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lifeofaliterarynerd's review against another edition
2.0
So, this will be pretty short because I didn’t really love this story. I guess exclusive and ritzy island stories aren’t for me because I didn’t like [b:We Were Liars|16143347|We Were Liars|E. Lockhart|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1402749479s/16143347.jpg|21975829] either. I wanted a fun summer story of love and drama, but the abundance of pettiness just made the story drag for me.
Things I Liked:
This book really delivered on the summer drama and teen angst. It was over the top and very entertaining. It also helped the plot to move quickly.
Things I Didn’t Like:
All of the characters were so petty and selfish and unlikeable. Which also made all of the relationship dynamics uninteresting to me. They never actually felt like real people who were trying to navigate this exclusive island, they felt like whiny children.
The love triangle was so boring. Call this a controversial opinion, but I actually have nothing against love triangles, and I think they can actually add tension to the story if done well. But here, I felt like the love triangle was just a way to get these two girls who didn’t really like each other to hate each other even more, over a guy they just met.
I wanted a story of intense family drama and beach politics of the wealthy in this exclusive island, but I felt like I never got to know any of these characters. If you like fun beachy reads, this will probably work for you, or if you’re craving some high class drama.
I received a copy of the book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Things I Liked:
This book really delivered on the summer drama and teen angst. It was over the top and very entertaining. It also helped the plot to move quickly.
Things I Didn’t Like:
All of the characters were so petty and selfish and unlikeable. Which also made all of the relationship dynamics uninteresting to me. They never actually felt like real people who were trying to navigate this exclusive island, they felt like whiny children.
The love triangle was so boring. Call this a controversial opinion, but I actually have nothing against love triangles, and I think they can actually add tension to the story if done well. But here, I felt like the love triangle was just a way to get these two girls who didn’t really like each other to hate each other even more, over a guy they just met.
I wanted a story of intense family drama and beach politics of the wealthy in this exclusive island, but I felt like I never got to know any of these characters. If you like fun beachy reads, this will probably work for you, or if you’re craving some high class drama.
I received a copy of the book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
aeandrews's review
4.0
3.5 stars.
Fairly compelling read but its comparison to WE WERE LIARS, which is one of my all time favorites, didn't do it any favors. I understand why that comparison was made - similar settings, class conflicts, forbidden love, etc etc - but in every aspect WE WERE LIARS does it better.
Fairly compelling read but its comparison to WE WERE LIARS, which is one of my all time favorites, didn't do it any favors. I understand why that comparison was made - similar settings, class conflicts, forbidden love, etc etc - but in every aspect WE WERE LIARS does it better.
thisgrrlreads's review against another edition
3.0
Classic beach feel, with love triangle on Fire Island. I have to say, I was waiting for something with some suspense, based on what I know of Adele Griffin's writing, and that may have hurt some of my enjoyment for this book. There is some, but not until all the way at the end. Read it as a summer love story and you'll be happy (if you like that sort of thing).
literarymarvel's review against another edition
4.0
This was a pretty heart wrenching book to read. I absolutely cannot stand petty girl fights over boys who don't deserve it.
I guess that's one of the good things about this novel: everyone makes mistakes. There is no perfect character. They all fold under peer or societal pressures, or are too rash or selfish.
But it was still a hard book to read in the former regard.
I guess that's one of the good things about this novel: everyone makes mistakes. There is no perfect character. They all fold under peer or societal pressures, or are too rash or selfish.
But it was still a hard book to read in the former regard.
samwlabb's review
4.0
Jean is determine to make this summer one of her best. She returns to Sunken Haven with a plan to win the heart of Gil, an island newcomer, and to reinvent herself. However, her plans are stymied, when Gil falls for Fritz, an island outsider. The tug of war over Gil fuels the rivalry, which meets a tragic ending.
This story takes place during the summer of 1976. I was only 4 years old, but I fondly remember the bicentennial. Griffin peppered the story with just enough references to bring me back. I loved all the mentions of the music, the clothing, the hair, even the odd food we ate. It was a cool trip down memory lane.
Our celebratory block party. You can see a lot of Griffin's 70s references.
This story revolved around three characters: Jean, Gil, and Fritz. Both Jean and Gil were trying to reinvent themselves, while Fritz stayed true to her self.
Gil had recently been accepted into his wealthy uncle's world. He was constantly battling between his desire to please his family and the desires of his heart. This resulted in Gil making some poor decisions, and both Jean and Fritz being hurt in the process.
Jean was a spoiled, entitled, rich girl, who grabbed this opportunity to shine by both hands. She had a chance to enjoy a summer at Sunken Haven without the shadow of her sister looming over her, but Jean also made a myriad of poor decisions, and often tried to justify or dismiss them.
I should have hated both Gil and Jean, but I didn't. Griffin did such a good job with these multidimensional characters, that I would get angry with them, but then later, I would empathize with them. Jean was oppressed being the "Other Custis Sister", and Gil was constantly being reminded that he could be written off if he dared any missteps. I cannot say that these circumstances excused their poor behavior, but it helped me understand their motivations.
Fritz, on the other hand, was fantastic. She loved spending her summers with her best friend in Sunken Haven. She was confident in who she was and her abilities. But as the summer wore on, her confidence began to unravel. The damage inflicted by Jean's and Gil's actions had consequences. Her rose colored glasses were removed, and she began to see the people of Sunken Harbor in a new light. Regardless, she chose to stay true to herself through it all. But again, poor decisions were made.
