Synopsis: Luke is the perfect boyfriend: handsome, kind, fun. He and Emaline have been together all through high school in Colby, the beach town where they both grew up. But now, in the summer before college, Emaline wonders if perfect is good enough.
Enter Theo, a super-ambitious outsider, a New Yorker assisting on a documentary film about a reclusive local artist. Theo’s sophisticated, exciting, and, best of all, he thinks Emaline is much too smart for Colby.
Emaline’s mostly-absentee father, too, thinks Emaline should have a bigger life, and he’s convinced that an Ivy League education is the only route to realizing her potential. Emaline is attracted to the bright future that Theo and her promise. But she also clings to the deep roots of her loving mother, stepfather, and sisters. Can she ignore the pull of of the happily familiar world of Colby?
Emaline wants the moon and more, but how can she balance where she comes from with where she’s going?
Sarah Dessen’s devoted fans will welcome this story of romance, yearning, and finally, empowerment. It could only happen in the summer.
Sarah Dessen is one of my favorite authors. I love how most of her books are situated in one place, Colby. I’ve gotten so used to reading about Colby that I feel like I’ve lived there before. I haven’t read all of Sarah Dessen’s books yet but I have read most of them, From what I’ve observed, she has her signature plot elements that she throws in every book. She has swoon worthy guys, characters with interesting histories, very good supporting characters who have a story of their own, drama, and romance.
So when I met Luke and Theo, I started to get excited to see what role they’ll play with Emaline. Luke’s a true gentlemen, good looking, humorous, supporting, and kind. When Theo comes into the picture, tensions start to rise between Emaline and Luke, things that shouldn’t have happened occur, tears are shed, and the turnout of the events is shocking, or at least to me. I never liked Theo. I kind of hated him from the start. Theo and Emaline are huge opposites. Emaline’s the small town girl who loves her local ways and Theo’s from the big city and is posh, grand, and over the top with everything. He’s not used to the Colby ways which makes sense but it kind of got annoying. I didn’t like him coming to Emaline for help and advice and the things that he said towards the end of the book were completely shocking.
Ivy, Theo’s boss, was snobby and a complete hot head but after Emaline’s spotlight moment, she grows a bit softer. I had a feeling that if the book had a sequel or was a bit longer, we’d see a new side of Ivy. In the last few pages or so, you could see the change in Ivy when she came to Emaline and at the grandiose event that wrapped the story up but I wanted to see more of her new side.
Like Theo, Emaline’s father annoyed and angered me from the start. He is a complete hot head, a different kind of hot head than Ivy used to be. He’s never around for Emaline and when he is, he’s reserved and distant. He needs to open up to Emaline a lot more and try to act like the father he is. It isn’t easy to be a dad but he needs to make an effort. Emaline’s father is a very stubborn man and doesn’t know how to accept the fact that he’s wrong and that he needs to apologize. Near the middle of the book, Emaline’s father drops a huge shocking truth that is completely unexpected even though. After finishing the book though, I realized that this is very characteristic of him to do.
Benji, an adorable ten-year old boy, is the son of Emaline’ father and her step-mother Leah. Benji loves to hang out with Emaline and looks up to Luke like a big brother. I loved Luke and Benji’s relationship. Benji is a very smart boy who lives a very boring, restricted life whenever his father was around but when he’s with Emaline, he acts like the kid he truly is. I felt so bad for Benji throughout the whole book for having such a reserved father but at the end of the book when he pulled his little stunt and poured out his feelings to Emaline, I felt like pulling him into my arms and giving him a hug. The poor guy doesn’t deserve what happens at the end of the book but who says life’s fair?
Even though there are so many unfriendly people in the novel, there are just as many people who love and support Emaline. A few examples would be her family, and her two friends who coincidentally are dating, bring in the romance element. Another thing I like is how Emaline has more a father-daughter relationship with her step-father than her real dad.
The plot was basically simple, nothing complicated but was uncharacteristically slow compared to her other books. On the good side, it did revoke multiple emotions from me such as tears (yes, I do cry when reading books), giggles, and laughs.
I have to admit that this isn’t my favorite Sarah Dessen book but I won’t say that it’s completely bad.
My rating: 3 out of 6 thought bubbles