 out of 5 stars Nice and polished
    Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2023
    I chose this from the Amazon Prime First Reads options. It has bisexual representation and that piqued my interest. It was a short story and as such a quick read. It was not super compelling but interesting enough to keep me reading. The pace was even and moved along well. There was no romance, not much conflict, and a lovely clean resolution that seemed like it wanted to teach me something. The story revolves around a democratic politician, so if that offends you, skip it. I enjoyed the writing style, nothing fancy, nice and polished. I liked Golden Hills: A Short Story. Solid 3 stars. If Jennifer Weiner has any other sapphic novels, I'd probably read them.
  • LynnS77
    5.0 out of 5 stars Friends
    Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2024
    Ida was a very intelligent young woman, but scholastics was her superpower. Still, Ida had a weight problem and a mother too busy to pay attention to her daughter who had insecurities.

    Ida managed to get her own scholarship to a special camp for weight loss, and there she made friends. One of whom would pop into her life when she least expected it.

    This was a wonderfully sensitive story about a young woman growing up in a world that didn’t entirely accept her as she was, and the delight she found in acceptance. Five stars for excellent writing that made me feel like part of the story.
  • Gloglix
    4.0 out of 5 stars short and sweet
    Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2024
    Delightful little story. Easy to read and a great little snack between meals. The characters are endearing and love- able.
  • Steve Grobschmidt
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fun quick read with a strong main character
    Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2023
    Well, in the years I've been getting books through the Amazon First Reads, this is a first -- I finished the story on the first day of the month. It of course helped that it's a short story!

    One of the things I like to do with First Reads is purposely pick things that aren't typically what I'd pick (my go-to's tend to be fantasy and sci-fi). That way, I broaden my horizons and get all kinds of different perspectives.

    This one was a fun read. The story is obviously short, so there's little time to convey the conflict and get to it. What I liked about the way the author structured this is that she immediately introduces the reader to a confident, successful, rising star in politics. Then, almost as swiftly, we're presented with a mere name that rocks the main character's world.

    I obviously won't delve into spoilers, but I really liked this main character baring her insecurities and issues from childhood, which serve as a contrast to this powerful woman she becomes. I wasn't expecting the reveal that initially threatened her so much (and honestly, I was building up in my head something far more scandalous or sinister), but it doesn't matter -- this was great character development and a great read to knock out on a treadmill run!
  • Health and Wellness Coach
    4.0 out of 5 stars The Other Side
    Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2024
    This book gave me a look into lives very different from mine. But the way the author explored each character's emotions helped me relate to what they were feeling, which reminded me of feelings I've had in similar situations. Even though our experiences weren’t the same, the emotions felt very familiar.

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