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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
This is the story of a trio of best friends, a girl and her brother and their other friend. The brother and other friend fall in love, then he dies, and now it's summer again and everyone is trying to get over his death. It was better than it sounds, sad but not too sad, and it's not overly hallmarky or anything like that. good read.
My full review:
In this story, we meet Anna. Her best friend is Frankie. Her other best friend was Matt. But they were becoming something more. And then he dies. This book is about Anna, a year after Matt's death, going on a trip with Frankie's family to California. They all are still trying to cope with Matt's death. So Frankie plans a game. They meet 20 boys in 20 days, and maybe Anna can finally have her romance. But Anna's heart is still broken from Matt, and here's the thing- Frankie never knew about Anna's budding relationship with Matt- because he died before he could tell her.
This is one of those books where my heart just ached, especially towards the end. By the end of the book, I was so attached to the characters. I really felt for Anna, Frankie, and Aunt Jayne. I wanted them to find their "Happily Ever After" and to move on. I was totally rooting for them, which is not something that I usually do with books. I really felt all the characters, which was amazing. They felt so real.
I also liked how not everything went as planned. Not everything you plan for a vacation actually happens, in real life. And that's how it was in the book, too, which added an even more realistic feel to the book. Not everything was perfect.
Also, the cover makes sense in the story. Yes, it's gorgeous, and that was definitely one of the reasons that I wanted to read it [because, you know, I absolutely love pretty covers!]. But after finishing the story, it totally makes sense. It's so well-thought out and fits well with the story. It's not a random girl in a dress, which most book covers are right now... So it's pretty, and it works with the book. Perfection.
However, there were some small things that I didn't like. For one, it's been a year since Matt's death. And it seems like it happened yesterday. Everyone is still depressed, crying, and everything. Shouldn't they have moved on? I've observed that it takes less than a year to accept death. Crying a little bit makes sense, but not full-out bawling all the time. Remember him, but try to move on.
There were a few other tiny things that I didn't like, but they're kinda spoilerish, so I'll just leave it at that. Overall though, it was a cute, heart-warming contemporary read.
In this story, we meet Anna. Her best friend is Frankie. Her other best friend was Matt. But they were becoming something more. And then he dies. This book is about Anna, a year after Matt's death, going on a trip with Frankie's family to California. They all are still trying to cope with Matt's death. So Frankie plans a game. They meet 20 boys in 20 days, and maybe Anna can finally have her romance. But Anna's heart is still broken from Matt, and here's the thing- Frankie never knew about Anna's budding relationship with Matt- because he died before he could tell her.
This is one of those books where my heart just ached, especially towards the end. By the end of the book, I was so attached to the characters. I really felt for Anna, Frankie, and Aunt Jayne. I wanted them to find their "Happily Ever After" and to move on. I was totally rooting for them, which is not something that I usually do with books. I really felt all the characters, which was amazing. They felt so real.
I also liked how not everything went as planned. Not everything you plan for a vacation actually happens, in real life. And that's how it was in the book, too, which added an even more realistic feel to the book. Not everything was perfect.
Also, the cover makes sense in the story. Yes, it's gorgeous, and that was definitely one of the reasons that I wanted to read it [because, you know, I absolutely love pretty covers!]. But after finishing the story, it totally makes sense. It's so well-thought out and fits well with the story. It's not a random girl in a dress, which most book covers are right now... So it's pretty, and it works with the book. Perfection.
However, there were some small things that I didn't like. For one, it's been a year since Matt's death. And it seems like it happened yesterday. Everyone is still depressed, crying, and everything. Shouldn't they have moved on? I've observed that it takes less than a year to accept death. Crying a little bit makes sense, but not full-out bawling all the time. Remember him, but try to move on.
There were a few other tiny things that I didn't like, but they're kinda spoilerish, so I'll just leave it at that. Overall though, it was a cute, heart-warming contemporary read.
Matt and his sister Francesca (Frankie) have been best friends with neighbor Anna forever. Anna’s been in love with Matt for about that long. But she hasn’t told Frankie. One day Matt kisses Anna. They start a secret relationship and Matt promises to tell his sister Frankie soon. But instead he goes and dies. Bummer, right?
There’s sadness and crying and loss. Anna still can’t tell Frankie the truth because she promised (the now dead) Matt she wouldn’t. Even though he’s dead. Because she promised. Okay, moving on.
