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vtmichelle's review against another edition
4.0
WHY!!?? The ending killed me, or to be more exact, the end of the third summer killed me.
- Relationships between brother's, I have a thing for it.
- Big, loud family. Love that as well, makes me think of my own family and how loud and crazy we can be.
- The summer theme was perfect. I started reading this book on the first sitting-outside-without-wearing-a-jacket-day of the year.
- The ending killed me though, did not see that coming.
- Relationships between brother's, I have a thing for it.
- Big, loud family. Love that as well, makes me think of my own family and how loud and crazy we can be.
- The summer theme was perfect. I started reading this book on the first sitting-outside-without-wearing-a-jacket-day of the year.
- The ending killed me though, did not see that coming.
howifeelaboutbooks's review against another edition
5.0
I started this book on my lunch break the day it was released, and finished it that night. It was so good, I didn't want to put it down until I was done. First, I want to say how much I love the cover. I realize it might alienate some younger male readers because it looks "girly" (though it might not, considering the subject matter...) but I first saw it and thought I knew what was butt and what was boobs. Found out on Hannah's blog I was totally wrong! But I love that it goes both ways.
Hannah has a great way of writing the non-stereotypical teenage boy character. I love how the siblings in her family are always close-knit and care so much about each other. She definitely made you feel like you were on the beach right with the characters, even though her imagery wasn't gratuitous, just vivid. The book takes place over four summers, and that's the only time you get to know the characters. I love that we don't see them the rest of the year, and it doesn't affect the story at all. We don't need to know anything about their lives except what happens during those summers. I thought I would miss the rest of the year, but it didn't leave holes like some other books have (Blume's Summer Sisters comes to mind as one that gave only glimpses, when a full year would be needed).
Once the climax was close, it seemed inevitable, but it wasn't a let-down by any means. It was still very emotional without being sentimental, and the characters dealing with the aftermath was heartbreaking after getting to know them so well over the course of the book. Even after such a story arc, the ending didn't fall flat. I'll admit I skipped over almost all of the Camus quotes because they got quite long and I didn't want to get bogged down in them, but they were well-chosen to fit in the story.
Hannah has a great way of writing the non-stereotypical teenage boy character. I love how the siblings in her family are always close-knit and care so much about each other. She definitely made you feel like you were on the beach right with the characters, even though her imagery wasn't gratuitous, just vivid. The book takes place over four summers, and that's the only time you get to know the characters. I love that we don't see them the rest of the year, and it doesn't affect the story at all. We don't need to know anything about their lives except what happens during those summers. I thought I would miss the rest of the year, but it didn't leave holes like some other books have (Blume's Summer Sisters comes to mind as one that gave only glimpses, when a full year would be needed).
Once the climax was close, it seemed inevitable, but it wasn't a let-down by any means. It was still very emotional without being sentimental, and the characters dealing with the aftermath was heartbreaking after getting to know them so well over the course of the book. Even after such a story arc, the ending didn't fall flat. I'll admit I skipped over almost all of the Camus quotes because they got quite long and I didn't want to get bogged down in them, but they were well-chosen to fit in the story.
meags1's review against another edition
2.0
This book was good but brought out the true YA cynic in me on some plot points, which is my own personal neurosis
fictionofthefix's review against another edition
3.0
a bittersweet coming of age novel about sibling love, girls who are tornadoes, idle summers and albert camus, with hannah moskowitz's signature style of prose: quirky and poetic. not as epic as [b:A History of Glitter and Blood|17831753|A History of Glitter and Blood|Hannah Moskowitz|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1427901241s/17831753.jpg|24948406], but i will def read everything else she's written.
daisy87's review against another edition
2.0
Not you typical beach read is right. This book is not your typical anything.
Let me just come out and say it: for the most part this book was plain weird. Weird family. Weird friends of that family. Weird relationships. Weird parental behaviour.
It all just felt kind of awkward. The story is told by Chase, the second oldest kid, who behaves like he is the oldest/parent. And his parents expect him to do this and be responsible for the rest of the litter they have put on this earth. Chase has an older brother who is pretty irresponsible and just runs away at the most inappropriate times. Then there's his younger sister who is flirting with boys and kissing girls at the tender age of 12, who most of the time behaves like she's much, much older. Then there's Gideon, his younger brother, who is deaf. And finally, though their marriage is falling apart, the parents decided to have another baby, a girl (who seems to be the only normal person in the book, as far as you can tell, since she doesn't really talk yet).
