This book would be a great beach read, though I read it the
day before I went on holiday and now it has got me in the mood for summer.
There are a few darker aspects to this novel in theme, but mainly it is a
fluffy read about first love and cringey moments that can happen when you are
falling in love with someone. The interweaving of flashbacks with the main
storyline help to explain the relationships between the characters better and
gives a greater understanding of why Belly's summers are so important to her. There
are a lot of potential male love interests, each of them likeable in their own
way, but sometimes it can feel a bit unrealistic because of the amount of them.
I would recommend this as a holiday/beach read as it can be read quickly and is
what I would class as a 'summer' novel, especially to anyone in their early
teens as I feel it would appeal to that age range the most.
***
I think the title of this book lets it down in a way. It
makes it seem very superficial and although parts are, the book does go deeper
than that. It touches upon divorce, drinking and terminal illness, all of which
are serious issues. When I picked up this book I expected it to be very
superficial because of the title. Whereas I thought I would be getting groups
of girls in bikinis trying to get with as many guys as possible over the
summer, I actually got someone who was struggling to fit in and was dealing
with the changes that being a teenager brings. I got a character who I could
like, which was the opposite of what the title led me to expect.
The flashbacks in this novel were often to quite
cringe-worthy scenes, but they led me to be able to understand each individual
character better and gave me an insight as to why they acted the way that they
did in the present day. It was interesting for me to see how things had changed
between Conrad, Jeremiah, Belly and Steven over the course of the summers and
how easily they went from being a group to trying to go their own separate
ways. They changed as they aged and it is good to be able to see that as a
reader because it means that we can feel like we know more about them and
connect to them more.
Out of the three love interests for Belly introduced in this
novel, I have to say that Cam appealed to me the most, though that is my own
personal preference. He was smart and kind to Belly throughout the novel, even
when he started to realise that she had feelings for Conrad. I think that we
could all do with a guy like Cam and as it seems that Belly has given up on
him, I would happily fill that spot in his life.
I can understand why Conrad would draw the attention of
Belly and many other girls. Being honest, most cannot resist the pull of
someone on the edge, someone who you're never fully sure about and that is what
Conrad represents in this book. Personally, I found him to be more than a bit
rude in places. Still, throughout the novel it was hinted at that he had
feelings for Belly and I could see her making him a better person.
Jeremiah is someone who I felt slightly sorry for in this
novel. He was being kind and nice and supportive, but that seemed to get him
nowhere with Belly. However, I feel that a friendship between those two
characters could benefit them both and would be best for the continuing storyline,
though I guess it won't be done, as a friendship can be just as or even more
important than a romantic relationship. That is something that is so often
undervalued in YA fiction. I just hope that by the end of the series they are
still friends.
Belly's courage is something that I definitely admire about
her. She eventually told Conrad what she was feeling with no frills or beating
around the bush and that is a very hard and brave thing to do. Admitting that you
like someone is never easy, and that was only made harder by the fact that she
knew she was putting their friendship on the line. Also, she dealt with the
news that Susannah's cancer had returned as well as she could have been
expected to, but in really quite a mature way. She didn't give up on her as
other people might have, instead planning on sticking it out with her. That is
something that not a lot of people who have the choice to leave can manage, as
demonstrated by Susannah's own husband.
Overall, this was an interesting and entertaining read that
is great for summer. There were too many love interests for my liking, but the
storyline was good and I will be reading the next book when I can get it.
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