Author: Beth Ann Bauman
Published: 8th May 2012
Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books
Source: eARC thanks to NetGalley and Publisher
It’s the summer before senior year and the alluring Angel is ready to have fun. She’s not like her best friend, Inggy, who has a steady boyfriend, good grades, and college plans. Angel isn’t sure what she wants to do yet, but she has confidence and experience beyond her years. Still, her summer doesn’t start out as planned. Her good friend Joey doesn’t want to fool around anymore, he wants to be her boyfriend, while Angel doesn’t want to be tied down. As Joey pulls away, and Inggy tours colleges, Angel finds herself spending more time with Inggy’s boyfriend, Cork. With its cast of vivid and memorable characters, this tale from the Jersey shore is sure to make some waves. - From Goodreads
This sounded like a great summer read, nothing too challenging, the kind of book you can read in a few hours beside a pool. Even though I currently don't have any plans on the horizon for a little summer getaway, I hoped that this book might get me into the summer mood. Well it is STILL freezing here in Edinburgh, I don't feel remotely summery, and this book did not turn out to be what I was expecting.
Angel has the whole summer ahead of her but she does not know what she wants or what she is going to do. After her on and off boyfriend calls it quits and her best friend, Inggy, leaves to tour colleges, Angel ends up spending time with Inggy's boyfriend and questioning what it is she really wants.
The main character in this book is Angel and the whole story is told from Angel's point of view, but it felt really detached. It was almost like she was recounting a story that happened a long time ago. This was actually a bonus for this book as it kept me feeling distanced from Angel's questionable actions.
Even though one of the main strands through this story is Angel having an affair with her best friend's boyfriend, I could not stop reading. The way the story is told made it feel like you were engaged in some really juicy gossip, and if there is one thing I love it's some good gossip.
I did not love this book, but I also did not hate this book. It did not give me the summer feeling I was looking for but gave me the feeling that I had been let in on some really interesting gossip. The story was not really very deep or detailed and did not have any ground breaking themes or messages, it was an OK piece of YA writing.
Even though one of the main strands through this story is Angel having an affair with her best friend's boyfriend, I could not stop reading. The way the story is told made it feel like you were engaged in some really juicy gossip, and if there is one thing I love it's some good gossip.
I did not love this book, but I also did not hate this book. It did not give me the summer feeling I was looking for but gave me the feeling that I had been let in on some really interesting gossip. The story was not really very deep or detailed and did not have any ground breaking themes or messages, it was an OK piece of YA writing.
I loved Angel's relationships to her younger siblings, and their conversations. The kids were hilarious, warm and fun. Inngy, Angel's best friend, is wonderfully real, flawed but overall on the right track to what most people take- college and on. Angels has fallen by the sidelines, no SATs, probably not college and not sure what she wants to do with her life. And really, I understand. Even though I went to college, the vast majority of me and my classmates are ready to admit at 17 we really had no idea what we wanted to do with our lives. So even though we chose the college route, I sympathize with Angel's indecisiveness.
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