Sarah Dessen

That Summer

Jeannette Ordas

Growing pains are a bitch. Throw in crazy family dynamics, a divorce, a couple of weddings, and memories of the good ol' days, Sarah Dessen writes about the messed-up summer of 15 year old Haven. Well written and enjoyable.

devin.reads

This was my first time reading a Sarah Dessen novel, and I was pretty disappointed. Maybe I had too high expectations, but I will continue reading Sarah Dessen books. I hope the next one's better!

Rachel Estep

Sarah Dessen's debut novel is just as poigniant as her more recent works. She is an author qho constantly reminds us that there are stories to be told everywhere we look even if we don't know it. That Summer was a deep dive into self awarness and situational awareness. It was a strong reminder to give those in your life grace. We may have the same physical experiences but dont share emotional experiences in the same capacity.

For fifteen-year-old Haven this is the summer where everything changes. Dad is remarrying. Her sister Ashley is planning a wedding of her own. They�re both moving on, but Haven is lost in memories of a time when life was happy and her family was whole. And then Ashley�s ex, the charming and funny Sumner Lee, arrives in town. He reminds Haven of carefree days gone by, and she can�t help but wonder � has fate brought this person from her past back to change her future?

Jo Young

This was another amazing book by Sarah Dessen. I loved reading it, and I especially loved the part where Haven throws that shoe at the annoying customer. Awesome!

Hannah Wall

My eldest sister gave me this book to try and I’m glad I read it. But I don’t typically read non-fantasy books. It’s something different to change up mythical worlds and all but defiantly not my normal cup of tea!

Georgia Carr

this was a lot of self-reflection and little plot, but I like that - to an extent. this book would have relly spoken to me as a 15 year old, which is exaclty where's it aimed. the chapter where Haven has her meltdown is so incredibly realistic to how it feels when everything just reaches a breaking point:that was a real winner in this novel for me.

Becky

3 stars

This is a great read from Sarah Dessen. It has never been my favourite but it's a really fantastic read and you can see how her writing progresses from this first book of hers into that you see in her later books. 

This book is all about characters, more specifically Haven and her path to finding herself and accepting the changes which occurred in her life. Her parents are divorced and her dad has moved on with the local weather girl, who he works with, and she isn't pleased about it as he left the family for her. Her sister is becoming a bridezilla and a nightmare as she prepares to marry her boyfriend at only 21. Haven is seeing changes all around her dreaming about an idyllic summer she had when she was younger and her family was still together. She wants to go back and prevent changes from happening and get her life back and a familiar face returning in the form of Sumner, her sister's ex has her really thinking about that summer.

It was a great read where Haven accepts things change and that not everything she once believed is true. She comes to accept change and realise things changing is not a bad thing. It's a great example of character growth and development and I enjoyed it. I just kept waiting for more to happen and I think that is because I am used to Dessen's newer books which have a larger cast of characters and is about both story and character whilst this focused more on one than the other.

Jimena Vázquez Oliver

I think I missed the age at which I should’ve first read this book. I’m sure that, were I closer to the age Haven is, I would’ve found it more profound and relatable. But unfortunately all I’m left with is the feeling that, in 198 pages, nothing really happened.

Kim 

This book was okay. It was not my favourite, but I did find it interesting.Sometimes, there were parts of the novel where I found unnecessary and pretty boring. 

I did feel bad for Haven throughout the story for all the challenges that she had to overcome. I found out more of a finding yourself book rather than a typical romance novel. Although, there was a few romances that occurred in the book, it was not the main focus of this novel. I felt like Haven was lost, did not know what to do or who to turn to in times of trouble. Personally, I think the readers can relate to her, when we occur obstacles or hard situations that we do not know how to face. On the other hand, Haven keeps complaining and whining,which bothers me so much as I was reading. I am glad of how her perspective changed throughout the novel.

One of the things that I liked about this book was that it took a place throughout one certain summer with a few flashbacks from another (great) summer. I wished that more of the situations in the story were more elaborated on how solution turned out to be. 

