losetimereading's review against another edition
4.0
I LOVED this book, holy smokes. I was CRYING in the last few chapters, and that wasn't expected at all. I love when a a romance takes your heart <3
Review to come soon :)
I’ve noticed over the past few months I’ve really been looking for “summer reads”. Light hearted, romantic contemporaries that give me the warm fuzzies inside so This Summer immediately caught my interest…
I adored the main character Hadley. There was just something about her that I immediately liked and I also really loved her relationship with her family. I think the reason I was drawn to her was that she really knew what she wanted. In a lot of contemporaries you see the girl trying to cling to a high school relationship even though one or both of the people are moving away for college but in This Summer, Hadley broke it off with her high school boyfriend because they would be moving away in September to start college. I liked that she wasn’t clingy about it, and was actually the one who was trying to fend off her ex’s advances. Lily, I liked immediately as well although I explain below how I didn’t like her by the end of the book. She was really in Hadley’s court with the whole Will leaving situation and was constantly looking out for her, which I suppose made the end situation even worse for me, because I really liked her at first. And Will… well of course I liked Will. Did anyone not like this sexy cowboy? He lived on a horse farm, had a sexy accent, nice body… what was to not like? I loved him. And I loved him for Hadley.
The romance was lovely. I liked that it wasn’t an instant love type of situation because there was a back story between Hadley and Will. It was nice to see them try to work out their feelings from two years prior. Also, the back story about Will was heart wrenching but really added to the punch of the story. It was a slightly unbelievable in the fact that he just took off overnight as a teenager but nevertheless, I still liked that story angle.
The main thing that really turned me off about the whole story was the ‘incident’ with Lily towards the end. I’m not going to go into a great amount of detail, to prevent spoilers, but I really, really did not agree with that entire scenario at all. I wish Hadley had said a big, “Screw you!” to her and ran off because in all actuality, no matter what Lily thought that Hadley did it didn’t even come close how terrible that thing that Lily did to her. Ugh… that was my major dislike about the entire book but luckily This Summer wasn’t a story about Hadley and Lily so I was more interested in how the rest of the story would play out :P
The ending had me in TEARS, which I really didn’t expect at all. That final scene at the camp, oh my gosh… I could just imagine it so well, and it was so perfect and amazing I couldn’t help but just cry and cry. Definitely one of the those warm, gushy moments.
I definitely recommend This Summer if you are looking for a great romance but that’s not completely light and fuzzy. The writing is fantastic and the romance PERFECT <3
Review to come soon :)
I’ve noticed over the past few months I’ve really been looking for “summer reads”. Light hearted, romantic contemporaries that give me the warm fuzzies inside so This Summer immediately caught my interest…
I adored the main character Hadley. There was just something about her that I immediately liked and I also really loved her relationship with her family. I think the reason I was drawn to her was that she really knew what she wanted. In a lot of contemporaries you see the girl trying to cling to a high school relationship even though one or both of the people are moving away for college but in This Summer, Hadley broke it off with her high school boyfriend because they would be moving away in September to start college. I liked that she wasn’t clingy about it, and was actually the one who was trying to fend off her ex’s advances. Lily, I liked immediately as well although I explain below how I didn’t like her by the end of the book. She was really in Hadley’s court with the whole Will leaving situation and was constantly looking out for her, which I suppose made the end situation even worse for me, because I really liked her at first. And Will… well of course I liked Will. Did anyone not like this sexy cowboy? He lived on a horse farm, had a sexy accent, nice body… what was to not like? I loved him. And I loved him for Hadley.
The romance was lovely. I liked that it wasn’t an instant love type of situation because there was a back story between Hadley and Will. It was nice to see them try to work out their feelings from two years prior. Also, the back story about Will was heart wrenching but really added to the punch of the story. It was a slightly unbelievable in the fact that he just took off overnight as a teenager but nevertheless, I still liked that story angle.
