Title: Twenty Boy Summer
Author: Sarah Ockler
First published June 1, 2009
290 pages, Hardcover
ISBN: 9780316051590 (ISBN10: 0316051594)
Rating: 3.88
Overview
Anna and her best friend Frankie are looking forward to a summer filled with sun, sand, and boys during their vacation in Zanzibar Bay. Frankie has a plan to meet a new boy every day, but little does she know that Anna has already had her fair share of romance.
Anna had a secret summer fling with Frankie’s older brother, Matt, before his untimely death the year before. TWENTY BOY SUMMER is a heartwarming tale of love, loss, and the beauty of living in the moment.
Join Anna as she navigates through the ups and downs of first love and learns to cherish every precious moment life has to offer.
About the Author
Meet Sarah Ockler, an accomplished author who has written six young adult novels. Her books have been translated into multiple languages and have received numerous awards, including Best Fiction for Young Adults by ALA and nominations for YALSA Teens’ Top Ten and NPR’s Top 100 Teen Books.
She enjoys cupcakes, tea, staying up late, and reading. When she’s not busy writing or reading in her New York City home, she loves taking pictures, hugging trees, and going on road trips with her husband, Alex.
Connect with her on her website or social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook.
Editoral Review
Sarah Ockler’s “Twenty Boy Summer” is a young adult novel that explores the complexities of grief, love, and friendship through the eyes of two best friends, Anna Reiley and Frankie Perino. Published in June 2009, this coming-of-age novel follows the story of Anna as she joins Frankie and her family for a summer vacation in California after the sudden death of Anna’s older brother, Surf.
Ockler’s writing style is engaging, and her vivid descriptions of the characters and the setting draw readers into the story. The themes of love, friendship, and loss are deftly woven into the plot, and the characters are well-developed and relatable.
The challenges that Anna and Frankie face throughout the novel are authentic and the way they deal with them feels realistic. The novel explores the complexity of grief with honesty and sensitivity.
Anna struggles to come to terms with the sudden death of her brother and the impact it has on her family and her relationship with Frankie. Frankie, meanwhile, harbors a secret crush on Anna’s brother and is dealing with her own family issues.
Ockler’s portrayal of the girls’ grief is raw and real, making the reader feel for them and understand how it affects their lives. One of the novel’s strengths is the way it addresses the taboo of discussing death and grief among teenagers.
It highlights how important it is to be there for someone who is going through a difficult time and how essential communication is in keeping relationships intact. However, at times “Twenty Boy Summer” felt too focused on the romance aspect, even though it’s a vital part of the story, this undermines the impact of the grief of the characters.
Overall, “Twenty Boy Summer” is a compelling read that’s sure to appeal to young adult readers. Ockler’s lyrical writing style, combined with a heart-warming story, make this an enjoyable and emotionally touching novel.
Rating: 7/10 stars. While the book could have done better in portraying grief, Young adult readers looking for a poignant and original coming-of-age story about love and friendship would find themselves getting lost in the words of Sarah Ockler.
