Twenty Boy Summer

Reader reviewed by Beth

This is a perfect summer read.
There's enough fun and lightness in it to make it enjoyable, but
there's more to the story. It could have been about two friends trying
to have the perfect summer romance, but it wasn't just that. This was a
story of people trying to deal with tremendous grief in different ways.
There was so much heart. With the title and cover (there's no magic
involved) I wouldn't have picked it up on my own, but I'm glad I read
it. The relationships between the characters were all very murky, and I
enjoyed it. Everyone is in a place of confusion, and it affects all
aspects of their lives. The characters were all well done, but at times
felt a bit blah. I could predict some of the things that they did when
I wasn't supposed to. The plot flowed well and remained interesting
throughout the novel. I loved the layering of emotions in the book.
This is a lovely debut from a talented author. Everyone should grab
this book and some tissues on the way to the beach, especially if it's
a girls weekend!

Reader reviewed by BooksObsession

This novel is the perfect summer read! Not only
is it cute and fun, but also its deep and meaningful. Its such a realistic
and detailed story of loss and breakthrough. This book was so hard to put down,
and I was begging for more even after the last page. I could understand each
character perfectly and relate to them easily. It was interesting seeing how
Anna and Frankie changed throughout the story especially from the car crash.
Sarah Ockler has amazed me with this story and I cant wait to read what she
comes up with next! I absolutely love this cover, too. Its so beachy and
symbolic and ties in with the novel greatly. Just looking at this book makes me
want to pick it up and see what adventures are inside. A must-read for all
ages!

Reader reviewed by stephanie

Reader reviewed by Debbie

I first ran across this book blog hopping and thought to myself
This is a book I have to read.   So imagine how excited I was to get
this on my door step.  It was definitely as goods as I was hoping. 
Even though you only see it briefly I loved the interaction between
Frankie, Anna and Matt and despite knowing Matt was going to die I
found their developing relationship touching and I would have really
liked to see where it went.  Anna says at one point that losing Matt
was especially hard because she would never know what would have become
of them.

It was fascinating watching how Frankie and her parents all dealt
with Matts death in their own way and the role Anna plays.  I loved
following Frankie and Annas vacation in Zanzibar Bay as they try to
meet their goal of meeting twenty boys while there.  The ending was not
what I was expecting and it was a nice surprise.  Perfect summer read!

Reprinted here with author's permission.

Printed with author

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

For more book reviews and book information check out my blog at www.inthecurrent.blogspot.com

Reader reviewed by Deltay

This may be Sarah Ockler's first appearance on the literary scene, but what a debut Twenty Boy Summer is! A recurrent theme throughout the novel is how deceiving appearances can be, from the surface point of view. The same applies here; from the gorgeous cover one might assume that it's a fun, light-hearted summer read. And it is - but it's also so much more.

The emotions in Twenty Boy Summer are portrayed beautifully and conveyed fantastically. Ockler's writing takes on an almost lyrical voice at times.

"I just swallow hard. Nod and smile. One foot in front of the other. I'm fine, thanks for not asking" (Ockler 273).

In fact, there are phrases which taken out of context or used by someone else, would seem to border on purple. But Ockler pulls it off beautifully to fit with the narration from Anna's first person present tense perspective. There are beautiful key phrases repeated throughout the course of the novel - if this were done amateurly, it could be disasterously cliche. Yet somehow Ockler makes it work so well. Kudos, for sure.

Let's face it; Twenty Boy Summer isn't exactly a plot-driven adventure story; it's more of an internal journey of its characters. And boy, does Ockler manage to characterize wonderfully. The leading lady, Anna, is a pretty brilliant; and the thing is, she sort of shares center stage with BFF Frankie. Yet despite being a first person narrative, both of their motives, perspectives, reasons... it all comes through loud and clear. Through Anna's memory flashbacks, the audience even gets a pretty distinct picture of Matt. And with a title like Twenty Boy Summer, you know there's just got to be some romantic aspect involving boys. As for Sam Macintosh? Ow-ow!

Twenty Boy Summer isn't exactly a light-hearted comedy; but it's not exactly grieving angst either. More than anything else, it's a hopeful, insightful view into the journey of the loved ones through the aftermath of a traumatic death. Visiting a significant place. Reliving those memories. Wondering what could have been done differently. Learning to cope, learning to move on, to bridge the gap left behind. It chronicles Anna and Frankie's transition from kids to young women, trying to find their place in the world after losing someone special. Of figuring out how far to go with keeping a secret promised to someone who's now dead. Of trying to understand parents.

The writing style really pulls you into the story, into Anna and Frankie's summer world. The descriptions are luciously vivid. The setting is timeless and almost surreal. But the story is very realistic. With a title like Twenty Boy Summer, you're not really sure what you'll be getting into. But that's just life - it's unpredictable. And that's just the story. In the aftermath, emotions are unpredictable, what's to come is unpredictable. The metaphors in here are striking.

Like its cover, Twenty Boy Summer is a beautiful read. And like that one piece of red sea glass in that shattered heart, this is one gem among the masses. Sarah Ockler is definitely one whose work will go far, so keep an eye out.

"Don't move, Anna Reiley. Right now, everything is perfect" (213).