The main thing that really turned me off about the whole story was the ‘incident’ with Lily towards the end. I’m not going to go into a great amount of detail, to prevent spoilers, but I really, really did not agree with that entire scenario at all. I wish Hadley had said a big, “Screw you!” to her and ran off because in all actuality, no matter what Lily thought that Hadley did it didn’t even come close how terrible that thing that Lily did to her. Ugh… that was my major dislike about the entire book but luckily This Summer wasn’t a story about Hadley and Lily so I was more interested in how the rest of the story would play out :P
The ending had me in TEARS, which I really didn’t expect at all. That final scene at the camp, oh my gosh… I could just imagine it so well, and it was so perfect and amazing I couldn’t help but just cry and cry. Definitely one of the those warm, gushy moments.
I definitely recommend This Summer if you are looking for a great romance but that’s not completely light and fuzzy. The writing is fantastic and the romance PERFECT <3
ellajing's review against another edition
3.0
Summer fling romance was never my favorite. Instead of seeing it as a beautiful and charming romance, I see it as sad, heartbreaking, and full of regrets kind of thing because nobody knows what will happen after summer’s gone. So this is why I didn’t put my hopes up when I started reading This Summer. But what surprised me is despite of what I thought would be a book full of blah, this book became something more. Something a romance fan can look forward too.
The story starts with the reunion of estranged bestfriends Hadley and Will. They have been bestfriends since they were little because they live next door. Window to window, they spent every moment almost together, school, summer camp, even slumber parties. They were inseparable and almost started a relationship that is more than just friends, until Will suddenly left their neighborhood and Hadley, with no goodbyes or explanations. But after two years, with Hadley’s last year at summer camp (headed by her father and where she works as a counselor) and before her college life begins, destiny brought back Will, and both of them are back again to before everything between them started falling apart.
Hadley and Will’s story is not new to those who loves to read contemporary books. Childhood bestfriends who almost stepped up their relationship to something more until something drove them apart and left them and their relationship hanging. Then time pass and suddenly destiny brings them back together. With unresolved misunderstandings and their relationship uncertain because they both know whatever happened to them two years ago didn’t end with Will leaving. What I liked in This Summer is the uncertainty if these lovers will make it, or will everything be just this summer.
Their story may not be new but Katlyn Duncan had her way of bringing out the feelings and emotions of the characters. What I thought would be just a cheesy romance book turned out to be something that touched my heart. These two people may have flaws but you won’t mind them as you read the book because they were both realistic and reasonable. Will’s way of staying away from Hadley might be annoying for some people but his reason for leaving and keeping distance justified his actions. Rather than feeling annoyed at him, I felt sad and I wanted to comfort him. They weren’t just two people attracted to each other. It took years to develop their relationship into something more, and being apart just proved them both how much they mean to each other. They were friends and lovers. Hadley was understanding and wasn’t this whiny and pushy heroine. She knows when to press for answers and when to be a friend.
Honestly, I didn’t like what Will did. Leaving without any goodbyes, even to his bestfriend, was kind of a jackass move. He knows Hadley will be hurt and yet he didn’t bother calling or telling her his whereabouts. Seriously, you could have called dude. I dislike characters who does this and when they return they expect people to treat him normally, as if nothing happened. Luckily, this wasn’t the case with Will. He even intended of just being civil with Hadley. Of course it didn’t work.
I like how the author incorporated a lot of factors in the story that made me doubt if these two will end up together in the end. I even got to a point where I felt okay even if they don’t end up with each other, as long as they stay friends. None of the added conflict seemed unnecessary, rather, it added more drama and strength to the story. I can’t believe this book managed to touch my heart and even made tear up a bit.
Overall, this book is beautiful. I imagine this book would be loved by people who likes stories about bestfriends falling for each other. This book showed me that even if change is scary, it is something that will lead our lives into something better. Taking a step may be hard but without moving on and change, how will we know what’s beyond there. That summer is just a step to an even brighter and full of love season.
