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A review by midnightmarauder
This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This One Summer follows Rose, a young teenage girl as she and her family go on their annual getaway to the fictional Awago Beach. There, Rose gets to see her longtime best friend, Windy, and the pair find out more about each other and what they want out of life.
I initially read this book because I heard it was banned due to its inclusion of LGBT characters, amongst other topics. However, there's no explicit inclusion of any LGBT characters. Allusions were made of Windy being lesbian/bisexual (ex. her saying that she doesn't want a husband; going to the 'lesbian camp'; showing slight jealousy when Rose shows interest in the boy who works at Brewster's, etc.), but it is never explicitly stated.
Other reasons why the book ended up being banned are because of the profanity and sexual comments that the children make, including Rose and Windy. They overhear two workers at Brewster's call the girl's they're hanging withsluts , and Rose and Windy begin to repeat it. Even after Rose's mom overhears the two using such language and tells them it isn't appropriate, they repeat it later on in the novel. On top of that, the two Brewster's workers actively talk about sex and one of the girls they mess around with goes on to get pregnant . Those themes make a little bit more sense as to why some parents weren't happy with the novel.
Overall, I liked the book. This is the second book I've read by the Tamaki cousins; the first one being Roaming. I do like This One Summer much better, because the characters actually feel like they have some sort of depth (albeit minor).
I initially read this book because I heard it was banned due to its inclusion of LGBT characters, amongst other topics. However, there's no explicit inclusion of any LGBT characters. Allusions were made of Windy being lesbian/bisexual (ex. her saying that she doesn't want a husband; going to the 'lesbian camp'; showing slight jealousy when Rose shows interest in the boy who works at Brewster's, etc.), but it is never explicitly stated.
Other reasons why the book ended up being banned are because of the profanity and sexual comments that the children make, including Rose and Windy. They overhear two workers at Brewster's call the girl's they're hanging with
Overall, I liked the book. This is the second book I've read by the Tamaki cousins; the first one being Roaming. I do like This One Summer much better, because the characters actually feel like they have some sort of depth (albeit minor).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Cursing, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Grief, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Suicide attempt