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A review by crackedspines_
Sugar Summer by Hannah Moskowitz
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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? Yes
OVERALL: I adore this book. Hannah Moskowitz NAILED the Dirty Dancing vibes! Add in the unapologetic Jewish rep, lesbian journey of discovery, and Trans Dad and Sugar Summer is (almost) the perfect book.
PLOT: My one major problem with the book is the romance. Yes, I knew from the start who the couple was going to be. It’s a Dirty Dancing retelling. But Mara is 20 and Esther is 17. Obviously that’s an adult and a minor. But my issue is not with just that. It’s with the way Mara treats Esther throughout the first half of the book - she constantly called Esther young and a baby and treated her like a child. That dynamic plus their ages made the relationship really uncomfortable.
SETTING: I love that Moskowitz took the classic Dirty Dancing setting and wrote it as a Jewish summer resort.
THEMES: Sugar Summer is full of comforting, important, honest themes. It explores antisemitism, racism, classism, queerphobias, and self-discovery. My only issue was the scene where the POC love interest spent pages telling the white main character how she’s “different” and not like other white people. Moskowitz is light skinned, and Mara is not, so that was very uncomfortable and white-people-pleasing.
WRITING: The writing was solidly okay. I didn’t love it, but I didn’t dislike it. There are a fair amount of typos. It wasn’t a dealbreaker for me because the book is so good, but it could’ve used another round of edits.
CHARACTERS: I love the characters. Esther’s development is amazing. It’s really powerful to read about her journey of self-discovery and self-acceptance. Tristan is literally one of my favorite characters EVER. He is the ultimate Wise Older Queer, and his character was infinitely comforting to me.
PLOT: My one major problem with the book is the romance. Yes, I knew from the start who the couple was going to be. It’s a Dirty Dancing retelling. But Mara is 20 and Esther is 17. Obviously that’s an adult and a minor. But my issue is not with just that. It’s with the way Mara treats Esther throughout the first half of the book - she constantly called Esther young and a baby and treated her like a child. That dynamic plus their ages made the relationship really uncomfortable.
SETTING: I love that Moskowitz took the classic Dirty Dancing setting and wrote it as a Jewish summer resort.
THEMES: Sugar Summer is full of comforting, important, honest themes. It explores antisemitism, racism, classism, queerphobias, and self-discovery. My only issue was the scene where the POC love interest spent pages telling the white main character how she’s “different” and not like other white people. Moskowitz is light skinned, and Mara is not, so that was very uncomfortable and white-people-pleasing.
WRITING: The writing was solidly okay. I didn’t love it, but I didn’t dislike it. There are a fair amount of typos. It wasn’t a dealbreaker for me because the book is so good, but it could’ve used another round of edits.
CHARACTERS: I love the characters. Esther’s development is amazing. It’s really powerful to read about her journey of self-discovery and self-acceptance. Tristan is literally one of my favorite characters EVER. He is the ultimate Wise Older Queer, and his character was infinitely comforting to me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Lesbophobia, and Transphobia
Moderate: Antisemitism and Outing
Minor: Racism