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stephmcoakley's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Abandonment, Chronic illness, Body shaming, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Grief, Homophobia, Mental illness, and Terminal illness
plumpaperbacks's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I’ve loved all of Winters’ books so far, and The Summer of Everything was no exception. In fact, I think it’s my favorite of his to date. From the very first chapter, I loved the characters and the bookstore they worked in. As I read more, I became more invested in their campaign to save the store, as well as in Wesley and Nico’s friendship. They were so cute, and I shipped them so much even before either of them told the other about their crush. The end of the book had me positively squealing.
Beyond the fluff and banter, I found Wes’ struggle of what to do now that he was out of high school and expected to be an adult extremely relatable. I didn’t know what I wanted to major in or even if I wanted to go to college. I’m still not sure. Winters captured the feeling of uncertainty so well, and that alone made Wes one of the most relatable characters I’ve ever read.
One of my favorite parts of the story—although, honestly, I love every part of it—was the scenes in the bookstore, Once Upon a Page. It made me so happy to see Wes bonding with Lucas over comics and giving them a safe space, and to see Ella helping a girl find new books to read. It was also cool that Winters mentioned authors and books that are actually popular now, like Leigh Bardugo and A Darker Shade of Magic. While some teens might like Shakespeare and Jane Austen, it was refreshing to see references to modern YA instead of dense 200+ year old literature.
I wasn’t expecting the ending to be so emotional, but it really was. There were more ups than downs, but the downs still hit hard. Luckily, despite that, the epilogue wrapped everything up perfectly and left me very happy.
I don’t see many people talking about Julian Winters’ books, and that’s a real shame. He’s one of my favorite YA contemporary authors, and definitely not one to miss. I’m very excited for his next release.
Representation
Beyond the fluff and banter, I found Wes’ struggle of what to do now that he was out of high school and expected to be an adult extremely relatable. I didn’t know what I wanted to major in or even if I wanted to go to college. I’m still not sure. Winters captured the feeling of uncertainty so well, and that alone made Wes one of the most relatable characters I’ve ever read.
One of my favorite parts of the story—although, honestly, I love every part of it—was the scenes in the bookstore, Once Upon a Page. It made me so happy to see Wes bonding with Lucas over comics and giving them a safe space, and to see Ella helping a girl find new books to read. It was also cool that Winters mentioned authors and books that are actually popular now, like Leigh Bardugo and A Darker Shade of Magic. While some teens might like Shakespeare and Jane Austen, it was refreshing to see references to modern YA instead of dense 200+ year old literature.
I wasn’t expecting the ending to be so emotional, but it really was. There were more ups than downs, but the downs still hit hard. Luckily, despite that, the epilogue wrapped everything up perfectly and left me very happy.
I don’t see many people talking about Julian Winters’ books, and that’s a real shame. He’s one of my favorite YA contemporary authors, and definitely not one to miss. I’m very excited for his next release.
Representation
- biracial Black gay protagonist
- queer Mexican-American love interest
- achillean romance (m/m)
- Black side characters
- fat Black lesbian side character
- queer Polynesian-Filipino-Japanese side character
- queer side characters (includes aromantic asexual, bisexual, and nonbinary rep)
- sapphic side romance (f/f)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Death, Chronic illness, and Terminal illness
perpetualpages's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Death, Chronic illness, and Terminal illness
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