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melissayabookshelf's review
4.0
Wow - this book is, at times, so funny that you'll find yourself laughing to yourself like a crazy person on the subway or in some other public or semi-public place. At others, it's so heartbreaking.
Overall, it left me wanting to read more books by Hannah Moskowitz. She blends philosophical thoughts and ideas in a seemingly effortless way into the plot of her novel just like other writers blend poetic techniques to their fiction, which of course, Moskowitz also does.
I think I've just become an invincible fan of Moskowitz.
Check out my full review of Invincible Summer here.
Overall, it left me wanting to read more books by Hannah Moskowitz. She blends philosophical thoughts and ideas in a seemingly effortless way into the plot of her novel just like other writers blend poetic techniques to their fiction, which of course, Moskowitz also does.
I think I've just become an invincible fan of Moskowitz.
Check out my full review of Invincible Summer here.
stephaniemazza's review
2.0
I originally thought this book kind of sucked. Nearly every character annoyed me, none of them had any redeemable qualities and the whole Noah/Chase/Melinda was somehow not even interesting to me. That was until about three quarters of the way through the book, just before Chase's 18th summer. There was a HUGE twist in the book that honestly came out of nowhere. After it happened I really started to feel more deeply for the characters and was able to connect with them on a level that I couldn't before. Overall, it wasn't a horrible book but I don't think I would recommend it.
parkergoodreau's review
5.0
For some reason I thought I had already cross-posted all my hannah reviews but I was wrong, pardon me while I fix this grievous oversight.
This is a story about two brothers sharing the same girl, but it's also not that at all. It's about love in the face of trauma, about family and siblings and compound swears.
This is what convinced me I needed to read Invincible Summer:
“Soon we're both frowning hard at the paperwork. "Middle name?" Noah says. "Does Gideon even have a middle name?"
"I don't know."
Noah turns to me and says, "Do you have a middle name?" his glare implying that, if I do, this whole thing is somehow my fault.
"I...have no idea."
"Primary language spoken at home." Noah makes a face. "What does this mean? Our primary language? Gideon's? That's sort of why we're here..."
"Um, it's under family, so I'm guessing ours?"
"Well..." Noah lowers his pen. The paperwork has defeated him. "What's our primary language?"
"English? ASL? Physical affection?"
"Food?" Noah says.
"Food's a good guess."
He picks up the pen. "I'm writing food, comma passive aggressive."
"Good call.'”
This is a story about two brothers sharing the same girl, but it's also not that at all. It's about love in the face of trauma, about family and siblings and compound swears.
This is what convinced me I needed to read Invincible Summer:
“Soon we're both frowning hard at the paperwork. "Middle name?" Noah says. "Does Gideon even have a middle name?"
"I don't know."
Noah turns to me and says, "Do you have a middle name?" his glare implying that, if I do, this whole thing is somehow my fault.
"I...have no idea."
"Primary language spoken at home." Noah makes a face. "What does this mean? Our primary language? Gideon's? That's sort of why we're here..."
"Um, it's under family, so I'm guessing ours?"
"Well..." Noah lowers his pen. The paperwork has defeated him. "What's our primary language?"
"English? ASL? Physical affection?"
"Food?" Noah says.
"Food's a good guess."
He picks up the pen. "I'm writing food, comma passive aggressive."
"Good call.'”
banrions's review
4.0
I hate this cover. That is the only conclusion I have been able to come to right now. It is entirely misleading. I also think it will turn people away from the novel, or give them the wrong idea. I never would have read this if it weren't for other people's reviews on it and that's mainly because of the cover.
But that is enough gripping on that.
I could relate a lot to this book. I have a semi big family, parents who sure as shit don't get along, an aunt who used to work at Perkins School for the Blind and Deaf (so as a kid I spent a lot of time with a select few of deaf and blind children) and almost every summer as a kid, we went to Cape Cod.
I liked Chase. I liked his voice, I liked him as a person, and he felt real to me. I'm just going to say this right now, all the Camus was a bit odd. I've read a lot of reviews and this seems to get the general thought. It wasn't completely unbelievable that these boy would become obsessed with an author and quote him constantly. As a teen, I did things like this all the time, I just thought with a few less long ass quotes, it would have been a little easier to take in as slightly more believable.