What better way to forget about your problems then go on a family tradition month-long trip to the beach? To fill the empty space the now dead Matt left, the family invites Anna to join them. The girls (mostly Frankie) decide they will meet/hit on/be hit on by/make out with/have sex with at least 20 boys. Because Frankie lost her v-card already and now it’s time for Anna to lose hers. But Anna’s still hung up on Matt. But she can’t tell Frankie that because she promised Matt. Who’s now dead.
The majority of the book takes place during that month-long trip, so it’s not all sadness and gloom. There’s sun and sand a’plenty. There’s also tanned surfer boys. And therein lies Anna’s problem. If she likes cutie patootie Sam, does that mean she doesn’t love Matt anymore? Or that she never did? How long should she hold onto his memory? Because nobody knew about Anna and Matt’s relationship (big secret, remember?), Anna is not able to grieve in the way other people are. She has to worry about being there for her best friend who lost her brother. How can you get over a loss that you never really had?
The besties meet a couple of guys that they bond with and start spending most of their time with them. Despite Anna’s misgivings, she finds herself enjoying Sam’s company.
In our short time together, the four of us become the kind of impossibly close that only happens with people you barely know — people who live hundreds of miles and entire states away from you. People who don’t know your secrets.
The characters are all very real and well-developed. Their actions and thoughts are believable and honest. They speak to each other just like you or I would. They have depth and emotions that draw you right in. The girls do all the teenage things you expect, they act out, drink, make out and spend a lot of time worrying about how they look.
The writing is excellent (in fact, I’m surprised this was Ockler’s debut novel) and the pace is right on. There is a bit of a graphic sex scene (it’s honest and real graphic, not porn graphic).
Okcler does an amazing job of setting the scenes, you really feel like you are there with Anna and Frankie on the beach, with toes in the sand and sun on the face.
One of my favorite quotes comes as Frankie and Anna are angry at each other, but trying not to let Frankie’s parents know, as they play a game of paddleball on the beach:
After half an hour of forced family fun, in which I score fifty points and take out at least seventy-five percent of my anger trying to blast Frankie with the ball, our game is cut short. Princess gets stung on the top of her foot by a teeny-tiny newborn baby of a jelly-fish and carries on like some shark just swam away with her torso.
The entire book is peppered with fun visual images like this, little nuggets of snark and teenage angst.
The Sum Up: Twenty Boy Summer is a fantastic, fun read that will pass by so quickly you’ll wish it was longer.
There’s sadness and crying and loss. Anna still can’t tell Frankie the truth because she promised (the now dead) Matt she wouldn’t. Even though he’s dead. Because she promised. Okay, moving on.
What better way to forget about your problems then go on a family tradition month-long trip to the beach? To fill the empty space the now dead Matt left, the family invites Anna to join them. The girls (mostly Frankie) decide they will meet/hit on/be hit on by/make out with/have sex with at least 20 boys. Because Frankie lost her v-card already and now it’s time for Anna to lose hers. But Anna’s still hung up on Matt. But she can’t tell Frankie that because she promised Matt. Who’s now dead.
The majority of the book takes place during that month-long trip, so it’s not all sadness and gloom. There’s sun and sand a’plenty. There’s also tanned surfer boys. And therein lies Anna’s problem. If she likes cutie patootie Sam, does that mean she doesn’t love Matt anymore? Or that she never did? How long should she hold onto his memory? Because nobody knew about Anna and Matt’s relationship (big secret, remember?), Anna is not able to grieve in the way other people are. She has to worry about being there for her best friend who lost her brother. How can you get over a loss that you never really had?
The besties meet a couple of guys that they bond with and start spending most of their time with them. Despite Anna’s misgivings, she finds herself enjoying Sam’s company.
In our short time together, the four of us become the kind of impossibly close that only happens with people you barely know — people who live hundreds of miles and entire states away from you. People who don’t know your secrets.
The characters are all very real and well-developed. Their actions and thoughts are believable and honest. They speak to each other just like you or I would. They have depth and emotions that draw you right in. The girls do all the teenage things you expect, they act out, drink, make out and spend a lot of time worrying about how they look.
The writing is excellent (in fact, I’m surprised this was Ockler’s debut novel) and the pace is right on. There is a bit of a graphic sex scene (it’s honest and real graphic, not porn graphic).
Okcler does an amazing job of setting the scenes, you really feel like you are there with Anna and Frankie on the beach, with toes in the sand and sun on the face.