The story starts with the reunion of estranged bestfriends Hadley and Will. They have been bestfriends since they were little because they live next door. Window to window, they spent every moment almost together, school, summer camp, even slumber parties. They were inseparable and almost started a relationship that is more than just friends, until Will suddenly left their neighborhood and Hadley, with no goodbyes or explanations. But after two years, with Hadley’s last year at summer camp (headed by her father and where she works as a counselor) and before her college life begins, destiny brought back Will, and both of them are back again to before everything between them started falling apart.
Hadley and Will’s story is not new to those who loves to read contemporary books. Childhood bestfriends who almost stepped up their relationship to something more until something drove them apart and left them and their relationship hanging. Then time pass and suddenly destiny brings them back together. With unresolved misunderstandings and their relationship uncertain because they both know whatever happened to them two years ago didn’t end with Will leaving. What I liked in This Summer is the uncertainty if these lovers will make it, or will everything be just this summer.
Their story may not be new but Katlyn Duncan had her way of bringing out the feelings and emotions of the characters. What I thought would be just a cheesy romance book turned out to be something that touched my heart. These two people may have flaws but you won’t mind them as you read the book because they were both realistic and reasonable. Will’s way of staying away from Hadley might be annoying for some people but his reason for leaving and keeping distance justified his actions. Rather than feeling annoyed at him, I felt sad and I wanted to comfort him. They weren’t just two people attracted to each other. It took years to develop their relationship into something more, and being apart just proved them both how much they mean to each other. They were friends and lovers. Hadley was understanding and wasn’t this whiny and pushy heroine. She knows when to press for answers and when to be a friend.
Honestly, I didn’t like what Will did. Leaving without any goodbyes, even to his bestfriend, was kind of a jackass move. He knows Hadley will be hurt and yet he didn’t bother calling or telling her his whereabouts. Seriously, you could have called dude. I dislike characters who does this and when they return they expect people to treat him normally, as if nothing happened. Luckily, this wasn’t the case with Will. He even intended of just being civil with Hadley. Of course it didn’t work.
I like how the author incorporated a lot of factors in the story that made me doubt if these two will end up together in the end. I even got to a point where I felt okay even if they don’t end up with each other, as long as they stay friends. None of the added conflict seemed unnecessary, rather, it added more drama and strength to the story. I can’t believe this book managed to touch my heart and even made tear up a bit.
Overall, this book is beautiful. I imagine this book would be loved by people who likes stories about bestfriends falling for each other. This book showed me that even if change is scary, it is something that will lead our lives into something better. Taking a step may be hard but without moving on and change, how will we know what’s beyond there. That summer is just a step to an even brighter and full of love season.
purplepages's review against another edition
3.0
"I'm tired of running in the wrong direction. I've made so many mistakes and I will spend a lifetime regretting them. And if I stayed there, I'd add more to the pile. I want to run with you now. You're the only home I've ever wanted."
I would like to than the author for providing me an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.
This Summer is a good contemporary Summer read. At first, I thought it was just going to be simple, fun read, but its not. It dealt with relationships, not just between the main characters, but also with their friends and family. It also touched the topic of forgiveness, and letting go of past hurt.
THE GIST
Hadley was fine. She thought she's gotten over losing her best friend, Will. It took her a while, but after a year of nursing her broken heart, she decided it was time to move on, and start a relationship with Carter.
Before heading to college, Carter and Hadley, separated ways. Hadley thought the long distance relationship would not work. She wanted to start a new. She was finally leaving their small town, moving to her next adventure in New York for college.
What she wasn't expecting was Will. He came back to town 2 years after he left without saying anything. It took her a year to finally get the courage to date with someone else, now after she finally got herself together, he comes back.
Will she finally know why he left? Will she finally find closure and move on? Or will there be just more secrets?
WRITING
I gave the writing 17 points. I couldn't give it a perfect 20 because there were some parts that doesn't seem necessary to me. But all in all, I found the writing style very much my type in a contemporary novel.
PLOT
This book is not one of those books that have a very complicated plot line. It was simple, but it still tackled relationships with family, friends, and bf/gf. It started pretty good, but then I kind of felt that Will's struggle to not tell Hadley about what happened went to him on for too long. Then towards the ending, it just went all too perfectly for me.