But anyway, back to Chase and the rest of the characters. Chase was the second child, but many times you would think he was the oldest. He was the glue that held this family together. He worshiped his older brother who was constantly leaving him. I think the fact that Noah was always leaving had a lot to to with why Chase put him on this pedestal. If he wasn't constantly leaving Chase, maybe he could have relaxed a bit. Noah was also a great character, surprisingly, I related to him a little more than Chase. I mentioned I have a large family (1 sister, 2 brothers) I'm the oldest. I resent this like crazy. My sister (who is number 2 in order) seems older than me. She's more responsible, people mistake her for the older one a lot and many times I feel like she is my older sister rather than the other way around. My parents don't get along, we're not even gonna go into that issue because I'll rant and you just don't need to hear that. The point is, instead of running like Noah, I retreated to my room. I get Noah. Boy do I get him. As for the younger siblings, I liked Claudia a lot, but I never believed her age. The novel encompasses 4 summers, she's 11 in the first and 14 by the end. She acts like she's 14 in the first one and goes on from there and no one says anything. Sure Chase and Noah once in a while tell her to chill and act her age but she and Chase's friend Shannon (who is a boy) have this weird dating relationship. Shannon is Chase's age, so by the time they actually date she is 14 and he is 17. He's talking about dating her every summer. What 15 year old wants to date an 11 year old? It was weird and it bothered me. I loved Gideon. And that is all I have to say about that.
Parts of this book annoyed me, which is why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5, but I related it it so much, grew to care and love the characters that all in all, I loved it and was very glad I ignored the cover and read it. I would recommend you do so as well.
Edit 11/11/12 Re-read*
I was gonna delete all that and start over, because my feelings have changed a little, but I decided not too. I think I needed to read this one twice. I still haven't figured out why exactly.
But that is enough gripping on that.
I could relate a lot to this book. I have a semi big family, parents who sure as shit don't get along, an aunt who used to work at Perkins School for the Blind and Deaf (so as a kid I spent a lot of time with a select few of deaf and blind children) and almost every summer as a kid, we went to Cape Cod.
I liked Chase. I liked his voice, I liked him as a person, and he felt real to me. I'm just going to say this right now, all the Camus was a bit odd. I've read a lot of reviews and this seems to get the general thought. It wasn't completely unbelievable that these boy would become obsessed with an author and quote him constantly. As a teen, I did things like this all the time, I just thought with a few less long ass quotes, it would have been a little easier to take in as slightly more believable.
But anyway, back to Chase and the rest of the characters. Chase was the second child, but many times you would think he was the oldest. He was the glue that held this family together. He worshiped his older brother who was constantly leaving him. I think the fact that Noah was always leaving had a lot to to with why Chase put him on this pedestal. If he wasn't constantly leaving Chase, maybe he could have relaxed a bit. Noah was also a great character, surprisingly, I related to him a little more than Chase. I mentioned I have a large family (1 sister, 2 brothers) I'm the oldest. I resent this like crazy. My sister (who is number 2 in order) seems older than me. She's more responsible, people mistake her for the older one a lot and many times I feel like she is my older sister rather than the other way around. My parents don't get along, we're not even gonna go into that issue because I'll rant and you just don't need to hear that. The point is, instead of running like Noah, I retreated to my room. I get Noah. Boy do I get him. As for the younger siblings, I liked Claudia a lot, but I never believed her age. The novel encompasses 4 summers, she's 11 in the first and 14 by the end. She acts like she's 14 in the first one and goes on from there and no one says anything. Sure Chase and Noah once in a while tell her to chill and act her age but she and Chase's friend Shannon (who is a boy) have this weird dating relationship. Shannon is Chase's age, so by the time they actually date she is 14 and he is 17. He's talking about dating her every summer. What 15 year old wants to date an 11 year old? It was weird and it bothered me. I loved Gideon. And that is all I have to say about that.
Parts of this book annoyed me, which is why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5, but I related it it so much, grew to care and love the characters that all in all, I loved it and was very glad I ignored the cover and read it. I would recommend you do so as well.
Edit 11/11/12 Re-read*
I was gonna delete all that and start over, because my feelings have changed a little, but I decided not too. I think I needed to read this one twice. I still haven't figured out why exactly.
niniadepapa's review
1.0
don't even ask me what this book was about because it was kind of all over the place
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