Review : That Summer

Posted by on July 8, 2010 4:51 pm in 3.5 stars reads | 7 comments

That Summer by Sarah Dessen
Pages : 198
Genre : YA, Fiction
Stand Alone
My Rating :

From the author’s website :

For fifteen-year-old Haven, life is changing too quickly. She’s nearly six feet tall, her father is getting remarried, and her sister, the always perfect Ashley, is planning a wedding of her own. Haven wishes things could just go back to the way they were. Then an old boyfriend of Ashley’s reenters the picture, and through him, Haven sees the past for what it really was, and comes to grips with the future.

That Summer was my second book by Dessen, and I liked it almost as much as Someone Like You – and in a similar way, too. Dessen has a way with words that I really enjoy, and she portrays teenage feelings in such a realistic manner! I wish I could have had an author that makes me feel like her words do when I was Haven’s age. My teenage self would have easily related to a lot of what Haven was going through.

For all that happens in this book, I thought the story was a bit short. I would have loved to get to know the characters around Have – her mother, her sister – a little better. The conclusion was a bit of a fast one too, even though I enjoyed it.

Another aspect I enjoyed was how Dessen doesn’t idealize the story and it’s resolution. She’s realistic in the way she portrays teenagers, yes, but also in the way she portrays life : not everything comes easy to the characters, which gives the story depth.

I can only recommend that you pick up one of Dessen’s books, and I can’t wait to read more of her work!

7 Comments

  1. I really do want to read one of Dessen’s books but haven’t done it yet. Sounds like I should start with Someone Like You.

    • “Someone like you” was really good, but I have heard many readers who thought “Just Listen” was their favorite. I have it on my TBR pile but haven’t read it yet!

  2. I adore Sarah Dessen! Easily one of my favorite authors. I remember reading That Summer as a teen and the plot is familiar, but the details are all fuzzy. Just Listen is definitely my favorite of Dessen’s works!

  3. I’ve always had Sarah Dessen on my TBR list, but have passed up her titles for something more flashy, like Emily Giffin. Well, enough is enough. I am going to go pick up a copy of That Summer tomorrow. Thanks for the post!

  4. How are you liking WPress? were u on blogger before?

    • I love it! I barely used blogger when I started blogging, I didn’t like it much at the time (but from the look of things, I think it changed a lot since then!)

  5. I’ve only read Just Listen by Sarah Dessen, but I really want to read more. I have this one on my shelf. Maybe I’ll have to pick it up. It is quite short. Thanks for the review. 🙂

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