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A review by michalice
Bringing the Summer by Julia Green
4.0
I will admit that this is the first book I have read by Julia Green, and although Bringing The Summer follows on from Breathing Underwater it is able to stand alone as an individual book.
Bringing the Summer follows Freya as she is still learning to cope without the presence of her brother, her family are also mourning their loss, but in mourning are also distancing themselves from Freya, who often comes home to an empty house or parents busy working on things.
After a railway accident Freya finds herself in the company of Gabe and his enchanting family and soon realises that Birdy, from the railway accident, had ties with Gabe, Theo and their family.
I really enjoyed Bringing The Summer and found myself looking forward to meeting more of Gabe's family. There is never a dull moment with Gabe and his family around, they are active and there is always something going on in their home. I think this is what pulls Freya into their homestead, it gives her a break from the stillness and loneliness of her own family life and home. I adore their Mum and I love how she is raising the children and she has a huge garden where she grows a lot of her own food. She is also able to see right into the middle of any situation but offers advice if needed and doesn't stick herself in to try to fix everything.
When I first met Gabe I thought he was the perfect person for Freya to get to know, but as the story unfolds and he becomes distant and I could see their bond disintegrating I disliked what he was doing to Freya and how he was making her feel.
Theo on the other hand I disliked. I didn't like his attitude and to me he felt like he was better than everyone else and was not afraid to make sure people knew this, but as we learn more about him you realise he is just putting up a front to protect himself. Although both Freya and Theo are mourning thier own losses and they slowly start to form a friendship it is not until Theo acts out that Freya realsies he is not a perfect as he originally seems, and sets a plan in motion to help him begin to mourn propperly and let the past go in order to build a better friendship between them both.
Bringing The Summer is a quick read that I finished in a couple of hours but thoroughly enjoyed. Julia has woven in the right emotions to make the characters likeable and believable. Things like love, friendships, loss and family values are touched upon in the pages. After finishing Bringing The Summer I intend to not only buy Breathing Underwater to be able to read these books in order, but also other books Julia has wrote.
Bringing the Summer follows Freya as she is still learning to cope without the presence of her brother, her family are also mourning their loss, but in mourning are also distancing themselves from Freya, who often comes home to an empty house or parents busy working on things.
After a railway accident Freya finds herself in the company of Gabe and his enchanting family and soon realises that Birdy, from the railway accident, had ties with Gabe, Theo and their family.
I really enjoyed Bringing The Summer and found myself looking forward to meeting more of Gabe's family. There is never a dull moment with Gabe and his family around, they are active and there is always something going on in their home. I think this is what pulls Freya into their homestead, it gives her a break from the stillness and loneliness of her own family life and home. I adore their Mum and I love how she is raising the children and she has a huge garden where she grows a lot of her own food. She is also able to see right into the middle of any situation but offers advice if needed and doesn't stick herself in to try to fix everything.
When I first met Gabe I thought he was the perfect person for Freya to get to know, but as the story unfolds and he becomes distant and I could see their bond disintegrating I disliked what he was doing to Freya and how he was making her feel.
Theo on the other hand I disliked. I didn't like his attitude and to me he felt like he was better than everyone else and was not afraid to make sure people knew this, but as we learn more about him you realise he is just putting up a front to protect himself. Although both Freya and Theo are mourning thier own losses and they slowly start to form a friendship it is not until Theo acts out that Freya realsies he is not a perfect as he originally seems, and sets a plan in motion to help him begin to mourn propperly and let the past go in order to build a better friendship between them both.
Bringing The Summer is a quick read that I finished in a couple of hours but thoroughly enjoyed. Julia has woven in the right emotions to make the characters likeable and believable. Things like love, friendships, loss and family values are touched upon in the pages. After finishing Bringing The Summer I intend to not only buy Breathing Underwater to be able to read these books in order, but also other books Julia has wrote.