Book Bites: 3 Sentence Intro About What This Story Is

Three best friends revisit Winlock Harbor, their childhood vacation spot, on their last summer of high school. Except this summer, these long-time friends will encounter a very different and life-changing experience that is like nothing they’ve faced before. Grayson’s accident affects his ability to play football, Ian has to deal with the recent news of his father, and Mike has to find a way to make more money to help his family and follow his dreams.

*As usual, to see the official book teaser/summary of this, go to anywhere books are found and read up more about what this book is about.

Now on to My Commentary (**May Contain Spoilers: Read at Your Own Risk)

On last week’s post, I talked about how I picked up my first Jessica Brody book because I had taken her class and was excited to read one of her works. Well, continuing my binge, my next pick to read was Boys of Summer.

And if you’re looking for a cute, sweet, and interesting easy beach read (even if it’s not summer), you’re in for a real treat as you follow along with three adorable, complex boys on their last summer together of high school.

Meet the Boys – Three Stories

I must say I’m really enjoying Jessica Brody’s books. I find each of them unique in their own way. Like each book has their own personality and mood I can get into. Not only is she does she create awesome writing courses to help us aspiring – yet stressed out – writers prepare for a professional career in writing, her books live up to what she teaches about crafting captivating stories.

She sets up Boys of Summer as a multiple first person story, which is not what I’m used to reading so this was already a point of intrigue for me. Each chapter is devoted to one of the boys and alternates between Grayson’s, Mike’s, and Ian’s perspective. Over the course of the book, we get to see how their individual stories slowly start converging to reveal how each boy’s conflict – and romance! – actually affects the other two.

I found that each boy’s love interest complemented them very well. Awww, I know, super cute! Honestly, I was iffy at first with the love interests selected for the male leads but they helped their partners confront and battle their demons. And each girl’s character shined well even if they were cast more for the role of supporting characters.

And oof! The drama in this one was juicy even if it felt more like a sitcom or soap opera. Or Degrassi. Yeah maybe that one. And boy, let me tell you. I WAS INTO IT! I was screaming and gasping at the pages constantly you would have thought there was an intruder in my house or something.

On the other hand, personally, I think female writers can sometimes make their male characters speak a little unrealistically. Not being self-righteous in any way because I do the same thing in my own writing. The way Grayson and to a lesser degree, Mike and Ian, see or talk about the girls they meet on the island, it felt a little like they were objectifying the females. Maybe this is a realistic representation of teenage boys, but I didn’t like reading their comments about the girls, especially Grayson’s. It’s not too much in the book that it turns you off though. Just a few select scenes – mainly in the beginning. I understood the reasoning for creating this faux masculinity and male bravado as it helped to support the later details that showed each boy’s true personality.

I also found that at moments, the three characters (Grayson being the golden boy football star, Mike being the sweet heartthrob, and Ian being the brooding, deep musician) played a little too well into the stereotypes. Still loved all the boys but would have loved to see a little more development in them to really add complexity into their characters. The book was long enough to let us get to know the male leads but it felt too short to infuse the most depth into their development. Regardless, loved the book!

By the way, as much as I loved all of them, I definitely had heart eyes for Ian. I’m a sucker for the brooding, sensitive musician. Add in sarcastic and I’m sold! And his sappy love ballads and poetry, ahhhhhh! I instantly fell for him. P.S. the lyrics for one of his songs is included in the book. Swoon.

Final Thoughts

If you’re looking for an easy beach read, this book will fit your palate. Take a trip to Winlock Harbor where the cute, swoon-worthy boys learn to overcome their issues with the help of a leading lady by their side. As I mentioned in The Geography of Lost Things post, fans of Sarah Dessen will likely enjoy Jessica Brody’s books.

Check out this book if it piques your interest. Hope you enjoy it as your next read or a re-read!

And remember, “Every story is worth the read. Someone (some poor, overworked, ink-stains-on-the-clothes lovely soul) took the time to write it.”