Sarah Dessen's writing made me so drawn into book even more.You can never go wrong with her style of writing. 

Overall,it was an okay book for a quick read. Although,it was not that great, I am still looking forward to reading more Sarah Dessen books.

Laura Springall

I actually quite disliked this book. The characters were just - blah. Haven is a childish, Ashley is over dramatic and selfish, the mother is focused on herself all the time, the father doesn't seem to care all that much about his daughters, Sumner really wasn't very interesting, Casey was bitchy, Lewis was boring, and so was the plot! Pretty much the only thing I liked was the last chapter, and even that wasn't too great

Abby N. Lewis

This book was a pleasant, welcome relief and distraction from my own life. There's just something about reading a book filled to the brim with other peoples problems that's just so . . . therapeutic. Simply knowing that other people, even fictional ones, go through the same situations and out-of-your-control, life-altering events as I do is comforting, to say the least. 

Sitting down and curling up on my couch with my cat in my lap and this book in my hands is by far the best way to spend a lonely evening at home. Now I know why Sarah Dessen is such a popular writer. Her books tend to seep into your soul and transport your mind into her characters'.

It was such a delightful read and distraction that I almost wish I hadn't read it so quickly.

Devin Jones

Cortnie

Through most of this book, I repeatedly called Sumner, Summer... and then got about twenty or so pages from the end and felt like slapping myself in the face.

Apart from that...

Once again, Sarah Dessen reiterated why she is my favorite author. I feel such a kinship with her quirky characters. Although the only thing I really had in common with Haven is having an older (and bratty) sibling(s), I felt on the same level with her. My parents haven't divorced (though there have been some -ahem- delicate situations kind of similar to some of her own).

Haven is fifteen and she feels like a giant. She just keeps growing... and growing and growing. Her world is falling apart and she's dead set on thinking that the last really good time they had was a summer when they went to Virgina Beach with her sister Ashley and her boyfriend, Sumner. She believes that everything started falling apart after that fact: because her father cheated on her mother and remarried, her mother fell apart, and her sister behaved even worse to her- whereas she was actually nice when dating Sumner.

Through most of this book I was pretty choked up over her insecure feelings, because there's a part of it which speaks to me.

In the end, she finally grows a spine, sticks up for herself a bit, and becomes somewhat comfortable with her height. She figures out that Sumner wasn't as great of a boy as she presumed (and he was the first boy to ever disappoint her).

I think one of my favorite aspects of this book was that Haven didn't have a love interest. She wasn't interested in pursuing a romantic relationship with her sister's ex-boyfriend. She just wanted someone she could relate to, someone who could understand her and make her feel better, which he did.

Five out of Five stars, because I adored it and let's face it... I'm kind of biased when it comes to Sarah Dessen's books. Whoops.

Elad Schulman

I am a huge fan on Sarah Dessens novels. 
However, this one wasn't that good. The story wasn't climatically built, and nothing BIG really happened. It was more a telling of what happened to Haven, the main character. A lot of the characters seemed like they weren't complete. 
I was very disappointed with this book.

Milana Marie Waller

okay but honestly 

there was no romance !


and yes , Sarah’s writing style is like so good but i just wanted some more ACTION

i had the same problem with the other book of hers I read , i think it was The Moon and More ? like her styles so good and all i just need some romance ya hear that’s what we all want

The more things change. . . As far as Haven is concerned, there’s just too much going on. Everything is changing, and she’s not sure where she fits in. Then her sister’s old boyfriend shows up, sparking memories of the summer when they were all happy and everything was perfect. . . . But along the way, Haven realizes that sometimes change is a good thing. “Unforgettable” —Publishers Weekly, starred review Also by Sarah Dessen: Along for the Ride Dreamland Just Listen Keeping the Moon Lock and Key The Moon and More Someone Like You This Lullaby The Truth About Forever What Happened to Goodbye

That Summer

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