I liked the fact that the story is not just about Hadley and Will's relationship. There's also Will's relationship with his parents, then Hadley, with her best friend, Lily.
CHRARACTERS
I loved all of them. I gave this 18 points.
Hadley: She's a great character. Very real and flawed. She's not a virgin (Thank God for that! If I ever read about a naive good girl on another book, I'm going to vomit on it first, and then throw it out the bin, where it should be!!) but she is a nice girl. She was an obedient daugher, a loving sister, and a good friend (most of the time).
I did kind of got annoyed about her reason for splitting up with Carter. She said, that since they were going to college, might as well stop this relationship now. I mean, sure, but isn't there cellphones to communicate? Isn't it why there's skype so people could get in touch from a distance?? I kind of got put off with that at first, then I realized, it was maybe because she didn't really love Carter to begin with. Her heart really belonged to Will, after all that time and she was just making some sort of excuse. That's just a maybe though.
Will: The Golden Boy, as Carter called him. I liked Will. He was the best friend, I've never had. He's good with kids, and with anyone actually. That's the reason why he came back to town, everyone was excited. He made that impression on them, that he was a good person, and he was.
I know what happened to him and his parents were not good. It was totally unacceptable. I get his anger towards his mom, and his disappointment towards his dad. I wouldn't blame him. But what I don't get it, why couldn't he tell Hadley? They've been really close ever since, but he just chose to leave without even saying anything. THAT was a VERY DICK MOVE. If I was Hadley, i probably wouldn't speak him ever again.
He totally redeemed himself towards the end though.
Secondary Characters: I wanna start with the other best friend, Lily. I really loved her, and how understanding she was with the entire thing. She's always been there for Hadley, even when Hadley wasn't for her. She had her reason for doing the stuff she did, I wouldn't judge her on that.
Then there's Carter. I hated his guts right from the first page he appeared. There was just something about him. He was the type, who would show you what you want to see. He hides his doucheness inside where no one could see, aside from the people he wanted to show it to. It's a good thing Hadley split up with him. But I could also see, he got really hurt. But still, I don't pity him too much.
UNPREDICTABILITY
I give this book 15 points. It was predictable on some parts, then most part just surprised me. I knew that stupid Savannah was going to appear at some point. Will's secret was not something I anticipated. And also what Lily did, that was a real surprise.
PACING
It was a little too slow towards the first and middle part, but then went too fast in the end. There was too much angst, on Will's part, on like 60% of the book. Everything was a bit too hurried for me, on the last part. Would have preferred it to be a little faster towards the first few parts, then a gradually slows down towards the ending, to give us a feel, on what it feels for them to finally have everything falling into place.
ENJOYABILITY
I really enjoyed it. I like bestfriend-becomes-lovers type of stories. I fell in love with my best friend too so I could really relate to what they're going through.
MY FINAL RAMBLING
All in all this book was good. I really liked the story and the characters. Like I said, I just had a bit of a problem with the pacing, and how everything just wrapped up too quickly for me. I wanted more towards the ending, not the beginning.
As I was reading this, I was listening to Ed Sheeran's Photograph and I kind of thought it fits Hadley and Will's story.
I'll be looking forward to more of Katlyn Duncan's books in the future!
Highly recommended for people looking for a quick and moving story about two bestfriend, falling in love, losing each other, and finding their way back together.
michalice's review against another edition
3.0
When I first saw This Summer on netgalley I thought it would be a great book to bring me out of my reading slump, and also a different genre to what I have been reading lately. Hadley works at summer camp run by her Dad during summer, Will, her old neighbour and used to be friend, has come back home to lend a hand at the camp and finish off the updates to his house so he can get it sold and go back to Texas. What follows is a tug of war of feelings, ups and downs, and a lot of hurt feelings.
Honestly I couldn't really get into this book too much until about 80% of the way through. I felt like the story was just a bit too slow for me, and it want until feelings were shared that it really picked up. I thought that occasionally the characters were a bit too childish for me, talking to someone else, or agreeing to go on dates to make the other one jealous, ending a relationship with someone only to be in their space all the time and agreeing to things that would make it look like you wanted to get back together.
