That Summer

Reader reviewed by Ari

I loved this book, it really showed how even though we all feel we are grown up and understand our surroundings completely, we are still naive inside. To be completely honest I chose this just because I found out there was a movie based on two Sarah Dessen novels. Sad, I know. But Im glad I found this out because I loved this book. A friend and I were actually having a argument about Sarah Dessen's plots. She claims they never change and they constantly stay the same. I argued each one was different. This book proves that. Okay so granted a lot of Sarah Dessen books go, "Girl is independent, girl meets boy, girl struggles with boy, boy does something stupid, boy and girl are over." It didnt. Unless you want to do a lot of digging to prove taht it does youve just gotta face it, it doesnt. This book was amazing. I loved it and I found it a great way to spend my day. Im quickly racing through her books and just wait for more to be seen :)

Reader reviewed by mockock

This book is one of me favorite books i have read, it shows that the past is not always the future and you should always be greatful for what you have and how happy you were. Have is15 years old and her sister is getting married to a guy who is not at all her type.. but then haven finds her old boyfriend and he shows her what it was like when she was younger and had a happier life..what happens? you will have to read to find out..i would definently read this book.. it is happy all through out.. that is my type of book..it is yours?
with lots of love
girl with a smile:)

Reader reviewed by Beautiful Devil

Sarah Dessen is such a good author. I relate to her books a lot even though some of the characters in her books are ten years older then me I still find something to relate to. My favorite book by her was That Summer. And it was her first book. Haven is a very strong girl and believes that love isin't real. And her mother has gone through a pretty bad devorse with her father(Mac McPhail), her father only sees her once a week and is getting married to (Lorna Queen) someone half his age and her sister Ashley is planning a wedding to boring old Lewis. How can Haven cope (at 15) with all this love stuff?

Reader reviewed by Amanda

If you like any of Sarah Dessen's novels, including the best, That Summer, you need to check out this website.

http://www.matmice.com/home/thatsummer

Buy some of her novels, take the character quiz from the links of the books, and read about Sarah. That Summer is great!

Reader reviewed by Amanda

That Summer is by far my favorite book. Haven is a fifteen-year-old girl living in a strange world of her own. Her father has cheated on her mother, meanwhile courting the local weather girl (AKA Lorna Queen, his co-worker, he is the sports guy). Haven's parents divorce and Dad (AKA Mac McPhail) engages Lorna.

Haven's sister, Ashley, has dated many boys in her life, but the current one is very serious. Lewis Warsher, the boyfriend, is dull, boring, and what I imagine is a "nerdy" sort-of guy in Haven's world. Ashley is a very popular, pretty, and cosmo kind of girl. However, Ashley and Lewis also engage.

That Summer revolves around these two weddings and their "attachments." But, suddenly, in a moment, the whole line changes. Ashley's old boyfriend,Sumner Lee, shows up in town with odd jobs. Haven remembers the summer when Sumner and Ashley were meant to be and had the time of their lives. She can't help wonder if Sumner will wisk Ashley away back to that summer and challenge everything that the summer has brought. So will he? Read the book to find out!

That Summer is a great book. It won't take long to read, one because it is only about 200 pages, and two, because it hooks its readers in. That Summer shows teens how they really are, with topics like smoking, dating, and fashion. Readers won't want to put this down because of its funny episodes like the parent situation, Sumner's jobs, and Lorna's "ditz." That Summer is a great book for girls to read, especially at the teen and pre-teen age.