A review by catladyreba
The Summer of Everything, by Julian Winters

2.0

I was lucky enough to meet Julian Winters at a conference, and he really was the loveliest human. Add to that admiration a novel set in a bookstore, with shades of 90's music and allusions to Empire Records, and a perfect locale, and a super diverse cast, what's not to love? But I feel awful that this kind of fell flat for me. Maybe I am harboring some jealously that is coloring my reading experience. I spent my youth and high school career as a huge bookworm and spent so much time in the library, and never, not once, was I able to get a job at a local, indie book store. Has any actual teenager lived this life? And, I just finished All Our Worst Ideas, which has a similar plot line, but with music instead of books, and cis main characters, but the way too hip jobs, the obsession with the 90's? I work with teenagers and high schoolers all day and they really don't care about 80/90's movies, TV, or music. These books remind me of something I heard on the Teen Creeps Podcast about how books aimed at teens are 20 years behind the publishing date in content. Granted that was more early YA, but sometimes that assessment feels spot on. I think the representation in this story is wonderful, and the characters are fantastic, but it just didn't gel for me.