Lily was someone who I didn't really like, her thoughts felt like she constantly thought about boys, boys, boys, boys, and her friendship with Hadley occasionally made an appearance. What she did to Hadley was uncalled for and is not something I could easily forgive, but also brings back again how childish they act on occasion.
There were obviously things I liked about This Summer or I would not have finished reading, I enjoyed the plot, the summer romance, and also not knowing what would really happen in the end. It was a nice read but I wouldn't say I was emotionally invested in the characters.
Honestly I couldn't really get into this book too much until about 80% of the way through. I felt like the story was just a bit too slow for me, and it want until feelings were shared that it really picked up. I thought that occasionally the characters were a bit too childish for me, talking to someone else, or agreeing to go on dates to make the other one jealous, ending a relationship with someone only to be in their space all the time and agreeing to things that would make it look like you wanted to get back together.
Lily was someone who I didn't really like, her thoughts felt like she constantly thought about boys, boys, boys, boys, and her friendship with Hadley occasionally made an appearance. What she did to Hadley was uncalled for and is not something I could easily forgive, but also brings back again how childish they act on occasion.
There were obviously things I liked about This Summer or I would not have finished reading, I enjoyed the plot, the summer romance, and also not knowing what would really happen in the end. It was a nice read but I wouldn't say I was emotionally invested in the characters.
nagam's review against another edition
4.0
I'm rounding up here because it's maybe more of a 3.5. As a person who loved summer camp, those aspects were my favorite. There was a whole lotta back and forth with the love story though.
seeingnight's review against another edition
4.0
GENRE: New Adult
THEME: Contemporary Romance
RECEIVED: NetGalley
BLOG: http://seeingnight.blogspot.com/
REVIEW:
Oh the fond memories of summer camp, it was like a trip down memory lane with this story, except I didn’t get the excitement and drama of romance. I had some love hate moments with this story, mostly in the beginning because the pace was a bit slow for my liking. This being the main reason I didn’t get five stars, I need to be hooked and I had to wait until almost the middle of the book to get there. The characters and their side stories were what will hook any reader that is a hopeless romantic like me, I always root for the underdog or the sad story just hits me, it just works.
This Summer follows Hadley, who is about to spend her last summer before college helping at her dads summer camp. This is the usual routine except that now she is single and has to deal with her ex working at summer camp with her. But the major difference is her best friend Will is back in town, he broke her heart and took off without a word years ago. Needless to say she has a lot of drama and tension to get through with her last summer camp.
Hadley is just an average sweet girl who is helping out as a counselor at her father’s summer camp. She is dealt with many problems right of the bat, with her ex steal wanting to be with her, her best friend Will coming home for the summer and her best girl friend being seriously over protective, all in all a very eventually summer is ahead for her. I liked Hadley’s character as the story moves forward; at the beginning I didn’t really understand why she broke it off with her boyfriend until Will was introduced. Her relationship with her best girl friend Lily was hilarious; they were trouble together, mostly because Lily is a wild child. But the major focus was on Will and Hadley, I liked that their relationship wasn’t instantly fixed; they had issues to figure out. Plus Will’s life is in a downward spiral, his family isn’t in a good place and his secrets are the real problem with Hadley. The parts of the story written from Hadley’s POV were sweet and I really felt for her, Will confuses her with his hot and cold moments and her heart is still hurting.
Will is a twenty year old who was forced to grow up fast, dealing with his unstable father and the impact of his mother’s absence. Will is much happier being back to his hometown and near the one person who made everything better, Hadley. Their relationship was always close, being best friends for so long. But after a kiss and his fathers shift, he had to make a life change by moving away. Now being back he is getting a much-needed break from his father and realizing the mistake of leaving the love of his life. The best bits for me were reading from Will’s POV, he has the most character development and the poor guy has a lot on his shoulders. But the best were every moment with Hadley, the way she made him feel and the protectiveness he still felt for her. Overall their relationship was challenged and grew stronger, they must come to terms with what both of them want and make it their choice.
