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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
Back during Banned Book week, I read an article in the local newspaper about how this man who I think was a parent with young kids and also a professor at Missouri State University or on the board or something like that was pitching a fit about this book and a few others and saying how they weren't appropriate for teens/children to read. So of course, I had to read this to find out what he was crabbing about. It was nothing what I thought it was going to be but that's a good thing.
This book is about summer romance, loss and friendship. It is about 3 best friends/siblings (Frankie, Anna and Matt) and what happens after a tragic accident and a year after that during a summer vacation. During their summer trip, Frankie and Anna decide they must meet twenty boys over the course of their vacation and they are going to document it through this video camera. At the end, they figure out that they couldn't even make it to 20 individually or even putting their numbers together because they both become infatuated with people/things they didn't think would happen.
I love the relationship of Frankie and Anna. They complement each other and I feel like a lot of teen girls can relate to them because they are such polar opposites. Frankie was kind of annoying at time but towards the end of the novel, you really see why she acts the way she does. But there were times that she cracked me up trying to use "sophistacted" words. Example:
"Anna, I swear, sometimes you can be so - so chartreuse."
"Did you give him a fake - wait, what did you call me?"
"Chartreuse. You know, dense. What?"
"Frankie, you just called me a shade of green. I think you mean obtuse."
"Well, you are looking a little pale."
I love the cover and when you read the book you find out what the heart is made out of.
One of the best quotes in the book: "I really don't even know you, and yet, in my life, you are forever entangled; to my history, inextricably bound."
This book is about summer romance, loss and friendship. It is about 3 best friends/siblings (Frankie, Anna and Matt) and what happens after a tragic accident and a year after that during a summer vacation. During their summer trip, Frankie and Anna decide they must meet twenty boys over the course of their vacation and they are going to document it through this video camera. At the end, they figure out that they couldn't even make it to 20 individually or even putting their numbers together because they both become infatuated with people/things they didn't think would happen.
I love the relationship of Frankie and Anna. They complement each other and I feel like a lot of teen girls can relate to them because they are such polar opposites. Frankie was kind of annoying at time but towards the end of the novel, you really see why she acts the way she does. But there were times that she cracked me up trying to use "sophistacted" words. Example:
"Anna, I swear, sometimes you can be so - so chartreuse."
"Did you give him a fake - wait, what did you call me?"
"Chartreuse. You know, dense. What?"
"Frankie, you just called me a shade of green. I think you mean obtuse."
"Well, you are looking a little pale."
I love the cover and when you read the book you find out what the heart is made out of.
One of the best quotes in the book: "I really don't even know you, and yet, in my life, you are forever entangled; to my history, inextricably bound."
Twenty Boy Summer is a heartbreak-inducing, tear-jerking novel. Do not be fooled by the title of this book. The title somehow makes it seem like this book will be a light-hearted, summer read, but it is faaaar from it.
The story is told in Anna's POV and I really enjoyed the way she told her story. Anna and Frankie are best friends, together with Frankie's brother, Matt. These three were inseparable, but somewhere along the way, Matt and Anna fell in love. They both decide to keep this a secret from Frankie, afraid that she might feel left out and alone. Matt makes Anna promise to not say a word to Frankie, and that he would tell her himself when they go on their summer vacation. And then tragedy strikes, and Matt passes away in a horrible accident.
A year later, Anna goes with Frankie's family on their yearly vacation. This is where the story begins.
Anna and Frankie have such opposing personalities, but somehow they work together. Anna is the go-along-with-the-flow kind of girl. She just lets Frankie do whatever she wants. I know that doesn't sound like such a great friend, but she had the right intentions. Frankie has a much bigger personality, but she is still such a vulnerable girl underneath all that. And sometimes she does things to get her parents' attention, but it just never works.
I would have given this a 5-star rating. Everything was perfect, but I felt like aside from Anna and Frankie, some of the other more important characters (such as Sam) lacked a bit of development. He played a huge part in Anna's healing, but we don't even really know anything about him except that he works in a smoothie shop.
If you are looking for a love story, then this is not the book for you. This book is a story of overcoming the loss of a loved one, and the consequences of keeping secrets. I had such a heavy heart while reading this book, and even though it did not end on such a high note, I still fell in love with this book. Just prepare yourself for a bit of an emotional ride when you read this.
The story is told in Anna's POV and I really enjoyed the way she told her story. Anna and Frankie are best friends, together with Frankie's brother, Matt. These three were inseparable, but somewhere along the way, Matt and Anna fell in love. They both decide to keep this a secret from Frankie, afraid that she might feel left out and alone. Matt makes Anna promise to not say a word to Frankie, and that he would tell her himself when they go on their summer vacation. And then tragedy strikes, and Matt passes away in a horrible accident.
