Review Detail

Reader reviewed by TheBookworm

A Balk

Twenty Boy Summer
by Sarah Ockler
Pub. Date: June 2009
3 out of 5 stars
PG-13 Sexual Content, Sexual References, Profanity, and Alcohol Abuse
Not Recommended

Matthew is dead. He is gone. Forever and ever. Yet, Anna cant stop thinking about him and caring for him. How is she ever going to be able to move on?

Frankie, Annas close-as-sisters best friend, promises Anna an unforgettable trip to Zanzibar Bay. Of course, just hanging out at the beach isnt enough for attention-seeking Frankie. She sets a goal for their twenty-day vacation; meet twenty different boys, one each day. As if bikinis werent enough to worry about! Could this crazy scheme finally help Anna live again? Or will it just destroy what memories she still has?

Im fine. Thanks for not asking.

Twenty Boy Summers wrapper is elegant and impressive with its textbook grammar, flawless sentence flow, and smooth transitions between present and past events. But the contents of this package were blah, dry, and crumbly. Just because it is pretty on the outside, doesnt mean it is on the inside.

None of the characters were positive role models. Anna treated Sam like a teddy bear. Something to take out and cuddle when youre sad or scared, but also something you dump when you out grow it or dont need it. He deserved better than that. Not only that, she also desecrates her past relationship with Matthew by making tainted choices.

This book had the potential for greatness, like Willow or North of Beautiful. It could have been an amazing book of healing, but instead it dirtied itself with a lack of morals and a main character that couldnt move on until she was completely hallow inside.

Twenty Boy Summer was a balk.

Date Reviewed: May 14th, 009

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