Overall, this was a great summer read, as I said before all hopeless romantics will eat this book up with a bowl of ice cream. There are strong secondary characters with Hadley’s brother Ethan and her best friend Lily, as well as Will’s father who adds some major tension. I look forward to more stories from Duncan and hope that maybe Will and Hadley’s story will continue.
RECOMMENDATION:
This is a young adult novel with some minor sexual content for mature readers. Fans of Jennifer Armentrouts Wait for You and Abbie Glines Sea Breeze Series will enjoy This Summer by Katlyn Duncan.
THEME: Contemporary Romance
RECEIVED: NetGalley
BLOG: http://seeingnight.blogspot.com/
REVIEW:
Oh the fond memories of summer camp, it was like a trip down memory lane with this story, except I didn’t get the excitement and drama of romance. I had some love hate moments with this story, mostly in the beginning because the pace was a bit slow for my liking. This being the main reason I didn’t get five stars, I need to be hooked and I had to wait until almost the middle of the book to get there. The characters and their side stories were what will hook any reader that is a hopeless romantic like me, I always root for the underdog or the sad story just hits me, it just works.
This Summer follows Hadley, who is about to spend her last summer before college helping at her dads summer camp. This is the usual routine except that now she is single and has to deal with her ex working at summer camp with her. But the major difference is her best friend Will is back in town, he broke her heart and took off without a word years ago. Needless to say she has a lot of drama and tension to get through with her last summer camp.
Hadley is just an average sweet girl who is helping out as a counselor at her father’s summer camp. She is dealt with many problems right of the bat, with her ex steal wanting to be with her, her best friend Will coming home for the summer and her best girl friend being seriously over protective, all in all a very eventually summer is ahead for her. I liked Hadley’s character as the story moves forward; at the beginning I didn’t really understand why she broke it off with her boyfriend until Will was introduced. Her relationship with her best girl friend Lily was hilarious; they were trouble together, mostly because Lily is a wild child. But the major focus was on Will and Hadley, I liked that their relationship wasn’t instantly fixed; they had issues to figure out. Plus Will’s life is in a downward spiral, his family isn’t in a good place and his secrets are the real problem with Hadley. The parts of the story written from Hadley’s POV were sweet and I really felt for her, Will confuses her with his hot and cold moments and her heart is still hurting.
Will is a twenty year old who was forced to grow up fast, dealing with his unstable father and the impact of his mother’s absence. Will is much happier being back to his hometown and near the one person who made everything better, Hadley. Their relationship was always close, being best friends for so long. But after a kiss and his fathers shift, he had to make a life change by moving away. Now being back he is getting a much-needed break from his father and realizing the mistake of leaving the love of his life. The best bits for me were reading from Will’s POV, he has the most character development and the poor guy has a lot on his shoulders. But the best were every moment with Hadley, the way she made him feel and the protectiveness he still felt for her. Overall their relationship was challenged and grew stronger, they must come to terms with what both of them want and make it their choice.
Overall, this was a great summer read, as I said before all hopeless romantics will eat this book up with a bowl of ice cream. There are strong secondary characters with Hadley’s brother Ethan and her best friend Lily, as well as Will’s father who adds some major tension. I look forward to more stories from Duncan and hope that maybe Will and Hadley’s story will continue.
RECOMMENDATION:
This is a young adult novel with some minor sexual content for mature readers. Fans of Jennifer Armentrouts Wait for You and Abbie Glines Sea Breeze Series will enjoy This Summer by Katlyn Duncan.
katekat's review against another edition
4.0
I quite liked this story and the main characters Will and Hadley were great but it had an ending that just wrapped up too easily and perfectly for me. Lately I seem to be reading a great deal of these books that have good characters and an engaging story line but that resolve too neatly. If major problems exist I just don't buy that they can be solved in the end. However, I was engaged by this book and would definitely read more by this author.
