Scan barcode
A review by lifeofaliterarynerd
The Last Summer of the Garrett Girls by Jessica Spotswood
3.0
This honestly has SO MANY elements that I look for in a contemporary, so I was kinda super excited. I’m a sucker for family stories - especially sibling relationships!!! So a story about 4 sisters last summer all together at home before they start moving on with their own futures had my name written all over it. Unfortunately, the story didn’t really wow me - I enjoyed it, but I didn’t love it. Though I do think it’s a perfect “between book” to read, especially in the summer.
Things I Liked
Guess who will always love a fake-dating trope! MEEEEE!!! So I was super excited to see one here. Honestly, I’d probably just read the book for Kat and Mase because they were both super cute and both great in their own ways.
There was a lot of great diversity in this story too! Mase, is a bisexual Asian American character. Vi, the youngest Garrett sister is an out and proud lesbian. Vi’s love interest, Cece is a queer latinx character. There’s also a lot of talk about feminism and Vi’s feminist screen tees are always good for a laugh. Kat also discusses her issues with her eating disorder, and while she’s in recovery the topic isn’t ignored.
Things I Didn’t Like
I think that the 3rd person POV kept me a bit removed from the story. I just didn’t connect to the characters at all and I felt off to me.
I found Des to be uber naive given that she’s the oldest and has the most responsibility. I guess I just found her to be too trusting, and if your going to have a character flaw, that’s not a bad one to have even if it can read frustratingly.
Bea was definitely my least favorite sister and since her whole storyline revolved around cheater, she never really stood a chance with me.
There were so many pop culture references and everyone of them drew me right out of the story. I also found a majority of them to feel forced and kinda try-hard.
This wasn’t the best book I’ve read recently, but I did still enjoy it. It’s like junk food in a book form - not because the quality isn’t there or it lack substance, but because it makes you feel good, you have a great time with it, and it makes you want to read more. The Last Summer of the Garrett Girls is a solid summer read about family and self discovery.
I received a copy of the book from Sourcebooks FIRE via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Things I Liked
Guess who will always love a fake-dating trope! MEEEEE!!! So I was super excited to see one here. Honestly, I’d probably just read the book for Kat and Mase because they were both super cute and both great in their own ways.
There was a lot of great diversity in this story too! Mase, is a bisexual Asian American character. Vi, the youngest Garrett sister is an out and proud lesbian. Vi’s love interest, Cece is a queer latinx character. There’s also a lot of talk about feminism and Vi’s feminist screen tees are always good for a laugh. Kat also discusses her issues with her eating disorder, and while she’s in recovery the topic isn’t ignored.
Things I Didn’t Like
I think that the 3rd person POV kept me a bit removed from the story. I just didn’t connect to the characters at all and I felt off to me.
I found Des to be uber naive given that she’s the oldest and has the most responsibility. I guess I just found her to be too trusting, and if your going to have a character flaw, that’s not a bad one to have even if it can read frustratingly.
Bea was definitely my least favorite sister and since her whole storyline revolved around cheater, she never really stood a chance with me.
There were so many pop culture references and everyone of them drew me right out of the story. I also found a majority of them to feel forced and kinda try-hard.
This wasn’t the best book I’ve read recently, but I did still enjoy it. It’s like junk food in a book form - not because the quality isn’t there or it lack substance, but because it makes you feel good, you have a great time with it, and it makes you want to read more. The Last Summer of the Garrett Girls is a solid summer read about family and self discovery.
I received a copy of the book from Sourcebooks FIRE via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.