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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
Can someone please explain to me how I went from hating YA Fiction books to only reading them back to hating them? That's completely irrelevant to this book but let me tell you, now that I'm a junior, I'm so tired of the way novels make teenage life out to be. Like, were the authors even teenagers ever? No shade to Sarah Ockler but a secret relationship with your best friend's brother is not all sunshine and rainbows! First of all, Frankie would have without doubt seen the two of them kissing but apparently not! Now I'm not being hypocritical because I'm currently in a 2+ year relationship with the boy who just so happens to be my best friend's brother but when during the time we hid it from her, it was pure anxiety filled days. Okay, okay, moving on from the inaccuracies, I did somewhat enjoy the sudden death of Matt. I honestly was hoping that would spice up the story and truth be told, it did for a bit! It was nice to see the main characters feel more than childish love but then it just shifted back to pretending he didn't die at all so what was the point? While I would love to give my [tiny] audience more to divulge themselves on, I returned this book half way through the third chapter, so if that doesn't tell you my thoughts, I don't know what will. If I truly had to rate the few pages I read, Twenty Boy Summer is a ☆/☆☆☆☆☆ in my mind. Word of advice , don't read this unless you're desperately need of a cliche vomit fest 😕
I bought Twenty Boy Summer on a whim. I came across it on Amazon and had to have it. Usually I endlessly research books before I buy them. I read tons of reviews and check ratings before I spend my hard earned money on a book. This whim paid off!
This book was laugh out loud funny at times and heartbreakingly sad at others. It's about friendship, love lost, and letting go. I think that Ockler did an incredible job of making a story about grief and secrets shine with humor and wit! Anna was definitely someone I wanted to read about. She was mourning the loss of her kind of sort of boyfriend, while being strong for her best friend. She was mature and interesting. She felt very real and I love reading about how she handled some situations. It was so completely different than how I would have handled them that it made it that much more of a fantastic read.
Ockler's writing was spectacular! I felt that I was right there in Zanzibar Bay with Anna and Frankie! The whole story unfolds in a way that it's impossible to put it down. I was engrossed from the very first page. Needless to say I loved it and I will be reading anything Sarah Ockler writes in the future!
This book was laugh out loud funny at times and heartbreakingly sad at others. It's about friendship, love lost, and letting go. I think that Ockler did an incredible job of making a story about grief and secrets shine with humor and wit! Anna was definitely someone I wanted to read about. She was mourning the loss of her kind of sort of boyfriend, while being strong for her best friend. She was mature and interesting. She felt very real and I love reading about how she handled some situations. It was so completely different than how I would have handled them that it made it that much more of a fantastic read.
Ockler's writing was spectacular! I felt that I was right there in Zanzibar Bay with Anna and Frankie! The whole story unfolds in a way that it's impossible to put it down. I was engrossed from the very first page. Needless to say I loved it and I will be reading anything Sarah Ockler writes in the future!
During the summer, I recommended TWENTY BOY SUMMER by Sarah Ockler to my sister because I’d seen it around the blogosphere. She likes the summer romance young adult novels – ones that I’m not too fond of. But since my dystopian hangover – caused by reading too many dystopian novels, most recently Fuse by Julianna Baggott – I thought it was about time to take a break and read something different. I took a break from the dreary New York weather and vacationed in the California summer with protagonist, Anna in TWENTY BOY SUMMER.
Anna is secretly in love with her best friend’s brother, Matt, who also happened to be her other best friend. When Matt finally kisses her on her 15th birthday, Anna is ecstatic. But just before Anna and Matt can tell his sister about their relationship, Matt dies from a heart defect. One year later, Anna travels with Frankie to Zanzibar Bay, California with her family in hopes to overcome their grief.
My main frustration in TWENTY BOY SUMMER by Sarah Ockler is this twenty boy contest that the book revolves around. I know that Frankie is dealing with the loss of her brother by basically rebelling with booze and boys. But I really don’t like it. I guess I just never saw the appeal of summer romances and excessive flirting. It made me constantly want to roll my eyes.
But I admit, Sarah Ockler has a knack for kissing scenes.
If it weren’t for the fact that TWENTY BOY SUMMER is border-line tear-jerker, then I probably would not have enjoyed this book. When Ockler gets to the more serious parts of the novel, she does not back down. I found myself getting choked up whenever the girls finally confront their grief.
What I wish TWENTY BOY SUMMER focused more on was the relationship between Aunt Jayne and Anna. Aunt Jayne seems to have a better understanding of Anna than anyone else in the novel. It’s a shame that we only get a short glimpse of how Aunt Jayne sees her. In general, I wish that the parents weren’t as oblivious as they were. While they tried to spend quality time with Frankie and Anna, I feel like they were still always avoiding the topic of Matt.
