Book Review: Sixteenth Summer (ARC)

Sixteenth Summer
by Michelle Dalton
320 pages - Paperback
Expected publication: May 3rd 2011 by Simon Pulse
Source: ARC from Simon & Schuster Galley Grab

Summary:

Anna is dreading another tourist-filled summer on Dune Island that follows the same routine: beach, ice cream, friends, repeat. That is, until she locks eyes with Will, the gorgeous and sweet guy visiting from New York. Soon, her summer is filled with flirtatious fun as Anna falls head over heels in love.

But with every perfect afternoon, sweet kiss, and walk on the beach, Anna can’t ignore that the days are quickly growing shorter, and Will has to leave at the end of August. Anna’s never felt anything like this before, but when forever isn’t even a possibility, one summer doesn’t feel worth the promise of her heart breaking…

Review:

I’ve never really been in love before. But if you count the many hot fictional characters I’ve fallen in like and lust with… er, no. I don’t think you’d count that. So I’ve never really been in love before. But reading Anna’s narrative about how she fell in love with Will; from the first awkward moments up to the time they really fell for each other and the time when they finally had to part... I don't know why, but I really felt like I was an old woman whose reliving the moments of her first love. And mind you, I'm only a teenager. While Anna's describing the emotions Will's making her feel, I swear I keep nodding my head like I know exactly what she's talking about. I'm not saying that this book makes readers feel like old people though.

Anyway, it was a little hard to connect with the characters at first. Anna and Will's blooming relationship seemed plenty awkward and forced. I couldn't feel the spark between them. But as the story moved forward and they grew more familiar with each other, the connection became more and more apparent as well. This is where I started feeling like a nostalgic old woman. I love Anna and Will's moments together. They are so adorable and sweet. I liked that both of them seemed like ordinary people. They are not popular or outcasts. They don't have mysterious past. Both are not over the top gorgeous. They are plain, ordinary, uninteresting. But throw them together and you get a sweet and special summer love story.

Sixteenth Summer is very light without family and peer drama. Unlike other contemps that never fail to sport those kinds of drama. This is a pure summer love story that involves heat, beach, ice cream, ghost crabbing, sand castle making, baby turtles and love, love, love! I really enjoyed reading this book. I especially like the different activities Will and Anna did on the island. Dalton's description of the bits and parts of the island were vivid enough I felt like I could see what the characters were seeing.

My only complaint in this is the ending. At the beginning of the book, Anna tells about how she knows the feeling of being in love. Which gave me the impression that she's telling her story as it happened in the past and not as it happens in the present. So the abrupt ending didn't make a lot of sense to me.

Rating: 4/5 stars

This e-ARC was received from the
publisher (Simon & Schuster via S&S Galley Grab)
in exchange  for an honest review.