Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by cmbarowsky
Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler
4.0
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Twenty Boy Summer was moving and beautiful, and very unexpected. Although the synopsis implies young love as the center focus of the novel, it is so much deeper and more complex than that. Sarah Ockler developed a beautiful plot-line with realistic characters and very real emotions.
Ockler’s debut novel was successful and well-written. Her plot-line flowed, she used a diverse vocabulary, and her novel contained a plethora of memorable quotes I couldn’t stop writing down.
Sarah Ockler presented a few important themes in her novel. The most broad and important themes in Twenty Boy Summer were love and loss. It kind of upsets me that the synopsis implies the love is solely young love between a boy and a girl. The most prominent love was between Anna and Frankie, between best friends. This love is relatable and honest. Anna and Frankie also experience the death of a loved one. The grief they feel effects them differently. For Anna, she is having a conflict with herself for the majority of the novel, struggling with feelings of doubt, guilt and secrecy.
There are many things about this novel I enjoyed. The plot-line was well-done and the emotions of the characters were real and relatable. However, the sensory detail was lacking in some aspects. It was difficult to envision places or people. With the lack of better sensory detail, it was difficult to invest in the realness of the characters or their story.
Overall, I really enjoyed this novel. Sarah Ockler’s debut is beautifully written with characters I enjoyed. I look forward to reading more of her works.
Twenty Boy Summer was moving and beautiful, and very unexpected. Although the synopsis implies young love as the center focus of the novel, it is so much deeper and more complex than that. Sarah Ockler developed a beautiful plot-line with realistic characters and very real emotions.
Ockler’s debut novel was successful and well-written. Her plot-line flowed, she used a diverse vocabulary, and her novel contained a plethora of memorable quotes I couldn’t stop writing down.
Sarah Ockler presented a few important themes in her novel. The most broad and important themes in Twenty Boy Summer were love and loss. It kind of upsets me that the synopsis implies the love is solely young love between a boy and a girl. The most prominent love was between Anna and Frankie, between best friends. This love is relatable and honest. Anna and Frankie also experience the death of a loved one. The grief they feel effects them differently. For Anna, she is having a conflict with herself for the majority of the novel, struggling with feelings of doubt, guilt and secrecy.
There are many things about this novel I enjoyed. The plot-line was well-done and the emotions of the characters were real and relatable. However, the sensory detail was lacking in some aspects. It was difficult to envision places or people. With the lack of better sensory detail, it was difficult to invest in the realness of the characters or their story.
Overall, I really enjoyed this novel. Sarah Ockler’s debut is beautifully written with characters I enjoyed. I look forward to reading more of her works.