Review: That Summer

First I want to explain that I haven't been feeling very well which is why I haven't been posting much. Next week I'll be moving and then there's the back to school thing... life is about to get hectic but I will post at least twice a week. Thank you all to followers and all the lovely people who take time to visit and comment.

Author: Sarah Dessen
Pages: 240
Publisher: Viking Juvenile
Source: Library
Challenge: Ultimate Reviewers' Challenge Book 6
Synopsis: For fifteen-year-old Haven, life is changing too quickly. She's nearly six feet tall, her father is getting remarried, and her sister—the always perfect Ashley—is planning a wedding of her own. Haven wishes things could just go back to the way they were. Then an old boyfriend of Ashley's reenters the picture, and through him, Haven sees the past for what it really was, and comes to grips with the future.

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That Summer was my first Sarah Dessen novel and I enjoyed it.

Sarah's writing is so easy to read that I found myself effortlessly immersed in the story. Everything that happened felt real and I loved the different characters.

What Sarah exceeds at is creating a background full of colorful characters and events. The setting is well done, as is the timing so that the story is nice to read and makes sense. I understood why Haven felt the way she did and by the end, I was just as upset as she was. Sarah doesn't just tell that her characters are upset, she shows it.

What I like about That Summer was that it's a light novel that tackles more serious issues. Reading it was fun, and ending it was also fun. I didn't feel the need to zip through all the pages till the end, and while I do love books like that, sometimes just enjoying a novel and world is nice too.

Overall, I was happy with my first Sarah Dessen novel and I'm excited to start reading the rest! 3.5 stars,

*** &1/2 *