One of my favorite quotes comes as Frankie and Anna are angry at each other, but trying not to let Frankie’s parents know, as they play a game of paddleball on the beach:
After half an hour of forced family fun, in which I score fifty points and take out at least seventy-five percent of my anger trying to blast Frankie with the ball, our game is cut short. Princess gets stung on the top of her foot by a teeny-tiny newborn baby of a jelly-fish and carries on like some shark just swam away with her torso.
The entire book is peppered with fun visual images like this, little nuggets of snark and teenage angst.
The Sum Up: Twenty Boy Summer is a fantastic, fun read that will pass by so quickly you’ll wish it was longer.
First off, let me just say that I LOVE the cover for this book! And I love that the book has all these references to sea glass, just like the awesomely beautiful cover. Genius!
And the pages between the fantastic cover are just as awesome. This was undeniably one of my most favorite debut novels this year. Anna and Frankie were phenomenal characters. I totally understood Anna, I got her right away, but it took me the entire novel to finally get Frankie. Incredible. Ockler's depiction of Anna's emotions was beyond spectacular, I can't even begin to imagine how it felt to write that, because I know how it made me feel reading it. Wow.
And how fantastic was the writing! I felt like I was summering in California and I have yet to visit! It was that good. Absolutely captivating. If you pick up one book this summer and are looking for more than chick lit fluff (not that chick lit fluff is bad, because personally I love it) I would recommend you pick this one up.
And the pages between the fantastic cover are just as awesome. This was undeniably one of my most favorite debut novels this year. Anna and Frankie were phenomenal characters. I totally understood Anna, I got her right away, but it took me the entire novel to finally get Frankie. Incredible. Ockler's depiction of Anna's emotions was beyond spectacular, I can't even begin to imagine how it felt to write that, because I know how it made me feel reading it. Wow.
And how fantastic was the writing! I felt like I was summering in California and I have yet to visit! It was that good. Absolutely captivating. If you pick up one book this summer and are looking for more than chick lit fluff (not that chick lit fluff is bad, because personally I love it) I would recommend you pick this one up.
Another teen book that I absolutely loved. It wasn’t perfect, but it definitely had its moments and it left me with one of those great, post-reading feelings like I could change my whole life around.
Twenty Boy Summer is the story of Anna and Frankie, two best friends who are surviving in the aftermath of the loss of their third best friend— Matt, Frankie’s brother and Anna’s secret boyfriend. They go on a summer trip to California determined to have the “Absolute Best Summer Ever” and meet at least twenty boys between the two of them, the setup to any great summer story.
The story was great, the feelings were real, the imagery was often beautiful and captivating. Anna is a believable character with very real emotions and a frustrating sense of responsibility for her best friend. The most annoying part of the novel is Frankie, who, aside from being described as physically perfect is just selfish and bratty for most of the novel. The characters both undergo a lot of growth, but Frankie’s initial personality is the only thing keeping this book from being a five.
I loved this book because I wanted everything to be alright for Anna and Frankie from the get-go. The author does a great job of starting the action right away and getting you hooked, and from there on you’re on the edge of your seat, hoping that the girls get another night out and that they don’t get caught sneaking back in, but waiting in suspense for the moment you’re sure that they will. This novel really draws you in and makes you want to find out what happens next.
It was a great, fun read. I finished it in a day. Definitely worth your time.
Twenty Boy Summer is the story of Anna and Frankie, two best friends who are surviving in the aftermath of the loss of their third best friend— Matt, Frankie’s brother and Anna’s secret boyfriend. They go on a summer trip to California determined to have the “Absolute Best Summer Ever” and meet at least twenty boys between the two of them, the setup to any great summer story.
The story was great, the feelings were real, the imagery was often beautiful and captivating. Anna is a believable character with very real emotions and a frustrating sense of responsibility for her best friend. The most annoying part of the novel is Frankie, who, aside from being described as physically perfect is just selfish and bratty for most of the novel. The characters both undergo a lot of growth, but Frankie’s initial personality is the only thing keeping this book from being a five.
I loved this book because I wanted everything to be alright for Anna and Frankie from the get-go. The author does a great job of starting the action right away and getting you hooked, and from there on you’re on the edge of your seat, hoping that the girls get another night out and that they don’t get caught sneaking back in, but waiting in suspense for the moment you’re sure that they will. This novel really draws you in and makes you want to find out what happens next.
It was a great, fun read. I finished it in a day. Definitely worth your time.