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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
lighthearted
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It's a very sweet book, with low stakes. Which sounds like a bad thing, but it's not. But I do want to make sure I say that because it feels a little like a YA anomaly that way. The drama is there, but it's not soap opera it's more real.
Hanna is dealing with a hard thing (soccer and home from the boarding school), but she mostly deals with it well. And shows real growth in her communication skills. My biggest hope for her is that she works on her friendships more too. I always worry a little in books where a protagonist is struggling with the friendships in their life and gets into a romantic relationship before sorting out their friendships. But I think there was enough balance in all the relationships in the book.
Hanna is dealing with a hard thing (soccer and home from the boarding school), but she mostly deals with it well. And shows real growth in her communication skills. My biggest hope for her is that she works on her friendships more too. I always worry a little in books where a protagonist is struggling with the friendships in their life and gets into a romantic relationship before sorting out their friendships. But I think there was enough balance in all the relationships in the book.
This author wrote a favorite book of mine from 2020, Recommended for You, and this one sounded right up my alley as well. Unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to read it until I got a copy to review as part of the library committee I’m on. This is a possible nominee for the 24-25 school year. I really enjoyed it. It had more depth than I expected from the title and what I was thinking. The main character had a lot she was dealing with and a lot to come to terms with to get her life back on track. I liked the Jewish character representation and really all of the different the diverse characters and story lines contained in this book. Another winner for me!
Review first posted on Lisa Loves Literature.
Review first posted on Lisa Loves Literature.
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I won my copy from a giveaway the author did and was so excited to receive it a couple days before it's release!
I was looking forward to it so much because it's brother's best friend (which i am a sucker for) and it's set in a bowling alley (I've been a bowler my entire life and grew up in a bowling alley).
This book was so so cute, and for me, was filled with nostalgia from my childhood.
I was looking forward to it so much because it's brother's best friend (which i am a sucker for) and it's set in a bowling alley (I've been a bowler my entire life and grew up in a bowling alley).
This book was so so cute, and for me, was filled with nostalgia from my childhood.
funny
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Thank you to NetGalley and Margaret K. McElderry Books for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
CONTENT WARNING: mention of cancer, death, grief, alcohol use
It’s no secret that I love Laura Silverman books, and this one is no exception. It’s a beautiful, complex, and deep story about a girl who is going through a lot, while also maintaining a humorous rom-com status, which isn’t a simple feat.
Hannah went from being a focused and successful soccer player on the road to the Olympics, to a downward spiral after a life-changing injury on the field. And the death of her beloved bubbe, the grandmother she was closest to out of everyone in her family, just compounded her feelings of loss and grief. This story plays out in both present day and flashbacks exploring what happened and how she’s dealing with the consequences of her actions.
After spending a year at boarding school, Hannah has one more chance to make things work at home this summer, so that she can earn her parents’ trust and return home for good. She gets a job at Bonanza, which turns out to be a blessing in disguise. It keeps her busy, and helps her make a new circle of friends, replacing the ones that she cut off when her life fell apart. It also kind of made me wish there was a place like Bonanza when I was growing up!
But nothing can be too easy—her former best friend and fellow teammate, Brie, works at Bonanza as well, making for some very awkward encounters. She immediately falls right into some sexual tension, with Patrick, a hot coworker, but also quickly realizes that she’s developing a crush on her younger brother’s best friend. As if all that isn’t enough, she’s also dreading the upcoming unveiling of her bubbe’s headstone, a traditional Jewish milestone that takes place 11 months after a death, bringing the grief front and center all over again. Plus, she’s got a parent-mandated list of things that she needs to do to prove herself okay to come back home for good, and not all of those things are easy to do.
While Hannah is definitely a strong candidate for the hot mess of the year award, she’s also easy to empathize with. She’s funny, learning how to be more self-aware, and struggling with readjusting to a life where she can no longer engage in her passion, the one activity that gave her life meaning and that she excelled at. While I have the hand-eye coordination of a toddler, it’s not hard for me to understand the feeling of learning how to adjust to a new life after having the life you’re used to swept out from underneath you.
