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A review by stopthesun
The Summer of Everything by Julian Winters
3.0
It's the last summer before he starts college, and nothing is really going the way Wes was hoping it would. He has no idea what he wants to study, he still hasn't confessed to his best friend, and his favorite place in the world is maybe-probably closing down.
-- Although technically I might categorize [b:The Summer of Everything|50156232|The Summer of Everything|Julian Winters|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1579364383l/50156232._SX50_.jpg|73232849] as a romance, it's more about the idea in this quote. It's more about coming to terms with the fact that you don't need to have a whole life plan by the time you graduate high school (and that even adults don't really ever know what they're doing either).
Warnings for
Things I Liked
Characters: There were a lot of characters, but I feel like [a:Julian Winters|17571829|Julian Winters|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1519597598p2/17571829.jpg] introduced them strategically enough that I didn't feel overwhelmed by the number of them.
All the characters felt unique and dimensional, and the development of the relationships to each other, and Wes felt organic.
Representation: There was endless representation, but it never felt forced or token. Not only was Wes crushing hard on his best friend Nico, but there were other queer relationships. Also, most of the main cast was described as, or specifically stated to be, POC.
Things I (Mostly) Didn't Like
Miscomuication?: I've said before that miscommunication doesn't actually bother me because that's just how real life works out sometimes. Still, I want to note it here for people who DO hate miscommunication.
Ella: Ella is one of Wes's best friends, but she's kind of a huge jerk. I liked her in her first chapter, and then it all went downhill. And then she got a little better, but I still don't know how I feel about her overall, really.
References: I just don't like references that date a book. They're distracting and pull me out of the story. It's the major reason I have no plans to read [b:Ready Player One|9969571|Ready Player One (Ready Player One, #1)|Ernest Cline|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1500930947l/9969571._SY75_.jpg|14863741]. In the beginning, it almost felt like the author made up a list of "cool references for teens" and then tried to hit every single one as quickly as possible. Honestly, without the references, I might have rated this book four stars. I just really hate them.
I'm adult enough for expectations, but not adult enough to know what I want.
-- Although technically I might categorize [b:The Summer of Everything|50156232|The Summer of Everything|Julian Winters|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1579364383l/50156232._SX50_.jpg|73232849] as a romance, it's more about the idea in this quote. It's more about coming to terms with the fact that you don't need to have a whole life plan by the time you graduate high school (and that even adults don't really ever know what they're doing either).
Warnings for
Spoiler
Death of a Character, Loss of a Parent, Body Shaming, Anxiety, Panic Attacks. Mentions of Bullying, Homophobia, Racism, Cancer.Things I Liked
Characters: There were a lot of characters, but I feel like [a:Julian Winters|17571829|Julian Winters|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1519597598p2/17571829.jpg] introduced them strategically enough that I didn't feel overwhelmed by the number of them.
All the characters felt unique and dimensional, and the development of the relationships to each other, and Wes felt organic.
Representation: There was endless representation, but it never felt forced or token. Not only was Wes crushing hard on his best friend Nico, but there were other queer relationships.
Spoiler
There are also characters revealed to be AroAce and Trans/Non-Binary.Things I (Mostly) Didn't Like
Miscomuication?: I've said before that miscommunication doesn't actually bother me because that's just how real life works out sometimes. Still, I want to note it here for people who DO hate miscommunication.
Spoiler
Wes is hardcore pining for Nico and Nico is hardcore pining back. And it's really obvious, but no one seems to realize Nico likes Wes back? I'm warning you now: be ready to do the "will they, won't they" dance for pretty much the entire book.Ella: Ella is one of Wes's best friends, but she's kind of a huge jerk. I liked her in her first chapter, and then it all went downhill. And then she got a little better, but I still don't know how I feel about her overall, really.
References: I just don't like references that date a book. They're distracting and pull me out of the story. It's the major reason I have no plans to read [b:Ready Player One|9969571|Ready Player One (Ready Player One, #1)|Ernest Cline|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1500930947l/9969571._SY75_.jpg|14863741]. In the beginning, it almost felt like the author made up a list of "cool references for teens" and then tried to hit every single one as quickly as possible. Honestly, without the references, I might have rated this book four stars. I just really hate them.