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A review by rotellareads
Night Owls and Summer Skies by Rebecca Sullivan
3.0
There was a lot about this book that I enjoyed, but also a bit that just didn't sit well with me. I was fascinated by the main character's story, especially her crippling mental health issues and how she worked to overcome them. I found Emma Lane to be complex and complicated but likeable. She had so much going on in her life, the fractured relationship with her mother, her sexuality and her mental health. She had so many layers and we got to see many of them peeled back throughout the story. I loved her bluntness and ability to stand up for herself despite the consequences. She was such a strong-willed heroine and I truly enjoyed that.
The level of bullying that took place in this story made my heart hurt. And the fact that it went unpunished made me so angry. None of the characters seemed to want to stand up to the "mean girl", except Emma. But even she did it all on her own and never really used the the adults at her disposal to help the situation. The amount of manipulation, taunting, boundary crossing that Lauren the protagonist was able to get away with just made me furious. No matter what excuses she made for her behavior, it was clear that she was truly an cold-hearted person who only cared about herself. Her behavior was downright vile.
For a YA romance story, it definitely didn't contain any heat or steam. A little kissing and necking and that was all. This book played it way too safe, given the ages of the characters. I also found it extremely far fetched with just how many characters in this small-town story identified as LBGTQ+. It felt like the author was trying a little too hard to create unique characters to set this book apart from other YA books. The dialogue and storyline teetered too much between a mature YA and a middle grade book. I had a hard time relating to the story because of this vacillation. At times I felt like I was reading about a bunch of 6th graders and other times I did acknowledge the older teenager struggles and situations.
Overall, I liked the author's writing style and found the story intriguing. For a debut novel by a very young author, I thought this was a solid book. I loved the friendships that were founded at the summer camp especially between Gwen and Emma. I appreciated the strength to face her fears that Emma discovered while being around Vivian. I would have loved to get an epilogue about E & V, just to see how things played out for them once Summer was over. I was fully invested in their unique relationship.
The level of bullying that took place in this story made my heart hurt. And the fact that it went unpunished made me so angry. None of the characters seemed to want to stand up to the "mean girl", except Emma. But even she did it all on her own and never really used the the adults at her disposal to help the situation. The amount of manipulation, taunting, boundary crossing that Lauren the protagonist was able to get away with just made me furious. No matter what excuses she made for her behavior, it was clear that she was truly an cold-hearted person who only cared about herself. Her behavior was downright vile.
For a YA romance story, it definitely didn't contain any heat or steam. A little kissing and necking and that was all. This book played it way too safe, given the ages of the characters. I also found it extremely far fetched with just how many characters in this small-town story identified as LBGTQ+. It felt like the author was trying a little too hard to create unique characters to set this book apart from other YA books. The dialogue and storyline teetered too much between a mature YA and a middle grade book. I had a hard time relating to the story because of this vacillation. At times I felt like I was reading about a bunch of 6th graders and other times I did acknowledge the older teenager struggles and situations.
Overall, I liked the author's writing style and found the story intriguing. For a debut novel by a very young author, I thought this was a solid book. I loved the friendships that were founded at the summer camp especially between Gwen and Emma. I appreciated the strength to face her fears that Emma discovered while being around Vivian. I would have loved to get an epilogue about E & V, just to see how things played out for them once Summer was over. I was fully invested in their unique relationship.