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3.24 AVERAGE
3.24 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
No
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
Finally starting my Sarah Dessen rereads (and first reads for 3 including this one!) and I’m just so happy to be back in her worlds! While I think I would’ve loved this more if I had actually read it as a teenager, it was still a solid debut and made me feel the same way all of Sarah’s books have! I was able to relate to Haven a lot in the way that she tried to make sure everyone around her was happy even when she wasn’t, in the way she tried to shrink into herself as she grew more and more, and feeling so far behind everyone around her. Can’t wait to continue this journey down memory lane with Someone Like You up next!
This book is an okay first novel, but is definitely not Sarah Dessen’s best. The plot moves slowly, and not a lot really happens.
Haven is 15, and stuck in the past. She keeps thinking back to times when her parents were together, and seemed happy, and when her sister was different. Haven has had a lot of changes in a short period of time, and that can be a lot for a teenager to handle.
There isn’t really romance in this book. It’s more a coming-of-age story than a romance. Haven definitely does some growing up, and has that moment where things just change. She goes from being naive, and holding everything in, to finally coming into her own and standing up for herself. It’s nice to see this transition, and her growth.
I did get a bit annoyed with Haven before this transition though, because she was so hung up on one of her sister’s exes, Sumner. It was almost like she was in love with him, too. But I think she was more in love with what she thought he signified, which was happiness within her family, but she finds out that what she thought about Sumner is not really true. He isn’t the perfect boyfriend she thought he was, and this helps Haven to move on.
I think most people can relate to how Haven was feeling in this book, and recommend this book for Dessen fans.
It is nice to look back on good times, and reminisce and enjoy them, but try not to romanticize them too much like Haven, or you’ll never move forward.
Haven is 15, and stuck in the past. She keeps thinking back to times when her parents were together, and seemed happy, and when her sister was different. Haven has had a lot of changes in a short period of time, and that can be a lot for a teenager to handle.
There isn’t really romance in this book. It’s more a coming-of-age story than a romance. Haven definitely does some growing up, and has that moment where things just change. She goes from being naive, and holding everything in, to finally coming into her own and standing up for herself. It’s nice to see this transition, and her growth.
I did get a bit annoyed with Haven before this transition though, because she was so hung up on one of her sister’s exes, Sumner. It was almost like she was in love with him, too. But I think she was more in love with what she thought he signified, which was happiness within her family, but she finds out that what she thought about Sumner is not really true. He isn’t the perfect boyfriend she thought he was, and this helps Haven to move on.
I think most people can relate to how Haven was feeling in this book, and recommend this book for Dessen fans.
It is nice to look back on good times, and reminisce and enjoy them, but try not to romanticize them too much like Haven, or you’ll never move forward.
This is a classic coming of age story, 'nuff said. A teen's sister is getting married in the midst of her parent's divorce. She's finding her place in the world and, as it the experience for most teens, it is painful. For what this book is, it is wonderful.
Everything by Dessen is a must read--that's really all I can say. I have never read anything that she has put on paper without loving it.
Okay, so, I lowkey dove into That Summer because it just seemed to fit for a certain challenge. It also doesn't hurt that it was also on my TBR.. that is slowly taking over my life. It's a huge ass pile that I will someday conquer. Keyword: Someday because it sure isn't today or this year.
That being said, I've had some ups and downs with Sarah Dessen's books. And by that.. I mean a whole lot of meh and not for me. I think I ended liking two of her books so far and I'm going to continue this little journey until I find more. Maybe. Not really sure right now.. I need more coffee before I make this giant decision.
In this, you will meet Haven and Ashley. They are sisters and I honestly didn't really like either of them. Haven's world is sort of being flipped upside down. Or maybe she's just being overdramatic about her dad remarrying but details. There's also Ashley, who is currently planning her own wedding too.
I'm just going to say it.. this had a lot of drama for such a short book. A lot of unnecessary drama if you ask me. With Haven's little tantrums that made me want to pull out my eyelashes and everything else in between. I just honestly didn't have fun reading this and I was very happy that it was a short book.
In the end, this book was just not for me.
That being said, I've had some ups and downs with Sarah Dessen's books. And by that.. I mean a whole lot of meh and not for me. I think I ended liking two of her books so far and I'm going to continue this little journey until I find more. Maybe. Not really sure right now.. I need more coffee before I make this giant decision.
In this, you will meet Haven and Ashley. They are sisters and I honestly didn't really like either of them. Haven's world is sort of being flipped upside down. Or maybe she's just being overdramatic about her dad remarrying but details. There's also Ashley, who is currently planning her own wedding too.
I'm just going to say it.. this had a lot of drama for such a short book. A lot of unnecessary drama if you ask me. With Haven's little tantrums that made me want to pull out my eyelashes and everything else in between. I just honestly didn't have fun reading this and I was very happy that it was a short book.
In the end, this book was just not for me.
A very quiet character study about learning how to accept life’s changes. It was Sarah Dessen’s first published book and you can see blueprint for all of her later works. It’s a quick, summer read. I liked it fine enough but I’d definitely consider this among Dessen’s weaker works.
This is Sarah Dessen's first novel, but not the first one I read by her. It's essentially the story of two sisters and how their lives were changed one summer. Haven's life is turned upside down, and she's coping with these changes and trying to come into her own.
The beginning of this book made it hard to get into. It was told through the eyes of Haven and she was describing the "characters"/people in her life, and I wish we would have gotten to experience their lives more through dialogue and actions. There was also a minor issue with the way the paragraphs were; they were two damn long! Maybe it just seemed that way with the formatting, but it annoyed me.
Other than Haven I never got attached to any of the characters. That being said, Haven was a great main character, I enjoyed her journey of self discovery. I also liked the relationship between her and her sister, Amy. It had a very touching ending. I enjoyed this book for what it was, and recommend it to someone looking for a book about Family, and sisterhood.
The beginning of this book made it hard to get into. It was told through the eyes of Haven and she was describing the "characters"/people in her life, and I wish we would have gotten to experience their lives more through dialogue and actions. There was also a minor issue with the way the paragraphs were; they were two damn long! Maybe it just seemed that way with the formatting, but it annoyed me.
Other than Haven I never got attached to any of the characters. That being said, Haven was a great main character, I enjoyed her journey of self discovery. I also liked the relationship between her and her sister, Amy. It had a very touching ending. I enjoyed this book for what it was, and recommend it to someone looking for a book about Family, and sisterhood.
Kind of boring and didn’t care about the characters. Got about half way through and had to stop.