Summerland by Elin Hilderbrand
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Pages: 400
Format: ARC

Goodreads:  It’s June 15th, the night of Nantucket High School graduation. Four juniors are driving home from a party when something goes horribly wrong and there is a crash. The driver of the car, Penny Alistair, is killed, and her twin brother, Hobby Alistair, is left in a coma. Penny’s boyfriend, Jake Randolph, and Penny’s friend Demeter Castle are unhurt–but suffer tremendous emotional damage. Jake and his family move to the other side of the globe–to the west coast of Australia–in order to escape the horrors of the accident. Demeter falls prey to alcohol abuse and other self-destructive behaviors that nearly lead to her destroying her own life. 

SUMMERLAND delves into the circumstances surrounding this accident, the roots of which lie deep in the past, with the first interactions between these four friends and their parents. It’s a novel about how tragedy affects individuals, families, and the island community as a whole, and how healing can happen, in even the most devastating circumstances.

                   

FTC – Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from BEA.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

 

It’s Not Summer Without You (Summer #2)  By Jenny Han

Goodreads:  Can summer be truly summer without Cousins Beach?It used to be that Belly counted the days until summer, until she was back at Cousins Beach with Conrad and Jeremiah. But not this year. Not after Susannah got sick again and Conrad stopped caring. Everything that was right and good has fallen apart, leaving Belly wishing summer would never come.But when Jeremiah calls saying Conrad has disappeared, Belly knows what she must do to make things right again. And it can only happen back at the beach house, the three of them together, the way things used to be. If this summer really and truly is the last summer, it should end the way it started–at Cousins Beach.




Ope’s Opinions:  It has been enjoyable to watch the characters grow up and develop.  Dealing with adult issues from a young persons perspective added more interest to the story.  I read through this book really fast because I knew the characters.  Jenny Han knows how to write the emotion so that you really feel it.  I am looking forward to the third and last book of the series.  Keep writing Jenny!




Rating:  Four Chairs –   I like this book so much I know several friends to share it with.