A year later, Anna goes with Frankie's family on their yearly vacation. This is where the story begins.
Anna and Frankie have such opposing personalities, but somehow they work together. Anna is the go-along-with-the-flow kind of girl. She just lets Frankie do whatever she wants. I know that doesn't sound like such a great friend, but she had the right intentions. Frankie has a much bigger personality, but she is still such a vulnerable girl underneath all that. And sometimes she does things to get her parents' attention, but it just never works.
I would have given this a 5-star rating. Everything was perfect, but I felt like aside from Anna and Frankie, some of the other more important characters (such as Sam) lacked a bit of development. He played a huge part in Anna's healing, but we don't even really know anything about him except that he works in a smoothie shop.
If you are looking for a love story, then this is not the book for you. This book is a story of overcoming the loss of a loved one, and the consequences of keeping secrets. I had such a heavy heart while reading this book, and even though it did not end on such a high note, I still fell in love with this book. Just prepare yourself for a bit of an emotional ride when you read this.
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was a great contemporary novel about family, friendships, love, loss and grief. I adored the bond between Frankie and Anna and honestly could feel their pain through the authors writing.
The characters were relatable and showed us how heartbreak and grief is dealt with in different ways for each person. The beautiful friendship between Frankie and Anna was so endearing and I was really hoping for them both to find their peace.
Honestly it was just a great read! It gave me all the feels and will definitely renain a fave for me.
The characters were relatable and showed us how heartbreak and grief is dealt with in different ways for each person. The beautiful friendship between Frankie and Anna was so endearing and I was really hoping for them both to find their peace.
Honestly it was just a great read! It gave me all the feels and will definitely renain a fave for me.
I cried so hard reading this... This book is soo beautiful and well-written, I still can't get over it until now.
"Nothing ever really goes away --- it just changes into something else. Something beautiful."
Summer always tags along adventure, unpredictability and fun. This is a great setting for a story to unfold. Summer is something short-lived, yet completely amazing and mesmerizing just like everything in the story: Matt and Anna's love story, the A.B.S.E., Frankie and Anna's "Twenty Boy Summer" contest, Frankie and Jake, Anna and Sam.
With that being said, this story shows us the real value of every moment, every cherished memory, every secret emotion and every promise.
It made me see that letting go always made the difference. Some memories stick with us forever, some pop out because of a certain trigger that makes us remember, some we try to forget, some we try to preserve and relive. But some things are better off left like that, as memories. That way they are not changed or affected by time.
It also made me realize that trying to forget something important or something that affected or mattered to you is never really possible. You can bury it deep, but at the end of the day, you will always remember.
Summer always tags along adventure, unpredictability and fun. This is a great setting for a story to unfold. Summer is something short-lived, yet completely amazing and mesmerizing just like everything in the story: Matt and Anna's love story, the A.B.S.E., Frankie and Anna's "Twenty Boy Summer" contest, Frankie and Jake, Anna and Sam.
With that being said, this story shows us the real value of every moment, every cherished memory, every secret emotion and every promise.
It made me see that letting go always made the difference. Some memories stick with us forever, some pop out because of a certain trigger that makes us remember, some we try to forget, some we try to preserve and relive. But some things are better off left like that, as memories. That way they are not changed or affected by time.
It also made me realize that trying to forget something important or something that affected or mattered to you is never really possible. You can bury it deep, but at the end of the day, you will always remember.
2.5 / 5
Really disappointed that I couldn't get into this book as I loved Ockler's Bittersweet and Fixing Delilah. It did absolutely nothing for me; the characters were unlikeable and, to me, the romance felt forced and awkward. While I like other books in this genre, the plot of this book just wasn't my kind of thing.
Really disappointed that I couldn't get into this book as I loved Ockler's Bittersweet and Fixing Delilah. It did absolutely nothing for me; the characters were unlikeable and, to me, the romance felt forced and awkward. While I like other books in this genre, the plot of this book just wasn't my kind of thing.
although this is kinda chic lit, it also deals with the loss of a close friend for one girl and a brother for another girl, and how they both (and their parents) deal with--or dont deal with--the grief. The wording is absolutely, beautifully sad, and the healing that takes place, especially over the course of three terrific weeks on the California coast, is amazing.
Maybe it’s the fact that I’m no longer a teenager but liiike... I really have no patience any more for characters doing crappy things and then just ✨letting it go✨ without any signs of genuine remorse or an apology because they were ✨going through stuff.✨ Grow up.
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
I read this as a teen in 2009 and enjoyed it.