However, I do think that Ockler made a great point towards the end of the novel that at the end of the day, everyone has to deal with their grief in their own way. Everyone is a little different when it comes to dealing with the grief of losing a loved one.
Anna is secretly in love with her best friend’s brother, Matt, who also happened to be her other best friend. When Matt finally kisses her on her 15th birthday, Anna is ecstatic. But just before Anna and Matt can tell his sister about their relationship, Matt dies from a heart defect. One year later, Anna travels with Frankie to Zanzibar Bay, California with her family in hopes to overcome their grief.
My main frustration in TWENTY BOY SUMMER by Sarah Ockler is this twenty boy contest that the book revolves around. I know that Frankie is dealing with the loss of her brother by basically rebelling with booze and boys. But I really don’t like it. I guess I just never saw the appeal of summer romances and excessive flirting. It made me constantly want to roll my eyes.
But I admit, Sarah Ockler has a knack for kissing scenes.
If it weren’t for the fact that TWENTY BOY SUMMER is border-line tear-jerker, then I probably would not have enjoyed this book. When Ockler gets to the more serious parts of the novel, she does not back down. I found myself getting choked up whenever the girls finally confront their grief.
What I wish TWENTY BOY SUMMER focused more on was the relationship between Aunt Jayne and Anna. Aunt Jayne seems to have a better understanding of Anna than anyone else in the novel. It’s a shame that we only get a short glimpse of how Aunt Jayne sees her. In general, I wish that the parents weren’t as oblivious as they were. While they tried to spend quality time with Frankie and Anna, I feel like they were still always avoiding the topic of Matt.
However, I do think that Ockler made a great point towards the end of the novel that at the end of the day, everyone has to deal with their grief in their own way. Everyone is a little different when it comes to dealing with the grief of losing a loved one.
Couldn't put it down. Heartbreaking beginning, but wonderful book
adventurous
emotional
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
This was such a cute beach book!
Anna is best friends with Frankie and Matt, Frankie’s older brother. Except, of course, she has a crush on Matt that is finally returned on her 15th birthday when they kiss and begin their relationship. They choose to hide this from Anna, but when Matt dies in a car accident, it seems like it’ll remain Anna and Matt’s secret for forever.
Meanwhile, Anna and Frankie join Frankie’s family on a summer trip to California where they decide to have a twenty boy summer. They both find boys, but everything falls apart when Frankie reads Anna’s diary and finds out what happens. She throws it into the ocean, they fight, and then makeup. Frankie gives Anna Matt’s special necklace. It was very precious. Very cute coming of age, mourning story.
Anna is best friends with Frankie and Matt, Frankie’s older brother. Except, of course, she has a crush on Matt that is finally returned on her 15th birthday when they kiss and begin their relationship. They choose to hide this from Anna, but when Matt dies in a car accident, it seems like it’ll remain Anna and Matt’s secret for forever.
Meanwhile, Anna and Frankie join Frankie’s family on a summer trip to California where they decide to have a twenty boy summer. They both find boys, but everything falls apart when Frankie reads Anna’s diary and finds out what happens. She throws it into the ocean, they fight, and then makeup. Frankie gives Anna Matt’s special necklace. It was very precious. Very cute coming of age, mourning story.
I was a little worried I wouldn't enjoy Sarah Ockler's debut book when I decided to reread it, but Twenty Boy Summer remained a fun ride. Even though I read this in winter, I was able to imagine the heat and scents of summer and feel the grit of sand and the cold salty sea; I got to experience certain parts of Anna and Frankie's friendship that I'd forgotten about, meaning that it was almost like meeting these characters for the first time; I relived Anna's struggle and strength as she tried to find herself after losing the love of her life; and honestly, I still think this is one of my favorite Ockler books, probably right after The Book of Broken Hearts.
What I enjoy about Sarah Ockler's books is that they don't focus on just one thing: they contain various elements that pull together to make (most of) her characters and their stories vivid and compelling. Aspects such as love, loss, friendship and self discovery are housed within real world drama and captivating language. One thing I didn't entirely enjoy was Anna's repeated mention of the various gods she "calls upon," e.i. Birthday Wishes and so on; it's a little nit pick, but I didn't see a point in it, and once was enough. Also, and this was something I mentioned in my original review, but I felt no chemistry between Anna and Sam - I see what its purpose was and what it did for Anna's development, but like she said at one point, she didn't really know him (even though she was instantly attracted to him and later described that as love). I think the problem I had with this is that I didn't care much for Sam: he was a one-dimensional character, and maybe he was supposed to be that way, but I believe Ockler could have made us like him more than she did. I generally preferred learning about the different facets of Anna and Matt's romance.
