May 2, 2012

Review - The Summer My Life Began by Shannon Greenland (+Giveaway)

The Summer My Life Began by Shannon Greenland
May 10th, 2012 from Speak

This is a perfect beach read book for teens! Em jumps at the chance to spend a month with her estranged Aunt Tilly right after her high school graduation. Her parents are less than pleased with her choice to ditch her prestigious internship at her father's law firm. Em throws caution to the wind and opens herself up for new things and new everything else.

This book was a breeze to get through; light and entertaining. There were aspects of the book that were predictable, but teens love that. They want to say, "I called it!' Just when I was thinking that maybe it was too fluffy, a surprise was unveiled. A big surprise, actually. Not one that I can say I say coming a mile away. Even though there are events and relationships that come easy, the hook was a welcome surprise. I was excited about the twist of events and I think it came at just the right time. No spoilers...

I enjoyed watching Em wrestle with her need to please and finally watching her accept that she just has to live her life the way she thinks is best. She tries very hard to make everyone happy, make her parents proud, but doing so she just makes herself miserable. I can't imagine having my career planned out for me before I even got my first kiss or drove a car. Her parents, and grandmother, make her life harder than it should be, but the family message in this story is solid. Em's relationship with her sister is endearing. I love seeing positive sibling relationships and theirs is special.

A sweet romance that will have you packing the beach towel and sunscreen before the sun comes up.

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You can find Greenland at her website

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