amburhostyn's review
4.0
I really liked this one! :D I did have some minor issues, but overall, I really, really enjoyed it! I loved Hadley and Will, and thought this was a great and adorable summer romance! :)
losetimereading's review
4.0
I LOVED this book, holy smokes. I was CRYING in the last few chapters, and that wasn't expected at all. I love when a a romance takes your heart <3
Review to come soon :)
I’ve noticed over the past few months I’ve really been looking for “summer reads”. Light hearted, romantic contemporaries that give me the warm fuzzies inside so This Summer immediately caught my interest…
I adored the main character Hadley. There was just something about her that I immediately liked and I also really loved her relationship with her family. I think the reason I was drawn to her was that she really knew what she wanted. In a lot of contemporaries you see the girl trying to cling to a high school relationship even though one or both of the people are moving away for college but in This Summer, Hadley broke it off with her high school boyfriend because they would be moving away in September to start college. I liked that she wasn’t clingy about it, and was actually the one who was trying to fend off her ex’s advances. Lily, I liked immediately as well although I explain below how I didn’t like her by the end of the book. She was really in Hadley’s court with the whole Will leaving situation and was constantly looking out for her, which I suppose made the end situation even worse for me, because I really liked her at first. And Will… well of course I liked Will. Did anyone not like this sexy cowboy? He lived on a horse farm, had a sexy accent, nice body… what was to not like? I loved him. And I loved him for Hadley.
The romance was lovely. I liked that it wasn’t an instant love type of situation because there was a back story between Hadley and Will. It was nice to see them try to work out their feelings from two years prior. Also, the back story about Will was heart wrenching but really added to the punch of the story. It was a slightly unbelievable in the fact that he just took off overnight as a teenager but nevertheless, I still liked that story angle.
The main thing that really turned me off about the whole story was the ‘incident’ with Lily towards the end. I’m not going to go into a great amount of detail, to prevent spoilers, but I really, really did not agree with that entire scenario at all. I wish Hadley had said a big, “Screw you!” to her and ran off because in all actuality, no matter what Lily thought that Hadley did it didn’t even come close how terrible that thing that Lily did to her. Ugh… that was my major dislike about the entire book but luckily This Summer wasn’t a story about Hadley and Lily so I was more interested in how the rest of the story would play out :P
The ending had me in TEARS, which I really didn’t expect at all. That final scene at the camp, oh my gosh… I could just imagine it so well, and it was so perfect and amazing I couldn’t help but just cry and cry. Definitely one of the those warm, gushy moments.
I definitely recommend This Summer if you are looking for a great romance but that’s not completely light and fuzzy. The writing is fantastic and the romance PERFECT <3
Review to come soon :)
I’ve noticed over the past few months I’ve really been looking for “summer reads”. Light hearted, romantic contemporaries that give me the warm fuzzies inside so This Summer immediately caught my interest…
I adored the main character Hadley. There was just something about her that I immediately liked and I also really loved her relationship with her family. I think the reason I was drawn to her was that she really knew what she wanted. In a lot of contemporaries you see the girl trying to cling to a high school relationship even though one or both of the people are moving away for college but in This Summer, Hadley broke it off with her high school boyfriend because they would be moving away in September to start college. I liked that she wasn’t clingy about it, and was actually the one who was trying to fend off her ex’s advances. Lily, I liked immediately as well although I explain below how I didn’t like her by the end of the book. She was really in Hadley’s court with the whole Will leaving situation and was constantly looking out for her, which I suppose made the end situation even worse for me, because I really liked her at first. And Will… well of course I liked Will. Did anyone not like this sexy cowboy? He lived on a horse farm, had a sexy accent, nice body… what was to not like? I loved him. And I loved him for Hadley.
The romance was lovely. I liked that it wasn’t an instant love type of situation because there was a back story between Hadley and Will. It was nice to see them try to work out their feelings from two years prior. Also, the back story about Will was heart wrenching but really added to the punch of the story. It was a slightly unbelievable in the fact that he just took off overnight as a teenager but nevertheless, I still liked that story angle.
