BOOK REVIEW: Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler

I finished reading Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler a few hours ago. This is meant to be part of my usual contemporary reads after reading a bunch of dystopians or paranormals. I usually shift to contemporary so as not to get tired of reading the same genre again and again. Anyway, I've heard great things about this novel and so I had it and Bittersweet reserved for me at FullyBooked.

I won't go into the summary of the story since I might just end up spoiling the entire novel but I just have to mention that it's about three friends. A boy called Matt, his sister, Frankie and Anna, their next door neighbor. Anyway, Matt and Anna sort of had a relationship but just when he was about to tell Frankie about it he dies. Anyway, I really liked Anna. For some reason, I liked the fact that she tried her very best to be strong for everyone especially Frankie. She's definitely a friend worth keeping. Her loyalty towards Matt and Frankie was definitely something that I admired. I really liked her for being an awesome friend even if Frankie did something cruel. Anyway, she's possibly one of those strong characters throughout the novel. And frankly, I just wanted to be there for her since no one seemed to even bother to ask her whether she's okay or not. Everyone just assumed that she was and she never complained or anything.

Then there's Frankie. To be totally honest, I found Frankie to be very superficial. I know for a fact that she was just trying to cope with her loss but she just seemed superficial to me. I really wanted to strangle her when she did what she did to Anna. Personally, I think Anna deserved someone better than her but alas, Anna is such an awesome person and I guess friendship really does prevail most of the time.

I really enjoyed reading this.  I thought I was going to get tired of it at some point but I never did. I really liked most of the characters. Matt and Frankie's parents, Red and Jayne, were probably two of my favorite characters in the novel. I really liked how perceptive Jayne was. Somehow, she always knew when something was up. And as for the Twenty Boy Summer title, it's titled as such because of the dare between Anna and Frankie. There were two constant boys throughout the novel though, Sam and Jake. I really liked Sam. I think he's an awesome listener and is probably the only person who even bothered to ask whether Anna is okay or not. Anyway, I think I devoured this novel. I thought it was going to be one of those sappy teen love novels but apparently it is something more. It made me cry. It made  me laugh. And for some reason it made me think that life is too short for us to let every opportunity pass us by. It was about letting go, moving forward and friendship. Anyway, I'd definitely recommend this to everyone.

RATING: 4.5/5 STARS