hadu's review against another edition
5.0
Definitely one of my favorite books. I saw the movie before I read the book and I honestly enjoy both. I feel like I overdose on girls every time I read it. I love the twist in the story; I didn't see it coming.
justineaf's review against another edition
4.0
Slightly reminiscent of The Virgin Suicides & Mean Girls; if they were combined. However, the ending wasn't great.
arushibhaskar's review against another edition
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
One of the best books I have read that truly show what it's like to be an unhinged 15/16 year-old girl. Not sure if I love it or hate it.
robert_vardill's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? No
2.0
justabookishsoul's review against another edition
3.0
A könyv belekezdéséig eszembe se jutott, hogy ez az a történet, amit filmben már láttam. Semmi nagy durranás, de mégis van benne valami ami megfogott. Az elején nehézkesen ment az olvasása, mert olyan volt, mintha csak úgy beillesztettek volna oda nem illő mondatokat egy párbeszédbe. Sokan leszólták a könyvet, amit megértek, de számomra valamiért ez olyan furcsa könyv lett. A közepére úgy belejöttem az olvasásába, hogy talán elkezdett tetszeni, mert nem olyan tipikus a történet, annak ellenére, hogy néha olyan mondatokba ütköztem, amik 'jesszusom' arckifejezésekkel láttak el.
Ez nem szépen megírt könyv, a karakterek pedig nem tökéletesek, de mégis adott egy furcsa hangulatot, amit nem mindig érzek egyes könyveknél. Szerintem az írónő is tudta, hogy ez nem egy szépirodalmi könyv lesz, ezért egy picit becsülöm is. Ezt a könyvet vagy utálni vagy közepesen megszeretni lehet. Én az utóbbi vagyok.
Ez nem szépen megírt könyv, a karakterek pedig nem tökéletesek, de mégis adott egy furcsa hangulatot, amit nem mindig érzek egyes könyveknél. Szerintem az írónő is tudta, hogy ez nem egy szépirodalmi könyv lesz, ezért egy picit becsülöm is. Ezt a könyvet vagy utálni vagy közepesen megszeretni lehet. Én az utóbbi vagyok.
sadie_reads_again's review against another edition
3.0
I found this darkly funny, with enough slightly unpredictable and perhaps far-fetched happenings to keep it interesting but grounded. Its Northern setting and style kept it real. I like how it really downplayed the sexual side of the two main characters' relationship rather than basing the whole book around it. However, the ending - while it left enough unanswered questions to make you think - seemed a little rushed.
jessicabeckett's review
3.0
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Much like many before me, I learned of this novel through the movie adaption (something that is very rare for me) and had an odd mindset of what I presumed this novel to be. One of the biggest things both the novel and the movie had in common, for me, was that they left me craving more of the story. But not, technically, in a good way.
Generally, I did grow to like and appreciate the story and though it had its flaws it was enjoyable and kept my attention. Is it something I would read again and again? Perhaps, not, but it certainly wasn't a waste of my time. Give it a chance, readers. It could surprise you and could very possibly be your cup of tea. (Excuse shortness and typos: this review was written via mobile/iPhone!)
Much like many before me, I learned of this novel through the movie adaption (something that is very rare for me) and had an odd mindset of what I presumed this novel to be. One of the biggest things both the novel and the movie had in common, for me, was that they left me craving more of the story. But not, technically, in a good way.
Generally, I did grow to like and appreciate the story and though it had its flaws it was enjoyable and kept my attention. Is it something I would read again and again? Perhaps, not, but it certainly wasn't a waste of my time. Give it a chance, readers. It could surprise you and could very possibly be your cup of tea. (Excuse shortness and typos: this review was written via mobile/iPhone!)
live_to_read's review
1.0
I did not enjoy this book. I disliked all the characters, I could not sympathize with them and found that I couldn't care less what happened to them. It was a very long drawn out drag and I'm glad that it is finally over. I know this sounds harsh. I respect other readers opinions but personally for me it is a one star book.
stormqueen's review
3.0
You could meet a crazy girl and truly believe her to be your saviour.
My Summer of Love is a bit of a bizarre read, a precursor to decadent novels of bored, awakening teenage girls like Dare Me and bares more than a few passing similarities to the real life crimes of Juliet Hulme (now crime novellist Anne Perry) and Pauline Parker. There's an almost surreal dissonance they exemplify: the obsessive, sexualized friendship between two girls, pushing the boundaries of every relationship, dispersing pseudo witticisms about men and sex in that under-experienced but over-aware teenage way, and the seemingly inevitable slide into violence and criminality.
Mona is a fifteen year old girl living above her father's pub with her stepbrother Porkchop in a small Yorkshire town. She's awkward, immature, ostensibly addicted to alcohol and fruit machine gambling, and vacillates between bold confidence and startling naivete. Though Mona is not particularly likeable, she's easy to fall into as even her internal monologue contains a strong Yorkshire dialect, allowing me to easily hear her voice in my head.
She meets Tamsin Fakenham a posh girl with a dead sister. She's beautiful, condescending, manipulative and controlling. Mona is instantly entranced by her and they become fast, if unsteady, friends. Together, they're explosive. In their absence, Tamsin's parents believe that she has gone to stay with an old aunt while she studies for her exam, but is instead living in a strange fantasy world with Mona where they are awake all night, starve themselves and have sex constantly. But their manic lifestyle is far from idyllic, their friendship unstable and volatile, each trying to gain the upper hand in an undending game of oneupmanship. Mona often comes up short.
Helen Cross's writing works wonderfully in developing atmosphere; you feel a sticky, cloying quality as you read, matching the heatwave that invades the setting. The entire novel takes place over a single month, so this works particularly well to generate the frenzied obsession the girls have with each other and their increasingly daring acts of criminality.
While Mona's chubby, sensitive stepbrother Porkchop is the only remotely likable character in the entire novel, it didn't detract from my enjoyment at all. It may even have enhanced it as the near-mania that overcomes Mona and Tamsin will inevitably end badly and I was at the edge of my seat waiting for it. Ultimately, My Summer of Love is a taut, if sometimes confusing, coming of age story teetering on the knife edge of thriller.