You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I know this book has been out for awhile but I fully admit that it wasn’t on my radar until they announced the adaptation at Netflix. Then I had to read the book before I watched the movie. Both sounded adorable.
Auden abruptly decides to spend the summer with her dad, her stepmom and their new baby. This is definitely inspired partly by a gag gift her older brother Hollis gave her. He gave her a frame that said “the best of days” or something along those lines. Auden realized all she’s done, for her entire life so far, has been to study hard and be the perfect little adult her parents want/need her to be. I loved a line from Hollis in the book where he says, “You’re always a kid around your parents…unless they’re acting like children”
And Auden’s parents are definitely not acting like parents.
I spent a lot of time really mad at Auden’s parents.
They are incredibly intelligent, driven people, but they have made no room in their lives for their children. Auden was always expected to be a mature adult, even as a child. She never did the fun things that kids usually do.
And this summer between graduation and college, Auden finds herself on a bit of a quest to do some fun, childish (I say this to mean “kid like” not “immature”) activities.
Here’s one of the main reasons I think Auden’s parents didn’t pay enough attention to her, she can’t sleep at night and no one notices her slipping out at night. She’s currently 18, so it’s not as much of an issue now, but this started when her parents started arguing all the time. She was only 16 when her dad moved out. Meaning poor Auden was out at all night coffee houses as a girl in her mid teens and her parents didn’t even notice she wasn’t home!
Ugh.
But that inability to sleep at night leads Auden to meeting Eli. He’s a night owl himself and then begin to spend all their nighttime hours together just exploring the town and having fun.
During this summer Auden also finds herself actually making friends with a group of girls. She is definitely guilty of judging people too harshly and she can’t imagine being friends with them at first.
But she makes friends, and she connects with Eli, and she learns to have fun, and even that her stepmom might be the nicest adult in her life.
I felt bad for Auden a lot of the time, I majorly disliked her parents (especially her dad) and sometimes Auden said or did the wrong things herself. But I enjoyed the journey for Auden, I enjoyed her finding herself and finding a better balance in life. I’d definitely recommend reading this book before watching the movie, you’ll get to know the characters better. I hope Hollis is in the movie too, I didn’t see his name on the IMDb page and I really liked his character in the book. So, read the book or you might miss out on Hollis entirely, huh?
Auden abruptly decides to spend the summer with her dad, her stepmom and their new baby. This is definitely inspired partly by a gag gift her older brother Hollis gave her. He gave her a frame that said “the best of days” or something along those lines. Auden realized all she’s done, for her entire life so far, has been to study hard and be the perfect little adult her parents want/need her to be. I loved a line from Hollis in the book where he says, “You’re always a kid around your parents…unless they’re acting like children”
And Auden’s parents are definitely not acting like parents.
I spent a lot of time really mad at Auden’s parents.
They are incredibly intelligent, driven people, but they have made no room in their lives for their children. Auden was always expected to be a mature adult, even as a child. She never did the fun things that kids usually do.
And this summer between graduation and college, Auden finds herself on a bit of a quest to do some fun, childish (I say this to mean “kid like” not “immature”) activities.
Here’s one of the main reasons I think Auden’s parents didn’t pay enough attention to her, she can’t sleep at night and no one notices her slipping out at night. She’s currently 18, so it’s not as much of an issue now, but this started when her parents started arguing all the time. She was only 16 when her dad moved out. Meaning poor Auden was out at all night coffee houses as a girl in her mid teens and her parents didn’t even notice she wasn’t home!
Ugh.
But that inability to sleep at night leads Auden to meeting Eli. He’s a night owl himself and then begin to spend all their nighttime hours together just exploring the town and having fun.
During this summer Auden also finds herself actually making friends with a group of girls. She is definitely guilty of judging people too harshly and she can’t imagine being friends with them at first.
But she makes friends, and she connects with Eli, and she learns to have fun, and even that her stepmom might be the nicest adult in her life.
I felt bad for Auden a lot of the time, I majorly disliked her parents (especially her dad) and sometimes Auden said or did the wrong things herself. But I enjoyed the journey for Auden, I enjoyed her finding herself and finding a better balance in life. I’d definitely recommend reading this book before watching the movie, you’ll get to know the characters better. I hope Hollis is in the movie too, I didn’t see his name on the IMDb page and I really liked his character in the book. So, read the book or you might miss out on Hollis entirely, huh?
In the quest of finding someone to sweep me off my feet (corny, I know), I read this despite how much I didn't like the first Sarah Dessen book I read.
I surprisingly enjoyed this.
I surprisingly enjoyed this.
fast-paced
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is weirdly sentimental to me. Just something about the characters and the relationship Auden and Eli have I love so much. I will forever reread this book.
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
One of my all time favorite books. I don't know why and I can't explain it. I keep coming back to eat and re read it at least once a year. Any of Sarah Dessen's books are bound to pull at your heart strings.
adventurous
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
*2012 review*
I've read this book multiple times, & every time I fall in love with the small town charm of Colby, and the characters that are in it. This book is Dessen's best, I can't wait to see what she has ahead. It does start slow, and takes about 100 pages for it to get started, but it's still worth reading.
*2022 review*
Goodreads says this was my fifth time reading this book, which seems like one or two too many. This is one of my favorite Dessen novels. All of hers are quite similar - annoying parents, quiet teen girl discovering herself, etc. That should get exhausting to read about, yet I devour them every time. I'm glad I revisited this novel before the Netflix movie adaptation releases in a few weeks - now I'll be fully prepared to judge any changes they made ;)
I've read this book multiple times, & every time I fall in love with the small town charm of Colby, and the characters that are in it. This book is Dessen's best, I can't wait to see what she has ahead. It does start slow, and takes about 100 pages for it to get started, but it's still worth reading.
*2022 review*
Goodreads says this was my fifth time reading this book, which seems like one or two too many. This is one of my favorite Dessen novels. All of hers are quite similar - annoying parents, quiet teen girl discovering herself, etc. That should get exhausting to read about, yet I devour them every time. I'm glad I revisited this novel before the Netflix movie adaptation releases in a few weeks - now I'll be fully prepared to judge any changes they made ;)