The main thing that really turned me off about the whole story was the ‘incident’ with Lily towards the end. I’m not going to go into a great amount of detail, to prevent spoilers, but I really, really did not agree with that entire scenario at all. I wish Hadley had said a big, “Screw you!” to her and ran off because in all actuality, no matter what Lily thought that Hadley did it didn’t even come close how terrible that thing that Lily did to her. Ugh… that was my major dislike about the entire book but luckily This Summer wasn’t a story about Hadley and Lily so I was more interested in how the rest of the story would play out :P
The ending had me in TEARS, which I really didn’t expect at all. That final scene at the camp, oh my gosh… I could just imagine it so well, and it was so perfect and amazing I couldn’t help but just cry and cry. Definitely one of the those warm, gushy moments.
I definitely recommend This Summer if you are looking for a great romance but that’s not completely light and fuzzy. The writing is fantastic and the romance PERFECT <3
bookbriefs's review
4.0
Just like the cover and title suggest, This Summer is a fun and fabulous book for summer. It takes place mostly at a summer camp, and I loved the setting for this second chance romance. Hadley had a huge crush on her best friend and next door neighbor, Will. And she was starting to think that he liked her too when he just up and left town. That was 2 years ago, and This Summer he is back...
That is how the book starts out. Well, the book starts out with Hadley and her ex breaking up, and I was really happy that the ex was out of the picture before she even knew Will was coming back into town. Not because the ex was the biggest jerk in the world, but because I know that it would have colored my impression of Will if she just dropped someone else for him. But luckily, she was free and single from page one. Not that Will runs back to town and they picked up right where they left off. No the build up between them was slow and a total one step forward, two steps back kind of deal. There are major secrets on Will's part holding him back, and we don't find out what they are for a good chunk of the book.
The book is told in dual narrative between Hadley and Will and even though they don't rush right into each others arms, you can clearly see that each one likes the other. It made their romance all that much sweeter and more satisfying to see both of their thoughts and feelings. I loved seeing this classic new adult contemporary romance setup used in a young adult contemporary. I really enjoyed the secondary characters as well. Everyone in this book seemed both age appropriate and at the same time mature. Hadley's best friend Lily was adorably protective over Hadley, and her younger brother Ethan was great. I want to see Ethan get his own book!
This Summer is exactly what you would expect it to be. A fun summer romance. There are ups and downs for all of the characters, sure, but you will get what you want out of this book. It will make you happy, make you smile and make you awh over Hadley and Will. I really enjoyed This Summer, and I know you will too. The summer camp setting is perfect for this summer romance. So grab a cold drink (or a smore) and sit back by the pool (or campfire) and enjoy.
That is how the book starts out. Well, the book starts out with Hadley and her ex breaking up, and I was really happy that the ex was out of the picture before she even knew Will was coming back into town. Not because the ex was the biggest jerk in the world, but because I know that it would have colored my impression of Will if she just dropped someone else for him. But luckily, she was free and single from page one. Not that Will runs back to town and they picked up right where they left off. No the build up between them was slow and a total one step forward, two steps back kind of deal. There are major secrets on Will's part holding him back, and we don't find out what they are for a good chunk of the book.
The book is told in dual narrative between Hadley and Will and even though they don't rush right into each others arms, you can clearly see that each one likes the other. It made their romance all that much sweeter and more satisfying to see both of their thoughts and feelings. I loved seeing this classic new adult contemporary romance setup used in a young adult contemporary. I really enjoyed the secondary characters as well. Everyone in this book seemed both age appropriate and at the same time mature. Hadley's best friend Lily was adorably protective over Hadley, and her younger brother Ethan was great. I want to see Ethan get his own book!
This Summer is exactly what you would expect it to be. A fun summer romance. There are ups and downs for all of the characters, sure, but you will get what you want out of this book. It will make you happy, make you smile and make you awh over Hadley and Will. I really enjoyed This Summer, and I know you will too. The summer camp setting is perfect for this summer romance. So grab a cold drink (or a smore) and sit back by the pool (or campfire) and enjoy.