There’s comedy interspersed in the story, and it makes it easier to handle the more difficult themes in the story—grief, loss, family discord, and underage drinking. The humor felt natural, and I loved that Hannah was a little awkward a lot of the time, because it made her feel so much more relatable, especially as she was working so hard to find herself. This is such a wonderful book with LGBTQ, Jewish, and diverse representation, and I’m an even bigger fan than ever. This is definitely one not to miss!
CONTENT WARNING: mention of cancer, death, grief, alcohol use
It’s no secret that I love Laura Silverman books, and this one is no exception. It’s a beautiful, complex, and deep story about a girl who is going through a lot, while also maintaining a humorous rom-com status, which isn’t a simple feat.
Hannah went from being a focused and successful soccer player on the road to the Olympics, to a downward spiral after a life-changing injury on the field. And the death of her beloved bubbe, the grandmother she was closest to out of everyone in her family, just compounded her feelings of loss and grief. This story plays out in both present day and flashbacks exploring what happened and how she’s dealing with the consequences of her actions.
After spending a year at boarding school, Hannah has one more chance to make things work at home this summer, so that she can earn her parents’ trust and return home for good. She gets a job at Bonanza, which turns out to be a blessing in disguise. It keeps her busy, and helps her make a new circle of friends, replacing the ones that she cut off when her life fell apart. It also kind of made me wish there was a place like Bonanza when I was growing up!
But nothing can be too easy—her former best friend and fellow teammate, Brie, works at Bonanza as well, making for some very awkward encounters. She immediately falls right into some sexual tension, with Patrick, a hot coworker, but also quickly realizes that she’s developing a crush on her younger brother’s best friend. As if all that isn’t enough, she’s also dreading the upcoming unveiling of her bubbe’s headstone, a traditional Jewish milestone that takes place 11 months after a death, bringing the grief front and center all over again. Plus, she’s got a parent-mandated list of things that she needs to do to prove herself okay to come back home for good, and not all of those things are easy to do.
While Hannah is definitely a strong candidate for the hot mess of the year award, she’s also easy to empathize with. She’s funny, learning how to be more self-aware, and struggling with readjusting to a life where she can no longer engage in her passion, the one activity that gave her life meaning and that she excelled at. While I have the hand-eye coordination of a toddler, it’s not hard for me to understand the feeling of learning how to adjust to a new life after having the life you’re used to swept out from underneath you.
There’s comedy interspersed in the story, and it makes it easier to handle the more difficult themes in the story—grief, loss, family discord, and underage drinking. The humor felt natural, and I loved that Hannah was a little awkward a lot of the time, because it made her feel so much more relatable, especially as she was working so hard to find herself. This is such a wonderful book with LGBTQ, Jewish, and diverse representation, and I’m an even bigger fan than ever. This is definitely one not to miss!
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Hannah's life turned upside down after sophomore year. Her beloved grandmother died and an injury ended her soccer career (around which she had planned her entire life). She spiraled so badly out of control that her parents sent her to boarding school for her junior year. Now she's back for the summer, with a set of conditions to meet or she'll be sent away again. She's desperate to stay but still doesn't see life without her grandmother and soccer. Her brother helps her get a job at Bonanza, an entertainment complex. It is here that Hannah os able to come to terms with what really happened and figure out where to go. This was a great summer read! Highly recommended for grades 8 & up.
eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss
eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss
Those Summer Nights is a fun summer vacation book, perfect for lounging by the pool. Hannah lost everything last year when an injury took her permanently out of her beloved soccer. She completely went off the rails and ended up at boarding school. But it's summer and she's back, trying to earn her way into her parent's good graces again. She's got a job at the local amusement center and a while summer to reform her image. Can she do it?
This was a fun, easy read. It really is a good summer.book...which is odd that it isn't coming out until late August.
This was a fun, easy read. It really is a good summer.book...which is odd that it isn't coming out until late August.