What I enjoy about Sarah Ockler's books is that they don't focus on just one thing: they contain various elements that pull together to make (most of) her characters and their stories vivid and compelling. Aspects such as love, loss, friendship and self discovery are housed within real world drama and captivating language. One thing I didn't entirely enjoy was Anna's repeated mention of the various gods she "calls upon," e.i. Birthday Wishes and so on; it's a little nit pick, but I didn't see a point in it, and once was enough. Also, and this was something I mentioned in my original review, but I felt no chemistry between Anna and Sam - I see what its purpose was and what it did for Anna's development, but like she said at one point, she didn't really know him (even though she was instantly attracted to him and later described that as love). I think the problem I had with this is that I didn't care much for Sam: he was a one-dimensional character, and maybe he was supposed to be that way, but I believe Ockler could have made us like him more than she did. I generally preferred learning about the different facets of Anna and Matt's romance.
Anna and Frankie are spending twenty days in beautiful Zanzibar Bay and while they are there they plan on meeting twenty boys. Frankie is convinced that at least one of these boys will end up being the perfect summer fling for Anna, who according to Frankie has never had any sort of romance in her life. Anna lightheartedly goes along with Frankie’s plan, but she’s been holding back a secret from Frankie for the past year. The thing is Anna had a secret romance with Frankie’s brother Matt, who died a year ago, and promised him days before his death that she wouldn’t tell Frankie and leave it up to him. Will Anna end up finding a summer fling or will she let her grief over Matt’s death keep her single?
Not only is this an amazing summer read, as it has lovely beaches, hot boys, and lots of fun, but it is also emotionally charged and utterly hard to forget. Debut novelist Sarah Ockler has truly created a one of a kind book that I really enjoyed and know many other readers will as well.
First of all I have to commend the author on her writing style. She created very lifelike scenes and the beach town she created was so real that I could almost feel the sand between my toes. Her characterization was also impeccable as she made all characters seem very real, especially Anna. While Anna couldn’t always show her grief, as no one knew about her and Matt’s relationship, the reader knew all about it and truly felt the same feelings as her. Then there was Frankie, o dear Frankie. She truly went through the classic change that occurs in many girls after they experience grief, but the author really made Frankie unique by the fact that she slowly uncovered the “true” Frankie, who was a great character. My only qualm with her was that I really wish we had gotten to hear part of the story from her perspective, as I truly found her extremely interesting.
As for the plot it was really cute, albeit predictable. I enjoyed the different perspective on grief and liked how in a way Anna and Frankie depended on each other to get through Matt’s death. The only thing is I wish there had been a bit more development of the whole relationship between Anna and her summer boy. It was adorable while it lasted and I couldn’t get enough, but it ended abruptly, leaving the reader wanting more. The ending was also perfect for the book. It provided the closer that Anna and Frankie needed, as did the reader.
Overall this was a great book, which I really enjoyed. If the beautiful cover couldn’t lure you into reading this book I hope you will still give it a chance, as it won’t be a book you’ll forget about soon. I absolutely cannot wait for more from Sarah Ockler as she is a truly talented author.
Not only is this an amazing summer read, as it has lovely beaches, hot boys, and lots of fun, but it is also emotionally charged and utterly hard to forget. Debut novelist Sarah Ockler has truly created a one of a kind book that I really enjoyed and know many other readers will as well.
First of all I have to commend the author on her writing style. She created very lifelike scenes and the beach town she created was so real that I could almost feel the sand between my toes. Her characterization was also impeccable as she made all characters seem very real, especially Anna. While Anna couldn’t always show her grief, as no one knew about her and Matt’s relationship, the reader knew all about it and truly felt the same feelings as her. Then there was Frankie, o dear Frankie. She truly went through the classic change that occurs in many girls after they experience grief, but the author really made Frankie unique by the fact that she slowly uncovered the “true” Frankie, who was a great character. My only qualm with her was that I really wish we had gotten to hear part of the story from her perspective, as I truly found her extremely interesting.
As for the plot it was really cute, albeit predictable. I enjoyed the different perspective on grief and liked how in a way Anna and Frankie depended on each other to get through Matt’s death. The only thing is I wish there had been a bit more development of the whole relationship between Anna and her summer boy. It was adorable while it lasted and I couldn’t get enough, but it ended abruptly, leaving the reader wanting more. The ending was also perfect for the book. It provided the closer that Anna and Frankie needed, as did the reader.
Overall this was a great book, which I really enjoyed. If the beautiful cover couldn’t lure you into reading this book I hope you will still give it a chance, as it won’t be a book you’ll forget about soon. I absolutely cannot wait for more from Sarah Ockler as she is a truly talented author.
This read was full of tears, some laughter, and a lot of smiles. Touched my heart. Time flew by.