Aubrey and Rae have been planning their trip around Europe practically from the moment they became BFFs in primary school. And, now, it ought to be the perfect way to spend their last summer together before university.
But things are more complicated at eighteen than they were at ten. There's Jonah, Aubrey's seemingly perfect boyfriend, and his best friend Gabe, the boy Aubrey may have accidentally kissed. And there's Clara, the friend Rae is crushing on, hard, even though there's no hope because Clara is definitely into guys, not girls.
Five friends. Ten days. Paris, Amsterdam, Prague, Florence, Barcelona. And a messy, complicated, can-this-really-be happening love story, or two ... because how could there not be?
Published June 14, 2018 by Poppy
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*Thank you Poppy for an ARC of The Summer of Us at BookExpo!
My ThoughtsSometimes, I just need a good contemporary novel to fly through so I feel happy and cheerful, and to not have a heavy fiction novel that requires a lot of thought. The Summer of Us was the perfect novel to break up some heavier novels, and I'm glad that I grabbed this one at BookExpo.
The Summer of Us is about five best friends that travel around Europe the summer before heading to college. Each of the characters has some sort of history with each other, whether that be best friends, past romances, hidden crushes, or current loves. This took a little bit to understand the history of each of the characters, but that was definitely not a flaw in the book. It was like joining a new friend group – you had to piece together all the past stories of the characters and figure out your own place in the story.
The set-up of this was one of my favorite things in the novel. It alternated between the viewpoints of goody-two-shoes Aubrey and her lesbian best friend Rae. Each of the point of views were similar but still had their differences. You could tell why they were best friends as you read from each of their point of views, which helped understand the story more.
Another thing I really enjoyed about this was how real it was. Teenagers are crazy beings, and adding in a unchaperoned trip around Europe and things can get confusing. Feelings were messed with, hookups happened, and fights were brewing. The characters were dramatic, but it wasn't like a 24/7 thing. The author understood that not all teenagers had their head in the clouds, and her characters had more substance compared to other contemporaries.
The romances were the part that kind of lacked. I could understand two of the characters romances because it had more of a backstory, but one of the other romances was harder to piece together and understand the history and motive behind it. While I understand that not every teenage romance is easy to understand, I think the story behind Aubrey's love triangle was confusing and didn't make much sense.
The ending is something that brings up a lot of important questions about leaving for college, dependence on others, and moving on to something better. The wrap-up was done perfectly, and I'm really happy with reading this novel.
The Summer of Us is a fun, summer, contemporary novel with just the right amount of fluff and substance. I would definitely suggest picking it up if you're in the mood to travel around Europe with five best friends!
Stars: 4 out of 5
What I Liked: They were real teenagers that were dramatic, yet not annoying.
What I Disliked: One of the romances could have been developed more.
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