Every year they go to a summer house and meet up with the family in the house next to them. Both Chase and his older brother have a messed up sort of relationship with the eldest daughter and this creeped me out somewhat. She just goes from sleeping with one brother to sleeping with the other. I was surprised she didn't make a pass at Gideon to be honest.
The parents weren't really into parenting it seemed. Which is weird, since they did choose to have 5 kids. With pretty big age gaps in between. They probably should have stopped at 2 or 3 in my opinion. The father is lost when it comes to Gideon and hasn't even really tried to learn sign language, which means he can't communicate with his son. I thought they both were very selfish and pretty annoying as well. This goes for all the characters. Except maybe Gideon and the baby. It's sad that the baby was probably my favourite character. Unlike the other, she has a right to cry and whine: she's a baby, that's how they communicate.
Towards the end something happens. And it was heartbreaking and haunting and finally made me feel something other than annoyance. Awful as it was, it saved the book.
Mostly, I felt awkward and weird reading it.
My rating: 2 stars
Let me just come out and say it: for the most part this book was plain weird. Weird family. Weird friends of that family. Weird relationships. Weird parental behaviour.
It all just felt kind of awkward. The story is told by Chase, the second oldest kid, who behaves like he is the oldest/parent. And his parents expect him to do this and be responsible for the rest of the litter they have put on this earth. Chase has an older brother who is pretty irresponsible and just runs away at the most inappropriate times. Then there's his younger sister who is flirting with boys and kissing girls at the tender age of 12, who most of the time behaves like she's much, much older. Then there's Gideon, his younger brother, who is deaf. And finally, though their marriage is falling apart, the parents decided to have another baby, a girl (who seems to be the only normal person in the book, as far as you can tell, since she doesn't really talk yet).
Every year they go to a summer house and meet up with the family in the house next to them. Both Chase and his older brother have a messed up sort of relationship with the eldest daughter and this creeped me out somewhat. She just goes from sleeping with one brother to sleeping with the other. I was surprised she didn't make a pass at Gideon to be honest.
The parents weren't really into parenting it seemed. Which is weird, since they did choose to have 5 kids. With pretty big age gaps in between. They probably should have stopped at 2 or 3 in my opinion. The father is lost when it comes to Gideon and hasn't even really tried to learn sign language, which means he can't communicate with his son. I thought they both were very selfish and pretty annoying as well. This goes for all the characters. Except maybe Gideon and the baby. It's sad that the baby was probably my favourite character. Unlike the other, she has a right to cry and whine: she's a baby, that's how they communicate.
Towards the end something happens. And it was heartbreaking and haunting and finally made me feel something other than annoyance. Awful as it was, it saved the book.
Mostly, I felt awkward and weird reading it.
My rating: 2 stars
afterwhat's review against another edition
5.0
I am still thinking about this book, like, six days later. I loved this book.
And I read on Ms. Moskowitz's blog that this is not a love story, but dude. It's a love story. It's just a love story between Noah and Chase, who yes, are brothers. But brothers who, like, I mean, they're in love with each other in a non-sexual way, but in a way where if they ever do actually get married to girls, they're still going to come first to each other. It's really romantic, in a weird way, but that was the love story I was reading for.
I don't want to do a plot description, because I...can't write one. But I loved everything about this book. And the part at the restaurant when Gideon said that thing? My heart BROKE like crazy. That was the saddest part of the book for me.
And that's all I have to say about that.
And I read on Ms. Moskowitz's blog that this is not a love story, but dude. It's a love story. It's just a love story between Noah and Chase, who yes, are brothers. But brothers who, like, I mean, they're in love with each other in a non-sexual way, but in a way where if they ever do actually get married to girls, they're still going to come first to each other. It's really romantic, in a weird way, but that was the love story I was reading for.
I don't want to do a plot description, because I...can't write one. But I loved everything about this book. And the part at the restaurant when Gideon said that thing? My heart BROKE like crazy. That was the saddest part of the book for me.
