A review by obscurepages
The Summer of Letting Go by Catherine Dellosa

emotional funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Finally finished! This was a fairly short book, but the last few weeks have been tough and I can't concentrate on a physical book that well 😭😂

Anyway okay. The good:

1. It shows that grief and healing can be rocky and messy. It's definitely not a walk in the park, and we get to see the MC, Kali, navigate this.
2. It shows the intricacies of families. Like, Kali has a complicated relationship with her family. And Luca also has a different situation with his own family. I think it's interesting to get to know this about the characters, and how it resonates with a lot of Filipino teens and families as well. 
3. It shows a small side of growing up and having dreams. Especially with Filipino families and culture that usually value more STEM-related or practical paths in college.
4. You realize that living in the present isn't just about living in the present. You try to hope for the future, too.
5. It pairs well with homemade Thai Milk Tea! Source: me 😂 Trust me okay? I've been making DIY Thai Milk Tea and maybe it's the book, maybe it's just my craving? But it's good 😂

The setbacks for me (and this is for me only):

  1. Kali is an interesting character, but welp I definitely don't agree with a lot of her choices 😭😂 and of course, I understand that she's a flawed character and it's part of her journey in the book.
  2. There was a slight noncon/dubcon scene and I'm convinced we need to reiterate what consent means to Kali 😅 (yeah this is one of her big choices/actions I don't agree with)
  3. The romance is good, it's cute, but I guess I wanted more. Like I wanted to see Kali and Luca getting to know each other more before falling in love and whatnot? I don't know if that makes sense 😆
  4. And I don't know, maybe this is just me? But I wanted to have more closure and reconnection between Kali and her family. The complicated relationship with her family is a big part of the plot and her character, so it felt a little rushed/lacking for me at the end.

Overall, this was still a good read. I think the highlight for me was really Kali and Uncle Drew's grief and journey of healing. That specific storyline was beautiful and I have to be honest that I could relate to it a little bit.

Exact rating: 3.5

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