That Summer

Reader reviewed by Nikki

Ok,

That Summer by Sarah Dessen was her first published book.

I know this sounds picky but I don't like books with long paragraphs, I think they take much longer to read because you have to read so much more before you can stop. Now about the book.

The book was ok, it didn't really go anywhere or have much of a plot. To me it can be summed up pretty much like this; A girl's parents divorce, she looks for comfort in the past then learns that she can't live in the past. To me that what it pretty much was.

Reader reviewed by Kristen

Well, it was an okay book, completely packed with family drama and teenage break downs. I never did understand why Gwendolyn went crazy... or how Haven just got over her meltdown in a split second. In a perfect world, Haven would have been 17, and she and Somner would have ended up together in the end. The ending just didnt do it for me. I felt like the whole book just lead no where. Sarah Dessen is a great writer... but this is the first time one of her books just didnt do it for me...

Anyways, a quick summery. Haven's parents got a divorce a few years back. Now her dad just remarried a coworker, who ended up pregnant. In the same month her sister is moving out and getting married. Her best friend just came back from summer camp, and now she is a completely different person. Haven's mom is going on vacations and to parties with their new neighbor. And one of Haven's sister's ex boyfriends just got back into town. Haven feels left out. The only one without a friend to help her deal with any of this, or somewhere to run escape too. (I personally thought Haven WAS being a bit selfish (although, Ashley's was being a major brat about the wedding). I felt she needed to make her own life, do things her way, and go out and have fun. She just needed to stop blaming everyone for everything, because somethings just can't be helped)