Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler REVIEW

Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler

Not in series

Release Date: June 1st, 2009

Published by Little, Brown Books
Format: Hardcover, 290 pages

Source: Library

Summary from Goodreads:

"Don't worry, Anna. I'll tell her, okay? Just let me think about the best way to do it."

"Okay,"

"Promise me? Promise me you won't say anything?"

"Don't worry." I laughed. "It's our secret, right?"

According to her best friend Frankie, twenty days in Zanzibar Bay is the perfect opportunity to have a summer fling, and if they meet one boy every day, there's a pretty good chance Anna will find her first summer romance. Anna lightheartedly agrees to the game, but there's something she hasn't told Frankie--she's already had that kind of romance, and it was with Frankie's older brother, Matt, just before his tragic death one year ago.

Beautifully written and emotionally honest, this is a debut novel that explores what it truly means to love someone and what it means to grieve, and ultimately, how to make the most of every single moment this world has to offer.

Review:

First off, I absolutely loved the beautiful setting the story was taking place in. Sarah described it with so much detail that I imagined myself standing there on the beach.

Anna was always the strong one. If Anna and I were to meet somewhere in real life, I think we would've become great friends. We relate to each other so much! To be honest, I'm not really the outgoing type, which is the same as Anna. And among my group of friends, I was always considered to be the strong one, or "the rock". I was amazed by how well Anna was able to cope with Matt's death. Even though she was heartbroken on the inside, she showed no signs of pain on the outside, and the guilt she must've endured because she promised to not tell Frankie about Matt's relationship with her.

I found Frankie to be obnoxious and irritating because of the way she coped with her brother's death. She didn't turn out like Anna, strong and controlled. She turned all boy crazy and obsessed about things that didn't matter. I found it idiotic of her to start the twenty boy summer challenge. I mean, what's the point of it? In fact, I think it would've been a waste of a summer to be sitting around on the beach attracting any of the male species.

I understand that the author was trying to get the main message of Anna & Frankie trying to cope with Matt's death and trying to forget. But I just couldn't help thinking that it was too repetitive. Anna writes in her journal to Matt. Frankie is looking out for new boys. What else is new?

Overall, this wouldn't be a book that I LOVED. But it was definitely enjoyable because it taught me that if I've lost someone dear to me, I shouldn't let it get in the way of me living. Of course I'll be sad, but we can't stop living.

Rating: 3/5

Cover: 4/10

Character(s) I liked: Anna, Sam, Matt

Character(s) I disliked: Frankie

First Sentence: Frankie Perino and I were lucky that day. - page 1

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