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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
Strong character development:
Complicated
I wasn’t super into it when I first started reading but got more invested when I went along. Love the conclusion the characters came to in the end
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Cute coming-of-age story involving four close girlfriends who are spending their first summer apart. I watched the movie of this first years ago, and it remains a beloved movie of mine. From what I remember of it, the movie stayed faithful to the book in a lot of aspects. Some lines are taken directly from the page. The only thing is I don't remember Bridget having a twin brother or Lena's younger sister Effie in the movie, but the brother was unimportant to the plot and Effie basically acted to just drive Lena's plot forward.
I guess the main criticism I would give this book is how it makes some of the girls seem at fault for certain things. In Lena's storyline, she goes swimming in her underwear and Kostas sees her. She's understandably upset by this and assumes he was stalking her/watching her swim naked. She has every right to feel violated, but she instead feels guilty and puts herself in the wrong for it. It does blow out of proportion as her grandparents assume the worst, but he still saw her in a vulnerable state without her consent. And she goes on to apologize to HIM for going into "his space". Girl, he doesn't own the lake. Then again, she violates him later by watching him swim naked, so that whole thing is just uncomfortable.
Carmen's storyline has always struck a personal chord with me. There is no Latina cleaner in this but there is some underlying racism that infuriated me. I feel like the author didn't balance this out properly because Lydia did not come off well when the dressmaker was being so nasty about Carmen and Lydia said nothing to defend her. There was also the "girl who hates character for no reason" sideplot with Paul's girlfriend. Carmen was being bratty but the girlfriend didn't seem to exist for any other reason than to dislike Carmen. And I'll just say it: the set-up bothers me. How long have Al and Lydia been dating? How has he NEVER mentioned her ONCE to Carmen? Springing the engagement/wedding on her was an extreme dick move that trapped her and he never gives a good reason for doing it.
All that aside, the emotions are done so well. Each girl is clearly defined with their flaws as well as their strengths. I truly felt like I was going on their individual journeys of self-discovery and growth. It's sometimes wonderful, sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes funny and sometimes somber. I'm far older than the targeted demographic but I did like it in spite of my complaints. In a weird way, these four girls feel like my friends by proxy, and I bet a lot of other girls/women who read this book feel the same way.
I guess the main criticism I would give this book is how it makes some of the girls seem at fault for certain things. In Lena's storyline, she goes swimming in her underwear and Kostas sees her. She's understandably upset by this and assumes he was stalking her/watching her swim naked. She has every right to feel violated, but she instead feels guilty and puts herself in the wrong for it. It does blow out of proportion as her grandparents assume the worst, but he still saw her in a vulnerable state without her consent. And she goes on to apologize to HIM for going into "his space". Girl, he doesn't own the lake. Then again, she violates him later by watching him swim naked, so that whole thing is just uncomfortable.
Carmen's storyline has always struck a personal chord with me. There is no Latina cleaner in this but there is some underlying racism that infuriated me. I feel like the author didn't balance this out properly because Lydia did not come off well when the dressmaker was being so nasty about Carmen and Lydia said nothing to defend her. There was also the "girl who hates character for no reason" sideplot with Paul's girlfriend. Carmen was being bratty but the girlfriend didn't seem to exist for any other reason than to dislike Carmen. And I'll just say it: the set-up bothers me. How long have Al and Lydia been dating? How has he NEVER mentioned her ONCE to Carmen? Springing the engagement/wedding on her was an extreme dick move that trapped her and he never gives a good reason for doing it.
All that aside, the emotions are done so well. Each girl is clearly defined with their flaws as well as their strengths. I truly felt like I was going on their individual journeys of self-discovery and growth. It's sometimes wonderful, sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes funny and sometimes somber. I'm far older than the targeted demographic but I did like it in spite of my complaints. In a weird way, these four girls feel like my friends by proxy, and I bet a lot of other girls/women who read this book feel the same way.
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book would've been better for 15 year old me, not present day 30 year old me. It was fine, don't get me wrong, but it wasn't as great as the hype would've led you to believe in the early 2000s
Since each book is pretty much broken up into an arc for each character, I'm ranking my most to least favorite:
1. Tibby - I loved reading about all the different people Tibby and Bailey interviewed together, especially when it included what they meant to the people they met. I think between all the books and the movies my memory got mixed up, because I definitely thoughtBailey's death happened later in the series. Tibby had the most satisfying arc in the book - being the one at home helped focus on her character development, and there's so much to take in from her summer.
2. Carmen - Carmen was definitely my favorite character when I was younger. I really related to her frustration with being a person of color in a predominately white space and feeling like she didn't fit in. I appreciated the self-awareness of her actions, and the way her story wrapped up was sweet.
3. Bridget - I wasn't super into Bridget's story, especially looking back at the age gap between Bridget and her love interest. It's more understandable at that age, but being 21 and reading about 15 and 19 was kind of skeevy, even if that was the point. I also wasn't super interested in sports or camp, which may have been why I was less into her parts.
4. Lena - Pretty much all of my thoughts come from present me: Lena's story is oddly written and weird to read today, especially when it comes to the main conflict of her summer. The conflict first comes off as supporting the "boys will be boys" saying in trying to humanize a boy who hurt her, but then revealing that she was mistaken and she's actually in love, and realizing the error of her ways. I spent her chapters wishing she would not have to apologize for herself for a boy she owes nothing to.
Generally alright, going to continue to reread the series.
1. Tibby - I loved reading about all the different people Tibby and Bailey interviewed together, especially when it included what they meant to the people they met. I think between all the books and the movies my memory got mixed up, because I definitely thought
2. Carmen - Carmen was definitely my favorite character when I was younger. I really related to her frustration with being a person of color in a predominately white space and feeling like she didn't fit in. I appreciated the self-awareness of her actions, and the way her story wrapped up was sweet.
3. Bridget - I wasn't super into Bridget's story, especially looking back at the age gap between Bridget and her love interest. It's more understandable at that age, but being 21 and reading about 15 and 19 was kind of skeevy, even if that was the point. I also wasn't super interested in sports or camp, which may have been why I was less into her parts.
4. Lena - Pretty much all of my thoughts come from present me: Lena's story is oddly written and weird to read today, especially when it comes to the main conflict of her summer. The conflict first comes off as supporting the "boys will be boys" saying in trying to humanize a boy who hurt her, but then revealing that she was mistaken and she's actually in love, and realizing the error of her ways. I spent her chapters wishing she would not have to apologize for herself for a boy she owes nothing to.
Generally alright, going to continue to reread the series.
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes