Review: Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler

Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler 
Published: June 1st, 2009 (Little, Brown Books)
Pages: 290
Source: bought
Challenge: none
Series: none
Buy the book: Bookdepository
Rating: ★★★★☆

"Don’t worry, Anna. I’ll tell her, okay? Just let me think about the best way to do it."
"Okay."
"Promise me? Promise you won’t say anything?"
"Don’t worry.” I laughed. “It’s our secret, right?"


According to Anna’s 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 her romance, and it was with Frankie’s older brother, Matt, just before his tragic death one year ago.

After trying (and failing) to read four books, I was desperate to find something I could read and actually finish. I was in a really bad reading funk when this was picked out for me, and I was afraid that I would have to put this one away as well. But the opposite was true; this excellent book managed to drag me out of my reading funk within a couple of pages. It was brilliantly written and I loved the whole vibe of the book.

Anna and Frankie are best friends, and I loved their chemistry. They acted like best friends, and sure there was one that was completely different from the other, but you knew why they were friends in the first place.

The whole story was wonderfully set up, and the feeling of the book was fantastic. I love how the cover connects to the story and what it means to the characters. I'm really at a loss for words how to describe the book, it was really good and had me on the verge of tears multiple times.

The reason I didn't give the book the full 5 stars is that I felt like some parts didn't connect to me as well as others, which was really the only thing missing for me from the book. The ending was perfect because it wasn't, and that was the moment the tears really started flowing.

A beautifully written book, with great characters and a solid storyline. I would recommend it to anyone who likes contemporary - it's a great story about loss and heartbreak, and trying to fit the pieces together again. Definitely recommended.