That Summer

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.