Title: Twenty Boy Summer
Author: Sarah Ockler
Published: June 2009
Source: The Library
Synopsis from goodreads.com:
According to her best friend Frankie, twenty days in is the perfect opportunity to have a summer fling, and if they meet one boy ever day, there's a pretty good chance Anna will find her first summer romance. Anna lightheartedly agrees to the game, but there's something she hasn't told Frankie---she's already had that kind of romance, and it was with Frankie's older brother, Matt, just before his tragic death one year ago.
Beautifully written and emotionally honest, this is a debut novel that explores what it truly means to love someone and what it means to grieve, and ultimately, how to make the most of every single moment this world has to offer.
Wow. This book was...wow. I don't even know what to say, other than that I loved it. It's about so many things: Love, death, friendship, family.... It's just amazing. I was sucked into the story and couldn't get out until I finished it.
Anna is a really good narrator. She's like your best friend, only sadder. Frankie was kind of annoying; all that she really cared about were clothes and boys. But that's after her brother Matt's death, and when someone dies it changes people. Anna has never really been able to get over Matt's death. She kept their relationship a secret even after he died, as it was her last promise to him. She feels terrible about keeping it from Frankie, but she thinks that she has to.
Ockler does an amazing job with characterization. I was slightly annoyed with Frankie, but I think that she wanted it to be that way. My heart was also broken many times throughout, but it was always put back together again. I don't know how she made me care so much about a character that I knew for maybe 25 pages, or how she managed to make me feel whatever Anna was feeling, but she did.
Basically, this book is great, you should read it.
Characters: 10/10
Plot: 9/10
Writing: 10/10
Originality: 9/10
Ending: 9/10
Overall: 47/50 A
Title/Cover: 5/5 LOVE the cover. The sea glass is perfect. The title is great too.
Hooked by: the first page
Recommend to: Everyone.
Posts
This seems like an excellent book! I love it when you get sucked into a book, like you said. I've got to check this one out!
ReplyDeleteEmidy
from Une Parole
Aww I'm so glad you liked it! I read this like a month ago and it became one of my favorite books! Great review :)
ReplyDeleteI've been wanting 2 read this one forever!
ReplyDeleteI agree! Such an amazing book. I usually don't cry at the very beginning of a book but I did with this one.
ReplyDeleteJust stopping by from The Saturday Network to say hi. I am now following you!!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds a lot like THE SECRET YEAR to me, which I just read and really enjoyed. I'll have to pick it up sometime! :)
ReplyDeleteI loved this book too. Great review.
ReplyDeleteSo jealous your library has this book! haha, I'm waiting for this to come out in paperback so my cheap self can buy a copy. Darn, my library is usually pretty trusty with YA books :(
ReplyDeleteGood review!