I found the story quite compelling, and fought sleep to keep reading. Having the story told from Fritz's and Jean's point of view worked really well. I got to hear each of their sides of the story, and see the Sunkie world from two very distinct viewpoints. It was also interesting to see Gil through their eyes, as he was perceived quite differently by each of them, and that added yet another dimension to this story. Griffin did an incredible job relating this tale of what happens when we lose ourselves, and unfortunately for our protagonists, they were a little too late figuring out what was really important.
**I would like to thank Edelweiss and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book. Quotes are from an ARC and may change upon publication.
BLOG|INSTAGRAM|BLOGLOVIN| FRIEND ME ON GOODREADS
This story takes place during the summer of 1976. I was only 4 years old, but I fondly remember the bicentennial. Griffin peppered the story with just enough references to bring me back. I loved all the mentions of the music, the clothing, the hair, even the odd food we ate. It was a cool trip down memory lane.
Our celebratory block party. You can see a lot of Griffin's 70s references.
This story revolved around three characters: Jean, Gil, and Fritz. Both Jean and Gil were trying to reinvent themselves, while Fritz stayed true to her self.
Gil had recently been accepted into his wealthy uncle's world. He was constantly battling between his desire to please his family and the desires of his heart. This resulted in Gil making some poor decisions, and both Jean and Fritz being hurt in the process.
Jean was a spoiled, entitled, rich girl, who grabbed this opportunity to shine by both hands. She had a chance to enjoy a summer at Sunken Haven without the shadow of her sister looming over her, but Jean also made a myriad of poor decisions, and often tried to justify or dismiss them.
I should have hated both Gil and Jean, but I didn't. Griffin did such a good job with these multidimensional characters, that I would get angry with them, but then later, I would empathize with them. Jean was oppressed being the "Other Custis Sister", and Gil was constantly being reminded that he could be written off if he dared any missteps. I cannot say that these circumstances excused their poor behavior, but it helped me understand their motivations.
Fritz, on the other hand, was fantastic. She loved spending her summers with her best friend in Sunken Haven. She was confident in who she was and her abilities. But as the summer wore on, her confidence began to unravel. The damage inflicted by Jean's and Gil's actions had consequences. Her rose colored glasses were removed, and she began to see the people of Sunken Harbor in a new light. Regardless, she chose to stay true to herself through it all. But again, poor decisions were made.
I found the story quite compelling, and fought sleep to keep reading. Having the story told from Fritz's and Jean's point of view worked really well. I got to hear each of their sides of the story, and see the Sunkie world from two very distinct viewpoints. It was also interesting to see Gil through their eyes, as he was perceived quite differently by each of them, and that added yet another dimension to this story. Griffin did an incredible job relating this tale of what happens when we lose ourselves, and unfortunately for our protagonists, they were a little too late figuring out what was really important.
**I would like to thank Edelweiss and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book. Quotes are from an ARC and may change upon publication.
BLOG|INSTAGRAM|BLOGLOVIN| FRIEND ME ON GOODREADS
midnightbookgirl's review
4.0
1976. Two girls that should have been friends, and a boy trying to straddle two worlds. Because of, and not despite of, their flaws, I connected to both Jean and Fritz. I even understood Gil. The ending is emotionally draining, but holy shiz is it worth it. Big mistakes, small mistakes, selfish mistakes and angry mistakes all add up for one amazing story of two girls, one boy, and one small island.
rivermoose_sam's review
3.0
This book had seemed interesting - but the synopsis has left me more than a little confused, with too many character names and implications of infidelity. Also, I've been disliking books that focus mostly on romantic drama so I think I'm never getting to this one.
brujaalexis's review
1.0
* I received this as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review *
2.5 starts
I'm going to start by saying that this book has a two tropes I'm not okay with, which is why I rated it as I did. This first is cheating. I really hate cheating in general as a trope it's literally one of my least favorite things in books. The next is girl hate. I hate in when authors push girls against each other and make them full of hate and trash talk each other. In this circumstance it was a lack of willingness on the characters to get to know each other. I felt like the main character could have been friends if circumstances allowed it. There was also a serious case of instalove which was a little to much for me, I hated the way that it played out.I also really hated the "triangle". It honestly didn't feel like a triangle, he obviously made his choice from the beginning but was too much of a douche to let the other girl go. Overall the characters are okay, I enjoyed the setting of the story that being said I just didn't enjoy the book. It just wasn't a story I enjoyed reading.
2.5 starts
I'm going to start by saying that this book has a two tropes I'm not okay with, which is why I rated it as I did. This first is cheating. I really hate cheating in general as a trope it's literally one of my least favorite things in books. The next is girl hate. I hate in when authors push girls against each other and make them full of hate and trash talk each other. In this circumstance it was a lack of willingness on the characters to get to know each other. I felt like the main character could have been friends if circumstances allowed it. There was also a serious case of instalove which was a little to much for me, I hated the way that it played out.I also really hated the "triangle". It honestly didn't feel like a triangle, he obviously made his choice from the beginning but was too much of a douche to let the other girl go. Overall the characters are okay, I enjoyed the setting of the story that being said I just didn't enjoy the book. It just wasn't a story I enjoyed reading.
bella_cavicchi's review
4.0
Very atmospheric - the summer setting was the perfect backdrop for an intriguing love triangle. While at times too slow for my liking, I felt the story picked up in its latter half!
Review to come.
Review to come.
kaylareadsbooks's review
3.0
I was so excited for this book but It wasnt as good as I was hoping it would be. I read it over the summer and it was fun but i hated the ending. I loved that it took place on Fire Island but it was just not my favorite.
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