And that's all I have to say about that.
fullybookedlibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
Really 4.5 stars. 4 summers, inevitable change- most of it not-so-great, boy protagonist...
whateveryoneelseisreading's review against another edition
4.0
This book is marketed entirely wrong. Look at that cover. Look at that blurb. So this is a sexy romance about two brothers who fall for the same girl right?
Nope!
Invincible Summer is a book about family more than anything else. In particular, it's a book about a family which is falling apart. This was unlike any other contemporary I've ever read and it was so damn brutal at times. In a nutshell, this book spans four summers and tells the story of two families who meet at the same beach every year. Our main family is the McGills, with Chase being our primary protagonist. He's sort of the sensible one of the family and is the middle brother. He has an older brother Noah who is never around when he's needed, a younger sister named Claudia who is maturing at a frightening speed and finally a younger brother named Gideon who is deaf and refuses to learn how to communicate with anyone. As well as the siblings, we have two parents who are having increasing marital problems with each year.
The other family is the Hathaways with the only really important character being Melinda. She has spent years not-quite-being with Noah and is just starting to also not-quite-be with Chase. Melinda is one of the most interesting characters to me and the real tragedy of this book in my eyes. She is treated like utter crap by everyone, has to deal with something very major and gets no sympathy from either Chase or Noah despite everything she goes through. It works within the context of the story and the narrative style but I did dislike how she was handled and it is the main reason the book didn't score higher.
The other main reason is the sheer amount of quoting Camus that occurs. Every bloody character is obsessed with spewing out at least one quote every chapter and it just feels like pretentiousness. For me, it ruins the actual depth of the story since the emotionally-charged, character-driven scenes get rudely interrupted by philosophical piffle. It weakens the story as a whole and makes me wonder why the author feels like she can't rely on her own words.
Overall though, this book was such a surprise. It packs an emotional punch to rival any Courtney Summers book and I know the plot will stay with me for a long time. It is a million miles from a fun summer read but instead you get a nuanced and brilliant look at family life and the charged relationships that can come from it. When so many books fail to do gritty realism right, this one definitely deserves more attention.
Overall Rating: 3.5/5
Nope!
Invincible Summer is a book about family more than anything else. In particular, it's a book about a family which is falling apart. This was unlike any other contemporary I've ever read and it was so damn brutal at times. In a nutshell, this book spans four summers and tells the story of two families who meet at the same beach every year. Our main family is the McGills, with Chase being our primary protagonist. He's sort of the sensible one of the family and is the middle brother. He has an older brother Noah who is never around when he's needed, a younger sister named Claudia who is maturing at a frightening speed and finally a younger brother named Gideon who is deaf and refuses to learn how to communicate with anyone. As well as the siblings, we have two parents who are having increasing marital problems with each year.
The other family is the Hathaways with the only really important character being Melinda. She has spent years not-quite-being with Noah and is just starting to also not-quite-be with Chase. Melinda is one of the most interesting characters to me and the real tragedy of this book in my eyes. She is treated like utter crap by everyone, has to deal with something very major and gets no sympathy from either Chase or Noah despite everything she goes through. It works within the context of the story and the narrative style but I did dislike how she was handled and it is the main reason the book didn't score higher.
The other main reason is the sheer amount of quoting Camus that occurs. Every bloody character is obsessed with spewing out at least one quote every chapter and it just feels like pretentiousness. For me, it ruins the actual depth of the story since the emotionally-charged, character-driven scenes get rudely interrupted by philosophical piffle. It weakens the story as a whole and makes me wonder why the author feels like she can't rely on her own words.
Overall though, this book was such a surprise. It packs an emotional punch to rival any Courtney Summers book and I know the plot will stay with me for a long time. It is a million miles from a fun summer read but instead you get a nuanced and brilliant look at family life and the charged relationships that can come from it. When so many books fail to do gritty realism right, this one definitely deserves more attention.
Overall Rating: 3.5/5
amanda10141980yahoocom's review
3.0
This is more of a 3.5 Stars for me. I would have given it 4 but there were some issues I had with the book. Like the age gap between relationships. I mean 13 years old and 19 kind of gap. But I loved the dynamic of the family especially how they deal with things in the end. The best way they know how.