A review by cdkjacobson
On a Summer Night by Gabriel D. Vidrine

4.0

A charming story! This novel helps fill a gap in the range of coming-of-age stories while being very relatable to anyone who was that awkward, uncertain teenage. Even reading it as an adult, I found Casey's teenage drama very authentic, both the ordinary challenge of adjusting to a new group of people, and the difficulties of dealing with gender identity, orientation, and dating for the first time. The description of the camp and its routines really brings the reader into the setting. The author addresses, with tact and authenticity, the complexities of navigating a potentially hostile world even as a child, the bravery of confronting loved ones with information they may not welcome, and the challenges of understanding people we may not want to understand and of confronting our own hypocrisy.